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 s^ 
 
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 li. 5Jt 5.SJ :a1 .^is^ 133. 'Ot 
 
 \ I 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 1> < » TV -A. '«* 1 < > ."V <> !*• 
 
 S A i\r IJ E T. A G N E W , 
 
 II K ■■ H I LA HE LI- H I A . V\. 
 
 
 Th/^lyT/Q^ / ^"r^-r^stS . 
 
 
 ShclJ. 
 
 
 s 
 
PRACTICAL 
 
 SERMONS, 
 
 ON 
 
 SEVERAL 
 IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. 
 
 FOR THE USE OF FAMILIES, 
 
 BY THE REV, 
 
 THEOPHILUS ST. JOHN, LL. B. 
 
 THE SECOND EDITION, 
 
 REVISED AND CORRECTED. 
 
 jILontion : 
 
 PRINTED FOR VERNOR AND HOOD, IN THE POUr.TRY 
 
 F. AND C. RIVINGTON, ST. PAUl's CHURCH-YARD ; 
 
 AND LONGMAN AND REES, P ATERN03TER.-R GW , 
 
 1804. 
 Hy T. GilUt, Crown Court, Fltct ItrMt. 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 T^HE reader Is entreated to confider thcfe 
 fermons as entirely calculated for a popu- 
 lar auditory, fuch as a clergyman, ardently de- 
 firous of doing good, would write for the ufe 
 of his con2;res;ation, without an intention of 
 
 DO ' 
 
 theirbeing ever read; and which, when they have 
 been preached, are to be depofited in his fludy. 
 This is the author's apology, for offering to the 
 world a volume of difcourfes containing very- 
 little reafoning ; for he never knew a deep 
 rcafoner an ufeful preacher, but he knows fome 
 deep, and very excellent, reafoners, who often 
 preach to very fmall, and fometimes very inat- 
 tentive, congregations. A clergyman may read 
 the fermons of Clarke and Sherlock with great 
 improvement to himfelf, but would deliver 
 them, from the pulpit, with little edification to 
 tradefmen, and their wives, and children ; to 
 tarmcrs, mechanics, fervants, and laborers. To 
 A 2 fuch 
 
IV ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 fuch an auditory, abftrafl reafoning, and pro- 
 found argument will, generally, be unintelli- 
 gible. It is not meant, however, to recom- 
 mend flimfy declamation, which may, indeed, 
 pleafe the ear, but generally fails to imprefs the 
 mind. A fermon, in the judgment of every 
 critic, fhould unite, according to its fubjed, a 
 certain portion of plain argument, with a pa- 
 thetic appeal, and forcible addrefs to the hear- 
 ers. The author, having no motive but uti- 
 lity in the publication of the following fer- 
 mons, deprecates the fcverity, and folicits the 
 candor of his readers. 
 
 CON- 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 SERMON I.— Ift. Cor. iv. 2. The re- 
 fpeSiive duties of mmtjiers and people 9 
 
 SERMON II.— Hebrews xli. 15. airift'ia- 
 mty a ground of comfort ^ or token of co7i' 
 demnation . . . 2Q 
 
 SERMON III.— Proverbs xxii. 0. The duly 
 of parents to their childre7t . 45 
 
 SERMON IV.— Ifaiah Iviii. 13, 1-1. On 
 the devout olfervance of the Lord's Day 5g 
 
 SERMON v.— Luke xlv. 18. An exhor- 
 tation to the Sacrament . . 73 
 
 SERMON VI.— Hebrews xll. 2. On the 
 fufferings and death of Clir'iJ} . 8Q 
 
 SERMON VII.— Titus ii. 8. An exhor- 
 tation to communicants . . 101 
 
 SERMON VIIL— Jofhua xxiv. 15. On 
 
 family prayer . . 113 
 
 SERMON IX.— Matthew xvi. 26. On the 
 lofs of the foul , . joy 
 
VI CONTENTS. 
 
 Pnge 
 
 SERMON X.— Ezckicl xxxlll. ll. The 
 duty of repentance enforced . 143 
 
 SERMON XL— John ill. 3. On the new 
 hirth . . . .15; 
 
 SERMON XII.— Ads xxiv. 25. Paul be- 
 fore Felix . . • 1/7 
 
 SERMON XIII.— Luke x. 2;. On the 
 love of God . . . 193 
 
 SERMON XIV.— Luke x. 30, 37. On the 
 
 good Samaritan, or the love of our neighbor 205 
 
 SERMON XV.— Luke xvi. 22, 23. Dives 
 and Lazarus . . . 2 1 9 
 
 SERMON XVI.— Gcncfis xlv. 28. On 
 Jofeph and his brethren . . . 233 
 
 SERMON XVII.-^Pfalm cxxll. 1. An 
 
 carnefi exhortation to attend piiblic 'ivorfhip 24 y 
 
 4 SERMON XVIII.—Genefisxxvili. lO. On 
 
 devout behavior in church . , 2 05 
 
 SERMON XIX.— Proverbs XX. l. Jgain/l 
 drunken fiefs . . . 28 J 
 
 SERMON XX. — Matthew v. 24, Jgainfi 
 profane fwearing . . 295 
 
CONTENTS. Va 
 
 Page 
 
 SERMON XXI.— Job. xix. 21. On com- 
 piiffion . . . .311 
 
 ; SERMON XXII.—Pfalmxc. 12. Onihe 
 
 tinrertcunty of I'tfe . . 325 
 
 SERMON XXIII.— Dcut. xxv. i i, 15, lO. 
 On upr'tghtncfs . . . 33t) 
 
 SERMON XXIV.— James v. 14. On 
 Jicknefs . . . 353 
 
 SERMON XXV.— Luke li. ii. On the 
 
 divinity of Chrijl . . . 30^; 
 
 SERMON XXVI— John xvi. 7. On the 
 defcent of the Holy GhoJ] . . 385 
 

 
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 Page 13 
 
 line 
 
 19 
 
 for them rcadKim. 
 
 69 
 
 — 
 
 3 
 
 for lifelessness read lisUessncsS 
 
 217 
 
 — 
 
 
 
 for second read first. 
 
 253 
 
 — 
 
 6. 
 
 for and read to. 
 
 265 
 
 — 
 
 ult. 
 
 for faraid read afraid. 
 
 214 
 
 _ 
 
 10 
 
 . for all of read of all 
 
PRACTICAL SERMONS 
 
 ON 
 
 SEVERAL IMPORTANT SUBJECTS. 
 
 SERMON I. 
 
 1 CORINTHIANS, iv. 2. 
 
 // is required in Sfewards that a fna?i he found 
 JaithfuL 
 
 SERVICE implies fidelity; and the cir* 
 camfpeclion and diligence required arc 
 proportionate to the importance of the dele- 
 gated commiffion. Of a ftcward to whofe 
 care and management is entrufted the property 
 of his mailer, or who is deputed to attend to 
 a particular bufmefs, extreme fidelity and mi- 
 nute attention are indifpenfablc qualities; for, 
 it the property be not carefully fecured, or the 
 bufincfs be not well conducted, a confiderable 
 
 B Ihare 
 
10 The refpecilve Duties of 
 
 fhare of blame will confcquently fall on him 
 who was appointed to improve the one, or to- 
 fuperintend the other. 
 
 Between the charadler of a fteward, as alfo 
 fome others mentioned in Scripture, and the 
 minillers of the Gofpel, there is a ftriking 
 analogy. They are the overfcers of the Church, 
 they are flicpherds of the flock of Chrift, and 
 it is their duty not only to prefcrve the flock 
 *' from the thief who cometh," with the diabo- 
 lical defign " to ileal, to kill, and to deftroy ;" 
 not merely to prefervc them from harm, but 
 alfo *' to feed them in a good pafture, and to 
 " bring them into a good fold ; to feck that 
 " which was loft; to bring again that which 
 " was driven away ; to bind up that which 
 *' was broken, and to ftrengthcn that which \n as 
 *' fick." 
 
 It may be of fome ufe to ftate the nature 
 and ofRce of a Chriftlan miniitcr ; for we may 
 then eafily perceive whether the cfFccls arc 
 produced which may be cxpe^Hied from a di- 
 vine appointment ; and if tliey are not, we 
 furely fliall be led, both the paflor and the 
 flock, each to *' judge ourfclves that wc be 
 " not judged of the Lord.' 
 
 I. The commifilon, which our Divine 
 
 Maftcr 
 
M'ni'ijlcr and People. \ i 
 
 Mafter gave to his dlfclples, when he fent them 
 abroad to propagate Chrlflianity, was exprcf- 
 fed in thefe terms : '' Go ye Into all the world, 
 " and preach the Gofpel to every creature." 
 And of us, the fucceflbrs of the firfl- preachers, 
 the fame duty, under certain reftridtions, is re- 
 quired : we are ** to difpenfe the word of life ; 
 *' and, as ambafladors of the author of Chrlftl- 
 " anity, to bcfeech men, in his place and 
 " ftead, to be reconciled to God:" we are to 
 deliver to the people committed to our charge 
 the principles of the Faith " as they were 
 ** once delivered to the faints ;" and as they 
 now ftand recorded In holy Scripture. As 
 the fervants of Chrlil:, we are '' to rebuke 
 *' vice ; and if we know a man to be over- 
 " taken in a fault, we are to cndevor to rcftore 
 " him in the fpirit of mecknefs" — either by our 
 private, or public miniftration — ** that wc may 
 " not fuffer fm upon our brother. Our heart's 
 " defire and prayer to God," for our people in 
 particular, and the whole world in general, " is 
 *' to be, that they may be faved. We arc not 
 *' to have men's perfons in admiration, but we 
 *' are to teach and preach, and that without, 
 " ccafing, the Gofpel of Jefus Chrift," apply- 
 
 B 2 ing 
 
1 2 The rcjpccllve Dul'ies of 
 
 ing it to the fcvcral cafes and clrcumilanccs 
 of our hearers as they fevcrally require. As 
 ftcwards of the myfteries of God, \vc arc to be 
 fo faithful as to inftru^l the people, of whofc 
 falvation we have fworn to be careful, in all 
 things that may conduce to the welfare of their 
 fouls ; that they, being acquainted with every 
 part of their Chriftian duty, may at length '' be 
 " perfect, and thoroughly furnifhed unto all 
 *' good works." We are to utter no precon- 
 ceived, no favorite do<5lrine of our own ; *' but 
 ** that which the Lord hath written, that, 
 ** and that only are wc to fpeak." 
 
 But to preach with etFcv5l ; to prevail with 
 the drunkard to be fober, which is the great 
 end of preaching ; with the fw^earer to " bie/s 
 " and curfc not ;" with the fabbath-brcaker to 
 " worfhip the Lord in the great congregation ; 
 " with them that ftole, to ftcal no more;" to do 
 this effc<5lual]y, implies that we arc perfonally 
 acquainted with our hearers. For unlefs wc 
 know their fcvcral difpofitions and charadters,. 
 it is impofliblc we fhould adapt with judg- 
 ment, and apply with power, our difcourles 
 to their circumilances ; and then, however ex- 
 cellent they n:ay be, if they arc not calculated 
 
 for 
 
M'iuifter and People, 1 3 
 
 for the wants of the hearers, they are like the 
 bed feed fown at an improper fcafon, or in an 
 unprepared foil. As the phyfician obfervcs 
 the feveral ftages of the difordcr of his patient, 
 and varies his medicines, according to its pro- 
 grefs or decline; fo will the faithful fervant 
 of Godadminifter " milk to babes, and ftrong 
 *' meat to thofe of riper years," confulting, 
 with watchful care, how he can, with probable 
 fuccefs, and without offenfive perfonality, ap- 
 ply to each of his hearers, the words of Nathan 
 to David, " thou art the man." 
 
 Entrufled with the care of the Church '' of 
 *^ God, over which the Holy Ghoft hath made 
 *' us overfcers, we are to give the mofh earned 
 '' heed, that we be found faithful in all his 
 *•' houfe, and approve ourfclvcs unto our maf- 
 " tcr which is in heaven," by making it the 
 great and principal end, the continual aim and 
 purpofc of our lives, to promote the glory of 
 ■ God, and the falvation of men. 
 
 Bcfidcs the many, and ftricl obligations, by 
 which wc are cngnged to live, and ad:, as be- 
 comes the difciplcs of Jefus Chrift, by a punc- 
 tual obfervance of all thofe evangelical rules 
 •which arc bound upon us, in common with 
 
 B 3 other 
 
14 TJie refpeSftve Dut'ies of 
 
 other Chriftians; there are likcwifc feveral very 
 momentous duties we are obliged to pradilb 
 in the daily exercife of our facred fun^flion, if 
 we ever hope, or exped, to " make full proof 
 " of our miniftry ;" which can be done no 
 otherwife, than by a full and confcientious dif- 
 charge of every part of our minlftcrial vocation. 
 Our employment is compared to that of huf- 
 bandmcn, and of laborers in the time of har- 
 vell, when ** the hills and vallics, {landing 
 " thick with corn," invite the reapers to '* put 
 " in their fickles, becaufe the harvcft is ripe." 
 Hence we are to underftand, that our indifpen- 
 fable duty is, to prepare the foil, to fow the 
 feed, to dcllroy the tares; " to be inftant in 
 ** fcafon, and out of feafon," to labor with in- 
 defatigable diligence, in order to render our 
 flock, '' a people prepared for the Lord." 
 
 Sometimes, in the language of Holy Scrip- 
 ture, we are emphatically lliled watchmen, 
 which plainly indicates, that we are bound to 
 be continually on our guard, and to warn the 
 people entrufted to us, upon the approach of 
 danger, that they may be prepared to receive 
 their fpiritual enemies, and that having " put 
 " on the whole armor of God, they may be 
 
 •♦ able 
 
Wni/ler and People. 1 5 
 
 '* able to (land in the evil day, and to quench 
 " all the fiery darts of the wicked." 
 
 Nay, the Holy Gholl hath thought fit to 
 admonifh us of the unwearied labor and afli- 
 duous watchfulnefs of our calling, by giving 
 us the title of ihcpherds ; a title derived from 
 our great Lord and Mafter, who is, in the 
 mofl: eminent degree, "the great Shepherd and 
 *' Biftiop of our fouls." Now, by this appel- 
 lation, \wc cannot but be convinced, that we 
 are to take fpeciul heed to the flock committed 
 to our charge, by carefully i<;cking for all fuch 
 as are loft, ** thofc who arc committing ini- 
 " quity with grcedinefs;" and bringing back to 
 the fold thofe that are gone aftray, thofe who 
 have departed from the fimplicity of the faith 
 of the Gofpel ; " if haply, by fecking the 
 " Lord, they may feel after him and find him." 
 
 We lament, \Nith heart- felt concern, that, 
 in the difcharge of our duty, fo many flum- 
 bling blocks fhould be thrown in the way, to 
 hinder the cffcd: of the Gofpel, by the feoffs 
 of the fcorncr, the impiety of the profane, 
 the indilFcrencc of the lukewarm, and the cla- 
 mors of the enthufiaft. Some people are as 
 felicitous to advance the empire of Satan, as 
 B 4 thouirK 
 
1 6 The refpccl'ive Duties of 
 
 though " he could give them all the kingdoms 
 *' of the world, and the glory thereof," for 
 their pains; and, left God Ihould derive too 
 much honor from the worfhip of his creatures, 
 they fccm eager to make the wxll-difpolcd, 
 and the wavering, *' as much the children of 
 " hell as themfelves." And they have too 
 much rcafon, God knows, to exult in their fuc- 
 ccfs. If then, in attempting to counterav^l 
 this malice of infidelity, to flem this torrent 
 of licentioufnefs, we feem to " flretch out our- 
 '* felves beyond our mcafure ;" if we " re- 
 " prove, rebuke, exhort" with all the earneft- 
 nefs the importance of the cafe demands ; if 
 we fet before your eyes the danger to which 
 you are expofed, and conjure you, as ye dread 
 the eternal difpleafure of God, to deprecate it; 
 Ihould we utter truths harfli to faftidious ears, 
 and ofFenfive to licentious prejudices, ** forgive 
 " us this wrong:" we have folemnly fworn that, 
 *' whether men will hear, or whether they will 
 " forbear," we, for our part, will not fail to 
 " declare unto them the whole counfcl of 
 " God. To bring many fons unto glory" is 
 the objed; of our appointment ; and if, by not 
 attending to the work of the miniftry, we give 
 
 the 
 
Mmtfter and People, 17 
 
 the enemy an opportunity *' to fow his tares 
 '* vvhilft we fleep ; inftead of doing the work 
 *' of an evangelift," we afford men but too 
 juft occafion " to defpife the offerings of the 
 ** Lord, and caufe the name of God tobeblaf- 
 *' phemed." 
 
 May God grant that our miniffry may be 
 cffccftual to the faving of men's fouls, and that 
 every paffor of the flock may approve himfclf 
 a faithful difpenfer of God's holy word ! 
 
 Befidcs preaching the word of God fiilth- 
 fully, every minifter of a parifli is to vifit his 
 con2:re2;ation, and adminiffer confolation to 
 thofe oppreffed with ficknefs, or bowed down 
 with infirmity. Agreeably to the feventy-fixth 
 canon — *' When any perfon is dangeroufly fick 
 " in any parifli, the minifler or curate, having 
 ** knowlcgc thereof, fhall refort unto him, or 
 " her, to inftrud: and comfort them in their 
 ** diftrefs." Believe me, Chriftians, to vifit the 
 fick is the mofl affcding, the moft awful, part 
 of a clergyman's duty. Can you conceive the 
 agony of our mind.-^ when we vifit any of our 
 flock ftruck with ficknefs, and difcover them 
 totally ignorant of Religion, and, from a review 
 of tlie tenor of their lives, dreadfully, and 
 
 juftly, 
 
18 21ic refpc olive Duties vf 
 
 jullly, alarmed about their falvation ? The 
 firll thought \\ hich inll:iiid:ivcly occurs to us 
 is, can the ignorance of this poor wretch be 
 attributed to his \^ ant of rehgious inftrudion ? 
 Jsit owing to my negleci, that he knows fo 
 little the ftate of his foul ? And fliould liis 
 fickncfs end in death, when we are afTcmbled 
 to perform the laft fad office, and to dcpofit 
 his a(]iei> in the filcnt grave, this awful quef- 
 tion forces itfelf upon our confcicnces ; when 
 1 fi-vall meet, at the tribunal of God, the foul, 
 which lately inhabited that breathlefs body, 
 jdiall I meet it with confidence, or with dif- 
 may r If it be received to happinefs, am I the 
 bicfled inftrumcnt of its happinefs ? If it be 
 doomed to mifcry, can its mifery, either 
 through wilful negleil, or guilty inattention, 
 be laid to my charge ? For this foul I know 
 I am to anfvver ; can I appeal to God that, if 
 it has periilicd, it hasperiflied through its o\^n 
 fault > 
 
 Wc Iiave fcen what is required of every 
 minifter of the Gofpel : let us, in the next 
 place, obfcrve what is required of the people, 
 to give power to his word, and efficacy to hid 
 minillr}'. 
 
 II. What 
 
Mhu/ler ajid Tsopk. ig 
 
 II. What is delivered is to be received as 
 the word of God. The preacher is not to be 
 confidcred as having any view in what he 
 preaches, but an unutterable concern for the 
 prcfent, and the future welfare of his hearers. 
 " He fpeaks as to wife men ; ye are to judge for 
 *' yourfelves of the truth of what he fays." The 
 hearers of the word, therefore, are to " receive 
 ** with meekncfs" the do6trines propounded, 
 and to judge of them with impartiality, ** whe- 
 ** ther they be of God, or not :" they are to at- 
 tend to the exhortations made to them, whe- 
 ther of reproof, " to depart from iniquity;" or 
 of perfuafion, " to adorn the doclrine of God 
 " our Saviour in all things;" and, if what he de- 
 livers be juft, and reafonable, and agreeable to 
 the revealed will of God, " it is indifpenfably 
 " required of them to obferve it." Their falva- 
 tion is the end and aim of preaching the Gof- 
 pel : it is not dcfigncd as a trial of ikill, or an 
 excrcifc of ingenuity, but " to convert fmners 
 " from the error of their ways." 
 
 When the day appointed for the celebration 
 of public worfhip returns, it would be well, if 
 all men would remember that God himfelf 
 requires them to worfhip him in his own 
 
 houfe, 
 
20 The rc/pfil'ivc Duties of 
 
 houfe, and to meet together, as one family, 
 ** as the h(n.ifchold ol (jod : ' it would be well, 
 tiicrclbrc, if they would fuffcr neither fenfelefi 
 indolence, nor trifling engagements to prevent 
 their attendance. Yet wc obierve with un- 
 fpcakablc concern, that what often hinders 
 many from attending the church, docs not hin- 
 der them from attending the market, and going 
 to a greater difiiance, " to buy and fell, and get 
 *' gain." May we, as we profcfs to be Chrif- 
 tians, rather be dilpofcd to *' come to his gates 
 •* with thankfiiivins;, and into his courts with 
 ** praife." 
 
 After having heard the vv'ord, they, to whom 
 it isaddrefled,arc cxpcclcd to meditate upon it. 
 Being the word of God, it is intitled to this 
 mark of refpcct — being intended for their 
 ililvation, they ought to rclicifl upon what 
 they hear with fcrioufnefs, and apply it with 
 fidelity, to their own cafes and circumftancc?. 
 I^et us then rcfped:ively aik ourfelves, whe- 
 ther the preaching of the word has produced in 
 us tliofc " fruits of good living," which might, 
 with jufticc, be expelled from a divine ordi- 
 nance ; whether we have made that progrcfs 
 '* in rightcoufncfs and true holincfs" which 
 
 will. 
 
M'mifler and People, 21 
 
 will, through the merits of our Redeemer, en- 
 fure our falvation ; and whether we clearlv 
 underlland the nature, and uniformly fulfil 
 the obligations, of the Covenant into which 
 we have entered with God ? 
 
 In preaching the word, offences, alas ! muft 
 nccellarily come. Many have " itching ears, 
 ** they will not endure found doftrine," but fay 
 unto their miniil:ers — '^ prophefy not unto us 
 " right things, but prophefy fmooth things, 
 ** prophefy deceit." One man, when vvc ex- 
 hort him to adorn his profcffion by a peaceable 
 carriage, and a quiet demeanor ; when we urge 
 him to hallow the Sabbath, to attend the 
 Church, to receive the Sacrament, complains, 
 that we feed him only with huiks, when he re- 
 quires we fhould give him '' the f.nccre milk 
 " of the wojd, and by and by he Is offended;" 
 he, therefore, either abfents himfclf from the 
 Church, or, if he continues to attend it, with 
 a heart full of bitternefs and of all uncharit- 
 ablcnefs, he reprefents its minifters as " dumb 
 *• dogs that cannot bark, and as blind leaders 
 " of the blind ;" and, with the moft fliocking 
 prcfumptlon, arrogates to himfelf the property 
 of Omnifcience, imploufiy affirming, " that 
 
 " both 
 
 ^ 
 
22 The refpeuiive Duties of 
 
 ** both will one day fall Into the ditch ; that, as 
 '* it is with the people, fo it is with the prieft;" 
 and that, ere long, we fhall be mutually accuf- 
 ing each other, in the regions of woe, of horror, 
 and of defpair. Another, when we urge him 
 '* to let his affccftions on things above, and to 
 '* be transformed by the renewing of his 
 ** mind,'* is offended with the fevcrity of the 
 dodlrine : he attends public worfliip ; he dif- 
 charges the debts he contra(fls ; he wrongs no 
 man ; and fo far all is well : but when we fay, 
 " one thing thou lackeft ; if thou w^ouldft 
 '* enter into life, thou muft love the Lord thy 
 '^ God with all thy heart, and foul, and mind, 
 " and ftrength ;" thy very heart muft be 
 changed, and, to promote God's glory muft 
 be the end of all thy adions : *' thou muft 
 ** call upon him by devout and diligent prayer*' 
 both in thy clofet, and in thy family ; though 
 the do£lrine be coufclVcdly the do(51rine of the 
 Gofpel, becaufe it is repugnant to his nature, 
 he rejects, with contempt and abhorrence, the 
 preacher and the dodrlne together. But let 
 no man take offence when he hears the Gof- 
 pel delivered with plainnefs ; *' it is better, if 
 •• thy right hand offend thee, to cut if off and 
 
 *' caft 
 
Miui/ier and Feople. 23 
 
 •' caft it from thee, than that thy whole body 
 '* fhould be caft into hell:" it is better that 
 men lliould hear the truths of the Gofpel now, 
 thoujj^h they fl:iould make their ears to tingle, 
 even if the confequence fliould be that the mi- 
 niflcr, who thus delivers it, ilnould incur their 
 difpleafure, rather than that they fliould be 
 *' tormented in the fire that never goes out." 
 
 Some are of opinion, that the Gofpel is 
 fcldom delivered in its genuine purity in the 
 Church, and therefore, inftead of attending 
 its worflilp and fervice, go to other commu- 
 nions, where they receive, or fancy they re- 
 ceive, more edification. If by deferting the 
 Church they are made better men than by 
 attending it ; if they become better hufbands, 
 better fathers, better neighbors, better Chrif- 
 tians, — for, to become fiich I fuppofc to be 
 their motive — ** go, and the Lord be with 
 *^you!" But give me leave to add, if the teachers 
 you follow Ihould be miftaken : if they fliould 
 «* dvli^er for dodrines the traditions of men ;" 
 it" they (hould teach you to trufl on a broken 
 reed ; if they Ibould millead you In fo impor- 
 tant a point as falvation ; how will you blame 
 your obftinacv, vour follv, your infatuation, 
 
 for 
 
24 The refpe6live Duties of 
 
 for having believed their do(5lrines, without 
 having ftriclly examined their truth, and 
 fairly weighed their tendency ? " Believe not 
 " every fpirit, but try the fpirits," with impar- 
 tiality, " whether they be of God." 
 
 As to thofe who fcldom attend the Church, 
 andthofcwho abfent themfelves entirely from 
 it; if, after they have been admoniflied of 
 their finfulnefs, and furcly it is the duty of a 
 minifter to admonifh them, they continue, 
 *' like the deaf adder which i^oppeth her ears," 
 to difregard his admonitions ; fuch men can 
 hardly be reckoned amongft thofe for whom, 
 at the great day of retribution, he fhall give, 
 account. Happy, inexprelTibly happy, will 
 be the lot of that minifter, who, when fuch 
 a variety of opinions prevails throughout the 
 land, can addrefs the Redeemer of the world, 
 in nearly his own words, " Lord ! of thofe 
 " committed to my care, not one is loft ! ' On 
 the contrary, how deplorable will be his fitua- 
 tion, how inconceivably wretched will he be, 
 if the Almighty fhould apply to him the lan- 
 guage of the Prophet, " fon of man, I fet thee 
 " a watchman unto the houfc of Ifrael ! When 
 *' I faid unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou 
 
 '' flialt 
 
Mhii/ler and People* 25 
 
 «* flialt furcly die ; thou dldft not fpeak to 
 ** warn the wicked from his way, and that 
 *' wicked man has died in his iniquity; but his 
 *• blood will I require at thinehand!" It behoves 
 us both, my brethren, to confider very ferioufly, 
 whether the Gofpel be preached, on our part, 
 with fidelity, and received, on yours, with 
 effect. For imagination cannot conceive how 
 folemn and awful will be our meeting, at the 
 grand Tribunal. God grant it may be with 
 confidence and joy ! We, the minifters of 
 the Gofpel, are to give a ftricfl account of every 
 difcourfe we have delivered, and of its ten- 
 dency to forward the immortal happinefs of 
 our hearers : it will then be publifhed before 
 men and angels, whether, with vigilance of 
 attention, and folicitude of mind, we have 
 labored and prayed to promote the falvation 
 of our reiped;ive flocks : and, if we have been 
 negligent in a. matter of fuch vafl concern ; 
 if we have been rcgardlcfs of the very thing 
 which demands our utmofl: care ; however we 
 may have been employed in works of fancy, 
 genius, or learning ; however we may have 
 been engaged in the traffic of gain, or have 
 ilept on the bed of floth ; as we can make no 
 C atonement 
 
 ^ 
 
26 The refpeSltve Duties of 
 
 atonement for the fouls we have fuffcred to 
 perifii, {o we can plead nothing in juftification 
 of fuch ftrange, fuch unaccountable, fuch un- 
 pardonable negledl. And, on the other hand, 
 when the people committed to our care fliall 
 be called to account for the improvement of 
 their feveral talents ; when neither the diftinc- 
 tions of the great, the knowlege of the learn- 
 ed, nor the ignorance of the poor, fhall be ad- 
 mitted as a fufficient excufe for their feveral 
 vices; then, my brethren, on whom, do you 
 believe, can the blame be juftly caft ? on your 
 miniftcr, or on yourfches? " If you hear the 
 " found of the trumpet and take not warning, 
 *"•■ and the fword come and take you away, your 
 *' blood fliall be on your own head. You heard 
 '•the found of the trumpet, and took notvvarn- 
 *' ing, your blood fliall be upon you.*' Butfnould 
 the Vv-atchman not blow the trumpet, and not 
 *' warn the people, -if the fword come and take 
 *^ anv perfon from among them, tliat perfon 
 " is taken away in his inicjuity, but his 
 *' blood will God require at the watchman's 
 " hdnd." Aflc yourfelves, for God's fake, 
 before this interefting fcrutlny be made, whe- 
 ther you have not done defpite to the Spirit of 
 
 Grace 
 
Minifter and People. 27 
 
 Grace, whether you have not mocked God by 
 " bcfceching him to incline your hearts to 
 " keep his laws," when you have continued 
 pcrverfely, and wilfully, to break them ? How 
 will the drunkard wifli he had attended to ex- 
 hortations to fobriety ? How will the fwearer 
 lament his curfes and imprecations ? How 
 will the profane abhor himfelf for his pro- 
 fanenefs, when the word of God is deli- 
 vering its teftimony againil: all the ungodly ? 
 If an human Judicature imprefs us with {o- 
 lemnity, what will be our mifgivings of mind, 
 and anxiety of heart, when we {land before 
 the Throne of God, every one to anfwer for 
 his improvement under the difpenfation of the 
 Gofpel ? God Almighty give us all Grace to 
 prepare for its approach, that we may be re- 
 ceived, through the merits of Jefus Chrift, 
 into his eternal kingdom ! 
 
 C 2 SERMON 
 
[ 20 ] 
 
 SERMON ir. 
 
 HEBREWS XII. 15. 
 
 Looking diligently lejl any man fail of the Grace 
 of God. 
 
 BY the death of Jefus Chrifl: upon the crofs, 
 an atonement was made to God for the 
 fins of th-e whole world. Our firft parents, 
 having forfeited his favor, involved us in guilt, 
 and rendered us liable to puniiliment. But 
 their pofterity, not having actually fmned, 
 God was plealed to find out an expedient by 
 which his difpleafure might be removed, his 
 juftice be fatisfied, and his mercy might tri- 
 umph. He, in the union of the human, with 
 the Divine nature, completed our redemption. 
 **' Having then made a way for his anger to 
 ** cfcape," and intending to deal with us as 
 moral agents, he acquainted us w^th the glo- 
 rious falvation purchafed for us, and enjoined 
 us, in the obfervance of it, to ^' walk worthy 
 " ot the vocation wherewith we are called." 
 The cver-bleflcd Gofpel, therefore, was re- 
 
 C 3 vealed 
 
30 Chrjft'iantty a Ground of Comfort, 
 
 vealed to confirm our faith, to cnlarirc our 
 hopes, and to animate our endcvors. ' And if, 
 either " by an evil heart of unbelief," an ob- 
 flinate refufal of mercy, or a wilful tranf- 
 greffion of its laws, we defeat its defign, and 
 abufe its purpofe, "^ there remains no more 
 ** facrifice for fm, but a certain fearful looking 
 *^ for of judgment, and fiery indignation." 
 This beincT the relative fituation between 
 <jrod and man, I ihall lay before you fome of 
 the motives to induce us to obey the Gofpel : 
 
 After which I fliall earneftly exhort you all, 
 *' to follow after the things which make for 
 ** your everlafting peace; looking diligently 
 *' left any man fail of the Grace of God," 
 
 (l) So irretrievably were we loft by the 
 tranfgreftion of our firft parents, that there ap- 
 peared to the eye of Omnifcience no other way 
 of reftoring us to a ftate of favor and happi- 
 Tiefs, than by his uniting in the perfon of Jefus 
 Chrift, our human, to his divine, nature. To 
 fave man, God himfelf becomes man. Hence 
 we fee of what value we are in his eftima- 
 tion : though but *' finful duft and aflics," we 
 are thought worthy of redemption by him 
 who *' breathed uito us the breath of life." 
 
