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To conclude. A good Confcience will SER M be always our beft Friend, and notwith- XIII. standing any Troubles or Misfortunes

that may befall us at prefent, we may be fure That will bring us Peace at the last. Mark the perfect Man, (fays David) and behold the Upright, for the End of that Man is Peace.

Now to God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, be afcribed (as is most due) all. Honour, Glory, Praife, Might, Majesty and Dominion, now, henceforth, and for evermore.

Amen.

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SERM.

XIV.

SERMON XIV.

2 TIM. iv. 7, 8.

I have fought a good Fight, I have finished my Cour fe, I have kept the Faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, Shall give me at that Day.

T. Paul being well affured that S he was about to put off this earthly Tabernacle, and that the Time of his Departure drew nigh, was not at all uneafy under the Apprehenfions of it; but, having the Testimony of a good Confcience on his Side, declared his well-grounded Hope and Confidence in God, and, like a victorious Soldier of Chrift, went off a Conqueror.

Indeed the State of a Chriftian in this SERM. Life, is a State of Warfare. Chrift is our XIV, Head, and we are to fight manfully under his Banner against Sin, the World, and the Devil, and to continue his faithful Soldiers and Servants unto our Lives end. Now the Apoftle acquitted himself a faithful Soldier in thefe three refpects.

I. He fought a good Fight. From his Converfion to Chriftianity he followed the Example of his great Mafter, entered the Lifts, and bravely carried on the War with the Prince of Darkness, which our bleffed Saviour had fo gloricufly begun. For the Sake of the Gospel of Chrift, he had been in Weariness and Painfulness, in Watchings often, in Hunger and Thirst, in Faftings often, in Cold and Nakedness. He fought not only against Flesh and Blood, against human Violence, and corrupt Nature, but against Principalities, against Powers, against the Rulers of the Darkness of this World, against spiritual Wickednefs in high Places. we must through much Tribulation enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; and accordingly he took up a Refolution to make all Oppofition fall before him, to take unto

He knew that

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SERM. him the whole Armour of God, that he XIV. might be able to withstand in the evil Days and having done all, to ftand..

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II. He alfo finifhed his Courfe. And this he did both as a Chriftian and an Apoftle; as a true Difciple, as well as a faithful Ambaffador of Chrift. He did not be gin and then leave off, when he found the Burden grow heavy upon his Hands, but perfevered unto the End; knowing that if he was faithful unto Death, he bould receive a Crown of Life,

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He was fo far from being weary of running the Race that was fet before him, that he went through it with Conftancy and Chearfulness; and, as he himself affures us, he took pleasure in Infirmities, in Re proaches, in Neceffities, in Diftreffes for Chrift's Sake: For when I am weak, fays he, i. e. as to his outward State, then am I ftrong, viz. by the Power of Chrift.

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He appeals to all the Churches, as well as to God, who were Witneffes of his Labours, to teftify the Unblameableness of his Life and Converfation. Te are Witnefes, fays he, and God also, how bolily; and justly, and unblameably we behaved qurfelves among you that believe; as ye

know,

know, how that we exhorted you, and com- SERM forted, and befought every one of you, as a XIV. Father his Children, that you would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his Kingdom and Glory. In

He went about preaching boldly in Seafon and out of Seafon, and counted all Thing's but Lofs for the Excellency of the Knowledge of Chrift Fefus.

III. He alfo kept the Faith. And that he did pure and inviolable. He did not in troduce the Doctrines of Men in the Room of the Doctrines of Chrift, but faithfully transmitted the Doctrine of his Master to the Churches without Alteration: For, fays

what I have received of the Lord Fe fus I have delivered unto you. And he received a Crown of Glory for his Pains. And indeed, if People will fight, and toil, and run the utmost Hazards to obtain a corrup tible Crown, which they did in the Olympick Games, from whence this figurative Expreffion is taken, well might we join with the Apostle in doing greater things for an incorruptible one, that fadeth not away.

Thus have I explained the Text, and fhewn how the Apostle has fulfilled it. I muft now enter upon a melancholy Scene,

and

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