that we publifh the laws of Christ, unless we publish them as his laws, and prefs obedience to them by thofe motives and arguments which are peculiar to his gofpel In recommending the great duties of morality, we should represent them as the genuine effects and proper evidences of faith in Chrift, and love to God; directing our hearers at the fame time to the Spirit of Chrift for affiftance, and to his merit for the acceptance of all their fervices: and, after all, we fhould remind them, that as they are at best "unprofitable fervants," inftead of depending upon any thing done by them, as the ground of their juftification, in whole or in part, they must renounce all confidence in the flesh, and feek to be found in Chrift alone; "not having their

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own righteousness, but that which is

through the faith of Chrift, even the righ"teousness which is of God by faith."

(

Thefe are not trivial circumstances, as fome reprefent them to be: on the contrary, they are effential to the right preaching of Chrift; and if they be omitted, I can. eafily conceive it poffible for a minifter to preach all his life long upon the moral precepts

precepts of Christianity, without any other effect, than to lead his people away from the Saviour, and to carry them hood-winked into everlasting perdition. The apostles of our Lord, and they furely are the beft and most approved patterns for our imitation, introduced, upon all occafions, the peculiar doctrines of Christianity, both into their difcourfes and epiftles; and never failed to prefs the duties they enjoined by thofe regards which are due to Chrift himself. Thus, humility and felf-denial are recommended by the lowlinefs and patience of Chrift: Chastity is enforced by this confideration, "that our bodies are the mem"bers of Chrift, and the temples of his Spirit." We are exhorted to abound in alms-deeds," becaufe Chrift for our fakes "became poor," and in teftimony of our thankfulness to God" for his unspeakable gift." Hufbands are charged to love their wives," as Chrift loved his church :" and fervants are commanded to be faithful and diligent, "that they may adorn the "doctrine of God their Saviour." In fhort, Chrift is fo deeply engraved upon every moral

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moral precept in the New-Teftament writings, that we must read his name upon every duty; nay, we cannot efface his name, without debafing, or rather vitiating, the duty itself, and cafting away the most powerful inducement to the practice of it. I therefore faid, that to preach Chrift, is not only to publish what the Scriptures fay concerning him, but likewise to handle every other fubject of difcourfe in fuch a manner, as to keep Chrift continually in the eye of our hearers; and they whofe fchemes of religion do not admit of this, may be affured, without any further examination, that their schemes differ widely from the gospel of Chrift.

3dly, To preach Chrift Jefus the Lord, is to make the advancement of his kingdom, and the falvation of men, the fole aim of our preaching. We must not seek our own glory, but the glory of him who fent us. If we ferve ourselves, we must reward ourfelves as we can. Such only can look for the approbation of Chrift, who make the honour of his name, and the happiness of mankind, the ultimate end of all their miniftrations.

niftrations. They that ufurp the facred office from interested views, or merely to gain a fubfiftence in a prefent world, will find in the iffue, that they have turned the best and most falutary employment into a very bad trade, and only intitled themfelves to more and heavier ftripes when the chief Shepherd fhall appear. "We are am"baffadors for Chrift," faith our Apoftle, at the 20th verfe of the following chapter,

as though God did befeech you bý ús, "we pray you in Chrift's ftead, be recon"ciled to God." This is our proper bufinefs, the errand upon which we are fent. The glory of God, and the falvation of men, are the great and good ends of the pastoral office; and he who lofeth fight of thefe, or propofeth any end that is different from them, may acquire the reputation of a learned, an ingenious, or an eloquent orator, but cannot be ftyled a preacher of Chrift. -This will further appear from the

Second thing propofed: which was to fhow, That preaching Chrift is the proper business,

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bufinefs, and the diftinguishing characterif tic, of a gospel-minifter.

Can any thing be more reafonable, than that they who profefs to derive their authority from Christ, should make him the principal fubject of their fermons, and recommend him to the esteem and love of their hearers? And, on the other hand, can any thing be more unreafonable, can any thing be more unjuft, than to affume the character of his meffengers, while they feldom or never mention his name; or speak of him in fuch a way, as rather tends to breed contempt of him, than to render him precious to the fouls of men? But what I would chiefly obferve is, that preaching Chrift Jefus the Lord, is the great means which God hath appointed for the converfion and final falvation of finners: and therefore it is not only highly reasonable, but abfolutely neceffary; and they are cruel to men, as well as unfaithful to God, who do not make confcience of this important duty. Lectures upon morality may be of use to restrain men from fcandalous fins, but it is the fpel alone that can fave a finner. A preacher,

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by