 (2) But 
 
or Token of Condemnation. 31 
 
 (2) But having purchafcd us to hlmfelt*, 
 that we might not fmftrate his purpofc, and 
 difappoint his hopes, no fooner do we come 
 on the threfhold of Hfe than he cnllfts us 
 into his fervice ; he adopts us into his family 
 by *' the regeneration of baptifm ;" and 
 through the feveral fucceffive periods of our 
 being, " he vifits us and dwells in us," by the 
 agency of his Holy Spirit. " We are made 
 ** temples of God, and habitations for him to 
 " dwell in." When we fall, he is at hand 
 to fuccor us ; when w'c defpond, he invigo- 
 rates us by his influence on our Ibuls. To 
 encourage us *' to do well," he fuggefts, " flialt 
 " thou not be accepted r" To deter us from 
 doing ill, he threatens, that ''fni lieth at the 
 *' door." He fometimes " vifits us with con- 
 *' folations from above;" he fometimes " takes 
 *' his Holy Spirit from us," that we may know 
 ourfelves, and feci our dependence equally on 
 his Grace,, for the I'upport of the fpiritual, as 
 on his Providence, for the prcfervation of 
 the natural, life. 
 
 (3) To this his fatherly concern, let me add 
 his forbearance, when our fnis call aloud for 
 vengeance. 
 
 C 4 A BclnfT, 
 
^2 Clir'ijliamty a Ground of Comfort, 
 
 A Being:, who is fo folicitous about our wcl- 
 fare, wlio watches over us when we think not 
 of Him, and who, upon our amendment, is al- 
 ways ready to forgive, it is the very extreme of 
 ingratitude wantonly to infult, deliberately to 
 offend, and wilfully to provoke. But againft 
 this merciful Being we multiply offences with 
 unremitting hafte, and with peculiar prefump- 
 tion, We contemn his ordinances, we tranf- 
 grefs his laws, we renounce his authority. 
 God, notwithftanding our manifold provoca- 
 tions, when we difcover figns of remorfe, and 
 difpofitions of amendment, '' is flow to anger, 
 ** and of great mercy. He waits to be gracious,'* 
 and not only gives us time to reform, but 
 throws occafions in our way, " to lead us to 
 *' repentance." 
 
 (4) Another motive to induce us to " look 
 " diligently left w^e fail of the Grace of God,'* 
 is the irretrievable ruin in which we lliall one 
 day be involved. Now it is agreeable to the 
 eternal laws of juftice, by which Gocl governs 
 the world, that the puniflimcnt inflidcd fliould 
 be in proportion to the blcffmg we rcjecft. 
 And the Scriptures, in the moft explicit man^ 
 ner, affure us, that eternal puniflimcnt awaits 
 
 thofe. 
 
or Tohn of Condemnatio7t. 33 
 
 thofc, who rcfufe to obey the Gofpcl. Our 
 Kleircd Saviour, who never mentions punilh- 
 mcp.t, but with the merciful defign of pcrfuad- 
 ing us to avoid it, declares, that theirs will 
 be the moft fcvere, who, having received the 
 truths, negledl to improve the advantages, of 
 the Gofpel. The facred writings convey the 
 idea of punifliment not by negative happlneis, 
 nor indirect allufions, nor faint dcfcriptions. 
 No ! By " everlafting deftruclion from the 
 *' prefencc of the Lord; by the fire that never 
 *' goes out, and the worm that never dies; 
 *' by a lake which burnetii with fire and 
 *' brimftonc." Thefc, it may be faid, arc 
 figurative cxpreffions; a God of mercy will 
 never fhew llich fevcrity of wrath, againft his 
 oticnding creatures. But, on this fubjeil, let 
 us fpeak with caution; let us even think with 
 reverence. It is tlic language of Scripture, 
 Scripture is the word of God, and God cannot 
 lye. Leave we this to him who punilhes 
 unwillingly, and forgives with joy. As "by 
 *' failing of the Grace of God, by neglecting fb 
 " great falvatlon." we involve our fouls in evcr- 
 lalling ruin; may the avvakenini:^ thous:ht ex- 
 cite us to diligence in the ftudy, and obe- 
 dience in the practice, of our holy Religion ! 
 
4-1 Chr'ijliamty a Ground of Comfort ^ 
 
 (5) A further motive to animate us to im- 
 prove under the difpenfation of the Gofpel, is 
 the greatnefs of the reward. It is greater, 
 than " hath even entered into the heart of man 
 *' to conceive." God thought it not fiifficient 
 to redeem us from evcrlalling mifery, but he 
 hath opened to us the profpc6l of ineffable bUfs. 
 He hath not revealed to us a gHmpfe of glory, 
 which, like the horizon that bounds our view, 
 as we approach nearer to it, recedes from us. 
 No. We have a foretalle of it on this fide 
 the grave, " by becoming holy as he is holy.^* 
 He has created heaven for our habitation, where 
 we fliall dwell for ever in his own prefence. 
 The Scriptures give us the moft magnificent 
 defcriptions of its beauty and delight. And 
 if we are determined, notwithftanding its al- 
 lurements, notwithflanding it is the only refuge 
 from mifery, and fecurity of happinefs, not to 
 enter in, wx mufh dwell with thofe accurfed 
 fpirits, who are already doomed to eternal pu- 
 niPnments. Can a ftronger motive be pro- 
 pofed to a rational creature, to prevail with 
 him to obey the Gofpel ? 
 
 I now proceed, in the fecond place, to cx- 
 pofliulatc with thofe unthinking men who arc 
 
 uninfluenced 
 
or Token of Condemnation. 35 
 
 uninfluenced by the Gofpel, and, ty the blcffing 
 of God, to perfuadc them, to *' look diligently 
 *' left they finally fail of the Grace of God'* 
 ■ — left, inftcad of becoming, as its divine 
 author intended it, " a favor of life unto life," 
 it Ihould be, dreadful mifapplication! *' a favor 
 '* of death unto death.'* 
 
 *' The Grace of God, which bringeth falva- 
 " tion, hath appeared unto all men, teaching 
 *' us that denying ungodlinefs and w^orldly 
 " lufts, we fliould live foberly, righteoufly, and 
 *' godly, in this prefent world, looking for that 
 '• blcfled hope, and the glorious appearance of 
 *' the Great God, and our Saviour Jefus 
 " Chrift." By the Grace of God here, as in 
 the text, is unqueftionably meant the Gofpel, 
 revealed by our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. 
 And is the Gofpel, revealed immediately from 
 heaven, and " confirmed by figns and wonders, 
 **and mightydeeds,*'tobe received, or rejected, 
 as fuits beft with our capricious humor, or de- 
 praved mind ? Is the Gofpel, the rule appointed 
 by Almighty Wifdom for the regulation of our 
 condu(5l, to be treated with an indifference we 
 Ihould be afliamcd of fliewlns; to the intima- 
 tion of a fuperior, or the requeft of a friend I 
 
 But 
 
30 QhrlfttanUy a Grcund of Comfort, 
 
 But we obje(5l perhaps to the unrcafonablenefs 
 of its precepts, or find fault, it may be, with the 
 le verity of its injun(ftions. They proceed 
 both from Divine wifdom. Neither oz/r judg- 
 ment, nor temper, nor conftitution, is con- 
 fulted, but only our good. But it is notori- 
 ous, that very, very many live in the open 
 ncgU'(5l of its duties both focial, moral, and 
 religious. It is notorious, that many live in the 
 open commiffion of thofc vices it prohibits 
 under the heaviefl: denunciations. Surely, 
 when men deliberately deftroy the peace and 
 comfort of their neighbors ; when they defign- 
 edly trample on the property of others ; when 
 they not only refufc to " worfliip God in fpirit 
 *' and in truth," but even commit the moft 
 atrocious a6ls of wickcdnefs, they overlook the 
 moft diiVinguifliing do(5lrine of the Gofpel, 
 that, '' for all thefe things God will one day 
 *' bring them into judgment." Sin, we know, 
 cannot be innocent in the ellimation of him, 
 who, to his divine, joined our human nature, 
 for the very purpofe of redeeming us from the 
 guilt of it. And "lliall man, that is a worm," 
 dare to defeat the purpofe of his Maker? 
 To traniirrcfs the laws God has prefcribcd 
 
 for 
 
or Token of Condenmation. 37 
 
 for the regulation of our condud, is, to fet 
 the Almighty at defiance; it is to contemn 
 the atonement of our Redeemer, and fpurn 
 at the overtures made to us, by the Blelfed 
 Sandifier of our fouls. Will it be fufficlent to 
 fay to him, " who is of purer eyes than to bc- 
 *' hold iniquity," that you preferred a life 
 free from the reftraints of virtue and the 
 fetters of piety, to a life of undiilurbed 
 peace on earth, and an afTurance of future 
 blcffednefs for ever — vshcn your confcience 
 now refifts, with abhorrence, the deceitful 
 opiate? With what aftonilhment will the 
 fmner behold the forbearance, and long-fuf- 
 fering of an offended God? With what in- 
 dignation will he look upon the wounds of 
 his crucified Saviour — wounds inflided and 
 endured for his falvation? With what agony 
 of mind will he contemplate the interceflions 
 of Jefus Chrift, to turn away his Father's 
 wrath? With what diftradion of foul will he 
 obferve the many, very many times, in which 
 our gracious Redeemer hath interpofed be- 
 tween his crying fins, and an avenging Deity 
 —in which he hath warded off the blow, 
 direded by jufticc, at the head of daring, and 
 
 prefumptuous 
 
38 Chrlftianiiy a Ground of Comfort, 
 
 prefumptuous guilt? Would to God I could 
 prevail with the Tinner to "be reconciled to 
 *' God to-day, whilft it is called to-day!" In- 
 fteadof complyingwith the folicitation of every 
 luft/and of being born away by the impulfe of 
 every paffion — would to God I could prevail 
 with him to retire, a little while, from the 
 purfuits and pleafures of life, and to enter into 
 his own confcience, and examine carefully 
 what juft grounds of hope he can have, whilfl 
 he lives at variance with his confcience, and 
 •with his God ! But he cannot, alas ! beftow 
 any time on fo trifling a concern as falvation. 
 As Jefus Chrill died for all, he doubts not but 
 he fliall be comprehended in the effects of his 
 death, and then, all will be well. — Deceitful 
 expectation ! When he comes to lie on the 
 bed of ficknefs, and " is even hard at death's 
 " door;" when the road he is to travel is within 
 his view, he will be anxious to know whether 
 the reception, to which, at the end of it, he 
 will be entitled, is the reward of obedience, or 
 the chafiiifement of neglecl. The advice con- 
 tained in my text, is, " to look diligently left 
 ♦* we any of us fail of the Grace of God ;" that 
 is, to examine ourfclves with fcrupulous cxact- 
 
 ncfs. 
 
or Token of Condemnation. 59 
 
 nefs, left we render a revelation from heaven 
 ineffed:ual to our falvation, and "receive the 
 *' Grace of God in vain." The motives to obey 
 the Gofpel we have feen to be cogent, and 
 intereftlng ; let us weigh, in the oppofite fcale, 
 the pleafures and advantages derived from dif- 
 obedience to the heavenly laws — pleafures and 
 advantages, which, I pray God may never be 
 ours ! the reproaches of our confcicnce, and 
 the difpleafurc of " Him who has threatened, 
 *' if we intur it, to deftroy both bodv and 
 ** foul in hell." Is the edid of a fovcrcign, or 
 the admonition of a magiftrate, lUidied with 
 accuracy, and received with attention ? And 
 fliall the ever bleifed Gofpel, the law *' of the 
 *' King of king^," of him " who is higher than 
 *•' the higheft,'* be treated with dlfrcfpe<fl, and 
 rejected with difdain ? The puniflimcnt of an 
 earthly fovcrcign compared with the vengeance 
 of God, is as a drop of water to the ocean, or 
 as time to eternity. Thou that livcll in a 
 ilatc of known tin art every moment obnoxi- 
 ous to this punilbment — al7i thyfclf, there- 
 fore, how thou canft dwell with everlaftins: 
 *' burnings ?" It is one oi the bleiTmgs of the 
 
 (jofpcl 
 
40 Clirlftianity a Ground of Comfort ^ 
 
 Gofpel that we can judge in what ftate \vc 
 are — whether the friends, or the enemies of 
 God ? whether Hable to his wrath, or entitled 
 to his mercy ? Let us then apply this happy, 
 this peculiar privilege. Let each of us put 
 this important queftion to himfelf — does my 
 life warrant the afTurance of .my being in a 
 flate of falvation ? One man, on a little en- 
 quiry, will find, that, by his entire negle^l of 
 every religious duty, he is amongll: thofe who 
 dread the fecond coming of his Saviour, the 
 time when he will come to judgment. The 
 exercifes of ferious meditation, of devout 
 prayer, of holy communion — to thcfc, alas ! 
 he is an utter flrangcr ; and if they are to be 
 his advocates at the throne of God, he cannot 
 appear there without the apprehenfion of hav- 
 ing incurred the eternal difpleafure of his 
 Judge. Another, w hen he is " to give account 
 " of all the deeds done in thebody,*' mayexpe(5l 
 to meet the complaints of the injured, the cries 
 of the fatherleis, and the lamentations of the 
 widow: his own heart no'-jo turns evidence 
 againll him ; and accufing, and convidling 
 him here — what has he to expe6l but exem- 
 plary puniflimcnt hereafter? A third, inftead 
 
 "of 
 
or Toketi of Condemnallon, 4 \ 
 
 ^* of living in the faith and fear of God," will 
 difcover that *' God has hardly been in all his 
 *' thoughts." Oaths and imprecations he vents 
 without regard to their impiety, or dread of 
 their punifliment. Will fuch men dare to 
 fay that *' they look diligently, left they fail of 
 *' the Grace of God ?" Let me perfuade you to 
 coniider your danger. A ftate of fufpenfe, where 
 we have much at iiTue, is a pitiable fituation. 
 But words cannot exprefs, fancy cannot paint 
 the deplorable fituation of that man, who lives 
 at enmity with God. And every man is at 
 enmity with God, whofe confclence, examined 
 according to the Gofpel, does not aiTure him 
 of his reconciliation. That there is no fatis- 
 fa£lion of mind in the profccution of vicious 
 courfes, is a truth the finner can neither evade 
 by argument, nor controvert by experience. 
 For how (hall he, who treadeth in the fteps 
 of wickednefs, " know peace," when he is per- 
 petually fubjec^ to the Inftigations of con- 
 fcience, and the vengeance of heaven ? He 
 may, indeed, fometimes lull his foul to fleep 
 with the deceitful cry of *' peace, peace;" but no 
 fooner is the llumber over, no fooner does he 
 awake to the vifitations of remorfe, and the 
 
 D perfecutions 
 
42 Chrijl'taniiy a Ground of Comfort, 
 
 pcrfccutlons of iniquity, than a fotnethhig with- 
 in him — whofe voice, neither the pleafures of 
 fenfc, the accumulation of riches, nor the gra- 
 tification of ambition, can filence — proclaims, 
 " what haft thou to do with peace, whilft thine 
 " iniqui ties fcp^rate between thee, and thy God?" 
 Let us make the appeal then to our hearts ; 
 let us give ourfclves no reft, till we know of 
 a truth that " we have received Chrift Jefus 
 '* the Lord, and w^alk in Him ;" in other words, 
 till the difcharge of every focial, moral, and re- 
 ligious duty affords us comfort and confolation. 
 What w^ould we give — what would we not 
 give — to feel this comfort and confolation, 
 in the time of fickncfs, and at the hour of 
 death ? Then is the fmner, when fmitten 
 with the pangs of guilt, horribly afraid that 
 " God will forget to be gracious, and thatHewill 
 " fliut up his loving-kindnefs in difpleafure." 
 When the king of all the earth fhall come ^* to 
 *' take vengeance on his enemies," may wt be 
 protected by the fliield of Chriftianity ! When 
 the Gofpel is delivering its teftimony againft 
 thofe who renounced its authority, may we 
 have a juft, and legal claim, to its promifcs, 
 and rewards ! When the day arrives in which 
 
 e\cry 
 
or Tokefi of Qondcmnat'ion. 43 
 
 CYcry man will receive according to his works, 
 then, O Lord, let our fins be w^allied out in 
 the precious blood of thy dear Son. Thou 
 Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takeft 
 away the fms of the world, have mercy upon 
 us ! Thou that takeft away the fms of the 
 world, in that awful day, have mercy upon 
 us ! Thou that takeft away the fms of the 
 world, grant us the remiftion of our fms, and 
 ^U other benefits of thy paffion ! 
 
 D 2 SERMON 
 
[ 45 ] 
 
 SERMON III. 
 
 PROVERBS XXII. G. 
 
 Train up a child in the way hejiiouldgo, and 
 'when he is old he will not depart from it. 
 
 IF there be any thing for which parents can 
 be fuppofed to be peculiarly anxious, it is 
 the welfare of their children : but, to obtain 
 this end, they very often purfue it by means 
 which difappoint their expectations, and de- 
 feat their purpofes. Their children's welfare 
 confifts, fome men think, in fplendor of ap- 
 pearance, or the accumulation of wealth ; 
 others, in dexterity of cunning, and the arts 
 of deceit. Few, alas ! are attentive to the 
 cultivation of the moral temper, to eradicate 
 the malignant paffions, which either flame 
 out in a6ls of violence, or glow in the fullen- 
 nefs of refentment. Few confider it worth 
 while to devote their leifurc, and apply their 
 knowlege towards rendering their children 
 docile in their minds, and amiable in their 
 manners. And fewer ftill, to fow the feeds of 
 D 3 piety. 
 
■46 Duty of Parents to their CliUdren. 
 
 piety, and nurture the flioots of religion. It 
 is incumbent on every parent, whatever be his 
 fituatlon, to cultivate in the minds of his 
 Children, integrity, mecknefs, civility, kind- 
 nefs towards man ; reverence, love, piety, de- 
 votion, towards God. Let thcfe be the firft 
 imprellions on their infant minds, and, in every 
 fucceffive period of their lives, they will be 
 influenced by them ; they will live happy in 
 the confcioufnefs of dlfcharging the duties of 
 their ftation ; they will be efleemed by focicty 
 as its mofl amiable, and valuable members ; 
 and, when they receive the fummons to give 
 an account of themfelves to God, they will 
 die in his favor, be accepted by his mercy, and 
 rewarded by his goodncis. 
 
 Let me then beg your carneft attention, 
 whilfl I urge upon you the care, the inftruc- 
 tion, the welfare — the paternal care, the reli- 
 gious inflrucflion, the immortal welfare of your 
 children: for though we may be unconcerned 
 about ourfelves ; though wc may be fo dcfpe- 
 rate as to venture on the palTagc of life, with 
 a ftormy fea, or an unflciltul pilot, can wc be 
 fo mcrcilcfs, fo unnatural, as to expofc our in- 
 nocent offspring to the fame danger ? Can we, 
 
 with 
 
Duty of Parents to their Children. 47 
 
 with unfeeling hearts, launch them on the 
 ocean of life, only that they may be fwallowed 
 by its quickfands, or dallied on its rocks ? 
 
 I. Every parent, who negleds to acquaint 
 his child with the principles of Chriftianity, 
 commits him to the captivity of fin, and the 
 power of the devil ; a maftcr who pays his 
 fervants in pangs and forrows, and who com- 
 pels them, with harfli fe verity, to work out 
 their own deftrucfllon. 
 
 Children, it is to be confidcrcd, have a na- 
 tural demand on their parents for both moral 
 and religious inftrudlion. And that the parent 
 may be Simulated to the confcientious dif- 
 charge of hh duty, he perceives in his children 
 a thirfl: after knowlege, in the gratification 
 of which, they, generally, appear to feel the 
 moft fenfible pleafure. 
 
 Befides, if you neglect to inftll principles of 
 integrity and religion, the pernicious weeds of 
 profligacy and vice will foon overrun the 
 mind. Into what follies may not the thought- 
 lefs youth be betrayed, w hen he is fortified 
 neither by the fenfe of right, nor the fear of 
 God? His natural propenfity to 111, feduced 
 by allurements, and encouraged by example, 
 
 D 4 leads 
 
 .*•) 
 
 =4t- 
 
48 Duty of Parents to their Qhildren. 
 
 leads him far trom the path of duty; and hij 
 pallions, bridled by no reflraint, plunge him 
 into excciies, out of which he knows not how 
 to get extricated. Having broken the fetters 
 of apprehenfion and '* cart: away the cords of 
 " (iiity from him," he purfues his deftrmSlive 
 courfe, till either the fword of Juftice, or the 
 rod of the Almighty flop his mad career. Af- 
 ter a life, which hath been a burden to himfelf, 
 and a pefl: to the community, he goes down to 
 the grave, either infenfible to the mifery of 
 his fituation, or hardened with guilt, or dif- 
 traited with terror. So great is the neceffity 
 of ** training up a child in the way he fliould 
 *' go, that when he is old he may not depart 
 *' from it." 
 
 Let us now fee the advantages arifmg from 
 a careful, and religious, education. 
 
 II, A dutiful and virtuous child, through his 
 ready help, and affci^lionate interpofition, will 
 remove many difficulties which might pierce 
 with their fliarpnefs, or opprefs with their 
 weight. He will flicw his parents, when 
 weakened by age, or bowed down with infir- 
 mities, many expreflfiions of kindncfs, di£lated 
 by nature, refined by education, and enforced 
 by duty. He will cheerfully feize every oppor- 
 
Duty of Pare?it5 to their Children. 49 
 
 tunlty of contributing to the eafe, and comfort, 
 of his revered parents ; and will acknowlege, 
 by every teftimony of gratitude, and demon- 
 ftration of honor, the vaft debt, which, 
 fince his firft entrance on the ftage of life, hath 
 been perpetually increafing. The fplendor ol 
 the great, the pofTeffions of the wealthy, the 
 knowlege of the learned — all thefc enviable 
 diftinc^lions united — are not to be compared 
 with the folid pleafure, the pure delight, the 
 transporting rapture of the happy parent. 
 But, on the other hand, what relief, or com- 
 fort, orhonor, can be expected from a perverfe, 
 and uninftru£ted child ? The natural fruits of 
 his barbarous temper will be negle<5l, con- 
 tempt, and upbraiding. Inftead of thofe little 
 attentions which their years may require, and 
 their exceflive indulgence of him hath a right 
 to demand, his behavior is ftrongly marked 
 by unnatural infolence, and extreme brutality. 
 Inftcad of being a comfort to their declining 
 age, he contemplates their forrows with in- 
 difference, and hears their lamentations with 
 difdain. The refledion, that his favage man- 
 ners are owing chiefly to themfelves, to their 
 mifplaced indulgence, and unpardonable neg- 
 
 lea. 
 
50 Duty of Parents to their Qliildrcu, 
 
 led:, pierces them through with many forrows. 
 They long looked forward to the time of 
 harvcft, when they might reap the full vin- 
 tage of their anxious hopes, " but when they 
 '* look for grapes, behold ! only wild grapes." 
 Their care had been expreffed, not fo much 
 in preparing the mind for right principles, and 
 implanting, and nurturing them, as in protect- 
 ing what were caft by the hand of accident, 
 or by the fubtilty of the enemy. 
 
 It may be afked, perhaps, in what manner arc 
 "we to train up our children, in order that both 
 the parent and the child may reap the advan- 
 tage of a good, and right education ? Children 
 are to be taught that they are members of a 
 community, and that, on the' good condud of 
 the individuals which compoie it, depend the 
 happinefs and profperity of both fociety, and 
 themfelves. The principles of juftice, inte- 
 grity, fubmiffion, refpecSl:, charity, tendernefs, 
 forbearance, and all the virtues which adorn 
 the human mind, are to be early impreffed. 
 The charaders they are likely to fuftain ; the 
 comforts they are to feel within themfelves, 
 refulting from propriety of behavior, and 
 eminence of merit ; the cfteem derived from 
 
 the 
 
Duty of Pareiits to their ChtJdren. 5 1 
 
 the world by the exercife of kindncfs and hu- 
 manity ; by thcfe arguments, and arguments 
 like thefe, every parent fliould ince{rantly 
 urge his child to the higheft degrees of excel- 
 lence. 
 
 But it is incumbent on the Chriftian parent 
 to acquaint his children with the nature and 
 defign of Chriftianity, how it conduces to both 
 our prefent, and future interells ; and, on the 
 contrary, if it be not both believed, and prac- 
 tifcd, the fevere punifliment awaiting incredu- 
 lity of mind, and impiety of life. To incul- 
 cate this more effectually, he will naturally 
 *" teach them to offer up their prayers, and 
 praifes to Almighty God, with folemnity and 
 devotion ; he will bring them early " to the 
 *' Courts of the Lord's houfe, to worOiip the 
 *' Lord in the great congregation;" he will 
 teach them the refpcd: due to the folemn day 
 dedicated to the Lord ; how it fhould be reli- 
 gioufly dedicated to his fcrvicc, and not facri- 
 legioufly appropriated to their ow n. To enforce 
 with more efficacy thefe religious duties, he \AilI 
 inllru(ft his children as well in the knowlcgc 
 of our Lord Jefus Chrift, as in the knowlcee 
 ©f God the Father; *' for this is life eternal to 
 
 ** know 
 
22 Duty of Far cuts to their Children, 
 
 '* knowthee the only true God, and Jefus Chrift 
 ••* whom thou haft lent." On all parents this is 
 indifpenfably incumbent. Shall the Almighty 
 be difarmed of his vengeance ; fhall our grand 
 adverfary, the devil, be deprived of his mali- 
 cious power to work our ruin ; Ihall the gates 
 of life and immortality be opened to us through 
 the propitiatory facrifice of the Son of God ; 
 fliall thefe bleffings be conferred on us fmful 
 men, and we keep our children in ignorance 
 of them ; fliall it not rather, as it is our 
 bounden duty, be our chief delight, to give 
 them clear and diftinft conceptions concerning 
 them \ Obferve the treatment of an infant 
 heir to large polTcfiions : no fooner do the firfl 
 dawnings of his mind appear, than he is made 
 acquainted with the confequence, and diftinc- 
 tions, he is one day to pofles ; he is taught all 
 the accomplifliments education can beftow, 
 in order to give dignity to his fcntiments, and 
 refinement to his manners. Our life is only 
 *' like a tale that is told, or as a vapor which 
 " appeareth for a little time, and then vanifhcth 
 *' away." — And if fo fliort a life claim fuch 
 wonderful attention; what ought to be fhewed 
 towards the heir of Jmmortality — and fuch is 
 
 every 
 
Duty ofPare?its to their QKilcb-en, ^5 
 
 every fon and daughter of Adam— to him, who 
 is to live at his departure hence, in a ftate of 
 eternal happinefs, or eternal mifery ; in a ftate, 
 which is never to ceafe, never to have an end ? 
 Let every parent feriouily afk himfelf, whether 
 he has paid the ftudious attention to the welfare 
 of his children, which its importance demands 
 of him? Has he taught them their duty to 
 God, and man ? Has he inftrudled them in 
 the knowle2;e of Chriftianity with the fame 
 earneftnefs of endcvor, and application ot 
 mind, he has taught them the fcveral callings 
 by which they are to earn their bread, or af- 
 fifted them to cultivate the feveral accom- 
 pli (hments by which they are to adorn their 
 ftation r Few parents, 1 fear, can lay their 
 hands on their hearts, and fay, that they have 
 done their children this common jufticc. 
 Would to God I could prevail with every one 
 who hears me to take this into his moft fre- 
 quent, arid fericus confideration ! Would to 
 God I could prevail with you ** diligently to in- 
 ** ftruc^ your children in the Holy Scriptures — 
 *' to fpeak of them when you fit in the 
 ♦* houfe, when you walk by the way, when 
 ** you lie down, an4 when you rife up !" 
 
 Chriftianity, 
 
54 Duty ofFare?i/s to their Children. 
 
 Chriftlanlty, cordially embraced, and clearly 
 underftood, would fliine with meridian luftre ; 
 *' your fons," inftrudled in its doclrines, " would 
 ** grow up as the young plants ; and your 
 " daughters," educated in its precepts, *' as the 
 ** poliflied corners of the temple." 
 
 But whilft you inculcate the dodrines, you 
 will not be inattentive to the evidences, of the 
 Gofpcl. You will lay a foundation furc 
 and liable, on which may be eredled a fuper- 
 ftrudlurc, not to be undermined by the floods 
 of temptation, nor fliaken by the tempefts of 
 ridicule. " Every Chriftian fhould be enabled 
 *' to give to every one, that afketh him, a rea- 
 '' fon of the hope that is in him." Would not 
 a man bejuftly afhamed of knowing fo little of 
 his trade, by which he fupports his family, as to 
 be unable to anfwer the feveral qucftions which 
 curiofity might propofe, or ingenuity fuggeft ? 
 And lliall a Chriftian be fo ignorant of 
 his charter of Salvation, as not to be able 
 *o evince its truth, and demonftrate its ori- 
 
 ginal ? 
 
 If there be any man who is not yet convinced 
 of the neceflity, or is not yet prevailed with to 
 give his children a really religious education, 
 
 with 
 
Duty of Parents to their Children. 55 
 
 •with fuch an one, allow mc to expofhulatc 
 freely. If he be rich how can he reconcile two 
 things {o contradi(flory in their nature, as to 
 be felicitous to make them wealthy, or great 
 in this life, which, at beft, is fliort, and always 
 ijncertain ; and fo barbarous as tonegledl pro- 
 viding for a future life, which continues for 
 ever ? Let him look upon his children with 
 the eye of parental fondnefs ; let all his tcn- 
 dcrnefs, his fenfibility, his underftanding be 
 cxercifed on the occafion ; then let him afk 
 himfelf, if his opinions about religion fliould 
 prove erroneous, and his children, through the 
 influence of his opinions, fliould be deprived 
 of the bleffings, to which the pracflice of it 
 entitles us, what will honor, and wealth, 
 and fuccefs avail ? It is not about a bargain, 
 a title, or an eftate we arc difputing — No ! it 
 is whether your children, through your atten- 
 tion or ncgled, through your laudable folici- 
 tude, or guilty prejudice, Ihall be happy, or 
 rqifcrable, for ever and ever ? 
 
 If, on the contrary, you arc incapable of 
 fupporting your children with comfort here, 
 will you not naturally ftrive to bequeath them 
 an inheritarice in another life, which will fo 
 
 amply 
 
56 Duty of Parents to their ChUdreji. 
 
 amply compenfate for the want of one in this ? 
 Have the fatisfadtion, I befeech you, of refledl- 
 ing, that after all the troubles your poverty 
 may entail on them here, they will be happy, 
 through your means, hereafter. 
 
 In the midft of abundance a man may be 
 poor and mifer able— guard the fortune you 
 leave him with the utmoft fecurity of law — 
 though, in fome cafes, you preferve it to your 
 family, you cannot make your child profperous 
 and happy. But give him a religious educa- 
 tion ; inftil principles of integrity and piety, 
 in his early days, and when he goes out into 
 the world, he will, in general, be actuated by 
 them. Or, if he fhould unhappily deviate from 
 his duty, if *' he fhould walk in the counfel of 
 ** the ungodly, and ftand in the way of finners,'* 
 he will, unlefs he Ihould be cut off in the midft 
 of his inic^uities, amend his life, and will, 
 again, adorn the profeffion he has fo fhame- 
 fully difgraced. For fuch is the power of 
 Religion on the foul, when its impreflions are 
 made in the early part of life, it is not pof- 
 iible entirely to efface them. Religion iv'dl 
 have her intervals of refledlion ; reflexion pro- 
 (iuces pious rcfolutions; and pious refolutions, 
 
 beget 
 
Duty ofPare?its to their Child} et . 57 
 
 beget amendment. So true is the obfervation 
 of* Solomon, " Train up a child in the way 
 *' he fliould go, and when he is old, he will 
 " not depart from it." 
 
 III. Let me, in conclufion, juft obferve, 
 that fuccefs, in every family, will depend 
 on the religious condudt of both the Pa- 
 rents: let them be juft and honeft in all their 
 adions; let them fliew the utmoft reverence 
 for the truth; let them avoid, not merely the 
 commilTion, but the approbation, of all pro- 
 fanenefs and impiety ; let them be regular in 
 ottering up their family, and private devotions; 
 let them devoutly obferve the day dedicated 
 to the Lord; let them attend the mofl folemn 
 of all Ordinances — the Commemoration of 
 the death of our Redeemer in the holy Sacra- 
 ment ; thefe duties, exemplified in their own 
 conduct, attended with innocent cheerful- 
 nefs, and recommended by patience, tender- 
 nefs, and encouragement, will enforce their 
 inftrud:ions: the parents will communicate 
 the influence of religi6n infenfibly to their 
 children, and excite in them an inftindive 
 emulation of imitating themfelves, '* in what- 
 " foever things are honeft, juft, and pf good 
 
 E ** report- 
 
^•8 Dufy of Parents to their Children. 
 
 " report. Thofe things which their diild 
 ** have learned, and received, and icen in their 
 " parents, they will do."' The duty of the pa- 
 rents, and the obedience of the children will 
 receive one and the fame reward, " the Gt)d 
 ** of peace will be with them" both. 
 
