Imatges de pàgina
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er you shall live another day; nay, it may be you are standing on the very brink of eternity; put not off repentance and conversion from day to day; for there is no promise of to-morrow. Therefore be not deceived, my friends, be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap; he that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. Gal. 6: 8.

Therefore take counsel from Christ, and seek the righteousness which exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees; be not lulled into security by a false reliance upon outward worship, going to church, and acts of benevolence, independent of repentance and true conversion, and of the renovating efficacy of the Holy Spirit; but endeavor to work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do, of his good pleasure. Phil. 12: 13. Strive to enter in at the straight gate: for many will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. Luke 13. Why so?. Because they do not first become poor, vile and humble before God, and put off the old man by grace, so that they may, by faith, put on the new man, but seek and strive to enter in by virtue of good works, almsdeeds, prayer, going to church and outward services, when the heart is far from God, though such per

sons persuade themselves they possess the peculiar privilege of getting to heaven, so that they have the assurance to say, Have we not eaten and drunk in thy presence, and hast thou not taught in our streets? But with all their reputed good works and flattering expectations, they shall hear the sentence, Depart from me, I know you not.

Therefore, dear man, I repeat it again, circumcise thy heart of flesh, and turn thee unto the Lord thy God, and learn his ways, and thou shalt live. Be not angry with thy brother, nor indulge malice towards thy fellow men, but seek peace, and ensue it; for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers. Pet. 3: 11, 12.

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O how few take this to heart! How little faith do we find among the children of men! For we may well apply to the present time the words of the prophet, Take ye heed every one of his neighbor, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will walk with slanders. And they will deceive every one his neighbor, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongues to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity. Jer. 9. This is plainly the case in buying and selling, in bartering and trading, as may be seen almost everywhere; for if a man has an article of any kind to sell, he generally

praises it more than he ought, in order that he may sell it to advantage; if there is anything he is desirous of buying, he for the most part disparages it more than is just, merely that he may get it cheap; if two men trade, they try their best, in most instances to cheat one another; but if they cannot do this, they are grieved that they could not commit iniquity. O how little respect is paid to this injunction of Christ, As ye would that men should do unto you, do ye also to them likewise. Matt. 7: 12. Luke 6: 31.

If two men live at variance with one another, each contends strenuously that he is in the right; if you ask one of them concerning the cause of the dispute, it would appear that the other has been the sole instrument of involving him in difficulty; if you inquire of the other, he will tell you he himself is in the right. All this is the result of self-love, which makes a person try to conceal his errors from the observation of mankind. But, O ye men, if you could but see that you stand exposed, in all your nakedness, to the view of Almighty God, who will judge the secrets of your hearts, (Rom. 2: 16,) you would abandon forever your contestations, and each would confess with David, I am the man who has sinned. 1 Chron. 21: 17. For there is scarcely any dispute for which reason cannot be assigned on both sides; therefore let every one humble him

self, confess his errors, and seek peace and ensue it for without peace, and without holiness no man shall see the Lord.

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Heb. 12: 14. The angels in heaven rejoiced, appeared unto the shepherds, and exclaimed, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men, (Luke 2: 14,) at the birth of our Saviour; you are willing to be called after his name, and yet desire or seek not the same peace. Therefore I would, in the first place, admonish all married people, who live in strife and contention, that they peruse with diligence the instructions of Christ, and learn therefrom that a man should love his wife as his own flesh, or as Christ loves his church, and has given himself for her. Again, that the wife should be subject to her husband, as her head, even as the church is subject to Christ (Eph. 5. Col. 3: 18, 19); then will their mutual strife soon be at an end; for when evangelical, christian virtue and love exert their influence between married persons, there can be no room for contention and discord, but love and humility will reign between them.

In the second place, I would exhort all contending friends, neighbors and brothers to reflect upon the precepts and example of Christ, and they will soon discover that they are not his disciples; for the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy

and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. James 3: 17. O that all

might obtain this wisdom, then would their hatred be changed in love and compassion, their implacability into condonation, and they would be found as children of peace: blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.

But they must first become pure in spirit, sorrowful of soul, meek and mild in heart; they must hunger and thirst after the righteousness of Christ, after his principles and nature, after his love and patience, after his mind and will, that they may, in all respects, be prepared, in him, by him, and through him, to do all things that are pleasing in his sight, in time and eternity. Amen.

Therefore, O man, do not procrastinate; console not thyself with the idea that thou shalt be able in hell to discharge thy sins, but hasten with Lot and flee from the Sodomitish practices of this world, and rescue thy soul, that thou mayest be eternally happy.

God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked; why will ye die, O house of Israel? Ezek. 33: 11. Ezek. 18.

1. O sons of men! come now and view
And learn true peace to know;

"Tis offered now by Christ to you,
O do not let it go.

2. When both thy offering and thy prayer
Are to the altar brought,

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