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a pure heart. "If we love one another," fays the Apostle John, "God dwelleth in us, "and his love is perfected in us." In fhort, this is the character by which Jefus would have men to be known in the world for his difciples. The difciples of the Pharifees were known by their drefs, their extraordinary devotions, their fupercilioufnefs; the difciples of John the Baptift were known by their fafting, and the fingular aufterity of their manners; the difciples of the Heathen philofophers were known by their attachment to the oppofite fyftems and fpeculative opinions of their respective masters. Jefus Chrift fixes upon nothing of that kind for the diftinctive badge of his followers. He affigns fomething for it that is more useful and falutary, more agreeable to truth and reafon, and more conducive to the real perfection and happiness of human nature: "By "this," fays he, "fhall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to "another."

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Our Lord, I fay, prayed for this most excellent grace to his followers above all others, in praying for their union; becaufe this grace alone could make them truly and completely one. This would prevent or remove every poffible caufe of difcord or diffenfion that might arife among them; it would keep them conjoined in holy communion and peace, notwithstanding unavoidable differences of fentiment in fome things,

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and render them one compact and firm body, in which you can perceive no rent or fchifm, but closely knit together in all its parts, and edifying itself in love.

But we have now feen, according to the beft account that I am able to give of it, from the fcriptures of truth, what it is that Jefus Chrift here asks in behalf of those who should believe on his name, when he prays, "That "they all may be one, as thou, Father, art

in me, and I in thee; that they alfo may "be one in us." How far this prayer has been hitherto answered in fact, it may not become us to fay, though it must be owned, that appearances in the world at this day, and for many ages paft, are very much against it. But one thing we may fay, that if it had been anfwered in a much lefs degree than it has been, this would be no juft argument, either against the propriety of the prayer in itself, or against the efficacy of our Lord's interceffion with his Father. For it is with the anfwer of this prayer in us, my brethren, as with all the other bleffings which the gofpel propofeth to us: God has not made our at tainment of them to depend only upon himfelf, or the mediation of his Son; were that the cafe, we would have nothing to fear, and needed not give ourfelves any trouble about them but he has made it to depend alfo, and effentially, upon us; infomuch that without the concurrence of our defires, our prayers, and efforts for obtaining them, and . making

making them ours, we can reap no benefit from them; and they are as vain with regard to us as if they had never exifted, except only that they will increase the severity of our con demnation.

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SERMON IX.

The Subject continued.

JOHN Xvii. 20. 21.

Neither pray I for thefe alone, but for them alfo which fhall believe on me through their word: that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee; that they alfo may be one in us that the world may believe that thou haft fent me.

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HAT ought powerfully to excite our endeavours in the prefent cafe, is the confideration of the importance and neceffity of this union which our Saviour prays for among his profeffed followers, in order to engage the unbelieving world to receive the faith of his divine miflion, or to embrace his religion:-"That the world may believe that thou haft fent me." This was,

II. The fecond point that I propofed to confider. I fhall fatisfy myfelf with a brief and general illuftration of this: "That the "world may believe that thou haft fent me." It is our Lord that fays fo, my brethren; and what Chriftian, what lover of Jefus, but must be affected with this motive? Bleff. ed Jefus and is it fo indeed? is there dan

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ger that the world will not believe that God hath fent thee? that after all the glorious attestations that have been given to thy innocence and dignity, both from heaven and on earth, they will still hold thee for a falfe and wicked impoftor? that they will approve of the council which condemned thee as a blafphemer, and blefs the wicked hands that nailed thee to the cross? that they will crucify thee afresh, and put thee to open fhame? A. bove all, canft thou be liable to such treatment on account of any thing in the character and conduct of thy profeffed difciples ? What shall I do, O my Lord, to vindicate thy honour to rescue thy worthy name, in which I muft for ever glory, from the unjust reproaches of infidels? How fhall I take away from them every pretext to justify their unbelief, and caufe thee to be thought of, whereever thy name is heard, with that respect and veneration which is due to thee as the faithful "Meffenger of the Moft High, and the Anointed Lord and King of his people?" You know the answer, my brethren, that Jefus Chrift would give to fuch pious inquirers. The text has already informed you of it. Would it not be to this purpose ? "Be careful, my dear "friends, to live as becomes my difciples; "and let the diftinguishing mark or charac"teriftic of my difciples prevail, and be con"fpicuous in you;-ftudy to be one, -as "the Father is in me, and I in him, to be "one in us;-endeavour,-ftrive, exhort;

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