 * That all Parents may feel this real, this un- 
 
 * equivocal afFediion towards their children ; 
 ' and all children, in confcqucnce, be trained 
 
 * up in. the v/ay wherein they fliould go, do 
 ' thou. Holy Jefus, Ihed upon us all the ia- 
 
 * fluences of thy Grace, and heavenly Bencdic- 
 
 * tion. May the feed fown, the religious in- 
 
 * ftrudlon of all mafters, parents, and teachers, 
 /produce fixty, and an hundred fold; that 
 
 * when the harveft, the day of Judgment, fliali 
 ' come ; and the reapers, the Angels of Cjod, 
 ' fhall be employed to feparate the wheat from 
 ' the tares, tlr^e righteous from the wicked, 
 ' every parent may thus thankfully addreis 
 ' himiclf to God, Lo ! here I am, and the 
 
 * children which thou haft given me ; and 
 
 * their offspring re-echo in joyful acclamations,' 
 ** Eieffed be he that begat,* and her that bare 
 "^^ me, and blcffed be the Lord for ever, Amen. 
 *' and Amen !" 
 
 SERMON 
 
[59] 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 ISAIAH LVIII. 13, 14. 
 
 If thou turn away thy foot from the fahhathy 
 from doing thy pic af are on my holy day, and 
 call thefibhath a delight, the holy of the Lord, 
 honorable, andflidlt ho?ior him, not doing thine 
 own ways, ?iorf tiding thi?ie own pUafure, nor 
 fpeakitig ihi?ie own words : 
 Thenflialt thou delight thyfclf in the Lord, and 
 I will caufe thee to ride upon the high plaus of 
 the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of 
 Jacob thy father) for the mouth of the Lord 
 hathfpoketi it. 
 
 THAT the day, which Almighty wifdom 
 hath fet apart for the commemoration of 
 the wonderful works of his creation and provi- 
 dence, as well as of his inercy and love, in the 
 redemption of our fouls, fliould be regarded as 
 a day of indolence or amufenient, of bufinefs 
 or dilTipation, which it confefifedly is, by a great 
 part of, even the Chriftian, world, is a circum- 
 itauce wc cannot too deeply lament, nor 
 E 2 labor 
 
6o On the devout Ohfet-vaiice 
 
 labor too urgently to correcfl. If the defign of 
 the Lord's Day is, to imprefs on our minds 
 our own weaknefs and infufficiency, our de- 
 pendence upon God for every bleffing of both 
 this life and another; if it be to wean our 
 affections gently from this earthly fcene, and 
 to prepare us for an eternal abode, to celebrate 
 an everlafting fabbath, fhall we fruftrate its 
 merciful defign, by ''doing our own ways, by 
 " finding our own plcafure, or fpeaking our 
 " own words," proftltuting it to trifling amufe- 
 ments, unneceffary vifits, or fervile occupa- 
 tions? No. " Remember," fays the Com- 
 mandment, *' whofe writing is the writing 
 " of God, remember the fabbath day to keep 
 " it holy." 
 
 My purpofe in this difcourfe is, to confider 
 in what manner the Sunday ought to be kept, 
 together with the advantages arifing from the 
 inftitution ; after which I fhall earneflly ex- 
 hort you to the devout, and religious obfer- 
 vance of it. 
 
 I. Now " to keep holy the fabbath," or in 
 the words of the text, to " call the fabbath a 
 " delight, the holy of the Lord," it is not 
 fufficicnt merely to attend public worfhip, and 
 
 then 
 
of the Lor ^s Day. 01 
 
 then to think the bufinefs of the day over. 
 No. To " call the fabbath a dehght, the 
 " holy of the Lord," is to put our fouls into a 
 heavenly frame and temper; to meditate on 
 the dreadful ftate of man without a Redeemer, 
 and on the ftupendous method by which our 
 Redemption was accomplifhed ; to return our 
 devout thankfgivings to Almighty God for 
 his fuperabundant love exprefled towards us ; 
 to make our wants known unto him, both 
 temporal and fpiritual ; to befeech him to be 
 always with us to prote(n: us, and blefs us ; to 
 devote fome part of the day to the ferious 
 perufal of the Holy Scriptures, that we may 
 know, and underftand, and feel, in how pecu- 
 liar a manner we Chriftians are the objeds 
 of his love, and may thereby endevor, more 
 and more, to pleafe him. This is to be done 
 in our clofet, and our family. But to keep 
 holy the fabbath day, we are likewife to attend 
 the public worfliip of God, in the congrega- 
 tion. There we are to diveft ourfelves of 
 every thought which would withdraw our 
 affcdions from fpiritual objects, and pre- 
 vent, in any degree, our " worfliipping 
 
 E 3 ' ii God 
 
(52 On the aevout Ohfcrvance 
 
 *' God in fpirit and in truth." If any man 
 obje6l to this univcrfal fand:ity, on the fabbath 
 day, I appeal to that man's heart in the pre- 
 fence of God, who knows every thought of 
 it, whether his obje(5lion does not arife from 
 his averfion to religious, and fpiritual exer- 
 cifcs ? I appeal to his confclence, whether 
 he does not feel more pleafure in the cxercife 
 of his bulinefs, the improvement of his wealth, 
 the gratification of his appetites, or the bent 
 of his mind, whatever it be, than in the wor- 
 fhip of God, and the celebration of Religion. 
 The Lord's Day is defigned as an emblem of 
 Heaven. If the felicity of Heaven confiil in 
 a pure and fpiritual worlhip, in " iinging day 
 '* and night to Him that was, and is, and is to 
 " come, to the Lamb that was flain but liveth 
 ** for ever ;" ought we not to confider the 
 Lord's Day as an excellent preparative for that 
 divine employment ? For if we naufeate the 
 foretafle of Heaven, which God, by this holy 
 inflitution, has given us here, eternity, i^ 
 whatever light we view it, prefents but a me- 
 lancholy, and comfortlefs profpccft. The de- 
 vout obfcrvancc of tl.e Lord's Day will evan- 
 gel ifc; 
 
ef tJic Lords Day. OS 
 
 gcllic our minds, will raife them, from things 
 below, to things above, will qualify us to par- 
 ticipate the joys refcrved for thole who are 
 thought worthy to celebrate an eternal fabbath 
 in Heaven. 
 
 The inftitution of the Lord's Day is pecu- 
 liarly calculated to celebrate our Redemption 
 from fm, and deliverance from death, by the 
 merits of Jefus Chrift. That day God the 
 Father bkfled ; God the Son rofe on that day 
 from the dead ; on that day God the Holy 
 Ghoft defcendcd from Heaven, to complete 
 the work of our falvation. And can we be 
 Chriflians, and not delight in that bleflcd 
 day, in which the wonderful love of God to 
 his creatures is fo confpicuoufly difplayed ? 
 Can we be Chriftians, and not rejoice in the 
 return of that holy day, in which we celebrate 
 our Eedemption from mifery ; in which we 
 behold, by faith, the happincfs to be enjoyed 
 by thofe who love God, and obey his will ? 
 Can we be Chriflians, and not rejoice to com- 
 memorate that diftinguiflied day, v/hich, 
 though inditutcd for His honor, was infti- 
 tuted, at the fame tipie, for our good ? a good, 
 which furpafles every human tongue to re- 
 count, every human thought to conceive. 
 
 E4 The 
 
^4 Oft the devout Ohjervanee 
 
 The advantages refulting from this divine 
 inftitutlon will eafily appear, by taking the 
 flighted view of the polifhed nations of anti- 
 quity, and the favage tribes of the prefent 
 times, who were never bleffed with a know- 
 lege of that facred day. St. Paul delineates 
 the character of the former ; and from every 
 account given us by thofe who have vifited 
 the latter, there is, God knows, too ftriking a 
 refemblance. ", Being filled with all un- 
 " righteoufnefs, fornication, wickednefs, co- 
 *^ vetoufnefs, malicioufnefs, full of envy, 
 " murder, deceit, malignity, backbiters, haters 
 " of God, inventers of evil things, difobedient 
 " to parents, covenant breakers, without natu- 
 *' ral affection, implacable, unmerciful." And 
 I fliall not be thought uncharitable in faying, 
 that they who, in a Chriflian country, are no- 
 torious for the profanation of the fabbath, are 
 guilty, in an eminent degree, of many of their 
 vices. This indeed is eafy to be accounted 
 for. When men never hear the denuncia- 
 tions of God againfl vice, and have been 
 brought un with fcarce a lenfe or God on their 
 minds ; when they never heari ncitements to 
 virtue, and exhortations to religion; when they 
 
 live 
 
ef the Lord's Day, fSt% 
 
 live without worfhipping God in private, and 
 never join in any adt of religious w^orfhip "with 
 their fellow creatures ; can it be a matter of 
 furprize, that, as they openly violate the com- 
 mands of God, they ihould advance with a 
 progrellive and rapid motion, neither " to fear 
 " God nor regard man ?" 
 
 It is perhaps to the inftitution of the fab- 
 bath, that Religion is preferved alive in the 
 world. For by having a fixed time to worfhip 
 God, thofe who would beftow their leifure to 
 eftimate the value, and devote their lives to 
 entitle themfelves to the bleflings, of Reli- 
 gion, have, in every age of Chriftlanity, af- 
 fembled to perform their public devotions, 
 and communicated the influence of them to 
 their children, and to their families, ^y which 
 means, Religion, though difregarded by the 
 great, defpifed by the vulgar, ridiculed by the 
 licentious, and evi Untreated by the profane, 
 has not only wlthftood their feveral attacks, 
 but triumphed over their united hoftilities. 
 
 II. I now come to expoflulate with thofe 
 who, notwithftanding the advantages derived 
 from the fabbath, live in the profanation of it. 
 
 To 
 
©5 On the devout Ohfervance 
 
 To khow that God has commanded the 
 fabbath to be kept facred to himfelf, would be 
 fufficient, one might imagine, to prevail with 
 every human being, to whom the knowlege 
 is imparted, religioufly to obferve it. Would 
 to God experience coincided with this reafon- 
 able expectation ! How thofe men, *■ who do 
 " their own pleafure on God's holy day," in- 
 tend to juftify their infolent condud, their de- 
 clared rebellion towards their Maker, is not 
 eafily to be conceived. Would to God I could 
 prevail with them to confider, ere it be too' 
 late, how they will ftand like criminals, felf- 
 accufed, and felf- convicted, before the Great 
 Tribunal, without one fmgle argument to urge 
 in their excufe \ Would to God I could 
 prevail with them to coniider, ere it be too 
 late, the benevolent dcfign of the Almighty 
 in inftituting the fabbath day, that it is for 
 their unfpeakable advantage, both prefent 
 and future ! Now, when God purpofely offers 
 an advantage to man, what can be faid in vin- 
 dication of him, who fpurns the gracious 
 offer ? With what black ingratitude, with 
 what prefumptuous difobedience, w ith what 
 daring provocations does that man ftand 
 
 chargeable ? 
 
i)f the Lofcfs Day. . 67 
 
 char<^€able ? There muft furely be a wonderfui 
 fkafure In fpending the Lord's Day in idkncfs, 
 intemperance, and debauchery, when it ii 
 confidcred, that'* they who do fuch things," are 
 wantonly violating the facred laws of God, 
 and bringing down upon their own heads, *' in- 
 *'dignatjon and wrath, tribulation andanguifli/* 
 The day God hath diftinguilhed, by com- 
 manding, not only a ceflation from labor, 
 but an adual celebration of religious worfhip, 
 to devote to idlenefs, bufmefs, or plcafure, 
 what is it but a perfonal indignity ? What is 
 it but faying, we would not, could we choofe for 
 ourfelves, '' have God to reign over us?" And 
 what it is to put ourfelves without the fphere 
 - of divine protection ; what it is to make God 
 Almighty our enemy, ye, who profane the 
 ftibbath, reconcile the thought, if ye can, 
 with the pleafure arifmg from the profanation 
 
 of it. 
 
 Let me appeal to the man who fometimes 
 attends the fervice of the Church, and aik 
 him, whether there is not more fatisfaclion in 
 publicly confeffing his fms, and begging par- 
 don for them — though he may not, and fuch 
 an one cannot, feel a real vital fpirit ot piety — 
 
 than 
 
6s On the devout Ohfei-vance 
 
 than in remaining at home in indolence, or 
 ■wandering abroad " feeking reft and finding 
 " none," or partaking of pleafure which is at- 
 tended with painfulnefs in the purfuit, with 
 difappointment in the poffeffion, and with 
 remorfe in the reflection ? Let me appeal to 
 the man, " who careth not for God, neither 
 " hath God in all his thoughts," and afk him, 
 when millions of creatures throughout the 
 Chriftian world are proftrating themfelves at 
 the throne of mercy, and glorifying God, as it 
 were, with one voice and one heart, fupplicat- 
 ing forgivenefs, favor, fupport, whether he 
 has not the fame need of the pardon of his 
 fms, of the protedion of God, of the influ- 
 ences of Grace ? Let me appeal to the man, 
 who " keeps not the fabbath from polluting 
 " it," and afk him, if the Lord's Day be an 
 emblem of Heaven, if it be defigned to pre- 
 pare him for the celebration of an everlafting 
 fabbath, what pleafure he is to exped: in the 
 regions of blifs, who cannot beftow a few 
 hours, on the return of every feventh day, 
 upon his Maker and Redeemer ? Or if he 
 hath fo much the appearance of 'Religion 
 as to attend public worlhip, yet cannot devote 
 
 any 
 
of the Lords Day. fig 
 
 any part of the remainder of the day to 
 lerious meditation, private prayer, and the ac- 
 quifitionof *' that knowlege which will make 
 " him wife unto falvation," but fpends it 
 in lifeleflhefs and indolence, or in the fatigues 
 of bufmefs, or the amufements of company ? 
 Could it be fuppofed, that fuch a man had 
 received an exprefs command from God, to 
 " eileem the fabbath a delight, the holy of the 
 ** Lord, honorable, and to honor it by refrain- 
 ' ' ing to do his own ways, to find his own plea- 
 " fure, or to fpeak his own words?" Could it 
 be fuppofed, that fuch an one put in a claim 
 to the happinefs of ferving God for ever, and 
 ever? It is a melancholy confideration, that 
 the fmallell pretence of indifpofition, the very 
 apprehenfion of unfavorable weather, the moll 
 trifling engagements, or the leaft call of bufi- 
 nefs, will prevent many, very many, from ap- 
 pearing at " the houfe of God, and joining 
 *' with the multitude in praife, and thankf- 
 " giving." How natural it feems, that, on 
 the return of every feventh day, the poor 
 ihould aifemble at the houfe of God to beg his 
 bleffing and protedion, to deplore their of- 
 fences and tranfgreflions, and to return thanks 
 
 for 
 
^6 On the dcvojit ()hfervaitce 
 
 for the health, and ftrength, and employmcnf 
 afforded them, by which they are enabled to 
 fupport themfelves and their familie?! that the 
 remaining part of the day fhould be employed 
 in rcfleding on their condition, and prcparinp- 
 for that ftatc, where virtue will be triumphant, 
 and piety ennobled ; for that ftate, where all 
 diftindions, but the bleffed diflinctions of Re- 
 ligion, ceafe for ever ! How natural that the rich 
 lliould teftify their fenfe of God's goodnefs, by 
 affcmbling with thofe, to whom Providence 
 hath denied fo large a ihare of worldly com- 
 forts, and that they fliould not fuffer their 
 attendance on public worfliip, to be inter- 
 rupted, as we too frequently fee, by an excur- 
 lion of plcafure, an engagement of bufinefs, or 
 a vifit of ceremony ! Their example to fo- 
 ciety, and gratitude to God demand of them, 
 a very different obfcrvance of the Lord's Day. 
 He who inftitutcd it for his honor, and our 
 benefit, he it is to whom they are indebted, 
 for the means of pleafure, the avocations of 
 bufmefs, the diftindions of ceremony — and 
 ought engagements, fuch as thefe, to take 
 place of his honor, and to fuperfede his wor- 
 Ihip? " Do yc thus requite the Lord?'*' 
 
of the LorcCs Day. 71 
 
 How natural that the opportunities of happi- 
 nefs, which are fo kindly put into your hands, 
 Ihould be improved to your eternal falvation! 
 Let us all be perfuaded, my brethren, 
 henceforth, to " hallow the fabbath," to 
 ceafe on that day from *' doing our own ways, 
 " feeking our own pleafure, or fpcaking our 
 '' own words ;" but let us delight ourfelves in 
 the worfhlp, and fervice of God; let us, on 
 that day particularly, '* call our ways to 
 *' remembrance," examining, with flri(ft im- 
 partiality, and fcvere attention, whether the 
 day, which was intended to promote, above 
 all others, our future welfare, hath not often 
 been converted to the purpofes of torpid indo- 
 lence, or licentious pleafure. Let the many 
 fatal examples of thofe whofe career in 
 wickcdncfs was commenced by profaning the 
 fabbath, and terminated by an untimely 
 death, warn every father, and every mailer of 
 a family, left the unhappy end of his children, 
 or of any part of his houfhold, Ihould rack 
 him with the reflexion, that, either feduced 
 by his example, or encouraged by his conniv- 
 ance to profane the Lord's Day, the guilt 
 they incur, the punifbment they may fuffer, 
 
 Ihould 
 
72 Obfervance of the Lord's Day. 
 
 fhould be owing to himielf. And let us often 
 anticipate the awful hour when we fhall lie 
 on the bed of death, an inhabitant, as it were, 
 of both worlds ; whether we (hall be di{lra(5led 
 with terror, warning, befeeching, conjuring 
 our afTemblcd family, not to fpend the fabbath 
 in the manner we have fpent it ; or whether, 
 -looking upon death without affright and 
 amazement, we can exhort them, as we have 
 done, to *' do likewife ;" expreffing humble 
 hopes, that, after having paiTed our fabbaths in 
 the congregations of men on earth, we fhall 
 foon be admitted, through the merits and 
 fatisfad:ion of Jefus Chrift, to celebrate an 
 eternal fabbath with faints and angels in 
 Heaven. 
 
 SERMON 
 
[ 73 ] 
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 LUKE xiv. 18. 
 They all with one confefit hegan to make excufe. 
 
 IN the parable from which thefe words are 
 taken, the difpenfation of the Gofpel, ot- 
 fered to the Jews, is aptly reprefented under 
 the fimilitude of an entertainment, to partake 
 of which, chofen guefts were invited, and 
 when it was prepared, and their company ex- 
 pected, they fent in their feveral excufes. At 
 the time they fhould have attended, they were 
 employed in very different purfuits. In con- 
 fequence of their refufal, thofe were bidden, 
 who were more likely to embrace the offer, 
 *' the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the 
 " blind." Becaufe the Jews, to whom the 
 bleffings of the Gofpel were firff tendered, 
 ** thought themfelves unworthy ofeverlafting 
 " life," lo ! fays the author of the apoftolic 
 a<^s, ''we turn to the Gentiles," fignifying that 
 
 F th« 
 
74 Ajl Exhortation to the Sacrament. 
 
 the Gentiles, all the other nations upon earth, 
 Ihould be admitted to a participation of them. 
 And great indeed are the bleffings of that 
 Gofpel our blefTed Redeemer came into the 
 world to promulge ! Great indeed are the 
 bleffmgs offered to all, who are oppreffed with 
 the burden of fm, and terrified with the appre- 
 henfion of punifl:iment ! Yet though the Gof- 
 pel alone can remove the load, and avert the 
 apprehenfion, how many totally rejcd: it ! 
 how many refufe the taking of its eafy yoke 
 upon themfelves ! My defign is, to fliew the 
 nature and end of its moft diftinguiftiing 
 Ordinance, the inftitution of the Sacrament 
 of the Lord's Supper — inferring from thence 
 the indifpenfable obligation all who embrace 
 Chriftianity are under, to a frequent partici- 
 pation of it — to expofe the weaknefs and 
 infufficiency of fome of the excufes offered 
 for a negled: of it — and in conclufion, earneftly 
 to exhort you '* all, to eat, with one confcnt, 
 " of that bread, which is the life of the world ; 
 " and to drink of that cup," the cup of the 
 new Covenant, which is the " Blood of 
 '* Chrifl, filed for the remiffion of our fms." 
 
 And 
 
A71 Exhortation to the Sacrament. 
 
 75 
 
 And no fubjcd:, furely, can more ufefully en- 
 gage our attention, efpecially previous to the 
 adminiftration of the Sacrament, when it is 
 confidered, that of the great numbers who re- 
 gularly attend the fervice of the Church, fo 
 few, in comparifon, commemorate the death of 
 their Redeemer. When fuch men have theit 
 excufes removed, if they ftill continue deaf to 
 the hwitation, let them conuder, when they 
 Ihall ftand under the arreft of death , what com- 
 fort they can give tbcmfclves, what confola- 
 tion they can receive from others : with Jo- 
 i'eph's brethren they will fay, *' we are verily 
 '' guilty concerning this thing," * in that it was 
 ' intended for our benefit, and though we were 
 ' convinced of its neceiTity, and conjured to 
 
 * receive it, in order to " our fouls' healthy" 
 ' we have deferred it fo long, that if v\ e re- 
 
 * ccive it not, we periih ; and if we do receive 
 ' it, ** we are guilty, perhaps, of the body and 
 '' blood of Chrift our Saviour." 
 
 1. The primary defign of the inflitution, was 
 •' the continual remembrance of the death 
 *' and paffion of our Saviour Jefus Chrift. 
 ** Do this," fays he, ** in remembrance of 
 " me." Left we (liould be fo ftrangcly incon- 
 F 2 fiderate 
 
70 An Exhortation to the Sacrament. 
 
 fiderate as to forget the ineftimable bleflings 
 derived from his fufFerings and death, this 
 Rite, he, \n his wifdom, inftituted, to render 
 them the obje6ls of perpetual contemplation. 
 
 And what could be better adapted to pro- 
 mote this pious dcfign ? When we fee the 
 bread broken, and the wine poured out, we 
 behold by faith, the body of our bleffed Re- 
 deemer, hung, pierced, and nailed for our fakes 
 to the crofs ; his blood flied for the ** wafh- 
 " ing, fan^lifying, faving, all, who draw near 
 " with faith, and are meet partakers of thofe 
 •" holy myfteries." 
 
 (^2dly.) We are to frequent the holy Sacra. 
 ment, not merely to call to mind our Sa- 
 viour's death and paffion, but to apply the 
 benefits of them to ourfclves. We, who pro- 
 fefs to be Chriftians, are in commemoration 
 of our privilege, to aflemble together, ali 
 adorned with the fame drefs, the ri2fht(!:ouf- 
 nefs of our Redeemer ; all endowed with the 
 fame temper, the meek nefs of the Gofpel ; all 
 fuppllcating the fame bleffing, the falvation 
 ot our fouls. This blcffing, the Atonement of 
 our Saviour hath procured, and the Sacrament 
 is a principal channel through which it is 
 
 conveyed. 
 
^n Exkortatmi to the Sacrament, 7 7 
 
 conveyed. If, my brethren, this be the path 
 in which we are to walk, if this be the gate 
 through which we are to pafs, what obHga- 
 tions, do we think, we are under, out of gra- 
 titude to our Saviour, out of regard to our- 
 felves, to accept his invitation, and thereby 
 make his merits, ours ? An obhgation of fuch 
 a nature, fo univerfally binding, fo clearly in- 
 difpenfable, that, I hope in God, no one who 
 now hears me, will, upon any pretence what- 
 ever, refufe to fulfil it. 
 
 (Sdly.) Another reafon, why we Ihould cele- 
 brate the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, is, 
 that during our progrefs through life, we fhall 
 receive the ailiftance of God's holy Spirit; and 
 this reafon furely deferves our moffc ferious at- 
 tention. If after what Jefus Chrift hath done 
 and fuffered for us, our falvation isftill, if wc 
 might dare to fay it, incomplete ; if it be ne- 
 ceiTary, that the third perfon of the everbleffed 
 Trinity fliould be employed on the fame 
 errand — not merely at the firft promulgation 
 of the Gofpel — but to the " very end ot 
 " the world ;" how much does it behove us 
 to invoke his affiftancc, and to obtain it by 
 whatever means are propofed to us ? We 
 
 F 3 mull 
 
78 Jn Exhortdtton to the Sacrament. 
 
 muft be loft indeed, to all fenfe of happincfi;, 
 we muft be totally unconcerned about what 
 will become of us hereafter ; if, when God 
 offers us his afliftancc, we reject it, " and will 
 ** none of his comforts." 
 
 A fourth reafon, why we fhould celebrate 
 the Lord's Supper, is, the pofitive command 
 of our bleired Saviour, ** Do this in remem- 
 " brance of me. This do ye as oft as ye drink 
 " it in remembrance of me." This celebra 
 tion of the Communion he commanded th 
 night in which he ftifFered; a few hours onljs 
 before he ftibmitted, '' for us men, and for our 
 *' falvation," to be hung upon the crofs. 
 Were a dying friend, one who was going to 
 lay down his life for our fakes, ftrid:ly to en- 
 join us, in remembrance of what he was about 
 to do for us, to comply with fuch or fuch an 
 injun<5lion; and that we might not be tempted 
 to forget it, to confider it as his dying requeft 
 — as the token of his kindnefs, and the expref- 
 fion of our gratitude — could we be fo bafe, fo 
 unnatural, as to difregard, as abfolutely to re- 
 fiifc to comply with fuch injun(51ion ? And 
 . yet, fo fcandaloufly ungrateful are thofe, who 
 abfent themfelves from the Lord's Tabic. 
 One thing yet is to be taken into the account, 
 
 you 
 
An Exhortation to the Sacrament. 7g 
 
 you are to anfwerfor this unaccountable neg- 
 lc(5t, this monftrous ingratitude, before the 
 throne of God. 
 
 II. The cxcufes men offer in their juftifica- 
 tion, I now proceed to remove. 
 
 The firft excufe men ufually offer is, that 
 they are fo engaged with the bufinefs, and 
 employed in the cares, of life, they really have 
 not time to prepare themfelves, as they could 
 wilh, for this moft folemn Ordinance. A very 
 plaufible, fpecious excufe it is. But what ? 
 The feventh day is their own ; on that day 
 they can attend the Church ; they can devote 
 fome part of it to the reading of the fcriptures ; 
 and they can every evenhig at leajly of their 
 lives, fpare a few minutes to thank God, with 
 their families, for all his bleffings. They can 
 refrain from fwearing, drinking, and from every 
 other excefs. They can keep a " confcience 
 *' void of offence towards their neighbor." by 
 paying what is ffri^lly due, by demanding, 
 and receiving no more than what, in juftice, 
 they ought. Will the obfervance of thefc 
 duties encroach upon your time ? will the 
 obfervance of thefe duties prevent you from 
 making a neceffary provilion for yourlche?, 
 
 F 4 and 
 
80 Jln Exhortation to the Sacrametit, 
 
 and for your families? You are convinced that 
 it will not ; the confcience of every one tells 
 him that it will not. Let your confcience then 
 be obeyed. The excufe is removed. Con- 
 vince the world: — and vNhat is of more con- 
 fequence — convince yourfelves, that Religion 
 is of too venerable a prefence to admit either 
 infult, or negled:. Let neither "• the buying 
 *'a piece of ground, the proving a yoke of 
 *' oxen, nor the marrying a wife;" in other 
 words, let no worldly bufmcfs whatever hin- 
 der your attendance at the Altar of the Lord. 
 ^' For how will you efcape, if you neglcd: fo 
 *' great" a mean of " ialvation ?" 
 
 Another excufe with many is, that they are 
 fo engaged in a courfe of fin, and have fo ex- 
 ceedingly provoked the Almighty, they are 
 afraid to commemorate that great facrifice 
 offered for their fm$. And fuch are all thofe, 
 who live, in every refpc6l, as though they had 
 neitlier a God to worfhip, nor a foul to favc ; 
 who fpend days, weeks, months, and years, it 
 may be, without ever retiring to their clofet to 
 thank God " for their creation, prcfervation, 
 f and redemption." Well may fuch men fay 
 tb^t they are afraid of receiving the faxrrament! 
 
 But 
 
jin Exhortation to the Sacrament. 81 
 
 But who, in his fenfcs, would continue to run 
 that race of vice, which renders him liable to 
 the juil judgment of God ? If you are indeed 
 fuch linncrs, " fm no more." ** Wafh ye, 
 '' make you clean :" appear at the Altar with 
 a real contrition for your fms paft, and an 
 hearty refolution, a fervent defire, to pleafc 
 God for the time to come. God will ap- 
 prove, accept, confirm your refolution. He 
 will convey his Grace in the holy Sacrament 
 to enable you to 4i.cep it: with your change 
 of life you will perceive a change of difpofi- 
 tion : however fmall it may bcatfirll; how- 
 ever expofed to the chilling froft, or the 
 fcorching heat, it will ftill take root; you 
 will have the fatisfa6l:ior> to fee it bud, blof- 
 fo;n, and bring forth fruit, a large increafe. 
 That fmgle plant, a refolution to lead a new 
 life, cherifhed and foftered by a frequent par- 
 ticipation of the holy communion, will become 
 a nurfery for all the other duties of Religion. 
 
 There is a thiid excufe, for not frequenting 
 the Sacrament, often urged by men of a very 
 ditferent complexion; by men who lead honeft, 
 moral lives, regularly attend the Church, and 
 are not very remifs in other religious duties; 
 
 which 
 
82 An Exhort at W7i to the ^aCrament. 
 
 which is, that an unworthy receiving will cx- 
 pofe them to eternal damnation. The original 
 word, fignifies only judgment, or condemna- 
 tion ; and in this place, in a temporal fenfe, 
 and fo it ought to be rendered. It was firft 
 made ufe of to deter the people of Corinth 
 from the excefs, which, at the celebration of 
 that holy feaft, they ufually run into. But 
 were the danger ever fo great, the confeq^uences 
 ever fo dreadful, we are exprcfsly commanded 
 by its divine author to " do this in remem- 
 **branceof him." Letnot then, a Ailfe tender- 
 nefs of confcience prevent any one from com- 
 memorating the love of his great Redeemer. 
 The Saviour of the world never could enjoin 
 what, in its nature, or its confcquences, would 
 render us liable to that wrath, from which to 
 redeem us, he vouchfafed to die. 
 
 The laft excufe I fhall mention, which is 
 indeed the parent of every other, is, that 
 Ihould men relapfe into fin, after having com- 
 municated, inftcad of expiating, they are ag- 
 gravating their guilt. This excufe will vanifh 
 whenever you frequent the Lord's Table, with 
 a fuitable difpofition. Know once what it is 
 to receive the Sacrament with " a livelyfaith in 
 
 '* Chrift, 
 
An Exhort at mi to the Sacrament, 83 
 
 *' Chrlft, a thankful remembrance of his death, 
 ** and in perfect charity with all men ;" and 
 *' the commandments will appear no longer 
 " grievous, the yoke of Chrift will infenfibly 
 " become eafy, and the burden of Religion 
 *' imperceptibly grow light." Compare, for a 
 moment, a courfe oi wickcdnefs and vice, a 
 heart you arc afraid to look into, a dread of 
 God's avenging wrath, with a life uniformly 
 regulated by the maxims of the Gofpel ; " a 
 *' confcience void of offence," and an humble 
 alTurance of eternal felicity; and you will not 
 abfent yourfclves from the Lord's Table, 
 through an apprehenfion of thereby multi- 
 plying your fins. The Communion being the 
 mod folemn part of the Chriftian Religion, 
 the dcfign ot a frequent participation of it, is 
 to invigorate our fouls, and fccure them from 
 the moft infidious attempts of temptation. 
 
 Having (liewed the nature and dcfign of 
 the inftitution of the Sacrament of the Lord's 
 Supper; the obligations every Chriftian is under 
 to a frequent participation of it ; and removed 
 the excufes fome men make for their ncglcd ; 
 in order that what is delivered may awaken 
 the thoughtlefs, alarm the impenitent, en- 
 courage 
 
84 An Exhortation to the Sacrament. 
 
 courage the defponding, confirm the be* 
 liever — the defign of all dilcourfes from this 
 place, being folely the falvation, not the en- 
 tertainment, of thofe who hear them — I will 
 prefume a httle longer on your patience, 
 whilft I earneftly exhort you *' all, to cele- 
 *' brate, with one confent," the death of your 
 Redeemer at his holy table. 
 
