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righteousness? To such Jesus Christ is now the resurrection and the life: but there are many who say with Martha, that they believe the resurection at the last day, without seeming to regard or understand this: but blessed and holy is he who hath part in this first resurrection to him Christ is truly the life; and over him the second death shall have no power.

:

I have now shewed you, how just a description the text hath given us of Jesus Christ; and from that you may learn the value of his religion; and what a and what a blessing it is to us all that we are still in possession of it; for if we lose that, we lose all. The world would no longer be a place fit to live in. If there be any such thing as a religion without Christ, you may judge what it must be it can neither shew us the way, nor tell us the truth, nor give us the life; and that must be a strange religion. It has no teacher to shew us the way; no mediator to prepare it. It leaves us like sheep in a desert; departed from God, and not knowing how to return to him. If we try to be wise, we are ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. f we are shocked at the brevity and vanity

of

of man in this world, we see no remedy. The richest and fairest parts of the earth, whatever trees and fruits they may produce, have no tree of life. Death reigns without controul: for whatsoever the various schemes of man's wisdom may promise, not one of them all ever pretended to give life.

How devoutly thankful ought we to be for that inestimable blessing which God hath bestowed upon us, in giving us his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life! The way to heaven lies right before us, and is so plain that a child may find it. We have knowledge of that truth, which is above all truth: and we partake of that life, which is a life of eternity.

We shall be thankful in the only proper manner, and as God requires, if we take advantage of these blessings, and use them as we ought.

Therefore, if Christ be the way; let us return to God by him: let us pray, with him for our intercessor; and then we shall have access to God. It is the custom in the East to this day for persons to gain access to some great and powerful man, by sending an offering before them to prepare the way. Our offering is

Christ:

Christ: we offer him to the Father, and we are accepted in the beloved. Paradise itself is open to those who seek it in this manner: no flaming sword is now in the way, to stop them from the tree of life.

If Christ be the Truth, let us find him in the word of truth. Let us learn how he is the end of the law for righteousness; how it all points to him, and is fulfilled in him. Let us look unto him through the works of the creation, and learn how he is the truth of nature: the true vine; the true bread; the true light; the truth of every thing our eyes can see, that is great and valuable in the world. Till we see this use and sense of nature, the sun may give light to our eyes, but it gives none to our minds.

If Christ be the Life, let him be our life. As man liveth not by the bread of earth alone, but by the bread of heaven; let us go out to gather that manna, where it is to be found (and as often as it is to be found) at the table of the Lord. Christ our passover being sacrificed for us, let us keep the feast: and let us think it a feast; as indeed it is, in comparison of which all that is in the world is emptiness and faine. Christ being also the true Tree of Life, old prohibition is no longer in force against

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us; we may now with safety put forth our hand, and take of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever.

Now to God the Father, &c.

SERMON

SERMON XI.

The Case of the Law Stated.

ROM. iv. 14.

FOR IF THEY WHICH

ARE OF THE LAW

** HEIRS, FAITH IS MADE VOID, AND THE PROMISE MADE OF NONE EFFECT.

THE five books of Moses stand in the bening of our bible, and it is of great import

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to all readers of the scripture, that they should have a right understanding of them two reasons: first, because we have in books the foundation of all that follows secondly, because in this age they have

A dangerously misrepresented.

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the doctrine of the text is this; that they "ere under the law could not, as such,

inherit

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