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might call us his brethren, and in that nature hath redeemed us from every evil to every happinefs; let us do ourselves the honour of being the brethren of the Son of God, and afcribe to our illuftrious friend, all the glory which ever belongs to him. As he is God, let us ever hold him, with the Father and Spirit, the fupreme object of all religious worship. As God-man, let us ever regard him as the glorious mediator, through whom all our addreffes to God should be made, and all God's goodnefs fhall be communicated to us. Let us, as often as we have opportunity, devoutly partake of the Holy Sacrament, in commemoration of his death, and conftantly obferve and fanctify the Sabbath, in memory of his refurrection. And as our hearts ought daily to glow with every pious affection to this Redeemer of our fouls, our mouths ought daily to celebrate his praife. This ever has been the devout employment of his faints on earth, and will be the everlafting exercise of all his faints and his angels in heaven. Let us then be early and well initiated into their facred exercises in time, in which we wish to be employed through our immortal being. Let us fhow forth his praife, who hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light, who hath rescued us from the flavery of fin and Satan, redeemed us from eternal condemnation, and exalted us to the hopes of heaven and eternal happiness. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to thy name be the glory. Worthy is the Lamb that was flain to receive power and riches, wifdom and ftrength, and honour, and glory, and bleffing: for thou waft flain, and haft redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred and tongue, and

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people and nation; and haft made us unto our God, kings and priests.

VI. Lastly, Let us by his grace form upon him as our great example, obey him as our Mafter, and grow up in all things to him who is our head.

The begotten Son of God is the glorious pattern according to which all the created and renewed children are to be formed, and whom they are carefully to imitate, that they may truly refemble him. Uniting Deity, and humanity in his perfon, and exhibiting every divine excellence in human form, he has brought divine perfection to human view, and fitted it more for the imitation of his finite brethren, than it had ever been before. Upon this glorious model the children of God are firft formed in their regeneration by the fame divine spirit that adorned the human nature of Chrift with god-like perfection in his divine generation; and through the continued influence of the fame fpirit, and the exercises of every chriftian grace and virtue by which he grew up in his Father's image, muft we grow up into the image of God our heavenly Father, by growing up duly in the image of his Son. This ought to be our chief care,as it is our greatest concern. Having been renewed after his image by his bleffed fpirit in the principles and temper of our mind in our first compliance with his gofpel, let us improve in a growing conformity to that image in a conftant obedience to it. Let us endeavour to have his fpirit more and more imparted to us, as it was gradually imparted to him. Let us, with this fpirit of Chrift, endeavour more and more to acquire the diving and chriftian temper, and to live the divine and christian life. Let the love of our God and Saviour reign habi

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tually in our heart, and the example and laws ho hath given us, be continually in our eye. What Chrift forbade, let every Chriftian abstain from what Chrift enjoined and practifed, let every. Chriftian obferve and do. Let the fame piety to God, the fame extenfive and active benevolence to mankind, and the fame holiness and heavenly mindedness that adorned our Redeemer's character adorn ours. Chriftianity is a real and growing conformity to Chrift, and therefore would we be real Chriftians, we muft in principles, temper, and conduct, be conformed to Chrift. Let us therefore put off the old man with his deceitful lufts, and put on the new man which is created in righteousness and true holiness; for if any man 'be a Chriftian, he must be a new creature. We must be what our Mafter was in univerfal goodnefs, if we would hope to be what he now is, in eternal glory. We muft live as brethren of the Son of God, in temper and conduct, in time, if we would at laft poffefs his falvation through eternity. For thofe and those only who are conformed to the firft born Son and Heir in all wifdom and holiness, religion and righteousness, through his bleffed fpirit, can be the fons of God and brethren of Chrift, and co-heirs with the Son of God in his great inheritance.

John Provdfart

FINI S..

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