 III. It is a no lefs melancholy, than juft ob- 
 fervation, that many men fpend their whole 
 lives, without once making the expected re- 
 turn of gratitude to God for hisfuperabundant 
 kindnefs, without once prefenting themfelves 
 at his table; though *' they arc bid in the name 
 " of God; though they are called in Chrill's 
 *^ behalf, though they are exhorted as they love 
 " their own falvation;" though Almighty God 
 himfelf, in the perfon of our Redeemer, has 
 commanded it ; they live as if they were with- 
 out churches, without minifters, without fa- 
 ^craments, and '* all, with one confent, begin 
 *' to make excufe." Excufe ! From what ? 
 Why, from commemorating their Redemption 
 from fm ; from commemorating their Re- 
 demption fiom what the Scripture, in the moft 
 awful and emphatic language Infpiration ever 
 
 didated, 
 
An Exiiortatlon to tlie Sacrament. 85 
 
 didated, ftiles '' the damnation of hell." To 
 fuch, if fuch there be here, I am now to ad- 
 drcfs myfelf. You will confidcr that, though 
 you are called Chriftians, you have no right 
 to the name ; it is a title that does not belong 
 to you. But as you live in a Chriliian coun- 
 try, and are therefore bound, as the citizens of 
 a Chriftian Hate, to conform to the laws of the 
 religious compad: ; be perfuadcd to aik your- 
 felves this natural, yet important qucftion : ' Is 
 
 * it not my i-ntention before I leave this world, 
 
 * before I am fummoned by my Almighty 
 • ' Creator into the regions of death, and the 
 
 * abyfs of eternity, to receive the holy Sacra- 
 
 * ment ? And your own reafon will anfwer, 
 
 * In fiich a fituation, when you are opprefl'cd 
 ' uith ficknefs, diftra<5ted with pain, Itung 
 
 * with guilt, agonized with death, the Sacra- 
 
 * ment can have no efficacy, convey no blcf- 
 ' fing, fmce not gratitude and duty, but dread 
 ' and terror make you deiirous of receiving it.' 
 If the ChrilVian Religion afford fuccorin our 
 diftrcfs, comfort in our troubles, fatisfacflion to 
 our defires ; thcfe confolations are ail'uredly to 
 be found, in a worthy obfcrvance of this its 
 diftinguifliing Ordinance. Plead, therefore, 
 
 in 
 
8 6 An 'Exhort at ton to the Sacrament. 
 
 m the celebration of the Lord's Supper — you, 
 of all men, have the greateft occafion — for the 
 pardon of your fins, the acceptance of your 
 perfons, the fandification of your hearts, the 
 falvation of your fouls. The young and old 
 the mailer and the fervant, the rich and poor 
 the learned and the ignorant are^ on this impor 
 tant fubje(fl, alike concerned. Let us, then 
 all, unanimoufly, ** with one confent," like the 
 grateful children of an indulgent parent, or 
 like '* the fnow and hail which fulfil his word,' 
 do what he enjoins, and let us, in this a6l of 
 our obedience, ''fhew the Lord's death till he 
 " come" — till he come the fecond time to 
 judgment. It is not, believe me, in the power 
 of genius, or within the fphere of learning to 
 invent an excufe that will ftand the tefl of 
 examination. Let me, if ye tear God, if you 
 value your fouls, and nothing deferves valuing 
 in comparifon with them ; let me, for God's 
 fake, for the fake of your fouls, let me prevail 
 with you. What fight can there be fo awfully 
 plcafing, as an entire congregation ; the highell 
 and the loweft, the wealthy mafter, the de- 
 pendent fervant, the needy laborer, confeffing 
 ftt the altar of God, their joint dependence 
 
 upon 
 
Ati Exhortation to the Sacrament. 87 
 
 upon him, and praifing him '' for his inefti- 
 " mable love in the Redemption of the world?" 
 This we believe to conftitute the happinefs of 
 Heaven. Let us exhibit the refemblance of a 
 heavenly iociety on earth. To ufe the fymbo- 
 Jical language of Scripture ; " Come, for all 
 " things will be ready." It is your Saviour, 
 your God, who gives you the invitation. 
 *' Oh ! come then to the gates of his Altar 
 *' with thankfgiving, and into his courts with 
 '* pralfe ; pay your vows " your vows of obedi- 
 ence, " in the prefence of .ill his people," 'left 
 he be \Nroth with you, and give you up a prey 
 to the error of your ways, and to the vices of 
 your hearts ; ** but if ye feek him he will be 
 " found of you." *' Oh ! confider this, ye that 
 '' forget God," ye, who feldom, or never, ap- 
 pear at the Altar, ** left he pluck you away and 
 " there be none to deliver vou." 
 
 SERMON 
 
[ »o 1 
 
 SERMON VL 
 
 JIEBREWS XII. 2.* 
 
 Looking unto Jefus, the AulJior and FhiiJJier of 
 our Faith, who, for the joy that was fcthcfore 
 him, endured the crofsy defp'tfing the fhame, 
 
 WHOEVER confidcrs the great cxpcncc 
 at which Salvation was purchafed, the 
 invahiabie Sacrifice that was offered to appeafc 
 an incenfed Deity, contemplating the mifery 
 he may efcape, and the happinefs to which he 
 is entitled, will, with a heart overflowing with 
 thankfulncfs and admiration, exclaim, in the 
 devout rapture of the Pfalmift, ''Lord ! what 
 "■ is man that thou art thus mindful of him, 
 '' and the Son of man that thpu fo regardell 
 " him !" 
 
 When our firft parents had eaten of the fruit 
 of the forbidden tree, and renounced the pro^ 
 
 ? Preached at the celebration of the Sacrament. 
 
 G tedion 
 
QO The Sufferings and 
 
 te^lion of infinite goodnefs; when, by their 
 difingenuous revolt from the lenient command 
 of their Creator, they had brought fm into the 
 world, and communicated its effe<5ls to all their 
 pofterity, death; when the whole world was 
 in wickednefs, and alienated from God by 
 wicked works; then it was, when there ap- 
 peared no way to efcape, that the Juflice of 
 Heaven required fatisfa,6lion, and a Sacrifice 
 was demanded to free us from eternal death: 
 Chrift voluntarily became that Sacrifice for all 
 the fallen rebellious race of Adam, and, by of- 
 fering up himfelf immaculate — " without fpot 
 *' or blcmilli" — reconciled a world of finners 
 to his offended Father. 
 
 He died for us, that we, by his death, might 
 have peace, and reconciliation with God ; that, 
 by embracing his Gofpel, and anfwcring the 
 end of its promulgation, we might enjoy the 
 felicity of Heaven, and fit with himfelf for 
 ever, at the right hand of God. Amidfl the 
 temptations then of this world, the engage- 
 ments of bufinefs, the allurements of pleafure> 
 the prevalence of dii?ipation, what abundant 
 reafon, what pcrfuafive motives have we to 
 ** run with patience the race that is fet before 
 
Death of Chrj/l. g; 
 
 *' us, looking unto Jefus, the Author and Fi- 
 *' nlflier of our Faith, who, for the joy that 
 " was fct before him, endured the qiq{<, dc- 
 *' fpifing the fliame ?" 
 
 In order to convince us of the neccffity, and 
 excite us to the practice, of treading in our 
 Mafter's flops, let every Chriftian, every one 
 who wiilies his Saviour not to have died for 
 him in vain, every one, who is, this day, to 
 commemorate his death in the holy Sacra- 
 ment, apply to himfelf this awful confolation ; 
 for me ' it was, that he lived, fuffcrcd, died : 
 
 * to expiate my fms he left the bofom of his 
 
 * Father: to reconcile me to God, he was bc:- 
 / trayed, condemned^ crucified.' 
 
 I),efled:ions, like thefe, will animate us with 
 vigor to embrace the glorious truths, with re- 
 folution to maintain the faving dod:rines, with 
 fteadincfs to practife the falutary precepts, of 
 the Evangelical difpenfation. 
 
 Of a Chrillian, fbmething more is naturally, 
 fndjuflly, required, than mere morality. We 
 *ire to raife our minds to the lource of all good; 
 we are to confider ourfelvesthc brethren of the 
 Redeemer of the world, the fonsand daughters, 
 by adoption, of Him, by whom the heavens and 
 G 2 the 
 
02 The Sujferhigs and 
 
 the earth were made. If we reft in a mere 
 cultivation of the moral temper, we are like 
 bloflbms without fruit, and, by promifing, fo 
 fairly, we fliall but aggravate the difappoint- 
 mcnt. 
 
 " We are to walk," in all refpecfls, " wor- 
 ** thy the vocation wherewith we are called.'* 
 " The times of* Jewilh ignorance, and Gen- 
 tile idolatry, " God,'' in corapaffion, ''winked 
 " at ; but now." in this land of light, illumi- 
 nated by the glorious difplay of the Gofpel, 
 '* he hath .commanded" — and woe be unto 
 thofe who difobey his commands ! — ** all men 
 ** every where to repent." The Gofpel is 
 given us ** as a light to our feet, and a lan- 
 ** thorn to our paths,'' to inftru6l us in the 
 knowlege of our duty, and incite us to the 
 pra(5tice of it. *' If I had not come and fpoken 
 ** to them, they had not had fm, but now they 
 " have no cloke for their fm." The Religion 
 into which we arc baptized, is eminently dif- 
 tinguiihcd, by the purity of its doctrines, by the 
 juftncfs of its precepts, the greatnefs of its pro- 
 mifes, the awfulnefs of its threats, the certainty 
 oi its rewards, the feverity of its punifhments. 
 
 Amiable and excellent Religion ! whicfi 
 
 make^ 
 
Death of Chrifi. g3 
 
 jm^kes our greateft intereft our duty, whick 
 raiies, improves, ennobles our nature, qualifies 
 us for the happinefs of another life, and dif- 
 pofes our fouls for the true enjoyment of it ! 
 
 ** What manner of perfons, in all holy con- 
 '* verfation and godlinefs," this Religion re- 
 quires " us to be," how fcrcne in our tempers, 
 how exemplary in our conduct, how devout in 
 our affedlions, as it ought to be the obje<5t of 
 our moft ferious enquiry, fo to be really fuch, 
 will afTuredly be an inexpreffible fupport, and 
 confolation, in our moft trying circumftances. 
 
 To thofe who live under its influence, who 
 are ad:uated by the fpirit, and enlivened by the 
 comfort, of Religion ; to thofe who, this day, 
 demonftrate their obedience to the commands, 
 and aiTert their claim to the bleffings, of Chrif- 
 tianity, by partaking of its moft diftinguifhing 
 Ordinance ; to you I appeal, whether the yoke 
 of Religion is not to be preferred to the free- 
 dom of unreftrained licentioufnefs : whether 
 there is not more folid fatisfadtion, in medita- 
 ting on the ftupendous means by which your 
 falvation w^as accompliftied, than in the induU 
 gence of your defires, in the polfeflion of 
 ■wealth, or the diftindlions of vanity ? 
 
 G 3 To 
 
94 The Sufferings and 
 
 To view the lafl fcencs of the life of the Son 
 of God, the proper fubjed: of this day's medi- 
 tation, let us approach, not with the confidence 
 of children, but with the humility of fervants; 
 though he is " the Lord of all lords," whilft, 
 in the character of a Son, in the affumption of 
 the human nature, we acknowlcgc his Divi- 
 nity, and adore his Godhead, we iliall be in- 
 flrud:ed by his example. 
 
 When the life, which was commenced in 
 indigence, and continued in obfcurity, was 
 to be clofed with " the fhedding of innocent 
 ** blood ;" that we might know for our com- 
 fort he " was fuch a high prieft as, indeed, be- 
 ** came us, w as fuitable to the Hate of fuch 
 " fmncrs, was touched with the feelings of 
 " our infirmities ; his foul became exceeding 
 " forrowful, even unto death :" He prayed, 
 therefore, vrith the moft profound humility, 
 that he might, by the exertion of Omnipo- 
 tence, efcape the piercing mifery which vifi- 
 bly awaited him ; "Abba Father, all things 
 " are pofTiblc unto thee, remove tliis cup from 
 " me; neverthelefs, not my will but thine be 
 *' done." Lord of mercies ! didll thou fubjedt 
 thyfelf to fuch alarming apprchenfions for re- 
 bellious, for apoftatc man ! Though thy life 
 
Death of Chrjft. qs 
 
 had been never fulliedby tranfgreflion, though 
 thy confcience never felt the agonizing pangs 
 of guilt, did thy foul, innocent as it vs'as, fhud- 
 der at the thoughts of what an iniquitous tri- 
 bunal was about to inflid on thee ! 
 
 To avert, or at leaft to fufpend the bittcrnefs 
 of malice, the fury of zeal, the impetuofity of 
 revenge, the holy Jefus, the great exemplar of 
 all goodnefs, appeals to the innocency of his 
 life, and the tenor of his behavior, and then, 
 without an effort of refiftance, or an indication 
 of refentment, refigns himfelf with this mild 
 acquiefcence, " this is your hour and the 
 " power of darknefs." How literally was ful- 
 filled the prophecy of Ifaiah ? ^' Surely he 
 ** hath born pur griefs, and carried our forrows, 
 " yet we did efteem him ftricken" for his own 
 offences, ** fmitten of God, and afflicfled" for 
 his ovVn fms. ** But he was wounded for cur 
 *' tranfgrelTions ; he was bruifed for our iniqui- 
 " ties; the chaftifemcht of o«r peace was upon 
 *' him, and by his ftripes we are healed. He 
 *^ was oppreflcd, and he was afflicted, yet he 
 *^ opened not his mouth ; he is brought as a 
 '' lamb to the llaughter, and, as a llieep 
 
 G 4 " before 
 
qO The Sufferings and 
 
 " before her fliearers is dumb, fo he openeth 
 " not his mouth." 
 
 His behavior before Pilate, amidft the iii- 
 fults of a defperate, and enraged populace, in- 
 dicated the fanie meeknefs, and humility. 
 When he was brought into the Judgment- 
 hall, " the chief Priefts, and Scribes, vehe- 
 " mently accufed him." They proceeded 
 farther; they fuborned "falfe witncfles; but," 
 as is ufually the cafe, where perjury is to be 
 the bafis of fuccefs, " their tcflimony agreed 
 '^ not together." So great was the confufion, 
 that nothing could be heard, but " away with 
 " him, crucify him, crucify him." Infatuated 
 men ! to prefer a malefa<flor to the eternal Son 
 of God \ 
 
 After having recourfe to every expedient 
 which malice could devifc, or ingenuity fup- 
 ply, the augufb afl'cmbly who fat in judgmcn-t 
 upon him, attempted, like the Ilerodians on 
 another occafion, by an infidious queflion, to 
 entangle " him in his talk. Art thou the 
 '' Chrift ?" His only reply was,, " thou fayeft 
 '' that 1 am." And was that, Pilate, was that 
 ground fufficient, on which tliou mighteft 
 
 crucify 
 
Death of Chr'ifi. 97 
 
 crucify an innocent pcrfon ! if thou mull 
 oblige the chief pricfts, would it not be enough 
 " to fcourgc him and let him go ?" Happy 
 would it have been for thee, had thy con- 
 fclcncc, which acknowleged him righteous, 
 enforced by thy wife's admonition, ** Have 
 " thou nothincr to do with that juft man," 
 fuiTcreitcd to tlicc to oppofe withboldnefs their 
 clamors, and ** tojudgc righteous judgment !" 
 Bv!t, inftead of yielding to her fuggcltions, he 
 did not even rcllrain the infults of licentious 
 fury ; " they fpit on him, covered his face> 
 " buffeted him, and cried, prophecy unto us 
 *' who it is that fmote thee ;" intending cither 
 to excite in him a fpirit of impotent rcfcnt* 
 mcnt, or, on the other hand, hoping, if he 
 were indeed the Chrift, that he would mira- 
 culoufly deliver himfclf out of their hands. 
 Between two malefeiclors, men notorious for 
 their atrocious deeds, they inhumanly crucified 
 him, a death, of all others, the molt painful 
 and ignominious. There *' behold, and fee, if 
 ** there be any forrow, like unto his lorrovv, 
 '* wherewith the Lord affli(fled him !" Behold 
 our high prieft offering up the great facrificc 
 for the redemption of fouls ! pouring out his 
 
 own 
 
t^ The Sufferings and 
 
 own blood on the altar of his crofi ! and there- 
 by making an atonement for the fins of the 
 tv'hole world ! Behold thy Saviour in all the 
 torments that malice can infli(^, in all the 
 agonies that nature can endure ! Behold him 
 pale and languid, bleeding on the crofs ; his 
 head encircled with thorns, his hands pierced 
 with nails, his feet all torn and mangled ! 
 When he had hung three hours, the fport of 
 wantonnefs, the fcofF of brutality, the vicHm 
 of rage, unable any longer to bear fuch exqui- 
 fite pain, he cried, " It is finifhed : and he 
 *^ bowed his head, and gave lip the ghoft.'* 
 In confirmation of what he had declared, that 
 " he was the Son of God, there was darknefs,'* 
 though it was open day, " from the fixth to 
 '' the ninth hour." The fun was ailiamcd, 
 the moon refufed her light. " The vail of 
 *' the temple was rent in twain from the top 
 " to the bottom, the earth did quake, the 
 '* rocks rent, the graves were opened, and 
 ** many bodies of faints whith flept, arofe, and 
 *' appeared unto many.'* At fuch unheard-of 
 prodigies, what amazement, what conltcrna- 
 tion muft have fallen upon thofe who cried 
 out, ** crucify him, crucify him ?" What fear 
 
 and 
 
• iDeath of Qhr'ifl. ^ 
 
 ana tremibUng muft have felzed their hearts, 
 wiicn the confciTion was extorted from tbem^ 
 ** truly this was the Son of God L" 
 
 What uie lliall \vc make of this inftnid:i\« 
 lellbn ? ' Ailured, Ivord, of thy goodnefs, aiid 
 ' awed by thy majcfly, we dedicate our hve§ 
 ' to tliee. We arc henceforward what thy 
 
 * holy rehgion requires, and our own hearts 
 
 * approve. We are wilhng to be, to do, to 
 ' futfer, whatever, in thy wifdom, thou fljalt 
 
 * ordain. What will promote thy glory, the 
 
 * good of men, the falvatlon of our fouls. That, 
 ' wc embrace with cheerfUlnefs, and purfue 
 
 * with ardor. We approach thy table, Lordj 
 
 * with the deepeft humility, penetrated with 
 
 * a fenfc of our unworthinefs, and worthy 
 
 * oniy through the merits of thy BleiTed Son, 
 
 * May the bread which came down from hea- 
 
 * vcn, " the body of our Lord Jefus Chrift," 
 
 * nourifli our fouls unto eternal life, and may 
 
 * the cup of the new covenant, the blood of 
 'Jefus, refrefli us with its vivifying' powers ! 
 ' May our condudl teftify the converfion of 
 
 * our hearts, and exhibit the pra(^icc of thofe 
 ' virtues of which the life of our Redeemer 
 
 * was 
 
lOO The Sujferhigs dud Death ofQhrifl. 
 
 ' was compofed here on earth, and which are 
 
 * the beft of all oblations that are offered 
 
 * him now he is enthroned above all height ! 
 
 * As thou haft cleanfed us, BlefTed Jefus,of the 
 ' guilt derived from our firft parents, do thou 
 
 * gracioufly be pleafed to prefeiit us fpotlefs, 
 
 * cloathed in thy righteoufnefs only, to God 
 
 * the Lord and maker of all. May our names, 
 
 * through thy irrefiftiblc interceffion with the 
 
 * Father, " be written in the book of life," 
 
 * that, " when we have run the race fet before 
 " us, and finiflied our courfe," we may be 
 
 * bleifed, for ever blefled, with the light of thy 
 ' countenance V 
 
 SERMON 
 
[ 101 ] 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 
 TITUS II. 8, LAST PART. 
 
 u — Having 710 evil thing to fay of yon. 
 
 "TT is peculiar to the Chriftlan Religion, to 
 -*- require of all who profcfs it, the pradice of 
 every virtue, and the cultivation of every grace, 
 both civil, focial, moral, and religious. It en- 
 joins the greateil: care and circumfpc6lion, left 
 others Ihould be infc<5led by the contagion, or 
 influenced by the prevalence, of bad example. 
 And to preferve that care and circumfpe(5tion 
 alive in the mind, it reprefents us as living, 
 continually, under the Providence, and ac- 
 countable to the Juftice, of Almighty God. 
 That the yokeof Chriftianity, at the fame time, 
 might be eafy, and the burden of Religion 
 light, all its Ordinances are calculated toinfpirc 
 us with ardent hope, and invigorate us wnth 
 invincible perfeverance. But there is one dif- 
 tinguifliing Ordinance, the celebration of the 
 Holy Sacrament, which has a powerful ten- 
 dency to make us take fuch heed unto our 
 ways th.at " no evil thing may, juflly, be faid 
 
 \' of 
 
102 ^71 ExJiortathn 
 
 *^ of us." And as wc have fo lately appeared 
 at the Altar of God to renew our vows, and 
 proclaim our obedience, let n^ebcgyourfcrious 
 attention, whilfl: I endeyor to imprefs upon 
 our minds the many and weighty obligations 
 ■we are all of us under, to live, with fuch vigi- 
 Jant, and pious caution, that "■■ no evil thing 
 ^* may, in future, be faid of us." 
 
 It was, indeed, with inconceivable fatisfac- 
 tioi:?, I perceived " the willing mind," which 
 fo evidently appeared amongft you, to declare 
 your convid:ion of the truth, and cxprefs your 
 hopes, in the promifes, of the Gofpel, by af- 
 fembling, almofl all, ^* with one confent," 
 around the holy Alt^ir. Imagination cannot 
 form an earthly fccne more pleafiiig, than this 
 houfe of God then exhibited. Though you 
 may not all be poffefTed of the goods of fortune, 
 or the acquifitions of knowlege, there arc 
 bkffings in referve for you, I truft, greater in 
 value, than the empire of this world — '* to fit 
 ** at the right hand, and at the left hand," of 
 your Kedeemcr, and your God. However mean 
 and contemptible we may fome of us appear, 
 through the obfcurity of our fituation, poverty 
 of circumllanccs, or deplorable ignorance, if 
 
 " wc 
 
to Commumcants. lOJ 
 
 f? wc difchargc our duty in the ftate of lite 
 ** unto which it hath pleafcd God feverally to 
 '' call us," the time may be not far diftant, 
 when the noble, the wealtliy, and the learned, 
 Idmenting the want of that knovvlege, which 
 would have made them wife unto falvation, 
 may exclaim, with indignant difappointment, 
 *' we fools counted their lives madnefs, and 
 ** their end to be without honor ; but how are 
 ** they numbered amongft the children of God, 
 '* and their lot is amongfl the faints !" But 
 then we are to confidcr, that it is not the mere 
 acft of receiving the Sacrament which will re- 
 commend us to mercy, and entitle us to reward. 
 To ftrengthen our refolutions, to animate 
 our endevors, and confirm our faith, let us re- 
 flect upon the declarations, and the promifei 
 we made, before we approached the facred 
 Altar. *' That we had truly and earneftly re- 
 ** pented of our fms, that we were in love and 
 " charity with our neighbors, and that wc in- 
 *^ tended to lead a new life," we declared in 
 the moft folemn manner, in which creatures 
 could cxprefs themfclves to their Creator. If 
 we relapfe into our former habits, if the drunk- 
 ard again drown his faculties in intemperance, 
 
 *^f the fvvcarer continue to utter his Ihocking 
 
 imprc- 
 
104 u4u Rxhortatiojtr 
 
 imprecations, if the unjuft perfift in hif; artsr of 
 deceit, if the flandercr reftrain not his tongue 
 from cvil-ipcaking, \Ne may fay of each what 
 peter faid to Ananias, " thou haft not lied unto 
 *^ men, but unto God." *' Did we not ac- 
 '' knovvlege and bewail oqr manifold fms and 
 *' wickedricfs which \\e, from time to time, 
 ** had committed againfl the Divine Majefty 
 ♦' of Heaven ? Did wc not declare them to be 
 ** grievous unto us, and the burden of them 
 *' to be intolerable ?" — And can we wilh to 
 obliterate the remembrance of them, and 
 render their burden lighter, and eafiey to be 
 born, when we are repeating the fame fms, an4 
 the fame provocations ? The neceflity of an 
 uniformly pious life does not, it is true, accord 
 w ith the unaccountable ideas many people en- 
 tertain concerning the Sacramer\t — that it \% 
 neccffary it fhould be received at the three (&{■• 
 tivals, and other ftated fcafons, as a good old 
 cujiom that ought not to he broken. No ! let no 
 xn?iV\ ever pollute the facrcd bread and wine, 
 with his unhallowed lips, who does not mean, 
 henceforth, to become a better man — who docs 
 not mean, henceforth, to regulate his conduct 
 by the precepts of the Gofpel, and to pra(^ife 
 every virtue it enjoins, and rcnqunce every vice 
 
to Communicajtts. 105 
 
 it forbids : if he communicates from any other 
 principle, if he does not repent of his fms, and 
 ame«d his hfe, '' he is guilty of the body and 
 " blood of Chrift our Saviour — he eats and 
 " drinks, dreadful denunciation ! his own con- 
 *' demnatlon. Judge, therefore, yourfelves, 
 " my brethren, that ye be not judged of the 
 *' Lord." Bcfeech Almighty God to '' create 
 '* a clean heart, and renew a right fpirit, with- 
 " in you," to enable you to fulfil your pro- 
 mifes, and keep your vows. " We offer and 
 " prefcnt unto thee, O Lord, ourfelves, our 
 " fouls, and bodies" — fuch was the language 
 of our lips, and of our hearts, L trufb, — '' to be 
 ** a reafonable, holy, and lively facrifice unto 
 "' thee, humbly bcfeech ing thee, that all we, 
 " who are partakers of this holy communion, 
 *' may be filled with thy Grace, and heavenly 
 ♦' benedicftion." After having entered into 
 fo folemn an engagement, will you violate it 
 through wantonnefs, or trample on it with 
 contempt ; efpecially when )ou confidcr, that 
 by fo doing, you arc '' provoking, moil juftly, 
 " God's wrath and indignation againll: you?" 
 It behoves us, indeed, Chriftians, " who defire 
 ** to obtain, by the merits and death of Jefus 
 H '' Chrift, 
 
lOO j^n Exhortation 
 
 *' Chrift, and through faith in his blood, ior- 
 " givencfs of our fms, and all other benefits of 
 *' his paffion," to act with peculiar caution, 
 that " no evil thing may be faid of us." Let 
 every mafter of a family fet an example to his 
 houfehold, ^' fhewing himfelf a pattern of good 
 " works," by his piety, his regularity, his 
 equity, and juftice, in all his dealings and tranf- 
 ad:ions : let him obferve the Lord's Day with 
 the ferioufnefs it demands, both attending pub- 
 lic worfhip himfelf, and requiring his children, 
 and fervants, to do the fame : let him on 
 that day, more efpecially, acquaint himfelf 
 with the revealed will of God, and inltrutfl his 
 family in the moll ufeful of all learning, '' the 
 " knovv'lege of God unto falvation :" and, let 
 him take care, that he does not exhort to vir- 
 tues he neglects to pradlife, or find fault with 
 the commiffion of vices to which he is himfelf 
 addid:ed : let him fliew, in his whole behavior, 
 what conftitutes a good man : whatever may 
 be the prevalence of his difpofition, and turn 
 of mind, whether exceffive paffion, gloomy 
 fullennefs, fordid avarice, whatever " be the 
 " fin which eafily befets him," let him guard 
 ilridly againft it : let him mailer the unruly 
 
 inclination 
 
to Communicants. 107 
 
 inclination which may have made him a 
 trouble, or a terror, to his family, unhappy in 
 hlmrdf, and otfcnfive to others: let him be- 
 have to his fuperiors with refpecfl, to his equals 
 with cheerfulncfs, to his interiors with conde- 
 fcenfion: he will then be, what every one 
 ought to be, a good man, and a true Chnftian : 
 he will be inftanced as a man who pradlifes 
 what he protclfes : his lite will be an example 
 to the good, and a reproof to the wicked : Re- 
 ligion will, through his condud:, futfer no di- 
 minution of excellence, fevcrity of cenfure, or 
 coldnefs of difdain : but, on the contrary, by 
 producing in him fuch tranquility of mind, 
 and fimplicity of manners, will be recom- 
 mended to the notice and obfervancc of thofe, 
 who had all along thought, '' there was no 
 '' beauty in it, that they fliould defirc it." 
 
 Let fervants, and thofe whofe lot it is to be 
 in the lower ftations of life, confider well the 
 obligations they hid themfclves under, by cele- 
 brating the blelTed Sacrament. " Exhort fer- 
 " vants," fays the Apoftle, in the words fol- 
 lowing the text, by which he means all who 
 depend on others for their fubfiftence, '* to be 
 " obedient unto their own mailers, and to 
 
 H 2 *' pleafc 
 
108 Afi Exhortation 
 
 '' pleafe them well in all things, not anfwering 
 " again," not rudely nor impertinently provok- 
 ing them ; " not purloining," not wronging 
 them of any thing, however fafcly they may 
 do it; " but (hewing all good fidelity," behav- 
 ing thcmfelvcs with fcrupulous honefty, and 
 watchful care, that, by this uniformity of con- 
 duct, " they may adorn the dodrine of God 
 *' our Saviour in all things :" let them confidcr, 
 were they in the fituations of thofe to whom 
 they are indebted for their bread, what they 
 would naturally require of the people they em- 
 ployed : let them often reflect, that it is in 
 their power to occafion many vexatious difap- 
 pointments by perverfenefs, negligence, and 
 thoughtlefihes : let them, as they may not 
 have had the advantages of education, endevor 
 to reftrain their tempers, and humanize their 
 minds : let them be refigned to their humble 
 lot, not murmuring, not repining, but " let 
 '' them patiently tarry the Lord's leifure:'' let 
 them continually offer up their prayers to Al- 
 mighty God to endow them with thofe virtues 
 which become their ftation ; and let them 
 praife his name, that their condition is no worfe. 
 Let the Sacrament produce thefc blcffed, thefc 
 
 evangelical 
 
to Communicants, lOQ 
 
 evangelical effects — the effe<5ls it naturally 
 ought to produce — and every mailer, whatever 
 may be his own fentlments, or his own con- 
 dud;, will devoutly wiih for religious fervants, 
 and for every one he employs, in whatever 
 capacity, to be religious. 
 
 And here, what fliall I fay, how fhall I ad- 
 drefs myfelf to thofe, who refufe every invita- 
 tion to receive the holy Sacrament ? Say, after 
 ye had departed from this houfe, dedicated to 
 God, when you confidered what bleffings the 
 people of God were receiving, whom you had 
 left behind, " did not your hearts burn within 
 ** you ?" When you confidered the obligations 
 you are under, out of gratitude to your Re- 
 deemer, out of regard to yourfelves, to receive 
 the blelTed Sacrament, did you look on this a6l 
 of carelefs negligence, or rather, of defperate 
 defiance, without indignation, and without 
 abhorrence ? Did you think, after Jefus Chrift 
 had fent you an affedionate invitation, after he 
 had given you a peremptory command, to eat 
 and drink at his own tabic, you werejuftifiable 
 in not accepting his invitation, in not paying 
 obedience to his command ? It is the invita- 
 
 H 3 tion 
 
110 Afi Exhortation 
 
 tion of him, who, to reconcile you to God, 
 fhed his blood on the crofs — it is the com- 
 mand of him, '* who is able to deftroy both 
 '' body and foul in hell." For the negled of 
 this duty, no man's confcience will, 1 believe, 
 afford confolation : you may hear its remon- 
 ftrances, at prefent, without concern ; but v^ hen 
 death draws nigh to execute his comm'ffion, 
 you will then be overwhelmed with its re- 
 proaches, and diil:ra(5led with its terrors. The 
 feafon of death is awful, but death is only the 
 prelude to judgment. At the bar of judgment; 
 your excufes are to be weighed in an even 
 balance, and, you are confcious, " they will be 
 *'found light." Wereyou enjoined the perform- 
 ance ff certain duties by a human Legiflaturc, 
 and, in confequence of your ncglecf , were fum- 
 moned before a court of judicature, if you 
 could offer no ftrongcr reaions in your juftili- 
 cation, than you will be able to affign for re- 
 fufmg to receive the Sacrament, however 
 :fubtilty might invent, ingenuity evade, or elo- 
 quence adorn, be your mode of trial vvliat it 
 might, you would, unquellionably, be pro- 
 nounced guilty. And whether corporal pu- 
 nifiiment, or fine or imprifonmciit, or death, 
 
 m 
 
to Comtmmkants. ] 1 1 
 
 in all its aggravation of horrors, is more to be 
 dreaded than the irrevocable fcntence — ''Dc- 
 " part from me ye curfcd into evcrlafting fire" 
 — be yourfelves the judges — but judge, for 
 God's fake, before it be too late ! 
 
 Suffer me, in conclufion, again to requeft 
 thofe who received the Sacrament of the Body 
 and Blood of Chrift, to give all diligence to 
 adorn their Chriftian profeffion. If you pre- 
 tend to *' fet your affedions on things above, 
 ''where Chrift fitteth at the right hand of 
 '' God," let it be your conftant care to mani- 
 fcft a peaceable demeanor, upright condu(5l, 
 and an holy life. If you run into the fame 
 cxcefs of ri(3t with other men, you furnifli the 
 enemies of Relicrion with the arms of truth, 
 and they will not fail to w ield them to advan- 
 tage, both againft you, and your high calling. 
 But, revolve only in your mind the vows of 
 obedience you made at the Altar, and you will 
 prefervc alive, in your breafts, the Ipirit ot 
 piety, which conduced you thither ; and, ** as 
 '* the hart panteth after the water brooks, fo 
 " will your fouls long to eat again of the 
 " bread which came down from heaven, iiul 
 '' to drink again of the fountain of life, which 
 H • " cleanfcth 
 
1 1 2 An Exhortation, &c. 
 
