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I. We must endear your to ascertain OUR MODELS. Whom are we to follow? Them "who through faith and patience inherit the promises." Passing over successive generations, passing by princes, and heroes, and statesmen, and scholars, the apostle goes back to the very early ages of the new world, and points us to a small company of rustics and shepherds, distinguished only by their communion with God and their obedience to Him. The days are coming when men will be judged, not by their adventitiousness, but by their real worth, by their intellectual, moral, and religious character, when vile persons, however rich, shall be condemned, and we shall honour them that fear the Lord, however poor. For the righteous are the excellent of the earth. They are called, observe, "repairers of the breach, restorers of places to dwell in," and though they were destitute, tormented, and afflicted, the world was not worthy of them.

II. Having ascertained our models, we must, in the second place, consider THEIR PRESENT CONDITION, which is the enjoyment of the inheritance. They "inherit the promises." Many advantages are derived from the promises; some even in time. Few of the promises of God, indeed, are ever completely accomplished in this world: they draw us, therefore, forward and upward. We are saved by hope; heaven will perfect everything that concerns us. Now you will observe, also, that this inheritance is a present possession. They " inherit," not they " shall inherit." They inherit now the promises. The) have done with sorrows and with sin: they are freed from all their infirmities and all their distractions: they are there for ever with the Lord, and waiting to receive you into everlasting communion,

III. Let us now consider, thirdly, their PREVIOUS DISPOSITIONS.

1. Let us, then, observe their dependence and order. "Faith and patience." Patience does not precede faith, but follows it: so does everything. Faith is not the superstructure, but the foundation.

2. The nature of their service. One word here will explain this fully; it is the word "through" — "Through faith and patience," says the apostle, "they inherit the promises." What could you do without either of them? What could you do without faith? Take the most simple principle in religion: the creation of the world. The heathen philosophers commonly believed in the eternity of the world, or that it was produced by a casual concourse of atoms. And the apostle expressly tells us, that "through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God; so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." What wonder, therefore, that as to other things these should depend upon faith? What could you do without patience? Patience has two offices to perform; the one regards waiting for good, and the other the bearing of evil.

IV. OUR DUTY IN REFERENCE TO THEM; which is. to be followers of them: "Be ye followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises." The in)unction implies three things:

1. That there is nothing unattainable or impracticable in the examples of those who have gone before us. We may, we can, follow them. They were exercised b the very same temptations, and they had the very same passions with us.

2. That we should acquaint ourselves with them. You cannot follow what you are ignorant of imitation is something voluntary, something intentional, something that requires observation, and to have the thing much before the eye of the mind, in order to have the mind impressed.

3. And you should not be satisfied with anything short of resemblance and conformity. In this conformity allow me just to mention two things which are worthy of your regard.

(1) You should distinguish what was peculiar in their situation to themselves, and what was common and general.

(2) Then again, with regard to such things, in which they were exemplars, you should attend to these things chiefly as regards yourselves.

V. Having ascertained our models, and having seen their present condition, and their previous disposition, and observed our duty with regard to them, let us finally remark, WHAT IS NECESSARY IN ORDER TO DISCHARGE IT; namely, that you fling away sloth. A philosopher was asked, "What is the sin most universal to all mankind?" and his answer was, and we are persuaded that he answered justly, "Idleness and sloth." See a child: with what difficulty can you obtain anything like continued serious attention to subjects you are attempting to teach it. It is like your endeavouring to tie it with a ball of mercury to the legs of a table. Look at man: in what state should we find the community now, of how many thousand things should we remain ignorant, if individuals were not urged by the most powerful considerations of want or advantage. But mental sloth is much greater than bodily sloth, and spiritual sloth is much greater than even mental. It seems very astonishing as well as unnatural; allowing that a man is on the bed of sloth, we should suppose that it would be impossible for him to remain there when he opens his eyes and looks about him in the light of revelation. Can be see such honours as these, and not feel something like ambition? Can he see such riches, and not feel something like avarice? Can he learn that the Judge standeth at the door and not be afraid? Can he see such a heaven and not agonise in order to enter it? Can he see hell moving to meet him and not tremble, and flee from the wrath to come?

(W. Jay.)

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KJV: And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:

WEB: We desire that each one of you may show the same diligence to the fullness of hope even to the end,