their profeffion; so many who put their hand to the plough, to look back. They still love finful liberty, their hearts are not divorced from their lufts, and fo they return to their idols. If you name the name of Chrift, and profefs love to him, God charges you, To turn your esteem of fin into disdain and contempt of it, Ifa. ii. 20. "Caft your idols to the moles and to the bats." Let grace and holiness have the ascendant of fin and wickedness in your esteem. Account them no more the happy men who take to themselves a liberty in finful courfes, but as men who are most miserable, vile, and pitiful, as flaves to fin, and in the road to deftruction, Pfal. xv. 4′′ You are charged to turn your love of fin into hatred and abhorrence of it, Pfal. xcvii. 10. "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil.” Hate it as evil, as the worst of evils, worse than any fufferings; hate it as hell: Rom: xii. 9. "Abhor that which is evil." Hate it as deftructive to the foul, as dif

honouring and difpleafing to God. Abhor it as you would do a cup of poifon, though a golden cup. Your love of it must be turned into loathing. Look not only upon it as an ill thing, but as a filthy and a loathfome thing, at which one's heart is apt to ftand, Ifa. xxx. 22. Ezek. xviii. 31. You have long kept at it as a fweet morfel. Let your foul apprehend its real filthinefs, fo as that you may vomit it up again.-Your former cleaving unto fin must be turned into longing to get rid of it, Rom. vii. 24. "O! wretched man that I am, whọ shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Long to be free of it, as a prifoner longs for the opening of the prifon-doors, as a captive for his liberty. Look on it as a burden on your back, which makes you ftoop; as a burden on your head, which perplexes you how to get free of it; as a

burden

burden on your stomach, which you will endeavour to caft up. This is the heart's departing from fin, without which all other departures from it will be to little purpose.

5. Depart from the enjoyment of the fruits of fin. The righteous man is one who defpifes the gain of oppreffion, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and fhutteth his eyes from feeing of evil. When lovers part, they give back their tokens; and when a finner parts with his fin in earnest, he will part with its fruits, whatever advantages he has by them. This is fo evident even to a natural confcience awakened, that Judas, repenting of his betraying of Christ, could not longer bruik the thirty pieces he had made by his fin; and Zaccheus, fincerely repenting, is ready to make reftitution, Luke, xix. 8. It was Balaam's character, he loved the wages of unrighteousness. And he

who wilfully keeps the fruit of his fin, thereby nails down his own foul in a state of impeni. tency, fo that he cannot repent of that fin; he binds the guilt of it on himself as with bands of iron and brafs, fo that it cannot be forgiven while this difpofition remains. Wherefore purge out this leaven, and cast away the fruits with the

tree.

6. Depart from the occafions of fin, and all temptations to it, Ezek. xiv. 6. (quoted above): It is vain to pretend to depart from fin, when men do not watch against the occafions to it. They who in as fiege refolve really not to give up the town, will defend the outworks as long as they Thefe do not depart from, but run into fin, who caft themselves into the way of temptations. Therefore fays Solomon: Prov. iv. 14. 15. "En

can.

ter

ter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the of evil men. way Avoid it, pafs over it, turn from it, and pass away." Mind the apostle's advice, Thef. v. 22. " Abstain from all appearance of evil." Occafions and temptations will feek us out while in this evil world; but let every one who nameth the name of Chrift be upon his guard against them.

Laftly, Depart from the workers of iniquity: 2 Cor. vi. 17. "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, faith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." Let birds of a feather flock together; but if ye name the name of Chrift, depart from the tents of wicked men. True, we cannot altogether fhun them while we are in the world: but to make choice of ungodly perfons for our companions, is the way to ruin: Prov. xiii. 20. “He that walketh with wife men fhall be wife but a companion of fools fhall be deftroyed." Wherefore, if you be setting your faces heavenward, depart from those whofe faces are towards hell: Acts, ii. 40." With many words did Peter teftify and exhort them, faying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation." Pfal. xii. 7. "Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever."

THE

THE SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED.

SERMON LVII.

2 TIM. ii. 19. And let every one that nameth the name of Chrift depart from iniquity.

H

AVING, in the preceding difcourfe, confidered to whom the charge is addreffed, and what is imported in the charge, "depart from iniquity,"

WE now proceed,

III. To explain the nature of this charge, or to fhew how the Lord charges those who name the name of Chrift to depart from iniquity.-You may know the nature of this charge given to them in the text, by these following properties. It is,

1. An univerfal charge, and this in two refpects. 1ft, In refpect of the perfons naming. Every one, fays the text, who nameth the name of Chrift: there is no exception in the charge, it is directed to all and fundry who profefs Chrift, or

who

who are called Chriftians, whether ye be communicants or not. Since you are Christians by name, you are charged by the God who made you, to betake yourselves to the Christian life, and depart from iniquity. Whether you be high and honourable, or low and mean in the world, whatever diffe. rence is betwixt you and others, God makes none in this charge. But whether young or old, you are included in the charge, and you cannot refift it, but at your highest peril.-2dly, The charge is univerfal in respect of the fins which you are to depart from: Ezek. xviii. 31, "Caft away from you all your tranfgreffions, whereby you have tranfgreffed, and make you a new heart and a new fpirit: for why will ye die, O house of Ifrael?” They are all and every one of them dishonouring to God, displeasing to him, disagreeable to the holy name by which you are called, and therefore all of them are to be departed from. You muft part with your fashionable fins, (with which, to be neighbour-like, you comply, though you should be a wonder to many), as well as with unfashionable ones, to which you have no temptation: Rom. xii, 2. "And be not conformed to this world."---You' must depart from your gainful fins, as well as thofe by which you make no profit: Matth. xvi. 26. "For what is a man profited, if he fhall gain the whole world, and lose his own foul? or what fhall a man give in exchange for his foul?"-You must part with the fins of your calling and station in the world, as well as those which lie out of your road. This is an ordinary screen for fin; but fee Luke, iii. 12. 13. 14. You must part with little fins, as well as with great fins; with your darling fin, your bofom-idol, as well as with others lefs beloved; with the fins of your constitution, that fin which most eafily befets you, VOL. III. T Heb.