 *' cleanfeth from all fin. Be afraid of beinsf 
 " overtaken " in the commiffion of any, the 
 leaft, fm : for you would not only endanjrer 
 your own fouls, but caft a fhameful reproach, 
 an indelible ftain, on that holy Religion, the 
 truth of which Jefus Chrift fealed with " his 
 '* moft precious blood." But you, \vho openh'' 
 enlifted under the banners of Chrift ; you, 
 who acknowleged him to be " the captain 
 *' of your falvation," will never, I pray God, 
 bafely defert his ftandard. Anxious to have 
 a claim to that flate, " where the wicked 
 " ceafe from troubling, and where the weary 
 *' are at reft,'* as you have begun, continue, 
 perfevere unto the end, to walk in the path of 
 duty ; diftinguilh yourfelves by the practice 
 of every moral virtue, and the obfervance of 
 every religious precept ; rely with unfliaken 
 firmnefs, on the mercy of God, through the 
 all fufiicient merits of your Redeemer, and you 
 will aftu redly obtain, without the chagrin 
 of difappointmcnt, and the rilque of lofs, the 
 end of your cares, and the obje(5l of your hopes, 
 falvation. 
 
 SERMON 
 
[ 113 ] 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 
 JOSHUA XXIV. 15. 
 
 As for me and my lioiife we will fei'Z'e the 
 Lord. 
 
 THE uneafineffes which are every dav oc- 
 cafioned in families, cfpecially in thofe 
 wherein tb-^ worfhip of God is negled:ed, either 
 through the uidifcretion, or profligacy, of the 
 people who compofe them, are often attended 
 with fuch inconvenience, difgrace, and misfor- 
 tune, as to render every father and every maf- 
 tcr folicitous, one would think, to guard a^^ainft 
 whatever might enda^iger their innocence, or 
 dcftroy their peace. If a child has ftepped 
 into the path of folly or vice, each individual 
 participates the calamity; each, as he paiTes 
 along, perceives the finger of fcorn pointing 
 towards him, or hears the tongue of male- 
 volence infulting his dillrefs. If a fcr- 
 vant has been betrayed by the artful, or 
 feduccd by the profligate into fliame, and 
 
 poverty, 
 
Ill On Tam'ily Prayer. 
 
 poverty, and ruin ; can thofe, under whofe 
 protedlion fuch fervant lived, be unmoved with 
 the misfortune? The unhappy being, whom 
 perhaps they can no longer keep under their 
 roof, may be without parents, without friends, 
 without money, and, by one unfortunate ftep, 
 may be reduced from a ftate of comfort, to all 
 the poignancy of difgrace, the mifery of want, 
 or the fevcrity of puniflimcnt — can the mailer 
 of the family, in fuch a cafe, exculpate himfelf? 
 It appears from obl'crvation, and is confirmed 
 by Scripture, that there is no effeulual way of 
 prelerving innocence, and engaging fidelity, 
 but by inftilling principles of piety and reli- 
 gion : *' make the tree good, and its fruit will 
 " be good." Would you then communicate 
 religious principles ? Alfemble vour family re- 
 gularly to worlTiip God. Should the bleffmg 
 of God this day fo far accompany the uord as 
 to prc\ail with you to adopt the refolution, 
 and follow the example, of the author of my 
 text, idlencfs, intemperance, diflionefty, profli- 
 gacy, will, it may be hoped, progrcffively quit 
 your habitations, and, in their Head, indullry, 
 ibbriety, integrity, Religion, take up their 
 abode with you. 
 
 It 
 
On Fam'ily Prayer. 1J5 
 
 It Is Intended, in this dii'courfc, to fliew the 
 neccfTity, and advantages, of t'amiiy worfiiip; 
 and then, earneftly to exhort you, to the re- 
 gular obfervancc of it. 
 
 ■ I. " In God, wc hvc and move, aud have our 
 " being." Thcbreath we draw, the food we 
 cat, are the blellings of his Providence, and 
 the overflowings of his goodncfs. Is it not 
 incumbent on us then, to acknowlcgc our 
 clepcndence, to proclaim his uncontrolablc 
 power, and inexhauftiblc mercy } To a6t 
 othervvifc, is to live as thou2;h we were indc- 
 pendent of him. 
 
 When we confider our relation to God, as 
 members of a famdy, the obligation to join in 
 worfhipping him becomes ftiil greater. For 
 if one member of a family fuffcr, all tl^e mem- 
 bers fuffer, in fome fort, with him. Their 
 comfort and welfare are, in a certain degree, 
 infeparablc. And is not this confideration a 
 ftrong and prevailing call upon every head of 
 a family, to join with his houfehold, in depre- 
 cating the difpleafure, and fupplicating the 
 favor, of God } Does not every one, before he 
 retires at night to reft, feel the indlfpenfable 
 neceffitv of bcfccching God " to deliver him, 
 
 '* and 
 
1 1 6 On Family Prayer. 
 
 "• and all his houfe, from lightning and tcm- 
 *' peft, from murder, and from fudden death ?" 
 
 But an obligation to the ferious, and devout 
 obfervance of family worlhip, arifes from the 
 profefTion of Chrillianity. Religion is fuch a 
 blefTmg to mankind, it is incumbent on us to 
 extend the knovvlege, and ei:iforce the prad:icc 
 of it, as far, ^nd as powerfully, as we are able. 
 
 Now let any man, whofe family confifts 
 chiefly of perfons uneducated, confider how* 
 many amongft them live, without a fenfe of 
 God and Religion, and he mull: be hard heart- 
 ed indeed, if he rcfufe to " make them," when 
 it is in his power, " wife unto falvation." If 
 he thinks their fouls worth faving, he will join 
 with them in fervent prayers to God. To in- 
 ftrucl their fervants, and to be folicitous for 
 their eternal welfare, may appear to fomc 
 people unneceffar)^, perhaps, unbecoming their 
 lituation, and rank in life. But fituation and 
 rank are foon to ceafe. When we ftand at the 
 dread Tribunal, to behold one of our family, 
 who, through our want of religious inilrud:ion, 
 and domeftic worfhip, has incurred the dif- 
 pleafure of God. will rack us with all the 
 
 kccnnefs 
 
Oil Family Prayer. 1 1 7 
 
 keennefs of reproach, and the torture of con- 
 demnation." 
 
 There is another argument I would urge to 
 recommend the neceflity of family prayer, and 
 it will not, I truft, be urged to confiderate, and 
 well-meaning, people in vain. The excellent 
 inftitution of Sunday Schools, now eftablillied 
 in feveral parts of this kingdom, whofe end is 
 to bring up the rifing generation in the true 
 faith, and fear of God, will be lefs ufeful, it is 
 to be feared, by the general ignorance, and pre- 
 dominant profligacy, of the parents. The 
 Clergy, the Magilhates, and thofe who employ 
 the poor will, we truft in God, be enabled to 
 convince them by arguments, to perfuade them 
 by entreaties, to engage them by kindneiles,.to 
 give their children the blcffings that inftitu- 
 tion fo humanely, and fo religiouflv, offers. 
 But from the manner in which the parents, 
 and thofe who may foon become parents, are 
 brought up ; from their utter ignorance ofthe 
 truths of Chriftlanity, and the total want of 
 principle which difcovers itfelf in the condud: 
 of a great part ofthe lower clafs of mankind, 
 there is much reafon to apprehend, that, in 
 the prefent generation, fo much good will 
 
 not 
 
118 On Family Prayer. 
 
 not be derived from fuch excellent cftabllfli- 
 ments, as we are fanguine enough to expedl. 
 Would every mafter of a family, therefore, who 
 is a well-wilhcr to them, give them his fup- 
 port, by religioufly worfliipping God with all 
 his domeflics, in his own houle ; it might, 
 without prefumption, be fuppofed, that the 
 feveral members of his family would be actu- 
 ated, in fomc mcafure, by religious principles ; 
 and that, when they had children of their 
 own, they would britig them up with more 
 decency, and piety, than if they had never 
 lived in a houfc which worfliipped God. — 
 Such arc the arguments I would urge to pre- 
 vail with you to introduce family prayer into 
 your houfes. 
 
 II. I now proceed to flicw the advantages 
 rcfulting from the pra^lice. 
 
 And the hrll I lliall mention is, that it is 
 the natural tendency of prayer, to render a fa- 
 mily liappy. For if the happinefs of a family 
 confifl in each perfon's behaving with pro- 
 priety, in his fphere of life; in cheerfully un- 
 dertaking, and faithfully difcharging, thofe 
 duties which his llation requires ; in manifeft- 
 ing a quiet temper, tradable difpolition, and 
 
 complacent 
 
On Fam'ily Prayer. 1 1 9 
 
 complacent mind, where arc thofc amiable 
 qualities fo likely to be found as " in the 
 " dwellings of the righteous ?" Can it be fup- 
 pofed, that fuch grievous complaints would be 
 made of our fervants, and domcftics, ot their 
 want of attachment, and of fidelity, if we our- 
 felves were careful to allemble them daily, in 
 the more immediate prcfence of God Almighty? 
 Every head of a family, who is regular in the 
 difcharge of domeftic worfliip, takes the moft 
 likely means to have his bufincfs punctually 
 done, to render his fervants ftriclly honeft, and 
 to perfuade them to be truly religious. For 
 what can have fo ftrong a tendency to infpire 
 the drunkard, the fwearer, the thief, the liar 
 with an abhorrence of his vices, as to condemn 
 him every night by his own prayers ? 
 
 Now if family prayer be produd:ive of fuch 
 bleffings, both temporal and fpiritual, will not 
 every one be folicitous to entail them upon his 
 own family ? Let him nourifli then in himfelf, 
 let him cultivate in others, religious aft'cvflions. 
 When he conliders to what evils his children 
 may be expofed, when they go out into the 
 world, what innumerable fnares will be laid in 
 their way, will he not wifli to have this con- 
 
 folation, 
 
120 Ofi Family Praygr. 
 
 folation, that he has united with them his 
 fupplications to the throne of Grace, that the 
 " Almighty would never leave them, nor for- 
 " fake them ?" But what is this life, in compa- 
 rifon of eternity ? What is their fuccefs here, 
 to their happlnefs hereafter ? Now, can there 
 be any thing fo extremely abfurd, fo incon- 
 ceivably inconfiftent, as the acquainting our 
 children that, on God we depend for happinefs, 
 and never joining with them to beg it of him ? 
 Can they believe we are above all things de- 
 firous, that they fliould partake of " the blifs 
 ** at God's right hand," when we are never 
 importunate with God to obtain it for them? 
 And with what face can we exhort them to 
 w^orfliip God, if, either in the congregation, in 
 our clofct, or our family, we negle6l worfhip- 
 ping him ourfelves ? By offering up our prayers 
 every day with our children, a real fenfe of 
 God and religion will be imoreffed on their 
 hearts; and, happy parents, and thrice happy 
 children ! " they will grow in grace, and in 
 " the knowlea:e of our Lord and Saviour Jcfu3 
 " Chrift ;" they will refemblc, in their early 
 days, thofe trees, which, in warmer climes, 
 produce at once, both bloffoms and fruit ; they 
 
 will 
 
On Family Prayer, 121 
 
 will be the admiration of the young, the de- 
 light of the aged, the confolation of their pa- 
 rents, the fervants and the children of God. 
 
 Another advantage arlfing from the pradlice 
 of family prayer is, that it promotes the defign 
 of the Gofpcl. By praying daily with your 
 children, you will bring them up in fuch a ha- 
 bit of piety, it is more than probable, that they 
 will continue, in their own families, the cuflom 
 you impofed by precept, and taught by example. 
 As the Tap, bred at the root, communicates 
 itfelf to the fcveral branches, fo will your piety 
 exert its influence, and diffufe its fplcndor, in 
 the condu6l of your offspring: fucceffive ge- 
 nerations may be indebted to you for the piety 
 of their lives, and the acceptance of their God. 
 I will briefly mention another advantao-e 
 accruing from the pradiice of family worfhip: 
 were this duty regularly performed, the mafter 
 of the family could not confiftently fpcnd his 
 evenings in intemperance and diffipation. No ! 
 he would be innocently, perhaps ufcfully, em- 
 ployed in his own houfc. Inftead of drinkin"- 
 to cxccfs, fquandcring his fubllance, and be- 
 having to his family like a tyrant, or a favagc ; 
 he would, of confequcnce, if he conftantly 
 
 I praclifed 
 
1 22 On Faviily Prayer, 
 
 pradifcd the duty of family prayer, become 
 exemplary in his condudl ; he would be anxi- 
 ous for both the prefent, and the future wel- 
 fare of his children ; and would cultivate in 
 his own mind all thofe qualities and difpofi- 
 tions he wiflies to be cxercifed towards himfelf. 
 For he would be afhamed of giving way to in- 
 temperance, who had afterwards to fupplicate 
 God to preferve him from it : he could not be 
 detained, in loofe and idle company, till liis 
 family had retired to reft, whofe fixed and un- 
 alterable purpofe it was, to join with them in 
 worfhipping God. 
 
 It may feem ftrange, that any objections 
 fhould be made to a duty, in itfclf fo reafon- 
 able ; in its effeds fo beneficial ; fuggcftcd by 
 natural, enforced by revealed, religion : objec- 
 tions, however, to the utter difgracc, I pray 
 God it may not be, to the final condemnation, 
 oi Chriftians, are frequently urged. I have 
 only time to take notice of one. It is faid, 
 that, where families are large, little good is 
 derived from the celebration of domeftic wor- 
 Ihip ; that the family, almoft individually, at- 
 tend it with reluctance ; and, that they do 
 not conOder, for what end they are called to- 
 gether. 
 
On Tiinuly Prayer, J23 
 
 gcthcr. This objc<5tion to family prayer be- 
 comes the ftrongcd argument, for thenccelTity 
 of it. The man, who has fuch an houlliold, 
 cannot too foon, nor too earneftly, ftrive to re- 
 claim them. Let him affemble them, not as 
 he would confine a flock of fhecp in a fold ; but 
 let him tell them he laments, that he has lived 
 fo long in the negle6b of this important duty ; 
 that he will obfcrve it during the remainder of 
 his life ; that the defign of it is to give glory 
 to God ; to beg his blcfling and protecllon, and 
 to render both himfclf, and thofe committed 
 to his care, happy to all eternity. This com- 
 munication will be received, though not per- 
 haps by all, yet certainly by fome, with fatisfac- 
 tion, and pleafure. And what time is fo pro- 
 per, to communicate fuch intentions, as the 
 evening of this day, when, if your children and 
 domclVics are now, as they ought to be, at 
 church, their minds will be prepared for it ? 
 
 III. I will beg leave to detain you a little 
 longer, whillt 1 earnellly, I pray God I may 
 effectually, exhort you, to the regular obferv- 
 ance of this indifpenfable fervicc. 
 
 It is a juft reproach to the members of the 
 
 cflablilhcd Church, that the duty, I am now 
 
 1 '2 recommending, 
 
1214 Oil Famify Traycr, 
 
 recommending, is more ncglccflcd by us than, 
 I believe, by any other communion of Chrif- 
 tians. And the reproach is aggravated, by 
 confidering that thofe '' who go out from us," 
 when they join themfelves to any other con- 
 gregation, generally eftablifh this duty in their 
 families. Such of us as live in the neg]c6l of it, 
 may be faid " to have not the knowlege of 
 '^ God.'* We live in the profcffion of the 
 true Religion : the fource is pure ; the chan- 
 nels through which its refrcfliing ftrcams are 
 conveyed, arc free, and unmixed ; but they fall 
 upon a foil, too often, alas ! barren of improve- 
 ment. Yet we do not, furely, make a profef- 
 lion of Religion by accident : we are initiated 
 into it, not by cullom, I truft, but by piety ; 
 we have embraced it, not by chance, I hope, 
 but from principle. I exhort you, therefore, 
 my brethren, in the name of God, to let your 
 prad.ice be correfpondent to your profeffion. 
 Are we members of a pure, and reformed. 
 Church ? Arc we defirous of making our Re- 
 ligion productive of immortal happinefs ? Let 
 us not then be fo deceived, as to fuppofe that 
 we can be faved, without a vital fpirit of piety. 
 And in whatever dwellings that vital fpirit 
 
 reiides. 
 
Oji Family Frayer. 125 
 
 rclidcs, there *' will be heard the voice of jov 
 *< and faivation." Is the loving kindnels ai 
 God the theme of your thankfgivings; is his 
 mercy the fubjevft of your fupplications, in vour 
 family? " you are not far," it may be pre- 
 fumed, " from the kingdom of God." But 
 you who live in the negleft of this duty ; who 
 receive fo many mercies, and bleffings, from 
 the God of all goodncfs, without joining your 
 acknowlegcmcnts with thofc who partake of 
 them ; {hall I congratulate you on the fccurity 
 of your fituation ? No ! It is my duty to ex- 
 liort you, and it is your intcrcft to attend to 
 the exhortation, *' to flee from the wrath to 
 ** come." Is prayer in your family, a dutv 
 you owe to God? And dare you live in the 
 ncglcd: of that duty ? Look around you ; look 
 into the hiftory of mankind ; and fee " whe- 
 *' ther any hath hardened himfelf againft God 
 *' and profpered ?'• And is it not hardening 
 yourfelvcs againfi; God, if, when ye are con- 
 vinced by rcafon, admoniihed by confciencc, 
 and commanded by Revelation to join in de- 
 vout fupplications, with your whole houfe, in 
 the worfliip of God, yc arc either diverted by 
 amufcmcnts, or withheld by difmclination, 
 
 1 3 from 
 
126 On Family Prayer. 
 
 from the difcharge of this rcafonablc, this im- 
 p^fi-tant, this indifpenfablc, fervicc ? Look for- 
 ward to the awful period when you fhall be 
 {truck by the hand of death ; when you fhall 
 lie upon the bed from which you muft arifc by 
 borrowed ftrength ; and let me appeal to your 
 hearts, whether you do not thmk the pangs of 
 feparation from your family would be rendered 
 lefs violent, by the reflection of having uni- 
 formly, and devoutly, difcharged the duty I am 
 now recommending ? Had God, in his anger, 
 lefufed to hear your prayers ; had he com- 
 manded you not to appear before the throne 
 of Grace; though you might be furroundcd 
 with abundance ; though you lived in the 
 vigor of health ; though you were beloved by 
 your family, idolized by your friends, rever- 
 enced by the world ; all thele refle<5tions, footh- 
 ing as they are. " would avail you nothing ;'* 
 you would envy the fituation of thofe who 
 daily *' go to their work and to their labor 
 ** until the evening,'' if he *' who heareth 
 *' prayer," accepted ///£?/> petitions, and granted 
 their requefts. If then cither fear can awaken, 
 or intereil can engage you, to begin this necef- 
 fary duty ; if atfcdion for your families, if the 
 
 dreaci 
 
On Family Frayer. 12/ 
 
 dread of God*s difpleafure, if the hopes of im- 
 mortal happinefs imprefsyour minds ; let me 
 prevail with every mafter of a family here prc- 
 fent, to confccrate his houfe this very night to 
 God, to ered; in it an Altar unto God, and to 
 offer upon it " the facrificc of praife and 
 ** thankfe-ivin,^. " Let me have the fatisfac- 
 tion, my brethrcn,of knowing that the Gofpel 
 has not this day, been preached unto you in 
 vain. This night, and every fucceeding one, 
 affemble your families to beg the bleffings of 
 God, to acknow'lege your fenfe of his mercies, 
 and to befeech him, " that this life ended^ 
 *^ you may dwell with h:m in the life ever- 
 *' lalling." 
 
 SERMON 
 
[129] 
 
 S E R M O N IX. 
 
 MATTHEW XVI. 20. 
 
 Wliat h a man profited tf heJJiaUgahi the whole 
 world, and lofe his own foul f Or what Jliall 
 a man give in exchange for hisfoidf 
 
 IT pleafcd the All-wife Creator, after man 
 had loft his innocency, that his bread 
 Ihould be earned by labor, and his wealth 
 acquired by folicitude. It was ordered, like- 
 wife, by All- feeing wifdom, that difappolnt- 
 ment fhould frequently accompanyhis toil, and 
 fruftrate his intentions ; that uncertainty in. 
 the polTeffion, and infecurity in the enjoyment 
 fliould always await, with forbidding afpcd:, 
 and difcouraging intimations, not only the 
 pradlice of fraud, but the dealings of integrity ; 
 teaching us hereby, that we Ihould not be too 
 anxioufly careful, about many things in this 
 life ; but that wx fliould have a principal rc- 
 q:ard to'' the one thing needful," aiid exert our 
 
 every 
 
130 On the Lofs of the Soul. 
 
 every effort, to fecure *' that good part which 
 *' fliatl not be taken away from us." 
 
 But uncertainty and difappointment are not 
 our only dilcouragements : be our fuccefs what 
 it may, it is limited to a very fhort period : 
 *' the duft of which we are made returns to 
 *' duft, and the fpirit to God who gave it.'* 
 The foul hath originally impreffed upon it the 
 idea, that it is accountable to a Supreme Being 
 for what it docs in the body, and hath received 
 —we Chriftians at leaft have received — a clear 
 and an exprefs declaration from God, that it 
 fhall be everlaflingly rew arded or puniflied, to- 
 gether with the body, for what is done in this 
 life, either with exquifite felicity, or unuttcr* 
 able torments. 
 
 We will confidcr what the foul of man is; 
 its immenfe value ; and its dreadful lofs ; and 
 then what a man will be profited, if he fhall 
 gain the whole world, and lofe his own foul. 
 
 Firft, The foul of man is that fpiritual, and 
 invifible part, created by God, and is capable of 
 exifling, when feparate from the body. ** God 
 ** made man of the dufl of the earth, and 
 *' breathed into his noflrils the breath of life, 
 ** and he became a living foul." The foul 
 then is immaterial. It was not made of mat- 
 ter. 
 
On the Lofs of the Soul 131 
 
 tcr, of tlic duft of the earth, as the body was, 
 but by the breath of God. It has an imme- 
 diate divine original, and a near refemblance to 
 the purity, and fpirituality, of the Divine Ef- 
 itncc. 
 
 So that our fouls, deriving their originality 
 from the Divinity itfelf, are of an unperifliablc 
 nature. Death is only a tranflation of the foul 
 from its earthly tabernacle, a pallagc, through 
 the vale of mortality, to the land of du.c .'.on. 
 
 Secondly, When the whole human race, 
 through the tranfgreflion of our firfl: parents, 
 lay under the fcntence of condemnation, the 
 Almighty was pleafed to reftore us to his favor, 
 by alfuming, in the perfon of Jefus Chrift, the 
 human nature. It appeared to Almighty wif- 
 dom, that the only expedient of faving man, 
 was to become man himfelf. *' For us men, 
 *' and for our falvation, he humbled himfelf 
 *' and became obedient unto death, even the 
 ♦^ death of the crofs." 
 
 Thirdly, If then we could not be reftored 
 to the favor of God without this mighty effort 
 o\ Omnipotence, our own reafon, even if the 
 Scriptures were filcnt, would fuggcll: to us, that 
 vnkfs our condition had been deplorable, God 
 
 would 
 
1 32 On the Lofs of the Soul, 
 
 ■would not have put hlmfclf to fuch an cxpcnce 
 of mercy. He wrought this ftupendous mi- 
 racle, to deliver us from eternal death, to rcfcuc 
 us from, the power of Satan, and the torments 
 of hell. And fuch is the vvifdom of God, that, 
 if we do not entitle ourfelvesto a Itate of hap- 
 pincfs, *' there remains only a fearful looking 
 *' for of judgment;'* if we do not fecure the 
 felicity of heaven, we cannot efcapc the mife- 
 rics of hell. Though we may be fo infatuated 
 with folly, fo blinded by iniquity, as to rejedl 
 God's offer of mercy, yet we are not able to 
 annihilate our fouls: we may deprive them of 
 immortal life, but then we plunge them into 
 eternal mifery: they cannot ceafc to be, but 
 they will become miferable — which is infi- 
 nitely worfe than not to be at all. 
 
 Let us now confider what a man will be 
 profited, if he fhall gain the whole w orld, and 
 lofe his own foul. 
 
 Whatever be the object of our wiflies, much 
 time, and thought, and labor, are generally 
 requifite, before we can attain it. If wecov^t 
 wealth, we mult rife early, late take rcll:, and 
 eat the bread of carefulnefs; our days will be 
 confumed in toil, our nights pafTed in folicitude, 
 
 our 
 
Oti the Lofs of the Soul. 133 
 
 our minds harailcd with cares, and I may add, 
 I tear, our conlcieiiccs dlftraclcd fomctimes 
 with the reflcdiion, that, to procure it, wc have 
 impofed on the ignorant, trampled on the weak, 
 defrauded the unwary. AH this anxiety is fuf- 
 fered, and guilt incurred, and we have the mor- 
 tification, not infrequently, to fail in our at- 
 tempts; and all we obtain arc an untimely grave, 
 a reproachful memory, and an early damnation. 
 But allowing that we are not difappointed 
 in our efforts; that every thing wc do, fuccecds 
 abundantly beyond our cxpcflations; and that, 
 in a very little time, we arc in poffcflion of 
 whatever our mofl fanguine wiflies could de- 
 fire — ftill we arc uncertain how long we lliall 
 be permitted to poffes it: and when wc draw- 
 near our end, and cafh up our accounts, we find 
 nothing remaining but the piercing rellc^lion, 
 it may be, '' of wrong and robbery," and the 
 dreadful expe<5tation of God's eternal difplea- 
 fure. Thus is trouble undergone, our innocence 
 forfeited, God's vengeance brought upon us, 
 through the expe^Slation of gaining — not the 
 whole world — not the principal, nay fcarce the 
 moft inconfiderable, part — nothing more than 
 what we call a competency — what will place us 
 
 above 
 
13-f On the Lofs of the Soul. 
 
 above want, or fecure us in independence-— 
 and the very objecSl for which we are fo car- 
 neftly ftriving, is attended M'ith difappoint- 
 ment fometimes in the purfuit, with anxiety 
 often in the enjoyment, with uncertainty al- 
 ways in tjie pofTeflion. What will it profit us, 
 if we gain what we fo earneftly defire, but by 
 fiich means that we lofe our fouls? Or, if w^e 
 are fo earneft to gain it, that we neglecfl to dif- 
 charge the duties of a Chriftian, and by pre- 
 ferring the goods of this world, to the falvation 
 of the next, leave ourfelves no hopes in the 
 Divine mercy — what will it profit us ? 
 
 If we could grafp whatever of both wealth, 
 honor, and power, our imaginations can con- 
 ceive, as we could enjoy them only during the 
 term of our lives; and as we could not extend 
 the term, a moment beyond its appointed li- 
 mits ; as we could not be fecure from the at- 
 tacks of ficknefs, nor the violence of pain, 
 from the pangs of forrow, nor the wounds of 
 difappointment, even this flate, however envi- 
 able, lofes much of its value. To which we 
 may add, that if, in the acquifition of wealth, 
 the profecution of honor, the attainment of 
 power, the laws of God or man be violated, 
 
 we 
 
On the Lofs of the Soul. 13-5 
 
 \vc forfeit our immortal happincfs. For a 
 fmall fhare of the glories of this world, we 
 make a bargain with the devil, to refign all 
 pretenfions to thofe of the next ; the very 
 worft bargain, that ever entered into the heart 
 of maia to make. Thus for a moment of time, 
 \vc make an exchange, for an eternity of dura- 
 tion. We content ourfclves with the chance 
 of fugitive pieafures, for which we facrifice 
 the bleflings of immortality. We purfue the 
 objecfl: of our defires, under the confciouiiiels 
 that we are offending God, and *"■ treafuring 
 " up for ourfelves wrath againll; the day of 
 *' wrath." All our time, our thoughts, and af- 
 fections are devoted to the attainment of our 
 wifhes. And whether wc fliall lofe our louls 
 by their attainment, as it does not employ our 
 confideration, lb it does not interrupt our pvir- 
 fuits. But what fliall a man give in exchange 
 for his foul } Let us fuppofc that we are not, 
 in the end, difappointed — that fortune fmilcs 
 propitious on our labors — and that we arrive at. 
 what we efteem, the fummit of happinels. 
 Now if that, which conflitutes our happincfs, 
 be acquired by means repugnant to human, 
 and condemned by Divine, law5, we know- 
 that. 
 
ISO On the Lofs of the Soul, 
 
 that, after our departure out of this life, which 
 rauft be foon, we are to be judged by a Being, 
 who, '* is of purer eyes than to behold ini- 
 *' quity;'* that, as we have tranfgrefled his 
 laws which he hath given us as the rule of our 
 condudly and hath moft pathetically urged us 
 to a frequent perufal of them, the wxalth wc 
 have acquired, the honor we have obtained, 
 the power we have polTelfcd, inftead of being 
 our defence, ** will rife up in judgment againft 
 *' us, and condemn us." But what arc ac- 
 quifitions, when they are incompatible with 
 God's commandments?. When, by the man- 
 ner in which we have obtained them, wc 
 provoke his difpleafure ? When, againft op- 
 preffion, deceit, injuftice, profanenefs, the fen- 
 tence, which *' will make both the ears of 
 " thofc that hear it to tingle," will be de- 
 nounced, ** go ye curfcd into cverlafting fire, 
 " prepared for the devil and his angels?" 
 When fuck a punifliment awaits thofe, who 
 for this world's goods, provoke God's wrath 
 againft them, fhall we not dcfpife all the pro- 
 fits, the honors, the plcafurcs of the world, nay 
 the whole world itfclf ? 
 
 What wc would give in exchange for our 
 
 fouls. 
 
On the Lofs of the Soul. \ 3 7 
 
 fouls, may be bcft undcrftood, by confidering 
 of what valtic we fliould efteem riches and 
 plcafures, if we knew that, after we had en- 
 joyed them for a given time, as a day, a week, 
 or a month, we muft rcfign them and our life 
 together. Afk the man who is in excruciating 
 torture, whether, to receive riches and honors 
 during the remaining part of his life, he would 
 be content to have his torture lengthened for 
 a year, nay for half the period ? As the Apoftle 
 *^ eftccmed all things but drofs for the excel- 
 '* Icncy of the knovvlege of Chrift Jefus his 
 " Lord" — fo to obtain eafc and relief, he 
 would w^illingly facrifice all that this world 
 can give. What folly, what madnefs is it 
 then, either by laying up trcafures unjuftly ac- 
 quired — or, if they arc not gotten by injuftice, 
 yet fo alienate our minds from God, that we 
 live in the continued neglc6l of our chriflian 
 duty — what folly, what madnefs is it to en- 
 dan2;cr our fouls — to leave ourfclves without 
 hopes in his mercy^to deprive ourfclves of 
 every other expe<flation, than to ** dwell for 
 '* ever in the devouring fire — than to dwell," 
 as the Prophet awfully expreifcs it, *' in 
 " everlafting burnings V 
 
 K I will 
 
] 33 On the Lofs of the Soul. 
 
 I will detain you a little longer, whillt I 
 make an application from what has been faid. 
 To make no provifion againft hereafter, to 
 live totally regardlefs of what will become of 
 our fouls, is fo generally prevalent, one might 
 almoft fuppofe we are convinced, that it is 
 not poiTible our fouls can be loft. What an 
 infult is fuch condud:, to the v/ifdom of God ? 
 We undervalue a foul, which, he who created, 
 and who would not willingly have loft, ac- 
 counted a fit purchafe to be made by the paf- 
 fion, and death, of the eternal Son o'l God. 
 And yet we know that, after the feparation of 
 foul and body, there remains no more death 
 but this fccond death, whofe duration is eter- 
 nal. Before we arc fubject to his empire, let 
 us make an eftimate of what we may gain, or 
 lofe; let us caft up tlie minutes, and years, 
 and ages of eternity ; let us confidcr what it 
 is to live ** in the blackncfs of darknefs, to be 
 *' tormented in the fire that never goes out," 
 during the long, long period of for ever and 
 ever ? To be flript of all we efteem happinefs 
 lierc — to find nothing that can make us happy, 
 but what we have obftinatcly refufcd, what 
 we have no right tO; and what we mufl never 
 
 have; 
 
On I he Lvfs oftJie SouL I 3Q 
 
 liave ; to fee fuch lofs, and to think on it for 
 ever, without any thing to amufe, or engage 
 our thoughts, and to be fuffering, without the 
 tfmallell interval, the moH exquifite puniih- 
 mcnt; I cannot find words ftrong enough to 
 imprefs the awful thought upon your hearts. 
 Did the Almighty fpeak to us in a language 
 Jic has fometiracs addrelfcd to his fervants, 
 *' fct thine houfc in order, for thou fhalt die 
 *' and not live," with what confternation 
 fliould we receive the meffage ? Death and 
 Judgment, a provoked Judge and a mifcrablc 
 2£ternity, would then be, not as they fomctimes 
 arc, fubje<5ls of fport, but refle(5lions of terror. 
 Thelittletimewc had remaining would be fpent 
 in fervent prayer, in deprecating the vengeance, 
 and fupplicating the mercy, of God. Let us 
 bring the awful fubje<fl ftill nearer ; let us 
 fuppofe that we, who are here alfcmblcd, arc 
 the only people upon earth ; that this temple 
 is the feat of Judgment ; that this day, I 
 tremble whilft I make the fuppofition ] is the 
 great day, '* in which God will judge the 
 *' world in rightcoufnefs ;" that this is the laft 
 hour of our lives, and the confummation of 
 all things; that the heavens are opening over 
 K 2 our 
 
146 On the Lofs of the Soul, 
 
 our heads, and that Jefus Chrlft is appearing in 
 all his majefty, with Angels and Archangels — 
 that the lad trumpet is now giving the alarm- 
 ing fummons ; and that we are attending to 
 receive either the fentence of approbation, or 
 the doom ofjudgment : on what fide Ihould 
 we each of us be placed ? on the right hand, 
 or on the left ? amongft the fliecp, or tlic 
 goats? How many of us would be called to 
 join the choir of heaven ? How many con- 
 demned to weeping and waihng in hell ? How 
 many would cry, " come, Lord Jcfus, come 
 *' quickly ?" How many more, I fear, would 
 " call on the mountains to fall on them, and 
 *' the hills to cover them ?" Rcprefent fre- 
 quently to yourfelves this awful, this intercft- 
 ing fcerie, and you will feel the force of our 
 Saviour's quci^ion — " What is a man profited 
 " if he fliall gain the whole world, and lofe his 
 *' own foul ? Or what fhall a man give in ex- 
 *' change for his foul ?" 
 
