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is not applied to you as yet and if ye continue fo, it will evidence that ye are none of the redeemed ones.

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Mot. 8. It is the defign of the fanctification of the Spirit Hence fays the Apoftle, 1 Pet. ii. 9. Te are a chofen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should fhew forth the praises of him who hath called out of darkness into his marvellous light. When God puts his Spirit into a man, it is that he may walk in his way, Ezek. xxxvi. 27. So that if ye live not to the honour of God, it is an evidence that ye have not the Spirit, but are dead while ye live.

Mot. 9. laftly, It is a loft life that is not lived to the honour of God, loft in death, eternal death. Hence fays our Lord, Matth. xvi. 25. 26. Whofoever will fave his life, fhall lofe it: and whofo ever will lofe his life for my fake, fhall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lofe his own foul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his foul? Confider, this life is fhort, it is foon away; it is uncertain, none knows how foon: but fuch as it is, eternity depends on it: Eccl. ix, 10.-For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goeft. If ye live not to the honour of God here, never expect to live with him hereafter in heaven. Remember the end of the flothful fervant, Matth. xxv. 30. Caft ye the unprofitable fervant into outer darkness: there hall be weeping, and gnashing of teeth. For your help to live to the honour of God, take these fol lowing directions.

1. Allow yourselves the justice once seriously to confider, now that ye are living, and muft die,

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what will be the best way for you to spend that bit of life. It is pity that people fhould not propose to themselves a defign of living, and confider what is that design of life that will come to the best account at length. Sure if ye do, ye will find no defign fo reasonable and advantageous as this.

2. Then take him for your God in Christ, that ye may live to his honour; and do not think that it is by your living to his honour, that he must become your God. Faith muft go before obedience, if ever the obedience be kindly. Faith firft embracing falvation in the free offer of the gospel, natively engages the heart to honour God, as a fon doth his father.

3. Labour to keep up the love of God in the heart, by believing his love; and that will be a ftrong band. Hence fays the Apostle, 2 Cor. v. 14. 15. The love of Chrift conftraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead and that he died for all, that they which · live, should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rofe again.

4. laftly, Firmly believe that there is a reward of grace for the righteous; and that not a good word or good work, fpoke or done for God, shall want a reward. Hence is that exhortation of the Apoftle's, 1 Cor. xv. ult. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye ftedfaft, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forafmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Doer. II. It is the fpecial bufinefs and privilege of life, to propagate religion, God's name and praife; the flanding generation to the rifing generation, the fathers to the children, all along.

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:. In difcourfing this doctrine, I fhall shew, I. What it is to propagate religion, God's name and praife, to the rifing generation.

II. Who are the standing and rifing generation, the fathers and the children, among whom this propagation of religion is to pafs.

III. In what refpects it is the special business of life.

IV. In what refpect it is the special privilege of

life.

V. lastly, Apply.

I. I shall shew what it is to propagate religion, God's name and praife, to the rifing generation. It implies thefe four things,

1. The having of religion ourselves. None can propagate what they have not. If men have not the knowledge and love of God themselves, how can they praise him to others? Men are fenfible, that if they gain not a competent portion of the world to themselves, they can leave none to their children : fo if they be idle or wafters, they are unjust to their families, 1 Tim. v. 8. Even fo if ye are not religious, ye not only dishonour God, and destroy your own fouls, but ye are unjuft to the rifing generations, and deftructive to their fouls too.

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2. The profeffion of religion. Hence fays the Apostle, Rom. x. 10. With the heart man believeth unto righteoufnefs, and with the mouth confeffion is made unto falvation. Men may have a profeffion without the practice of religion; but the practice requires the profeffion of it. And no man will ever propagate religion that is not himfelf a profeffor of it. And the profeffion must be fuch as is not visibly contradicted by the practice:

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for if example deftroy what precept builds up, there is no propagating religion to others by that means. So a credible profeffion of religion is a debt owing to the rifing generation.

3. A defire to continue and fpread religion in the world. Without this none will propagate it? for what men have no defire of the continuance or fpreading of, they will be loth to propagate. And it is the want of concern for the continuance and fpreading of religion, that makes men fo careless about the propagating thereof. They have no due concern for their own fouls; therefore they have none either for God's honour, or the good of those that come after them.

4. laftly, Contributing our endeavours to bring others, and particularly the rifing generation, to the knowledge and practice of religion. Hence fays the Pfalmift, Pfal. Ixxviii. 2. 3. 4. I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark fayings of old: which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from. their children, fhewing to the generation to come, the praifes of the Lord; and his firength, and his wonderful works that he bath done. Man is born like a wild afs's colt, wanting both knowledge and experience. We fee fuch as come into our world, come in naked among us; and we judge ourfelves obliged to clothe them, feed them, and teach them how to do for themselves. But withal they have and can do as little for their fouls, as for their bodies; and shall we leave them deftitute in that -point? How will we anfwer that to God? Now, to contribute endeavours to bring them to religion, lies in endeavouring,

Saf, To bring them to faith in Jefus Chrift, which

is the foundation of all religion: Pfal. Ixxviii. 7. That they might fet their hope in God, and not forget the works of God; but keep his commandments. They come into the world loft fons and daughters of Adam, under God's wrath and curfe. There is a Saviour provided; but they know it not, till the standing generation tell them of it. They are averfe naturally to come to that Saviour, and are not aware of the danger of flighting him it is justice and charity then to deal with them, in order to convince and bring them in.

2dly, To bring them to holiness of life; as did Abraham, Gen. xviii. 19. I know him, (fays the Lord), that he will command his children, and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do juftice and judg ment. When they come into our world, they bring a corrupt nature with them, which begins early to sprout. Satan will begin his temptations with them as foon as they are capable, lofing no time. The longer fin continues in them uncurbed, the stronger does it grow. It nearly concerns the ftanding generation then to contribute their endeavours to quench the hellish flame, and to turn the ftream and courfe of their life from fin to holinefs. And this,

(1.) By precept and counfel, Gen. xviii. 19. forecited. Thus we are to praife God to them, by word of mouth. We fhould fhew them what we have to fay in God's behalf, commend religion to them, difparage the way of fin and of the world to them; bind duty on their confcience, by fhewing them the tie of the word, and oblige them thereto by any authority we have over them.

(2.) By example. Let us write out religion in

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