dominion over them, abolished. God, by an outstretched arm, hath brought them out of darkness, into his marvelous light. They are made to behold the beauty of religion, and the glories of the heavenly world; and, forgetting the things which are behind, they are enabled to press forward towards the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God, in Christ Jesus.

While others are without any rational hope, and without God in the world, they are from time to time, blessed with his cheering presence, and animated with the light of his countenance. The evidence of their title to an inheritance among the saints in light, is constantly brightening; their views of heaven are constantly enlarging; and, although they are oppressed with all those trials and calamities incident to human nature, they are borne up and supported by that glorious promise, all things shall work together for good to them that love God.'

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Can those then, on whom the richest of heaven's blessings have been lavished; for whom such mirracles of mercy have been wrought, question their obligation to do more than others?

2dly. Believers should do more than others, because they stand in a nearer relation to God. The nearer the relation the greater the obligation. In this respect believers on earth, are under greater obligation, than angels in heaven. Angels stand in the relation of servants to their Lord; but believers are more closely united. Christ is the head, and they are the members. They are not only in common with the children of the world created of God; but they are born of God. A son honoreth his father, if then, says God, I be a father, where is mine honor?

Every believer is a member of Christ's body, the church. He is united to the father through faith in the Son, as the branches are united to the vine.

From this near relation of believers to God, their obligations are enhanced; they are bound to do more than others; to be more holy, more devoted to the cause of God. In a peculiar manner ought they to be patterns and examples in piety, in humility, in meekness, and in faith. To be externally religious, to maintain good outward conduct, without possessing a spirit of true piety, will not come up to the obligations of believers. The Pharisees were very scrupulous in their observance of the Jewish law, burdened as it was with rights and ceremonies; but our Lord in his public preaching, assured his hearers, that except their righteousness exceeded the righteousness of the Scribes and Farisees, they should in no wise enter into the kingdom of God.

The near relation of believers to God is a reason why they should not yield themselves the servants of sin. They in an essential manner are bound to serve God in spirit and in truth. Denying ungodliness, they, should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present evil world. God expresses his astonishment at the conduct of christians. 'Here O heavens, and give ear O earth; I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me!' Believers standing to God, in the relation of children to a father, are bound to honor and reverence him; to discover an attachment to his interest, to walk as Christ walked.

The Roman Censors took such a dislike to the son of Scipio Africanus, that they plucked the ring from his finger, on which was engraved the image of his father. They would not suffer the degenerate son, who had none of the virtues of his father, to wear his picture.

Shall those walk in darkness, whose father is light; who ought to be the first to reverence and to adore him!

Sd. Christians should do more than others, because they profess more. As trees are know by their fruits,

so Christ's followers are to be known by their works. There are some who profess to know Christ but in works deny him, being abominable, disobedient and to every good work reprobate. The man does. not appear in what he says, but what he does.

Believers in professing Christianity and dedicating themselves to God, have solemnly engaged to make the whole law and gospel of Christ the rule of their life, no plea which they can make can free them from this covenant obligation. They are to be wholly the Lords. They have engaged to be his. They ought therefore to distinguish themselves from the people of the world. What would pass unnoticed in the people of the world, would be a great crime in them. He. rod could live in adultery with his brother Philip's wife and it be thought no crime; but it was unpar donable for our Lord to go in to be a guest with sin ners, or to eat with unwashen hands.

In the apostolic days it was said of the saints that the world took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. Their life and conversation no doubt gave evidence that they were on the side of Christ. So christians in professing godliness have engaged to give the same evidence; and to do this, they must be eminently holy. They must walk in newness of life-in new obedience.

4th. It is incumbent on believers to do more than others, because their conduct is more observed and noticed by the world.

We are, saith the Apostle, a spectacle to men and angels. The eyes of the world are attentively turned upon the professors of religion. They as carefully watch for their errors, as though they expected their fall would procure their own salvation. This should make them circumspect and guarded; they should condemn those by their lives who condemn them with their lips. The direction is explicit, 'come. ye out from among them, and be ye separate.'

Believers are required to keep themselves pure from the pollutions of the world. To this end, the devout Psalmist prays Teach me thy way O Lord and lead me in plain paths, because of mine enemies.' The malicious designs-the lying in wait of his enemies, was the reason why the Psalmist wished to be directed in duty, why he wished to be more circumspect and guarded in his behaviour.

Says a pious divine: if you walk in the unpaved way of licentious looseness, the world will not go backwards, like Shem and Japhet, to cover your na kedness; but they will march forward, like cursed Ham, to uncover your nakedness and make it more shamefully to appear. The ungodly make use of your weakness as a shield for their own wickedness. When reproved for their wickedness, they will bring forward your vices and follies as a defence for themselves. By your committing small errors, they think themselves justified in the commission of great crimes. They will sooner allow their own enormities, than your small infirmities. To deprive sinners of this reason, this pretext for sin, let your pure lives shut their impure lips. To your virtues they are blind; but your foibles, they view with opticks clear.One transient eclipse of the sun, excites the astonishment, and arrests the attention of a gazing world, but when shining in his full orbed splendor, is uunoticed. One crime into which you fall, will, call forth more observations, than a whole life of the most exemplary piety. David's sin with Bathsheba, has drawn upon him, and upon religion in general, torrents of censure, and has been improved as a defence of whole lives of the most enormous wickedness. One scar, may mar the beauty of the fairest face. One wound which Christ may receive in the house of his friends, may do more injury to the cause of religion, than a thousand attacks from without.

5thly. Believers should do more than others, that it may appear that they are more than others.

The judgment of the world is not founded on professions, but conduct. If good fruits do not appear in the life and conversation of christians, their professions are vain. Unbelievers will pronounce them hypocrites and no better than themselves. To bear the name of christians, and yet walk in the courses of the wicked, is an inconsistency of which the world will take advantage. The ruling temper of the heart, is ever visible in the outward conduct. Where the heart is of a good constitution, the life will be of a fair complexion.

If the will is subdued and brought into subjection by divine grace, this will be manifest in the life and conversation; the walk will be in newness of life, in obedience to the divine law. Grace will not always lie buried in obsecurity; it will at times appear and cast a dazling lustre on its possessor. It is the command, the solemn injunction of Christ to his disciples, Let your light so shine before men, that they seeing your good works, may glorify your father who is in heaven.'

6thly. Christians are bound to do more than others, because they are hereafter to be judges of others.

As the scriptures clearly teach us, that there is a day appointed when the whole assembled universe will be judged, so they likewise teach us, that God, Christ, and the Saints, have each their parts assigned in the transactions of that day. God passes the sentence, Christ executes it, and the Saints approve of it. Do ye not know saith the Apostle, to his christian brethren, that the Saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy of the smallest matter?

The time is approaching, it will soon come, when we, when all the myriads of the apostate race of Adam,