 * Lord of heaven and earth, imprcfs on 
 
 * our minds the awful fcene, at which we are 
 ' not to be unconcerned fpecflators. And grant, 
 
 * we befeech thee, gracious God, when the vi- 
 
 * vifying call of the lad:, moil awful, folcmnity, 
 
 ' fhall 
 
Oti the Lofs of the Soul. 141 
 
 * fhall awaken us from the fleep of death ; 
 
 * when the trumpet of the Archangel (hall 
 
 * fummon the quick and dead of every nation, 
 
 * and age, and tongue, to give account of them- 
 ' felves to God ; when we (hall be caught up 
 ' m the air, and placed before the Throne, 
 ' that tremendous Throne, from which our 
 ' final fentencc will be pronounced, the voice 
 
 * of mercy, the gracious voice, which, in ago- 
 
 * nics unutterable, prayed for the authors of 
 ' them, may acquit, approve, reward us with 
 ' the blifs for which at thy right hand he is 
 ' now^ interceding, that where he is there wc 
 ' may be alfo !' 
 
 K 3 SEllMON 
 
[ 143 ] 
 
 SERMON X. 
 
 EZRKIEL, XXXIII. H. 
 
 As I Ihny faith the Lord God, I have no plea- 
 fiirc in the death of the wicked; hut that the 
 ivicked turn from his ivay and live : turn ye, 
 turn ye, from your evil ivays : f-^r 'ivhj will 
 ye die P 
 
 THAT the means of Salvation God has 
 kindly put into our hands, frequently 
 become, through our guilty inattention, the 
 inftrumcnt^ of ruin ; that the weapons, by 
 which wc arc to withfland the enemies of our 
 fouls, are often, wath malicious eagcrnefs, 
 turned againft ourfelves, and plunged, witli 
 deadly force, into our own bofoms, is a truth 
 fandioncd by obfcrs-ation, and confirmed by 
 experience. We believe Religion to be true, 
 and the recom}>cnce of it, certain ; and it wc 
 die in our fins, that we lliall utterly perifli : 
 but wc fupprcfs the bittcrnefs of the reflexion, 
 
 K 4 h' 
 
144 A?t Exhortation to Repentance, 
 
 by defigning to repent '' before we go hence;" 
 fo that the intention of repentance, ftrange as 
 it may feem, encourages us in our fins : in- 
 ftead of forfaking them in heart and life, wc 
 continue in them without apprehenfion, and 
 become hardened by habit ; we fuffer the 
 imaginary privilege of a future repentance to 
 fuperfede the prefent neceflity of exemplary 
 behavior, and devout affe6lions, and thereby 
 to invalidate the power of Religion, and the 
 influences of Grace. 
 
 Impenitence, alas ! fuggcfts fo many treach- 
 erous arguments for continuing in fin, that, 
 though it is eafy to obviate them, they ge- 
 nerally take fuch firm hold of the mind, as to 
 render it deaf to the voice of reafon, and im- 
 pregnable againft the ftrength of Revelation. 
 The grand enemy of our fouls baits his deceit- 
 ful hooks, with the lure of pleafure, and 
 mingles his deadly potions, with the oblivion 
 of remorfe. We may indulge ourfelves in 
 fin, he infinuatcs, with fecurity ; wc may re- 
 pent hereafter, and then will fatisfa6tion be 
 made to God's juflicc : when the appetite is 
 fatiated with gratification, and the paffions are 
 weakened by cxccfs, felf- denial will have loft 
 
 its 
 
An Exhortation to Repefitance. 145 
 
 its mortmcations, and repentance be deprived 
 of its fevcrity. 
 
 Such is the fnare in which the thoughtlefs, 
 and the profligate, are entangled! The time ot 
 repentance, God knows, feldom comes ; it is 
 fcarce thought of, till it is too late; till fick- 
 nefs feizes, or death arrefts us. Repentance 
 confifts in a change of difpofition, and in 
 amendment of life ; and what change can be 
 wroudit, when we are enfeebled with a linsfcr- 
 ing diforder, or difi:ra6led with racking; pain? 
 what amendment can take place, when the 
 term of life is expiring, and the fcafon of death 
 is at hand ? 
 
 That a man may repent on a deathbed is, 
 perhaps, true in itfelf, but, unqueftionably, 
 dangerous in its confcqucnces. The Scrip- 
 tures aflure us for our comfort, that, " w hen 
 *' the wicked man turncth away from his 
 ** wickednels that he hath committed, and 
 *' doeth that which is lawful and right, he 
 ** (ball fave his foul alive." And is this to 
 encourage us to delay our repentance } Be- 
 caufe fome were called at the eleventh hour, 
 fliall we prcfumptuoufly extend that inftance 
 ti) ourfelves ? Cjod no fooner called, than they 
 
 anfvvered, 
 
145 Jin Exhortation to Kcpentajici. 
 
 anfwered, faying with Samuel, '* fpcak, Lord, 
 " for thy fervant hearcth." How often, on 
 the contrary, hath he called us by the gracious 
 whifpcrs of his Spirit ; how often hath he com- 
 manded us, by the awful threatenings of his 
 Juftice, '* to repent and turn to him ?" He 
 deiigned the privilege of repentance to be the 
 means of bringing us to himfelf ; and ihall we 
 jjcrverfely fruflratc his intention, by making 
 it the means of alienating us the more from 
 him ? 
 
 But the danger of delaying our repentance 
 "will appear ftill greater, by confidering that 
 death may interpofc betwixt us, and the feafon. 
 we appoint for it. That we are fubjedl to his 
 empire we know, and we cannot but know, 
 from our own conftitutions, and the unccafui^ 
 inftances of mortality. But the time when 
 he will exercife his power, God hath not 
 thought fit to difcover to us, that we might 
 not have the fhadow of pretence to^iive in the 
 commiflion of fjn. We fee people around us 
 called hence, without the Icafl degree of warn- 
 ing, who have not fo much time allowed, as 
 once to implore God*s mercy, for the forgive- 
 nefs of their offences. From the number of 
 
 accidents 
 
^« Exhortaitou to Kepcntaiice. 147 
 
 accidents to which we are liable, and the va- 
 riety of dillempers to which we are fubje<^, 
 every day of our Hves ought to be an ad: ot 
 repentance; or, in the language of fcripture, 
 " we fhould grow in grace, and in the know- 
 *' lesce of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift.'* 
 Many men intend to indulge themfelves ia 
 fin, only for a certain feafon, and then thcj 
 will repent. But, however fliort may be the 
 time, wc know not that we fhall live till we 
 have committed the intended fin, or however, 
 till we have made our peace with God. But 
 fuppofnig that the time we have fixed for our 
 amendment Ibould arrive, do wc fuppofe that 
 fm will have loft its charms, or that we fliall 
 have ftrongcr inclinations to cultivate, and 
 eftablifh within us, a principle of Pieligion, than 
 we have at prcfent ? The longer any one 
 continues in fin, the more hardened he will 
 naturally become ; and the Icfs intcrcourfe he 
 has in ads of piety and devotion with his 
 Creator and Redeemer, the Icfs fenfible he 
 will be of icligious imprelTions'; till at laft:, he 
 arrives at that ftate of impenitence as to live 
 *' without God in the world," allied to him, 
 neither by the interefts of hope, nor the alarms 
 
 of 
 
148 Ajt "ExliortaUon to Repentance. 
 
 of fear. Let t\tYy man, who has perfuaded 
 himfelf he means to repent, confidcr, that if 
 he find any difficulty now in forfaking his fins, 
 the longer he continues to commit them, the 
 greater, in proportion, will be the difficulty of 
 forfaking them at laft ; and fliould the Al- 
 mighty deny him the power of his Grace, and 
 the readinefs of his mercy, he goes dow^n to 
 the grave, overwhelmed with iniquitv, and 
 diftra6led with apprehenfjon. Unlcfs then 
 you can ffiew a promife from God, that He 
 will both allow you time, and likewifc afford 
 his Grace, to late repentance, never truft to fo 
 deceitful an intention. God himfelf declares, 
 that " his Spirit fliall not always fiirive with 
 " man." Be afraid left, by refifting the offers 
 of God's mercy, your impenitence fliut up the 
 bowels of his compaffion. Even, if you fliould 
 think of repenting at laft, is it likely, after 
 you have, as the Scripture cxpreffes it, '* com- 
 " mitted iniquity with greedinefs," that God 
 fhould hear, when you arc difpofcd, for the 
 firft time, to call ferioufly upon him ? Juftly, 
 according to the Prophet, " may he number 
 *' fuch to the fword, and bow them down to 
 *' the flaughter; becaufe when he called they 
 
 " did 
 
j^n 'Exhortation to Repentance, I4gi 
 
 '^ did not anfwcr, when he fpake, they did 
 *' not hear, but did evil before his eyes, 
 *' and did choofc that wherein he deHghtcd 
 •^ not." 
 
 But that a late repentance is mofl: danger- 
 ous, and not to be depended on, will more 
 fully appear, by confidering in what repentance 
 confifts. If when we lie upon our laft bed, to 
 be exceedingly forry we have led fo profligate 
 a life, and have fo often fet God Almighty at 
 defiance — to figh, and lament, and defpair — 
 to join in prayers with the minifter of Chrift, 
 and to receive, with trembling hands, and a 
 mifgiving heart, the blefled Sacrament — if 
 this were repentance, few would die impeni- 
 tent. But be not deceived ; with fuch ridi- 
 culous offerings God is only mocked. Re- 
 pentance confills in a renewal of the heart 
 and mind ; ** in ccafm"; to do evil, in learninii 
 ** to do well." On a deathbed, indeed., a man 
 may perform the firft part of repentance, he 
 may ceafe to do evil, having no longer the 
 power ; but how Ihould he learn to do well, 
 when he is ceafing to exift ? Whether fuch 
 an imperfcd: repentance be available, is known 
 only to God : but, if you value the falvation 
 
 of 
 
I50 Ail ExhorhJtiofi id Rcpeiitaiice. 
 
 of jour fouls, purchafcd by the precious blood 
 of'Chrift, let me, for God's fake, for the fake 
 of your fouls, let me prevail with you not to 
 depend upon it. 
 
 I will trefpafs on your patience, and folicit 
 your attention, whilft I earnellly exhort you 
 to repent and live ; " turn yc, turn ye, from 
 '' your evil ways : for why will ye die ?" 
 
 Let me then earneftly requeft all, and each of 
 you, who are here prefent, to enter ferioufly into 
 jOur own confciences, and enquire, with im- 
 partiality, whether, ^' you have made your 
 " peace with God r" whether you are in that 
 ll:ate in which you would chaofe to appear be- 
 fore him ? If you are not, let me perfuade you 
 to begin this day to forfake ** the fms which fo 
 '* eafily befet yDu ?" Should you delay, you 
 know not but you may add to the unhappy 
 number of thofc, who have been cut off in the 
 midfl: of their fms, who have been called to the 
 great Tribunal, the very moment tliey have 
 been pcrverfely infulting, and impioully con- 
 temning, their Redeemer and their Judge. And 
 can any confideration be fo alarming, as -the 
 committing a fm one moment in this world, 
 and being punifhcd for it the very next, it 
 
 may 
 
An Exhort at W7i to Repentance, 3 51 
 
 may be, in another ? As our lives are held, 
 all, by the fame tenure, we are none of us 
 certain but it may be our unhappy cafe. How 
 many have died in a ftate of intoxication ! 
 How many with oaths and imprecations in 
 their mouths ! Tremble, left your fins fhould 
 meet with a like punifhment! But you 
 hope, you fay, to live to repent. What is 
 fuch a thought, but an infult of the blacked 
 die you can offer, to the Majefty of Heaven ? 
 You hope to live to repent ! What ! you 
 will continue in fm, either till you can con- 
 tinue no longer, or till you are afraid of your 
 deferved punifhment being inflicted ; and 
 then, wrcfting from the Almighty his attri- 
 bute of Jufticc, you would make a bargain 
 with him : by a few prayers, and fighs, and 
 tears, you would deprive the devil, whom you 
 have been ferving all your life long, of his 
 reafonablc expe<51:ations. Confider, Chriftians, 
 that, unlcfs you are fuddenly cut off, you are to 
 lie on a deathbed ; and, if you have lived in 
 any known fm, if your heart be alienated 
 from God, words cannot exprcfs the mifcry of 
 your fituation: one moment, vou pcrfuade 
 yourfclvcs, that your Hate is not quite dcfpc- 
 
 nite. 
 
152 An Exiiortalion to Repentance. 
 
 rate, aiid '^ you hope," as the Apoftlc ftrongly 
 cxprclTcs it, '* even againft hope :'* the next, 
 your fins are fet in array before you, the 
 means and opportunities, the calls and invita- 
 tions to repentance, which you have either 
 contemptuoufly defpifed, or obdurately re. 
 filled. 
 
 Could I fet before your eyes the horrors of a 
 death-bed repentance; could I prefent to you 
 the melancholy profpcd the fmner perceives 
 of eternity ; could I defcribe his forced pray- 
 ers, his irrefolute wiflics, his diftradcd mind; 
 could I lliew you, whiltt he is celebrating the 
 blelfed Sacrament — he, who feldom thought 
 of '* the agony and bloody fvveat of his Re- 
 *' dccmer," before the king of terrors ftarcd 
 him in the face — how his foul is filled with all 
 the horrors of confcious guilt, of anticipated 
 punifhment, of black defpair, no one would 
 fuffer fuch a ftate to be his own; you would 
 all, from this day, " turn from your wicked 
 " way and live." In the difcharge of our 
 minrftcrial duty, wc are fomctimes, alas! wit- 
 nelTcs to fuch adiftrcffing fituation; and when 
 the unhappy being enquires, with anxious fo- 
 licitude, whether the Gofpel warrants him to 
 
 hope 
 
An Exlioriatioii to Repentance. 1 5 3 
 
 hope that his forrow will be accepted for re. 
 pentance — then, how arduous is our fituation? 
 to flatter, is to betray : to deliver the truths 
 of the Gofpel, is to create a hell in his bofom, 
 and to confisfu him to the torments of the 
 damned, even whilll he is lingering on the 
 brink of eternity. Left you, my brethren, 
 fliould be deprived of the benefits of a true 
 repentance, and fliould have no other hopes 
 of falvation, than in a few frultlefs wifhes, 
 and inefFc6lual prayers in your lafl moments, 
 let me conjure you, by the mercy and the 
 juflice of God; by your defire of happinefa 
 both here and hereafter, let me prevail with 
 you to turn inftantly from your ways, and 
 live ; then, when the dart of death is pointed 
 at your bofom, when the pulfe of life beats 
 flow ; when every obje£l of delight has vanifh- 
 ed ; when " your cars are dull of hearing ;" 
 and your eyes can fcarcc difcern your forrow- 
 ing friends ; when you are taking the lafl 
 embrace of thofe you efteem the dearefl, and 
 bidding them a long, long farewel, you may 
 be able to addrefs them in thefe words of con- 
 folation, ** weep not for me, but for your- 
 
 L felvcs ; 
 
15 1 An 'Exhortation to Repent anCe^ 
 
 '* feh^s ; mine eyes have fcen thy falvatlon ; 
 ** come. Lord Jefus, come quickly !" 
 
 That fuch may be our departure, let us 
 humbly offer up our petitions to the Almighty 
 Being, ** in whofe hand are the iffues of life 
 *^ and death.'* 
 
 * Almighty God, the fountain of wifdom, 
 
 * the fource of mercy, we, thy unworthy 
 
 * creatures, proftrate ourfclves before thy 
 
 * throne, with the utmofb reverence, witt> 
 
 * the profoundefi: veneration, fupplicating thy 
 ' Grace in the renewal of our hearts, and the 
 ' convcrfion of our fouls ! Trembling with 
 ' apprehenfion, left we fliould be called in a 
 
 * ftate of unrepentcd fm into that prefence, 
 
 * which no mortal eye can behold, and live, 
 
 * we do, from this moment, make an utter 
 
 * renunciation of every vice; from this mo- 
 
 * ment we dedicate our lives to thy fervlce. 
 
 * Imprefs, we implore thee, by the operations 
 ' of thy Holy Spirit, the obligations we lay 
 
 * ourfelves under of '^ walking henceforth in 
 •' newnefs of life.'* * Prefent, continually, 
 « to our minds, that awful period, when the 
 
 * foul Ihall leave this earthly tenement, and 
 
 * Ihall be called to " give account of all the 
 
 ** deeds 
 
An ExJiortation to Repentance, 155 
 
 " deeds done in the body." * May we live, 
 
 * as wc fliall wi(h we had always lived, when 
 
 * we are about to die ! And when thou art 
 ' plcafcd to take us hence, blot out our fins, 
 
 * pardon our tranrgrcflions, and receive us, 
 
 * we befecch thee, through the merits ot 
 
 * Jcfus Chrift, ifito the arms of thy mercy/ 
 
 L 2 SERMON 
 
[ 157] 
 
 SERMON XI . 
 
 JOHN III. 3. 
 
 Verily y verily ^ 1 fiy unto thee, except a ynan he 
 bor?i agaiiiy he cannot fee the kingdom of God. 
 
 NO paflagc perhaps in the lacred writings 
 hath produced a greater divcrfity of 
 opinions, than this uttered by our BleiTed 
 Saviour. It hath given rife to an infinity 
 of interpretations, too many of them corrc- 
 fponding to the prc-conceived opinions of 
 men, without ever c-onfidcring to whom, and 
 on what occafion, the words were addrefled. 
 The Evangclifl defcribes the perfon in a very 
 circumftantial manner by his name, proteflion, 
 office, and defccnt ; Nicodcmus, a Pharifee, a 
 Ruler, and a Jew. He had heard our Lord's 
 miracles often talked of in Judea ; perhaps he 
 had feen fonac of them ; and could he have 
 reconciled the meannefs of His appearance 
 with the grandeur of His works, he would 
 have concluded Him to be the Mcffiah. De- 
 L 3 firou^, 
 
I5S On the New Birth. 
 
 firous, therefore, of obtaining information 
 whereby to direcSt his judgment, he applied 
 in perfon to Jefus. ** Rabbi," he introduces 
 himfelf, ** we know that thou art a teacher 
 *' come from God, for no man can do thefe 
 *' miracles that thou doeft, except God be with 
 *' him." To which our Saviour anfwers, 
 ** Verily, verily, I fay unto thee, except a man 
 ** be born again, he cannot fee the kingdom of 
 ** God." *The miracles that I do, prove my 
 mifQon that I am fent from God : but I do 
 greater miracles than any thou haft feen or 
 heard of. Thou mayft have heard that I can 
 reftore fight to the blind, that I can give life to 
 thofe that arc dead. But I am come into the 
 world to give eyes to thofe that already fee, and 
 a new life to thofe that already live : I am come 
 to caufe thofe that are already born, to be born 
 again — a miracle that muft be wrought in all 
 who embrace my Religion — for my Gofpcl, 
 which is *' the kingdom of God'* here below, 
 requires fuch a change of heart, in both Jew 
 and Gentile, that it may, with ftrid propriety, 
 be termed a 7iew birth F And to fhcw both 
 the importance of the dod:rincj and the 
 certainty of its truth, He confirms it by a 
 
 double 
 
On tlie t^ew Birth, 159 
 
 double alTeveration, ** Verily, vcrilvj I fay unto 
 *' thee, except a man be born again, he caiinot 
 *' Ice the kingdom of God." 
 
 Let me premife that, by the kingdom of 
 God, in the text, vvc arc not to underftand the 
 happincfsof Heaven, but the ftate of the Gof- 
 pel on earth : and the Gofpel is given to us, 
 that, by the obfcrvance of its precepts, we may 
 become the children of God. 
 
 But as many people unfortunately have 
 been taught to confidcr the exprclTion, '^ the 
 " kingdom of God,'' in a different fcnfc, as 
 relating to the happinefs of heaven ; I will 
 produce fome parallel paffages, which may 
 convince you, that the kingdom of God can 
 only mean the ftate of the Gofpel on cartli. 
 ** The kingdom of God," fays our Saviour, 
 " is come unto you.". How ? He was fpeak- 
 ing in the land of Judea. But if you under- 
 Hand the kingdom of God, to mean the hap« 
 pinefs of Heaven, our Saviour would have faid 
 that the kingdom of Judea is the happinefs of 
 Heaven, which is too ridiculous to ibppofe. 
 
 Afrain, '' * a rich man Ihall hardlv enter into 
 
 • This paffage is beautifully illuftrated by the Bifhop of 
 jLondon, ill his admirable ** Le6\ijreson St. Matlhew.'* 
 
 L 4 " the 
 
lOo 071 the New Btrth. 
 
 ** the kingdom of Heaven." Why ? " God 
 '* is no rcfpedicr of perfons." All the riches 
 that are pofTelTed, were given, and the enjoy- 
 ment of them permitted, by God. And will 
 the Judge of the World confign his creatures 
 to everlafting mifery, bccaufe they were in pof- 
 feflion of what he himfelf gave, and gave too 
 as a diflinguiflicd blefling ? We are all the 
 children of his hand, and equally partake his 
 love. What, then, is the meaning of the ex- 
 preilion? The Gofpel requires humility, lowli- 
 ncfs of mind, the preferring of others to our- 
 felves ; virtues to which, riches, God knows, 
 do not much difpofe us: there is danger, there- 
 fore, left riches fliould counteract the cffed of 
 the Gofpel. 
 
 " Verily I fay unto you, that the publicans 
 " and the harlots go into the kingdom of God 
 " before you." As though he had faid, ye 
 carry the appearance of piety in your faces ; ye 
 abftain from things innocent ; ye make long 
 prayers ; notvvithftanding which, fo much are 
 ye fet upon promoting your own intereft, that 
 the publicans and the harlots, who make no 
 profciTion of religion, would not difgrace the 
 Gofpel, the kingdom of God, fo much as you. 
 
 Having 
 
0?i the New Birth. iGl 
 
 f Jiiving flicvvn, from thcfe cxprcffions, that 
 
 the kinsrdom of Heaven does not mean a future 
 
 I.. 
 
 (late of bHfs, but the ftate of the Gofpcl on 
 earth ; I will beg your attention, whilffc I at- 
 tempt to (hew the propriety of our Saviour's 
 mode of fpeaking to Nicodcmus, *' Verily, 
 ^' verily, I fay unto thee, except a man be 
 *' born again, he cannot fee the kingdom of 
 " God." 
 
 When the Jews received a profelytc to 
 their religion, he was required to forfakc his 
 father and mother, and all his connc(5lions, 
 and to aiTociate only with the people, whofe 
 religion he had embraced. He was then faid, 
 from his having renounced idolatry, and be- 
 come a worflilppcr of the God of Abraham, 
 to be newly born, or born again; for among 
 the Jews, they alone, who, by birth, had the 
 privilege of worrtiipplng God, were conceived 
 to live; and they, who were profelyted to fuch 
 worfliip, were laid to be born into a new (late 
 of exiftencc. Our Lord, therefore, alluding to 
 thcfe opinions, allures Nicodcmus that, if he 
 would embrace Chriftianity, he, hkc the pro- 
 felytes to the Jewifli faith, muft be born 
 a2;ain. The ruler of the Svnaeoguc was fo 
 
 cxtrcmelv 
 
l62 6n the New Birth. 
 
 extremely Airprlzcd with this initiation into 
 the Meffiah's Religion, that he afks, in all the 
 cxpreflions of amazement — how can a man 
 be born when he is old, as I now am ? Nico- 
 dcmus could not reconcile the idea of rege" 
 neration, or a new birth, in his own nation, 
 which was by birth the people of God ; be- 
 caufe, as is before implied, he underflood re- 
 generation to confift in a converfion to Ju- 
 daifm — but our blefTcd Saviour fpoke of a 
 change of opinion, and temper, and conduct. 
 In fpeaking to a Jew% there was a peculiar pro- 
 priety in expreffing this change, by the idea 
 of regeneration ; as it tended to fliew, that 
 their defcent from Abraham was infufficient 
 to procure them the bleffings of the Gofpel 
 difpenfation : the Gofpel heartily embraced, 
 and thoroughly underflood, will communicate, 
 or beget in them a new, and a better, that is, a 
 moral, and a fpiritual, nature. 
 
 We may conceive our Lord thus addrefling 
 himfelf to Nicodcmus. *' Art thou a mafler 
 *' in Ifrael, and knoweft not thcfe things ?'* 
 Doft thou undertake to expound the Law, 
 which is a type of the Gofpel I am come into 
 the world to promulge, and art ignorant, that 
 
 he 
 
On the New Birth. iG,? 
 
 he who embraces it, and becomes my dlfciplc, 
 muft have his mind purified, and renewed? 
 What ? Say not ye, "■ an eye tor an eye, and 
 " a tooth for a tooth ?" Whereas the princi- 
 ple of my rchgion is, to " forgive, as ye hope 
 *' to have your offences forgiven at God's 
 *' hand." And if ye fay to a Gentile whom 
 you profclyte to Judaifm — that he is regenerat- 
 ed and born again — I fay with much greater 
 propriety, that whoever becomes a follower of 
 me, muft be born again, mull root out of his 
 mind all thofe difpofitions to vice and wicked- 
 nefs, which, in the profcffion of your religion, 
 he encourages, and fupports. *' Ye devour 
 " widows houfes, and for a pretence make 
 *' long prayers" — but every one, who believes 
 my do<^rine, ''mult do to all men as he would 
 *' they ftiould do unto him ;" and when he 
 prays, it muft be, not " to be fecn of men ;"' 
 but " to his Father who feeth in fecret." 
 
 Our Lord, in the 23d of St. Matthew, ' 
 cautions the multitude, and his difciplcs, 
 againft the grofs errors, the fcandalous impofi- 
 tlons, the flagrant wickednefs of the Scribes and 
 Pharifccs. They fit, fays he, in Mofes's feat — 
 they are the received interpreters of his law — 
 all therefore whatfoever they bid you obferve.. 
 
 as:ree3ble 
 
iG-l On the New Birth. 
 
 agreeable to this law, *' that obferve and do ; 
 " but do not ye after their works ; for they fay 
 " and do not ;** they are guilty of the unpar* 
 donablc impudence of impofing by precept, 
 what they do not enforce by example. 
 *' They bind heavy burdens and grievous to 
 " be born, and lay them on men's fhoulders, 
 "but they thcmfelves will not move them 
 " with one of their fingers ;" alluding to thofe 
 who, driving beafts of burden, when the roads 
 are bad, fupport the loads, and keep them even 
 and fteady. Our Lord, therefore, means, that 
 they will not bear thefe loads themfelves, but 
 that they rigoroufly, and feverely, impofe them 
 on others. " Woe unto you. Scribes and 
 *' Pharifees, hypocrites, for ye ihut up the 
 *' kingdom of Heaven againft men, for yc 
 *' neither go in yourfelves, neither fufFer yc 
 ** them, that are entering, to go in. Ye devour 
 *' widows houfes, and for a pretence make 
 " long prayers. They fliut up the kingdom 
 *' of heaven, by taking away,'* as St. Luke 
 in the parallel paiTage explains it*, " the key 
 " of knowlegc, and making the word of God 
 ** of none cilc^l by their traditions :" under 
 
 fc.Chnp. xi. ver. 52. 
 
 the 
 
On the Neiv Birth. lOr, 
 
 the cloke of religion, they concealed every vice 
 that defiles human nature, is deftrud;ive of the 
 peace, and comfort, and happinefs of focicty, 
 and difhonorable to Almighty God. 
 
 The infamy of their private practice coin- 
 cided exactly, with the corruption of their 
 public preaching. For external feverlties, as 
 frequent failing, and painful mortification, and 
 flandlng in the corners of the ftreets, and in 
 the market places, whilft they made long 
 prayers, they were eminently confpicuous. 
 But the religion which confifts in fubduing 
 pride, rancor,.malice,covetoufnefs, they neither 
 pradllfed, nor even preached. They were care- 
 ful to clean the outfide of the cup and platter, 
 but they took no care to cleanfe their hearts 
 from wicked affedions. They allowed them- 
 felves to be tranfported, as they thought they 
 lawfully might, into violent anger, and out- 
 rageous paflion, contrary to the precepts of 
 the Gofpel, which enjoins us, " to be flow 
 " to anger, willing to forgive, and not to let 
 " the fun go down upon our wTath." 
 
 Such being the traditional doctrines, and de- 
 generate pradice, of the Jews, our Saviour 
 tells Nicodemus, that he mufl be born again — 
 that all^ who would be His difciples, mufl be 
 
 moulded 
 
1 65 On the New Birfh. 
 
 moulded anew — rnuft no longer be Implacable 
 in their rcicntmcnts, and depraved in their 
 manners, but muft be gentle, mild, and en- 
 gaging, and demonflratc, in their whole con- 
 dud', their adoption into the family of God : 
 they muft make a facrificc, as great as was 
 required by the Jews, of all who became pro- 
 felytcs to their religion; only, that Chriflianity 
 did not confift in appearances, but in reality. 
 This change, which was the crucifying all his 
 carnal, and depraved affections, our Saviour 
 calls, the being born again. And furely, it there 
 ^vas a propriety in calling thofe men, who 
 renounced idolatry to embrace Judaifm, re- 
 generate, and new born, there was a much 
 greater propriety, in applying thefe terms to all 
 -who ceafed to purfue the fhadow, to poffes 
 the fubftance ; who, inftcad of being hard- 
 hearted, or giving alms, for the purpofe of 
 teing fecn of men, " were merciful as their 
 *' Father in heaven is merciful, and loved their 
 " brethren, ^fc^«/^ God had loved them;" who, 
 inftcad of wafhing their hands when they fat 
 down to meat, and cleanfmg the cup and 
 platter, cleanfed their minds from pollution, 
 and extirpated all " extortion and cxcefs." 
 Now though wc have in fomc degree the 
 
 fame 
 
On the New Birth. 167 
 
 fame vices to forfakc, yet the flate of a man, 
 born, and educated a Chriftian, is fo widely 
 different from that of one profelyted to Chrif- 
 tianity, that it will not, without a violation 
 of propriety, admit the application of the 
 fame terms. If ive fay to our hearers, *' we 
 " muft be born again," we fhould fpeak more 
 to your fancy, than to your judgment. For al- 
 lowing, for a moment, that a Chriftian is rege- 
 nerate and born again, in the fenfe fome take 
 the expreflion ; and that he can feel, and dif- 
 tinguifli the operations of God's Spirit, which 
 is no where alfertcd in Scripture ; what end 
 would be anfwcred by it ? We have fccn, un- 
 happily, one end anfwcred from thefuppofition; 
 the miflaking the ravings of the imagination 
 for the operations of the Holy Spirit, and the 
 dooming all to eternal perdition, who do not 
 think, on fome difputable points, exadily as 
 themfelves. Had it been intended, that we 
 fhould diftinguilh the operations of God's 
 Spirit, from thofe of our own minds, we may 
 prefume, that our Bleffcd Saviour, when he 
 promifcd the affiftance of the Holy Ghod, 
 would have drawn the lines of diflindion. 
 May wc be careful, my brethren, not to arro- 
 gate 
 
iCa On the New Birth. 
 
 gate to ourfclves too much of God's cfpecla! 
 favor! Mav it rather be tlie defirc of our hearts, 
 '' to do jultly, to love mercy, and to valk 
 *• hiimhly with our God I" 
 
 And is this, it may be afked, all that is 
 meant by being born again ? To which we an- 
 fwer, yes, it is all : and we add, that it is de- 
 voutly to be wifhed, that every minifter of the 
 Gofpcl, inftcad of ufing fuch figurative ex- 
 prclfions, would exhort his hearers in terms 
 more plain and fignificant — for they are more 
 Significant, in a countrv, where we are baj)tized 
 into the profeiTion ol Chriftianity — to forfake 
 their fins, and to lead a new life. Such 
 preaching, were it univerfal, would put an end 
 to that **ftrifc about words," which contami- 
 nates, diftradis, defiiroys the purity, the una- 
 nimity, the efficacy of the Church of Chrill. 
 
 Let me here obfcrve, that, in the office of 
 Baptifm, our Church confines, with great juf- 
 tice, regeneration and new birth, to our being 
 baptized, and admitted to the profeffion of 
 Chriftianity. *' We yield thee hearty thanks, 
 '* moft merciful Father, that it hath pleafed 
 ** thee, to regenerate this infant, with thy 
 ** Holy Spirit." And again — " this child is 
 
 ** now. 
 
On the New Birth. 1 5q 
 
 '* now, by the laver, or waihing of regenera- 
 ** tion inbaptifm, received into the number of 
 " the children of God." Which expreffions 
 Icem to be taken from the exhortation to St. 
 Paul, when he was miraculoufly converted 
 from Judaifm to Chriftianity ; '* arife, and be 
 *' baptized, and wafh away thy fins, calling on 
 " the name of the Lord." Every perfon, there- 
 fore, who is admitted into the profeffion of 
 Chriftianity, is horn again, and regenerated 
 with God's Holy Spirit. And every perfon, who 
 performs, according to his ability, what was 
 promifed, and vowed for him, in liis baptifm, 
 ** fliall be an inheritor of the kingdom of hca- 
 " ven." Now as thofe, who lead wicked lives, 
 derive little, or noad vantage, from regeneration, 
 whilft they live wickedly, fo if '* they turn 
 " away from their wickcdnefs, and do that 
 ** which is lawful and right, they fliall fave 
 " their fouls alive." This renewed flatc is, 
 very improperly, called by fome people, a con"* 
 verted, or a regenerate ftatc ; which applic? 
 only to the Gentiles in the infancy of the 
 Gofpel, when " they turned from dead works 
 ** to fervc the living God;" and to the Jews, who 
 acknowlcgcd Jefus to be the Mcfliah, or as 
 
 M the 
 
1 70 ^ On the New Birth. 
 
 the Scriptures exprefs it, *' who believed ill 
 *' him." 
 
 The Clergy are very often, and I believe, in 
 £relneral, very unjuftly, charged with delivering 
 fiom the pulpit, dodrlnes different from thofe 
 contained in the Prayer Book. Look, I bc- 
 feech you, into the office of Baptifm, and con- 
 vince yourfelves, whether our Church, by the 
 new birth, does not mean our admiffion into 
 the profefTion of Chriftianity ? It is faid, furely 
 not in an evangelical fplrit, that the Clergy, not 
 having received the Holy Ghoft, cannot judge 
 rightly on the fubjeA; whilft an ignorant me- 
 chanic, it fliould feem, is enabled, by the minif- 
 tration of the Spirit, to deliver dodlrines diame- 
 trically oppolite to thofe revealed by our Lord, 
 and Saviour, Jcfus Chrift. But do you think, 
 that this Divine law- giver would have aded 
 with the wlfdom of a human Icgiflator, it he 
 had delivered a code of laws, and commanded 
 us to read, in order to underftand, them ; when, 
 at the fame time, be had locked up our under- 
 ■ {landings fo impenetrably, that they fhould be 
 no better to us than a fcaled book, unlefs he 
 opened them with his Holy Spirit — a bleffing 
 not attending cither fcvcrc ftudy, or upright 
 
 conduc'l, 
 
On tht New Birth, 1 7 1 
 
 condud, but given, in a manner, equally whim- 
 fical and extravagant ? 
 
 Kut as we arc faid " to be led by the Spirit, 
 *' and that the Spirit of God dwells in our 
 " hearts by faith," it may be thought, that 
 fomcthing more is meant, than merely leading 
 a new life : to which it may be anfwered, that 
 every man, who dcfires the falvation of his 
 foul, will receive the aiTiftance of the Spirit of 
 God, and will be difpofed to qualify his heart, 
 more and more, for the reception, and abiding 
 ef God's Holy Spirit : he will pray, and his 
 prayers will be heard, and granted, that " God 
 " will put a new fpirit within him; that he will 
 '' take the ftony heart out of his flefti, and will 
 *' give him an heart of flefh, to the end that 
 " he may walk in God's ftatutes, and keep His 
 '* ordinances and do them, that he may be His 
 *' child, and that God may be his God." In 
 defc^nding into himfelf, if he find his difpofi- 
 tion to be perverfe, he immediately fets him- 
 felf to corrcd it ; if he be obftinate, peevilh, 
 fuHen, c<:nforious, malicious, pafTionate, covet- 
 ous, inflexible, he has the affurance of the 
 Gofpel, that, whilll h^ indulges fuch a temper, 
 M 2 he 
 
172 On the New Birth, 
 
 he cannot be a child of God, and that God 
 cannot inhabit fuch a polluted breaft. He, 
 therefore, ** brings forth the fruits of the Spirit, 
 '' love, joy, peace, long-fufFcring, gentlenef^^, 
 " goodnefs, faith, meckncfs, temperance." 
 Thus living under the influence of the Gofpd, 
 a new turn is given to the current of his 
 thoughts, new affedlions are raifed in his mind, 
 and the paiTions of his heart are determined, 
 and regulated, in another, and a better, manner. 
 Call fuch an one, if you plcafe, regertcrate and 
 born again, I only fay, you ufc the terms im- 
 properly : — the Scriptures ftyle Barnabas, who 
 was " full of the Holy Gh oft," a^oodmayi. 
 And, indeed, there is a Itrong objection againft 
 addrcffing either individuals, oralTcmblies, un- 
 der the titles of believers, faints, regenerate, the 
 called; fuch diftinclians having a natural ten- 
 dency to infpire human nature wi?th rigor, fin- 
 gularity, uncharitablenefs, and fpiritual pride 
 — the very vices we are to renounce, before we 
 can derive any benefits from the difpenfation 
 of the Cjofpcl ; or, in the words of the text, 
 " before we can fee the kingdom of God." That 
 you have the Spirit of God. gi^c this evidence 
 
0?i the New Birth. \ 73 
 
 — go on from one degree of excellence to an- 
 other, and " die daily unto fin, and live unto 
 *• rightcoufnefs." 
 
 Having (lie wn what our Saviour meant, when 
 he faid to Nicodemus, *' except a man be born 
 '' again, he cannot fee the kingdom of God ;'* 
 and that the words, literally underftood, cannot 
 be applied to us, who live under the difpen- 
 fation of the Gofpel — let me briefly exhort 
 you to ccafc to do evil, and to learn to do 
 well — words of the fame awful import to us 
 as were thofe addrclTcd by our Blclfcd Lord to 
 Nicodemus — ^' unlefs ye are born again, yc 
 *' cannot fee the kingdom of God.'* 
 
 Did our Saviour fay to a Jew by birth, " yc 
 *' mull be born again?" we fay to you, " who 
 *' by baptifnl ARE regenerate, and born again, 
 " if yc die in your fms ye will perifti." The 
 Jews drew upon them the difpleafurc of God, 
 by aifuming much confequence and fuperio- 
 rity ; by indulging pride, rancor, and malice ; 
 by their extortion, and rapacity. They quali- 
 fied indeed thefc " works of the devil," by 
 their long and frequent prayers, by their zeal 
 in profelyting the Gentiles to the Jewilh P'aitli, 
 
 Ms by 
 
17 i On the Nrjo Birth. 
 
 by their regularity in *' paying tithe of mint, 
 " anife, and curnmin, omitting the weightier 
 ** matters of the law, juftice, mercy, and faith ; 
 *' thus draining at a gnat, and fwallowing a 
 " camel." The fame vices will draw ojt us 
 the difpleafure of God. In vain fhall we at- 
 tempt to commute with heaven, by the ob- 
 servance of fome eafy virtues. Whatever a 
 Chriftian does, it is to be done, " as feeing him 
 ** who is invifiblc" — as if God were vifxbly 
 prefent to exprcfs his approbation, or manifcft 
 his difpleafure. Whoever embraces Chriftia- 
 nity, from the perfuafion, tha.t he is redeemed 
 ** by the precious blood of Chrift," will en- 
 devor to *' become holy, in all manner of con- 
 '/ verfation and godlinefs." Dp we live under 
 this divine influence ! Do we regulate pur 
 tempers, mortify our carnal inclinations, and 
 avoid iin, in whatever ihapc it prefer) ts itfelf, 
 to us ? Do we cultivate, and nourifl^, religious 
 affe(ftions ? Do we delight ourfelves in the 
 worfhip and fervice of God, and psiy an eqiUil 
 ohedience to all his commandments .''. In a word, 
 are we his people, and can \ye truly fay, that 
 he is our God ? And were we now called to 
 
 ^iye 
 
On the New Birth. 175 
 
 give an account of our lives, in what manner 
 could w^e appear before him, in whofe prefence 
 no evil dwellcth ? He requires us to bring 
 forth the fruits of the Spirit; and if we dif- 
 appoiut his expedations, he has declared what 
 the confequencc of our condu<fl Ihall be — 
 ** weeping, and wailing, and gnafliing of 
 '' teeth r* 
 
 SERMON 
 
[ '-7 ] 
 
 SERMON XII. 
 
 ACTS XXIV. 25. 
 
 ^s lie reafo?ied of right eoupiefsj temperance, and 
 judgment to come, Felix trembled, a?id a?i- 
 Jivered, go thy way for this time ; when I have 
 a C07rcenu'nt feafon I'ljcill call for thee, 
 
 THE chapter, irom which thcfc words are 
 taken, forces itfclf on our notice, as one 
 of the moft entertaining, inil:ru6live, and aw- 
 ful, of all which relate the propagation of Chrif- 
 tianitv. 
 
 St. Paul, the great Apoftlc of the Gentiles, 
 was fent down from Jcrufalcm to Cefarea, 
 under a ftrong guard of horfcmcn and foot, to 
 be tried before Felix, the Roman Deputy Go 
 \ernor of the Province, for a tranfgrcfTion of 
 the law, of \Nhich he was accufed, and a tu- 
 mult of feditioit his opinions had occafioncd 
 among the two difcordant fcdls of the Jews, 
 the Pharifces and Sadducees. 
 
 To 
 
1/8 Paul before Felix. 
 
 To filcnce, cfTcdually, the Apoftlc in future, 
 arid, by his example, to deter others of his 
 perfuaiion, from *'prcachlng this newdodrine, 
 ** and bringing certain ftrange things to their 
 *' ears;" to give folemnity to the trial, and 
 efficacy to their proceedings, Ananias, the 
 high prieft, with the ciders of the Sanhedrim, 
 came down alfo to Cefarca, having retained a 
 certain orator, named Tertullus, to manage 
 their indictment, and be their advocate, or 
 counfel. And he feems not ill qualified for 
 the part he had undertaken : his fpcech is 
 concife and conciliating, but full of bitter in- 
 ve<^live, and religious pcrfecution : his charge 
 hcfupports by the evidence of the Sanhedrim; 
 for the facred writer tells us " the Jews gave 
 *' their affent to the truth" of his affertions, 
 ** faying that thefc things were fo." St. Paul, 
 having the liberty of fpeaking in his own juf- 
 tiiication, gives diflindl anfwers to the feveral 
 parts of the charge made againfb him ; in the 
 profecution of which, he exhibits a fpccimcn 
 of his abilities, and a teflimony of his inno- 
 cence, fo flriking, as to excite aftonifhmcnt 
 and curiofity, and {o interefling, as to awaken 
 compalfion and attachment. 
 
 Felix, 
 
Paul he/or: Felix, 1 ^-q 
 
 Felix, having heard his admirable defence, 
 refufcd to make a final determination, before 
 lie had feen Claudius Lyfias, the chief captain, 
 •yvho would relate with accuracy, and afcer- 
 tain with precifion, the alleged fedition and 
 tumult, and commanded Paul to be kept, in 
 the intervening time, under a guard. *' And 
 " after certain days, when Felix came with 
 *' his wife Drufilla," who was born and edu- 
 cated in the Jewifh faith, " to Cefarea, the 
 f' Governor fent for Paul to appear before 
 " them," that he might hear what the Apoftlc 
 could fay concerning his religion — ** concern- 
 *' ing that way which the Jewscalledhcrcfy," — 
 haw he could fupport it by argument, illuftratc 
 it with obfcrvations, and adorn it with elo- 
 quence. The Apoftle fele6ls for the fubjcd 
 of his difcourfe two virtues, on the obfcrvance 
 of which depend the comforts and happinefs 
 of civil, anddomeftic life, fhewin^ the oblitra- 
 tions Chriftianity lies on its profelTors invio- 
 lably to pradifc them — and enforces them by 
 the moil awful of all confidcrations — an im- 
 partial account all men muft give of their 
 actions at God's tribunal, and be eternally pu- 
 piflicd or rewarded. But the Governor, in a 
 
 fit 
 
1 8 Paul before Felix. 
 
 fit of trembling, interrupts his prifoncr, fa)ing 
 he would hear him further, at a more conve- 
 nient feafon. And " as he rcafoned of rierhte- 
 
 o 
 
 ** oufnefs, temperance, and judgment to come, 
 *' Fehx trembled, and anfwered, go thy way 
 ** for this time, when I have a convenient fea- 
 *' fon, I will call for thee." 
 
 We will hrlt confider the condudl, and man- 
 ners of the man, whom the Apoftic addrciles 
 in his dilcourle of '* righteoufnefs, temperance, 
 *' and Judgment to come," where we fliall fee 
 the Ibength of underftanding, fervor of zeal, 
 and boldncfs of reproof, by which he was fo 
 eminently diftlnguillied in the delivery of a dif- 
 courfe, which made Felix tremble. 
 
 The Chara6ler of Felix, as given by hifto- 
 rians* of unquellionable veracity, is, that dur- 
 ing his government of Judea, under the Ro- 
 man Emperor,Claudli4sCefar, be indulged him- 
 fclf in every fpecies of cruelty, and committed 
 every kind of injuftice — his power was dif- 
 playcd in ads of violence, and in the exercife 
 of tyranny. A governor, of fuch a complexion, 
 ilieltered under the wings of impunity, mult 
 
 • Sec Tacitus and Jofephus. 
 
 have 
 
Paul before Felix. 1 8 1 
 
 have been exceedingly odious to thofc, who 
 groaned beneath the weight ot his defpotic 
 vengeance : but he became more detcllable 
 by the indulgence of his lufts, in the gratifica- 
 tion of which, he broke down all the fences 
 of continency, honor, and affeclion. The 
 marrying Drufilla is a notorious inftance. She 
 was the wife of another man ; but Felix, hav- 
 ing heard her celebrated for the charms of her 
 beauty, feduced her from her hufband, and, 
 in contempt of right, and defiance of law, 
 kept her for his own wife. 
 
 To his catalogue ot vices wc arc to add, 
 further, bribery and oppreffion, intimated by 
 the facred hiflorian ; *' he fent for Paul the 
 *' oftcner to talk with him, hoping that money 
 *' would have been given him by Paul." And 
 this he did, no doubt, bccaule St. Paul had 
 faid in his defence, that " he came up to Jeru- 
 *' falcm to bring alms to his nation." Difap- 
 pointed in his avaricious hopes, he kept Paul a 
 prifbner for two years ; and when he was re- 
 called by Nero, the fuccceding Emperor, on a 
 charge of cruelty and opprellion, he, meanly 
 and malicioufly, " left Paul bound," to induce 
 the Jews to rcprefenthim tothcEmperor with 
 
 kfi 
 
1 82 Pdul he/ore Felix. 
 
 le/s afpcrity of cenfurc, and Icfs vehemence oF 
 indignation. 
 
 Such is the chara<51er of Felix. Let us now 
 fee how wifely adapted, and fuitably applied, 
 was the fubje(5l of St. Paul's difcourfc ; '' he 
 *' reafoned of rightebufncfs, temperance, and 
 ** judgment to come. 
 
 The defign of the Apoftle was, to fliew the 
 ftrong obligations the dodrines of Chrillianity 
 lie on men, to obfervc the rules of jullice and 
 temperance; and, if on men, individually, hovV 
 great on thofe in whom the adminiilration. 
 of juftice is vcfted? for it is not necefil^ry that 
 thcv fiiould be irreproachable only in fuch ad- 
 miniitration, but uniformly exemplary in theii" 
 conducl: they arc '^tofliineaslightsin the world," 
 and to enforce the laws, as well by their mo- 
 ral pradice, as by their delegated power. And, 
 that the governor might not elude the ftrength 
 of his arguments, by any evaflons of fophiftry, 
 or artifices of deceit, he urges the fcvere, and 
 impartial account, to be given in a judgment 
 to come, where power can no longer oppress, 
 tiuthority prote<5t, nor cunning conceal; a Tri- 
 bunal where poverty and wealth will' be on 
 the fame level, and fubmilTive weaknefs have 
 
 equal 
 
Pain before Felix, 183 
 
 equal advantages with vindi6livc rage — a Tri- 
 bunal, where real goodncfs will be rewarded 
 with everlafling glory, and a(5lual guilt be ba- 
 nlflicd, for ever, from the prcfcnce of the King 
 ot kings, and Lord ot lords. 
 
 To preach to a magillrate, inverted with 
 uncontrolablc power, that a future punifh- 
 ment awaited him from a fuprcme Judicature, 
 indicated an intrepid fpirlt hardlv, as it fhould 
 fecm, attentive to its own prcfcrvation. St. 
 Paul was a prifoner ; he uas to appear at the 
 bar of the magiilrate, to lland as a criminal 
 to be tried for his life. Inftead of moving the 
 pity, and conciliating the cfleem of the Judge, 
 by exercifmg his talents in an oilcntatlous dif- 
 play of " the many worthy deeds done to the 
 ** province, by the wildom" of the Governor's 
 adminiftration, the Apoillc calls upon him to 
 forfakc his deeds of rapnie, and fubdue his ha- 
 bits of luil; and, in the prelence, too, of the 
 \cry pcrfon who had fo powerful an afcendancy 
 over him ; eithci- not confidering, or contemn- 
 ing the fate of John the Baptill, whofe head 
 ■was demanded by Herod, by the fuggcif ion of 
 Herodias, whom, like Felix, he had unlawfully 
 married. He exempHfied, in his cjndiicl, his 
 
 ©wu 
 
184 Paul he/ore Felix. 
 
 own declaration, " I count all things but lofs 
 •* for the excellency of the knowlege of Chrift 
 *' Jefus my Lord :" whether the Governor 
 would admire his difcourfe, or not ; or, w he- 
 ther it might not exafpcrate, and provoke his 
 Judge, to deprive him of his liberty or his life, 
 was not the obje<5tof his confi deration, or re- 
 gard ; but, from a knowlege of the charafler 
 of the perfon before whom he was fpeaking, 
 he felecled topics, which might be the means, 
 by the bleffing of God, of awakening him from 
 his lethargy of vice, and implanting in his 
 mind, feeds of virtue, and principles of piety. 
 But fuch appeals are, generally, uneafy to a 
 guilty mind ; the potion which was admini- 
 llered, though falutary in its effects, was naufe- 
 ous to the palate. So powerful was the rea- 
 foning, and fo irrefilliblc the application, he 
 cries out, *' Go thy way for this time ; when I 
 " have a convenient feafon 1 will call for thee." 
 Often do we obferve, that men, however fla- 
 grant may be their weakncfles, ridiculous their 
 opinions, or reproachful their condud: — though 
 reproof be given with the gentleft intimation 
 — difcover the fame uneafmefs with Felix : 
 from the fame confcioufncfs they are feized 
 
 with 
 
Paul before Felix, 185 
 
 with trembling, and tacitly acknowlege the 
 juftice, and propriety of the reproof ; but, " go 
 " thy way," they cry, *' for this time;" whea 
 I am difpofcd to hear of my wcakncfles, my 
 folHes, or my vices, which too often meet me 
 with unwelcome interruption, '^ I w ill call for 
 " thee." 
 
 That the governor of Judea, when the enor- 
 mity of his fms was fet clearly before his eyes, 
 Ihould tremble with apprehcnfion at the fight 
 of his danger ; fliould behold, with horror, the 
 precipice on which he ftood, and the gulph 
 below ready to receive him, docs not create 
 aftonifliment, nor excite furprize. " Fearful- 
 " nefs and trembling came upon him, and an 
 " horrible dread overwhelmed him : for wick- 
 " ednefs, condemned by its own witnefs, is very 
 " timorous, and always forecafleth grievous 
 ** things." St. Paul had reprefeated his guilt 
 in fuch glaring colors; the Simplicity of truth 
 was enforced by cogency of argument, and per- 
 fuafion of oratory, fo ftrong as to imprcfs con- 
 viclion, and fo powerful as to alarm with 
 terror: his Vices prcfented themfelves in dread- 
 ful array to his confciencc, the tyranny of op- 
 preflion, the fubverfion of public happincfs, 
 N and 
 
180 Paul before Felix. 
 
 and the annihilation of domeftic peace. Un- 
 able to look on fuch a fcene with tranquility, 
 or anticipate its effe6ls without confternaticn, 
 he trembles at the account he niufl one day 
 give. 
 
 I now proceed to the laft part of the text, 
 that, when Felix trembled at the reafoning of 
 righteoufnefs, temperance, and judgment to 
 come, inftead of examining his ways, forfak- 
 ing his fms, and embracing Chriftianity, he 
 difmifl'es the i'ipofllc with — " Go thy way for 
 *' this time ; when I have a convenient fcafon 
 " I will call for thee." 
 
 When a Judgment to come was founded in 
 his ears, the fad flate of his accounts, how ut- 
 terly unfit, how altogether unprepared they 
 were to undergo an accurate infpeftion, filled 
 his foul with anxious difquictude. But, not- 
 withftanding, he had not refolution '' to break 
 *' the chain of his fins, with which he was fo 
 " faft tied, and bound." He might, indeed, 
 purpofc to become a Chriilian, amend his life, 
 and provide againil a future Judgment : but 
 this, unhappily, was to be deferred till fome 
 other, and, as he termed it, " more convenient 
 **■ fcafon." To have prepared againft a Judg- 
 ment 
 
Paul before Felix. 187 
 
 mcnt to come, was, to have inftantly forfaken 
 all thofe vices by which he was fo infamoufly 
 diftinguilhed; to *' have renounced the hidden 
 *' things of diflioncfty; to have made reftitu- 
 '' tion for the injuries, and wrongs, he had com- 
 '' mitted ;" to have fubjeded his licentious de- 
 fires to the reins of continence; and, from 
 having: in his bofom a " heart of ftone, to 
 " have had a heart of flefli:" in other words, 
 inftead of '* loving the world, and being a lover 
 " of pleafure, to have fet his affcdions on 
 *' things above, and have become a lover of 
 *• God." To a man of Felix's difpofition, this 
 was a {Iranjre reverfc. And rather than a real 
 converfion fliould be wrought in him, he puts 
 off both the difcourfe, and his amendment, to 
 fome other more convenient fcafon. 
 
 Allow me to trcfpafs a little longer on your 
 patience, whilll: I make an application from 
 what has been faid. 
 
 The Gofpcl is ordained by God to be preach- 
 ed to make us better men. Does it produce this 
 dcfirable etfcd:, and, the more we hear it, do 
 we improve in the praiflice of all virtue? — • 
 Or, does he that was unjuft continue to be un- 
 juft llill ? Preaching is an ordinance of God, 
 
 N 2 and 
 
188 Paul before Felix, 
 
 and is inftituted for the exprefs purpofe " of 
 '' converting finners from the error of their 
 *' ways." The mofl abjed; wretch, who hath 
 not where to lay his head, and the moft defpo- 
 tic monarch, that ever fwayed a fceptre, arc, 
 hereby, equally put in mind of the duties of 
 their rcfpedtive ftations, and of the account all 
 men muft one day give to God. The word 
 preached aflures us, that we are to be tried, all, 
 before a Tribunal where our every ad:ion, and 
 the motives of it, will be known. The man, 
 who has imbrued his hands in Injuftice, whe- 
 ther under the cover of eftabliflied cuftom, and 
 the fanction of popular fafliion ; whether his 
 ad:s of deceit have been fecretly committed, 
 or his luft of rapine openly perpetrated, will 
 then wifli that his dealings had been always un- 
 difguifcd as the light, and clear as the noon- 
 day. To men who are confcious their tranfac- 
 tions are not honeft, whofe hearts tell them 
 they take advantage of the acknowleged ig- 
 norance, or unfufpc£ling innocence of their 
 neighbor; to fuch men let me appeal, in the 
 prefence of that God, '' to whofe eye all things 
 " are naked and open," and afk them, whe- 
 ther they do not, like Felix, tremble at the 
 
 thoughts 
 
Paid before Felix. ] 8Q 
 
 thoughts of a future Judgment ? Or, you con- 
 gratulate yourfelves, it may be, on the felicity 
 of addrefs, and dexterity of cunning, by which 
 you can over- reach the unfufpccfling ; on the 
 exercife of authority, and command of influ- 
 ence, by which you can overpower the help- 
 lefs. Enjoy your triumph i but you will 
 not enjoy it long. The fcene will foon be 
 clofed ; foon will it be faid, " how hath the 
 *' opprelfor ceafed ! Leave off then from de» 
 " ceit, and let go opprcffion, and go, prepare 
 *' to meet thy God." The fame argument 
 applies to the commiflion of every fm; whe- 
 ther the indulgence of irregular defires, the 
 cuftom of intemperate fwearing, the profana- 
 tion of the holy Sabbath — " for all thefe 
 *' things God will, one day, bring us into 
 " Judgment." Whenever then we hear, by 
 the preaching of the word, God fpeaking to 
 us, as he fpoke by the Prophet to David, fay- 
 ing, " thou art the man," let us inftantly 
 confider our danger ; let us confider that wc 
 arc obnoxious to the wrath of God — 'that 
 *' our fms have feparatcd Him from us— and 
 " that there is but a ftep between us, and eter- 
 *' nal death." From that moment, let us amend 
 
 N 3 our 
 
IQO Paul before Felix. 
 
 our-life; let us not, like Felix, *' defer it to a 
 '* m6re convenient feaion," pcrfuading our- 
 felves,that we will repent at feme future period. 
 No: if whilft we arc under the power of con- 
 viction, and the apprchenfion of danger, we do 
 not *' begin to learn the way of righteoufnefs," 
 it is to be feared, that we fliall never know it ; 
 if we put off our repentance, when our fins 
 flafh confufion in our face, there is but too 
 much rcafon to apprehend, that, as we have 
 lived, fo fliall we die : wc have lived wicked, 
 we fhall die impenitent. 
 
 It is a melancholy confideration, that many 
 men attend the preaching of the Gpfpel all 
 their life long, without being at all the better 
 for it: they hear the denunciations of God 
 Almighty againfl the fms they are continually 
 committing, without thinking it worth their 
 while to confider, that they are the very per- 
 fons on whom thefc awful threatenings will 
 be executed. The minifter of tlie Gofpel 
 " ftands between the livins; and the dead," 
 fent, by God himfclf, to wMrn men of the dan- 
 ger to which they are liable by the commif- 
 fion of fm, and they hear him, with as much 
 unconcern, as if they were certain, beyond all 
 
 poffibility 
 
Paul hcfore Felix, 1 Q 1 
 
 poiTibillty of doubt, of their falvatlon. How 
 can tbcy reconcile fuch infolcnt, fuch rebelli- 
 ous condud towards their Maker? Are they 
 content to run the rifque of incurring His dif- 
 plcafure? Or, do they think he threatens with 
 a defign never to inflid his punilhments? Such 
 a thought leads, I fear, to eternal condemna- 
 tion. To prevent any miftake, where our im- 
 mortal happinefs is concerned, let us be per- 
 fuaded, immediately, to examine the ftate of 
 our fouls, whether, according to the terms of 
 the Gofpel," we have hope towards God?" let 
 us bring fliithfully to our remembrance our 
 paft fms, and let the Gofpel fairly determine, 
 whether we are the objects of God's mercy, 
 or of his difpleafure. If there be the Icail 
 doubt — if the Gofpel does not pronounce, un- 
 equivocally, in our favor — if it does not re- 
 move every apprehenfion — let us not fay to 
 our confciencc, what Felix faid to the Apoftlc, 
 ••' Go thy way for this time; when 1 have a 
 " convenient feafon 1 will call for thee ;" but 
 let us this day, " before our eyes fleep, or our 
 '* eye-lids flumber, or the temples of our head 
 *' take any reft," let us devote ourfelves to 
 God; let our thoughts be exalted, our affec- 
 
 N 4 tionf? 
 
192 Paul hefore Felix, 
 
 tlons raifed to Heaven, our minds renewed, 
 and let us walk, not as others, but as the chil- 
 dren of God. Then, when the awful day ar- 
 rives, the day, when every fon and daughter 
 of Adam, from the exigence of creation to 
 the difTolution of all things, Ihall enter upon 
 their unalterable ftate of complete happinefs, 
 or indcfcribable mifery, we fliall be welcomed, 
 through the Merits and Satisfad:ion of Jefus 
 Chrifl our Lord, with this tranfporting invi- 
 tation, " come, ye bleffed of my Father, in- 
 " herit tjie kingdom prepared for you from 
 " the foundation of the world." 
 
 SERMON 
 
[ 193 ] 
 
 SERMON XIII. 
 
 LUKE X. 27. 
 
 Thou Jlialt love the Lord thy God ivith all thy 
 heart, and with all thy foul, and with all tliy 
 Jhengtlif and with all thy mi?id, 
 
 THE Love of God is a fcntlment not dictat- 
 ed by nature, but prcfcribcd by Rcveldtion. 
 That God Ihould be the objc6t of terror to his 
 creatures, and ihould avenge hifnfelf upon all 
 that do evil, is an apprehenfion implanted in 
 the human mind ; but that he ftiould engage 
 our love, and become the moral delight of his 
 offspring, for this ground of comfort, and af- 
 iurance of confolation, we are indebted to the 
 Law delivered by Mofes, and to the Gofpcl 
 revealed by Jefus Chrift. 
 
 Such is the origin of this divine principle, 
 the love of God! But, like many of Heaven's 
 beft gifts, by fome it is admitted with caution, 
 by others, received with coldnefs, and even re- 
 
 jcded 
 
ig4 - 0)1 the Love of God. 
 
 jedcd with difdaln. To love God, is confidered 
 as inconfiftent with our depraved nature, and 
 irreconcilable with our moral ftate : to lo\ c 
 God, is thought to be a degree ot* evangelical 
 refinement beyond what our prefent circum- 
 ftanccs, and corrupt principles, will bear ; for 
 that, if we fulfil, with tolerable exadmefs, the 
 moral precepts of the Gofpel, nothing more 
 will be expcdcd of us. It is from this opinion, 
 as unwarrantable in its principle, as fatal in its 
 elFeds, that the Chriftian world, like a river, 
 overflowing its banks, is fo deluged with 
 "wickednefs. 
 
 The reafonablencfs of the duty of lo\ing 
 God will appear, from taking a re\ iew ot his 
 goodncfs towards us. 
 
 He is a. Being infinitely good. He is the 
 fole Author of all the happincfs we can hope 
 for, or receive, either here, or hereafter. 
 • To his creatures, " the works of his hands," 
 he hath manifeiled the greatcft tendernefs, and 
 compaffion. *' As I live, faith the Lord God, 
 " I jiave no plcafure in the death of the wick- 
 *• ed, but that tlic vvicked turn from his evil 
 *' way, and live : ' to which he adds, with all 
 the fervor of af^cdion, and the carneftnefs ot 
 
 folicitudc^ 
 
On the Love of God 1 Q5 
 
 folicltude, " turn ye, turn ye from your evil 
 <* ways, for why will you die ?" 
 
 But above all, he has fignally expreffcd his 
 love in the redemption of our fouls, through the 
 Atonement of his only begotten, and dearly 
 beloved Son. For our fakes he debafed him- 
 fclf to the lowefl condition ; he willingly 
 undertook, and cheerfully encountered, and 
 patiently underwent, forrow, and pain, and 
 death, to accomplifli our falvation. 
 
 Here let us add, the many calls and invita- 
 tions to repentance, and amendment of life, 
 which every fmner may recollecl — fometimes 
 outwardly, by the miniftry of the word — 
 fometimes inwardly, by the fuggeftlons of the 
 Spirit — to dircd him to good, and withdraw 
 him from evil. 
 
 But the comforts, the v-:'onveniences, the 
 neccffarlcs of life are all, likewifc, derived from 
 God: health, ftrength, food, and raiment, are 
 all owing to God's indulgent care over us, and 
 his overflowing goodnefs to us. Every day we 
 live, gives us repeated experience of his wonted 
 bounty, and efpccial concern for man. The 
 natural CQurfe of things, with a thoufand voices, 
 proclaims them to us, too loud not to be heard, 
 
 and 
 
J 05 On the Love of God, 
 
 and too convincing not to be regarded. And 
 fuch is the fenfe we have of his goodnefs to us, 
 that, in dillrefs, we all naturally look up to 
 God — w^hen human help fails, we have rc- 
 courfe to divine. " For the Lord is a refuge 
 ** for the opprefled, a refuge in time of trouble. 
 « He fatisfieth the empty foul, and iilleth the 
 «' hungry foul with goodnefs. Look at the 
 *' generations of old, and fee, did any ever truft 
 " in the Lord, and was forfakcn? Or whom 
 " did He ever dcfpife that called upon Him. 
 " They that feek the Lord fhall not want any 
 *' thing that is good. This poor man," faid 
 the Pfalmift, this or that poor wretch '• cried 
 *' unto the Lord, and the Lord heard him, and 
 *' faved him out of all his trouble." 
 
 Now, feeing God, by fo many real evidences 
 both to our fouls and bodies, exprelfcs his love 
 and care, to all mankind in general, and to 
 every one in particular; can we rcafonably do 
 otherwifc, than follov/ the inference of the 
 Apoftle, " let us, therefore, love God, becaufc 
 " he firll: loved us." The mcafure of our love 
 is prefcrlbed in the text, *' with all thy heart, 
 *' and with all thy foul, and with all thy 
 " ftrength, and with all thy mind." 
 
 Obedience 
 
Oti the Love of God, \VJ 
 
 Obedience to God's commands is, indeed, 
 the furcft teft of our love. Wc may make 
 long prayers, be very devout, take every oppor- 
 tunity of receiving the Bleflcd Sacrament, bring 
 up our famiHes with the very rigor of devotion, 
 allow no intemperate mirth, forbid even inno- 
 cent amufements, punifh every deviation from 
 rcditude, and yet ftill be far, very far, from 
 lovinsc God " with all our heart, and ibul, 
 *' and mind, and ftrength." Arc we candid 
 in our opinions of others ? Do wc lean always 
 to the favorable fide, careful to conceal or 
 extenuate, not to publifli or exaggerate their 
 faults ? And, as to our own dealings, can wc 
 challenge (lander to convict us of injuftice ? 
 Do we behold our own caufe through the fame 
 medium, we do that of others ? Are pride, in- 
 folence, oppreiFion, banillicd from our breads ? 
 Are we careful to give no offence by ftubborn- 
 nefs.of mind, or outrageoufnefs of temper ? 
 From our meeknefs, and quietnefs, and pro- 
 moting the peace and comfort of all with 
 whom wc are conneded, is it evident *' that 
 *' God is in us of a truth ?" For the love of God 
 renews the whok man. And if we have not/ub- 
 dued our petulant humors, if we have not con- 
 quered 
 
ig8 On tJie Love of God, 
 
 qucred our vicious inclinations, we may refl 
 aflured '' that the love of God is not in us.'* 
 Should any one who occafions uncafinefs to 
 others, cither by injuftice, ilandcr, perverfenefs, 
 pcrfuade himfelf that he loves God; we know 
 that he is miftaken; for the fcriptures declare 
 him '^ to be a liar ; he deceives his own heart, 
 *^ and his religion is vain." He may be faid to 
 love God as the Pharifces did, v\ ho *' devoured 
 *' widows' houfcs, and for a pretence made 
 *' long prayers; ye lliall receive, fays ourLord^ 
 " the greater damnation." 
 
 The love of God as we are Chriflians, con- 
 fifts in the prevalence of our affections to God 
 above all things. Religious offices are to be 
 performed, not as the tafks of duty, hut the 
 fervices of delight. In praying for blclTnigs; 
 in returning thanks for mercies; in acquaint- 
 ing ourfclves with the word and will of God, 
 we arc to find plcafure. Our heart is to be 
 devoted to God — " for his fcrvants we are" — 
 him wc love, to whom we pay voluntary obe- 
 dience. Whether we fulfil the firft command- 
 ment, whether *' wc love God with all our 
 ** heart, and foul, and mind, and ftrength," 
 as it behoves us affurcdly to know, let us im- 
 partially 
 
0)1 I fie Love of God. igg 
 
 « 
 partially enquire of ourrelvcs: God grant that 
 
 our hearts may bear the invefligation! Do we 
 then, make the Gofpel the rule of our condu<fl? 
 Do we read it with attention, and obferve it 
 with fidelity ? Do we obferve the Lord's-Day 
 with the reverence fo facred an inftitution de- 
 mands? Do wx regularly attend public worfliip 
 ourfelves, and oblige our families to do the 
 fame? Do wc apply what we hear to our own 
 cafe and circumftances, and thereby become 
 better, and more reHgious, men ? Do w^e every 
 day pour out our fouls in fervent prayer to God 
 to deliver us from evil, and to confirm us in 
 goodnefs ? And, to communicate the blefTmgs 
 of Chriiiianity, do wc, daily, aflcmble our fa- 
 milies to worfliip God ? Does it appear by our 
 temper, and our conducl, under vvhofe banners 
 we have enlifled, and whatever we think, or 
 fay, or do, docs it all, ultimately, conduce to 
 the glory of God ? 
 
 By Queftions fuch as thefe, we may know 
 of a truth, whether "we love God with all our 
 " heart, our foul, our mind, and flrength," or 
 not. Let us be perfuaded to put them fairly, 
 and not Ihrink from the anfwers. One man 
 
 will 
 
20O On the Love of God, 
 
 will find, inftead of loving God in the manner 
 prefcribed to cnfure his falvation, that he loves 
 every thing but God: where an hour is em- 
 ployed on the thoughts of futurity, months and 
 years are devoted to the purfuitsof pleafure, or 
 the improvement of wealth. Another will be 
 enabled to correal the miftake in which he 
 may have lived all his life long, that to attend 
 the fervice of the Church, and fometimes to 
 receive the Holy Sacrament, to fulfil the com- 
 mon duties of morality, and not to be exceed- 
 ingly profligate; to fwear, perhaps, without 
 thought; or when he is rejoiced ; or when he 
 is provoked ; that fuch an one loves God, and 
 needs not doubt of his falvation. Dangerous 
 delufion ! Let him diligently perufe the Scrip- 
 tures, and he will find that the terms of falva- 
 tion differ widely from this pagan lyflem. 
 We are to " be renewed in the fpirit of our 
 " minds." We are not allowed, by the Gof- 
 pel, the habitual indulgence of any one fin :' 
 imlefs God has the firft place in our atFccflions 
 we arc not Chriftians : unlefs our piety, devo- 
 tion, charity proceed from a Love of God, and 
 not from education, cuflom, or natural ten- 
 
 dernefs 
 
On the Love of God, 201 
 
 dernefs, the Gofpel is loft upon us. For all 
 thefe virtues adorned the heathens, who never 
 heard the name of Chrift, and on whom, with 
 its fainteft beams, the fun of righteoufnefs 
 never llione. From devout affections, and 
 exemplary conduct, we are to judge of our love 
 of God. If we love God, " we fliall blefs him all 
 " the day long, and flicv/ forth his falvation." 
 The Love of God, as it is the firft and great 
 commandment,, fo it is the firft principle of 
 Chriftianity. Should you aftc any man, who 
 has not fct common decency at defiance, the 
 queftion, whether he loved God or not, he 
 would think you injured him by feeming to 
 doubt of it. But, info important a point, 
 let no man deceive himfclf ; for, to repeat 
 what hath been before obferved, if we love God, 
 we fliall delight to converfe with him in his 
 appointed ordinances. Prayer, thank fgiving, 
 meditation, the hearing and reading the word, 
 and the receiving of the Sacrament, accom- . 
 panied with inviolable integrity, in our 
 dealings, are the infallible proofs of our 
 love of God. But if, inftead of afford- 
 ing us pleafure, thcfc duties are irkfome, and 
 we difcbargc them, not with alacrity, but 
 
 O indifference, 
 
202 071 the Love of Coa, 
 
 indifference, we are not religious, we are only 
 moral — " the Love of God is not flied abroad 
 *' in our hearts." Many examples, in the hea- 
 then world, may be produced, of ftri6l jullicc, 
 and undeviating probity ; but if Chriftianity 
 confilled in the mere practice of moral virtue, 
 the death of Jefus Chrift, and the Revela- 
 tion of the Gofpel had, furely, been fuper- 
 fluou?. 
 
 Suffer mc, in conclufion, earneftly to exhort 
 you, my brethren, to cultivate this love in 
 your hearts, and to '^ nourifli it with all good- 
 *' nefs ;" let me prevail with you, if ye have any 
 regard for the peace of your mind, if you have 
 any anxiety about the fecurity of your falva- 
 tion, if you have any dread of the vengeance of 
 Almighty God, let me bcfecch, exhort, con- 
 jure you, to keep " the firfl commandment." 
 If you refufe to fulfil the terms of falvation, 
 you are no doubt prepared with the apology 
 you defign to offer, the perfuafne apology, 
 which is to appeafe the wrath of a juftly in- 
 cenfed God. What is the excufe ingenuity 
 can fuggcff, and prcfumption plead for having 
 rcjcdcd the Gofpel, and difobeycd the com- 
 mand, 
 
On the have of God. 203 
 
 mand, the firfl: and great command of your 
 Creator, your Redeemer, and Judge ? We are, 
 Unequivocally, and peremptorily, commanded 
 to " love the Lord cur God with all our heart, 
 " and foul, and mnid, and ftrength." From 
 this fource, our every ad ion, and our every 
 thought are to arife. Though '' we give to 
 *' every one that afketh usf' though we dif- 
 charge all our moral obligations with the ftrid:- 
 eft fidelity, it' we do not love God, if God hath 
 not the firfl phice in our affedions, what was 
 fiiid of the young man in the Gofpel, may, 
 with equal juftice, be applied to us, " yet one 
 *' thine: thou lackeft." Let us rather endevor 
 to arrive at that flate of evangeHcal righteouf- 
 nefs, which confifts in " loving God with all 
 *' our heart, and foul, and mind, and llrength ;" 
 for then, and then only, can we judge with 
 certainty, and conclude with confidence, that 
 We are in a ftate of falvation. 
 
 * \\\ a matter of fuch unfpeakable moment, 
 
 * where oar fouls, and our everlafting happinefs 
 
 * are at flake, grant us> gracious God ! to be 
 
 * no longer under the delufion of error, or tht 
 ' anxiety of fufpenfe. Implant deep in our 
 
 * hearts the love of thy name. Wc defire to 
 
 O 2 ' love 
 
204 071 the Love of God. 
 
 * love thee above all things, and befeech thee, 
 
 * from the bottom of our fouls, that, a<fluated 
 ' by this divine principle, after having lived 
 
 * in that perfe6l love which cafteth out fear, 
 
 * we may die in thy favor, and be received by 
 ' thy mercy, through the merits and fatisfac- 
 ' tion of thy Son our Lord. Amen. 
 
 SERMON 
 
[ 205 ] 
 
 SERMON XIV. 
 
 LUKE X. 30, 37. 
 
 TFhkh now of thefe tliree^ thinkcjl tliou, was 
 neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves P 
 Ji id he fa'tdy he thatjhnvcd mercy on hhn : 
 then /did Jejits unto liim, go, and do thou 
 likewjfe, 
 
 /'^UR Saviour, in this chapter, is giving di- 
 ^^ regions to feventy additional difciples, 
 whom he had appointed, ** to go into every city 
 " and place whither he himfelf would come,'* 
 to prepare the inhabitants to embrace the 
 Gofpel difpenfation. After they had received 
 their inftru^ions, they went in obedience to 
 his commands. And when they returned, 
 they told their Mafter, that, fo abundant was 
 their fuccefs through his name, the very de- 
 vils were fubjcd: unto them. From the manner 
 in which they relate the miraculous occurrence, 
 ^licy were not, it fliould feem, prepared to ex- 
 
 O 3 pc£^ 
 
2oC Oil /he good Savinntan. 
 
 pe6l fo wonderful a fubjcction to their feeble 
 efforts. *' And he faid unto them, I beheld 
 *' Satan, as lightning, fall from heaven" — the 
 idolatry of the Gentiles, and the wickedncfs 
 of the Jews have exalted the enemy of man- 
 kind ; but the propagation of my Religion, of 
 this new Covenant which I fliall make with all 
 the earth, fhall fubject him "' to everlafting 
 " chains under darknefs. In that hour, Jefus 
 '* rejoiced in fpirit, and faid," in a tranfport of 
 rapture, forefecing the bleficd cffc61s of the 
 evangelical revelation, ^' I thank thee, O 
 " Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou 
 ** haft hid thefe things from the wife and pru- 
 " dent, and revealed themiAnto babes, even fo 
 " Father, for foit feemed good in thy fight :" 
 not the philofophers of Greece and R-ome, not 
 the rabbins learned in their law, are able to ac- 
 quaint the world what fimplicity of worfhip is 
 moft acceptable to the Supreme Being, and 
 how fmful man is rcftored to His mercy and 
 favor ; thefe important tidings are to be firft 
 promulged by artlefs, and ignorant men, to be 
 *' endowed," for the purpofe, " with power 
 " from on high. And behold, a certain lavv- 
 '' ycr," one of thofe Scribes, whofe profeffion 
 
Oil the good Samaritan. 207 
 
 was to teach the law ofMofcs, '* ftood up and 
 " tempted Him," in order to difcover, proba- 
 bly, whether His do<flrine correfpondcd to that 
 of Mofes, '' faying, Maftcr, what fliall I do to 
 *' inherit eternal life?" Jefus, alluding to his 
 profeffion, anfwers by enquiring what the Law 
 enjoined upon that interclling article? The 
 Scribe '' anfwering" (out of Deuteronomy vl. 
 5.) " faid, thou flialt love the Lord thy God 
 " with all thy heart, and with all thy foul, and 
 •' with all thy ftrength, and with all thy mind, 
 ** and thy neighbor as thyfelf. Jefus faid unto 
 *' him, thou haft anfwered right, this do, and 
 '' thou flialt live. But the Scribe, willing to 
 " juftify himfelf, faid unto Jefus, and who is 
 " my neighbor?'* In his cftimation none were 
 brethren but Ifraelites, and none neiiihbors 
 but profelytes ; for, of thefe two denomina- 
 tions of men, the Jewifli Church was coni' 
 pofed. The blefled Jefus anfwers him, in fuch 
 a manner, as to make the feelings of his heart 
 overcome the prejudices of his underftand'^-Jg, 
 by relating what is called the par<-;bl«^ of the 
 good Samaritan. 
 
 " A certain man went down from Jerufalcm 
 *' to Jericho" — and, in going through thofe 
 
 O 4 wild 
 
208 On the good Samaritan. 
 
 wild deferts, and dangerous roads, to the valley 
 of Jericho — "• he fell among thieves, who 
 " ftripped him of his raiment, and grounded 
 " him, and departed, leaving him half dead" 
 — not content with robbing him of his money, 
 they dangcroufly wounded and left him, with 
 fcarce figns of life : fo many robberies and 
 murders were committed on that road, that 
 It was exprelTively termed the hloody way. » 
 '' And by chance there came down a ccilaiu 
 ^^ prieft that way, and, when he favv liim, he 
 " paffed by on the other fide. And likewife a 
 " Levite, when he was at the place, came, and 
 " looked on him, and palTed by on the other 
 ^' fide. But a certain Samaritan, as he jour- 
 '^ neyed, came where he was, and when he favv 
 " him, he had compaffion on him, and went 
 *' to him, and bound up his w'ounds, pouring 
 " in oil, and wine, and fet him on his own 
 *' beaft, and brought him to an inn, and took 
 '^ care of him.*' In the eallern countries 
 tVere were not inns for the entertainment, but 
 only L-oufes for the lodging, of ftrangers. Tra- 
 vellers, therefore, carried their own provifions 
 along with them. The humane Samaritan 
 took of his own wine, and gave to the poor 
 
 man, 
 
On the good Samaritan, IJOQ 
 
 ITjan, and refrcflicd his fpirits, and poured oil of 
 a balfamic, healing qua'ity, into his wounds. 
 After he had taken him to fuch an inn as the 
 country afforded, he left him there, on the 
 following day, to the care of his hoft, " and 
 " when he departed he took out two-pence" — 
 equal to about fifteen- pence of our money — 
 *' and faid, take care ot him, and whatfoever 
 '- thou fpendeft more, when I come again I 
 *' will repay thee;" from which we may con- 
 je£lure, that the good Samaritan was either in 
 jiarrow circumftances ; or that the wav he had 
 to travel, was fo dangerous, he brought no more 
 money with him than was abfolutely neceflary 
 for his journey — either of which cafes being 
 true, enhances very greatly his kindnefs. I 
 amjufl to obferve further, that the hatred 
 between the Jews, and the Samaritans, was 
 implacable, arifmg, in fome mcafure, from a 
 difagreement in religious opinions. When the 
 Jews would Hiew the utmoft deteftation of 
 our Saviour, they expreffcd themfcivcs with 
 this bitter inveciive, *' Thou art a Samaritan, 
 " and hafl a devil." In equal abhorrence were 
 the Jews held by the Samaritans. The ap- 
 plication, therefore, the Scribe muft neceiTarily 
 
 make, 
 
210 Oji the good Samaritan. 
 
 make, was, that all mankind, even hisblttcrcfl 
 enemies, were his neighbors, and his brethren. 
 
 Having illuftrated the paffages in the parable, 
 which fccmed to carry with them a little ob- 
 fcurlty, I fhall make fuch reflexions upon it 
 as may, by God's blcffing, induce thofc who 
 hear me, to '' go and do likewife." 
 
 When the traveller was fainting under the 
 pain of his wounds, expofcdwithout a covering 
 to the inconvenience of the climate, dreading, 
 either that he fhould perifh through ncgled:, 
 or afraid that thieves, wantonly inhuman, 
 might, when they found him deftitute of both 
 money and clothes, wreak their indignant dif- 
 appointment by multiplying his wounds, lo ! 
 " a certain prieft, a preacher of riglirfieoufnefs, 
 *' came down that way." When the pitiable 
 wretch favv the robe of religion, he, no doubt, 
 returned thanks to God for fending him a deli- 
 verer. When he beheld the priell, he, no 
 doubt, prepared himfelf to deliver the fad re- 
 cital of his calamities, and to appeal, with elo- 
 quent fenfibility, to his nakcdnefs and his 
 wounds, for the melancholy confirmation. A 
 good mind, indeed, would have anticipated 
 him^ faying, *' what lliall I do for thcc?" But 
 
 the 
 
On the gov d Samaritan. 21 \ 
 
 the prlcft, to his eternal difgrace, " pafTcd by 
 ** on the other fide." 
 
 And Hkewife a Levite, \\'hen he was at the 
 place, came, and looked on him, with ftill 
 greater inhumanity than the prieft who had 
 preceded him; tlic Levite went near, and ftood 
 over him, contemplating his fuiFcrings, and 
 then pafTed by on the other fide. 
 
 Though humanity feems inherent in man, 
 yet if there be a character from which we look 
 for peculiar exprefiions of it, it is furely from 
 him who is profelTionally taught, that " mercy 
 **is better than facrifice," — it is furely from him 
 whofe ftudies point out to him, how agreeable 
 mercy is to the nature of God — who, *'by fetting 
 ^' his affedtions on things above," is fo weaned 
 from delufive pleafurcs here below, that he has 
 not the fame temptations to covetoufnefs with 
 other men : if from any chara61:er, a<5ts of hu- 
 manity are cxpedted, it is, it muft be, from one 
 of this defcription. That there fliould be in- 
 confiftency in any man's conduct is much to 
 be lamented ; but that there fhould be a con- 
 tradiction between the preaching and the prac- 
 tice, of him, who is feparated from the people 
 to declare unto them the law of the Lord, 
 
 and 
 
2 1 2 On the good Samaritan. 
 
 and who is required, by both God and man, 
 and juftly required, to fhew the excellency of 
 it in his own condudl, and by his own example 
 — words cannot exprefs how contemptible is 
 fuch a being. 
 
 When the unfortunate traveller had been 
 cruelly, and defpitcfully neglected by two of 
 his own countrymen, who were appointed to 
 teach the ftatutcs, and the ordinances unto 
 Jfrael; when affiflance had been rcfufed him, 
 by thofe who taught that the fccond com- 
 mandment enjoined the fons of Ifrael to love 
 their neighbors as thcmfelvcs, the pain he was 
 fufFering would be encreafed by their morti- 
 fying negled:, by their cruel difappointment. 
 When he firft beheld the priell:, he, no doubt, 
 indulged the joyful hopes, that he fliould, 
 through the compaffion of the miniller of Rcr 
 ligion, be reltored to the fociety of his friends. 
 And though once cruelly pafled by, he might 
 pot, when he perceived theLevite approaching, 
 abandon himfelf to the horrors of defpair. But 
 when he had. been twice neglecSlcd, and by 
 men, whofc profcHion required them to rcr 
 commend, in their difcourfes, the duty, and 
 to exemplify, inlhcircondud, the amiublcncfs 
 
 of 
 
On the good Samarita7t, 2 1 3 
 
 of companion — what further hopes could he 
 entertain — and efpecially from a Samaritan? 
 View wdth me, for a moment, the fituation of 
 both body and mind of the wounded traveller. 
 Behold him laid in this dangerous road, fo 
 much dreaded by the frequency of robberies, 
 and the inflidlion of cruelty : behold him ftrip- 
 ped of his clothes, and wounded by barbarity, 
 left even " hard at death's door," without the 
 profpe£l: of fuccor, or relief ; his fufferings em- 
 bittered by the refle^lion of leaving, perhaps, 
 an affe(ftionate wife, and a beloved family be- 
 hind him — of dying, without hearing the voice, 
 beholding the countenance, clafping, in a lall 
 embrace, thofe deareft to his heart — without 
 the comfort of giving them his bleffing, and 
 having the bed of death naade eafier by their 
 affectionate folicitude. He is awakened from 
 his reflcdlions, by the arrival of the good Sa- 
 maritan. " For as foon as the Samaritan favv 
 " him, he had compaffion on him, and went 
 " to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring 
 " in oil and wine, and fet him on his own beaft, 
 " and brought him to an inn, and took care 
 "' of him." Methinks I fee the benevolent 
 Samaritan, after refrefhing his fpiiits, and 
 
 binding 
 
2 14 Ow the good Samarliafi. 
 
 binding up his wounds, raifmg him gently from 
 the ground, and fctting him carefully on hid 
 own bcaftjobferving, with looks of compafIion> 
 whether he could bear its uneafy fteps, and 
 enquiring, with the accents of affection, whe- 
 ther he felt himfelf relieved? He completes 
 the kindnefs he had begun ; for when he got 
 the unfortunate man to an inn, he took care 
 of him, administering what his neccffities de- 
 manded, and what the place fupplied. " And 
 *' on the morrow, when he departed/' leaving 
 what might be fufficient to defray the ex- 
 pences the wounded traveller might incur, he 
 committed him to the attentions of his hofb, 
 " faying, take care of him, and whatfoever 
 " thou expendcll: more" on his account, '*when 
 " I come again, I will repay thee." 
 
 Let us accompany the good Samaritan a 
 little way on his journey, and obferve the rc- 
 jflections, which may naturally be fuppofed to 
 arife in his mind. 
 
 The greateft and trueft pleafure we can en* 
 joy in this life, is to look back, with fatisfac- 
 tion, on thole parts of our conduct, w^hich 
 unequivocally demonftratc our love of God, 
 and good-will towards men. 
 
 When 
 
Oft the good Samaritan. 2 1 5 
 
 When the good Samaritan had bid adieu to 
 the mifcrablc ftranger, he would take a review 
 of the affecting circumftanccs which had fo 
 lately occurred. 
 
 Lamenting the pitiable fituation of the un- 
 happy being, who had called for the exercife of* 
 his compaffion, he would rejoice in having had 
 the opportunity, of refcuing a wretched crea- 
 ture, from mifery, and from death. The poor 
 man's wounds — his utter inability to ftir from 
 the place, where the hands of robbers had fo in- 
 humanly laid him — the recolle6:ion of his clr- 
 cumftanccs and his friends — all which the un- 
 fortunate traveller would, doubtlefs, relate to 
 him — of perhaps a beloved wife, and numerous 
 offspring, waiting impatiently his return, would 
 again fwell his eye, with the tear of compaffion, 
 and rend his heart, with the pangs of forrow. 
 He would curfe the prejudice that fubfiftcd, 
 with fuch inveterate rigor, between his coun- 
 trymen, and the Jews. As a man, he would 
 efteem humanity infeparable from his nature. 
 Had he himfelf been in fuch a deplorable fitua- 
 tion, " though there were no dealings," or, as it 
 would be better rendered, no intercourfc, '' be- 
 *' tween the Jews and the Samaritans," and of 
 
 confcquence, 
 
2 1 On the good Siwiantan, 
 
 confequence, he could not have hoped for relief 
 from a Jew, yet what he would defire of others 
 he would fhew to them. And he would go 
 on his way rejoicing, and thanking God, not 
 only that he was fuperior to fuch irrational 
 prejudices, but that Jie had been providentially 
 fent that way; left, had it fallen to fome of his 
 countrymen, the unhappy man might have 
 died, not altogether through their infenfibility, 
 and hard-heartednefs, but through national 
 prejudice, and religious hatred. 
 
 Having made fuch reflections upon the pa- 
 rable, as the feveral parts of it feem to fuggeft, 
 it only remains that I make an application. 
 
 The Scribe, when he tempted our Saviour, 
 defired to know of Him, " what he fhould do 
 " to inherit eternal life." In anfvver to which 
 queftion, after alluring him, that the love of 
 God is to be the foundation on which his fu- 
 perftru6lurc is to be raifed, He relates this 
 beautiful parable, and concludes with thefe 
 emphatic words — '' go, and do thou likewife:'* 
 if eternal life be thy object — if thou art really^ 
 dcfirous of dwelling with God forever and ever, 
 "love God with all thy heart, and mind, and 
 ** foul, and ftrength, and thy neighbor, as 
 
 *' thyfelfi" 
 
On the good Samanicm. 2 1 r 
 
 '' thyfclf;" and give this proof of thy obferv- 
 ance of the fecorid commandment, the bcfl, 
 the mod convincing, and flitisfadory ; nay in- 
 deed the only proof — go and do as the good 
 Samaritan did. If thy circumftanccs enable 
 thee, " when thou fceft the poor without 
 " covering, clothe him, and turn not away 
 '* from thine own flefn: deal thy bread to the 
 *' hungry, and give drink to the thirfty foul," 
 then art thou giving an evidence of thy love of 
 God. But if thy own neccffities forbid fuch 
 expreffions of kindnefs, thou canft at Icaft be 
 civil, and courteous, and compaffionate. Let 
 us beware, my brethren, that we place not oijf 
 religion in mere acfls of godlinefs — in going to 
 Church oft, in repeating many prayers, in af- 
 luming a. demure look, and v^earing a fevere 
 countenance. Thou mayft pray like Daniel 
 three times in a day — like the Pharilce fait 
 twice in a week — }et if thou doft not adorn 
 fuch feveritv of reli<i;ion bv tendernefs, and 
 companion, and charity — it is not the Religion 
 of Chrift, it is the religion of the devil; it is 
 the feducing, the fatal biit, which the grand 
 enemy of mankind fo officioufly throws in our 
 way to lead us, by imperceptible degrees, to 
 P eternal 
 
218 Oil the good Samaritan. 
 
 eternal perdition. What can be eafier than t« 
 go regularly to Church, at the ftated hours of 
 prayer, and to ^^ offer facrifice unto the Lord 
 " our God of that which cofts us nothing ? Let 
 " our alms, as well as our prayers, go up as a 
 *^ memorial before God.'' The Supreme Judge 
 "Will reward us, not merely according to our 
 prayers, but our charity. Let every man, 
 therefore, who, like the Scribe, would know 
 what he ihall do to inherit eternal life, as the 
 good Samaritan did, let him go and do like- 
 wife. 
 
 SERMON 
 
[219] 
 
 SERMON XV, 
 
 LUKE xvi. 22, 23. 
 
 The beggar died, and was carried hy the angels 
 into Abrahams bofom. The rich man aljo 
 died, and was buried. And in hell he lifted 
 up his eyes, beijig in torments^ 
 
 THE parable, from which thefe words are 
 taken, contains many ufeful lefTons of 
 inftrudion. To the rich, who abound with 
 wealth, and are happy in their independence, 
 it fuggefts the uncertainty of their poffeffions, 
 the termination of their power, the reckonings 
 of futurity ! to the poor, who are diftrelTed 
 with want, and afflicted with mifery, it admi- 
 nifters the balm of comfort, the confolations 
 of hope, the joys of heaven. But it difplays 
 not " the terrors of the Lord" to the rich, he- 
 caufe God has given them abundance, nor does 
 it promife bleffings to the poor, hecanfe he has 
 not, in his all-wife difpenfations, permitted 
 
 P 2 '* th«ir 
 
220 Dives and Lazarns: 
 
 " their cup to overflow." No, as each fhaii 
 conducfl himfelf in the fphere in which he is 
 ordained to move, he is the objeft of punifli- 
 ment, or of reward. 
 
 '' There was a certain rich man, who wa? 
 " clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared 
 " fumptuoufly every day. And there was a 
 *^ certain beggar, named Lazarus, laid at his 
 " gate, full of fores, and defiring to be fed with 
 *" the crumbs, which fell from the rich man^s 
 *' table." The character of each is drawn in 
 lively colors, and in exad: proportions, with 
 a beautiful view of the light of virtue, and a 
 folemn contrafl of the fliade of vice. The 
 difference between their circumftances, and 
 fituation, is not more vifible,than the qucilities 
 of their minds, and the endowments of their 
 hearts. The rich man " had received his 
 *' good things," and he enjoyed them without 
 once looking up to the author of them. He 
 poflefled wealth, but he refleded not for what 
 end it was given him. He confidcred it his 
 own, and that he was not accountable for the 
 diftribution of it. ** Whatfoever his eyes 
 -*' defired, he kept not from them, he with- 
 ** held not from his heart any joy :" the mag- 
 nificence 
 
Dwes ajid Lazarus. 221 
 
 nificencc of drcfs, the dlftIn6llon of equipage, 
 the luxuries of diffipation ; thefe enchained 
 his attention, and engrofTcd his foul. " He 
 " lived to himfelf." Unmindful of his rank 
 in fociety, he provided for the gratification of 
 his defircs, without giving himfelf Icifurc to 
 reflc(5l on the afflidiions, and the wants of 
 others, and how cafily he might, by his at- 
 tentions, and his bounty, have affvvaged and re- 
 lieved them. *' Howbeit he meant not fo, 
 *' neither did his heart think fo." Wrapt up 
 in the indulgence of his wiflics, to their lalfe 
 fecurity, and dclufive enjoyments, he facrificed 
 the calls of kindnefs, and the feelings of huma- 
 nity. Whereas had he looked into himfelf 
 — had he confidered whence he came, and 
 whither he was going — had he attended to 
 the difpenfations of Providence, and enquired 
 *' who" made him to differ from another, and 
 " of what he was poflelfcd, that he had not 
 *' received from God" — had he examined his 
 heart, by what eminence of merit, and dilHnc- 
 tion of goodnefs, he was entitled to fuch fupe- 
 riority of ftation, the natural refult would have 
 been, that he would have looked upon himfelf 
 as accountable for the diftribution of his riches, 
 P 3 and 
 
222 Dives and Lazarus 
 
 and that the way of employing them moft acn 
 ceptably to their benevolent i^uthor, was in 
 relieving the diftreiTed, in comforting the af- 
 flid:ed, in ^' ftrengthening the weak hands, 
 ^' and fupporting the feeble knees." The 
 Scripture, indeed, affords no room for conjecture 
 that the rich man was either hard-hearted, 
 cruel, or unjuft. It prefents us with a more 
 awful view. " He lifted up his eyes, being 
 f* in torments" — why? becaufe he had pafleci 
 his days as an ufelefs member of fociety — be- 
 caufe, inftead of having aded a dillinguifheci 
 part on the theatre of life, he contented him- 
 felf with the negative merit of merely appear- 
 ing on the ftage, when he might, by his exer- 
 tions, have contributed to the happy conclu- 
 fion, and the brilliant fuccefs, of the drama. 
 Exempt from trouble, immerfed in pleafure, 
 he fits down clothed in purple, and fine linen, 
 A'ith all that wealth can purchafe, grandeur 
 boaft, and tafte adorn ; he fits down to a table 
 richly fpread, with all the produce of feafons 
 and of climates, equally calculated to captivate 
 the eye, as to gratify the palate. 
 
 In the midft of this voluptuoufnefs, *' a cer- 
 «' tain be2;2:ar, named Lazarus^ came and laid 
 
 " at 
 
Dives and Lazarus. 228 
 
 *' at his gate, full of fores, defiring to be fed 
 '' with the crumbs which fell from the rich 
 " man's table." But intent only on the ac- 
 commodation of his company, the fplendor of 
 his appearance, the dignity of his ftation, the 
 unhappy Lazarus lies unpitied, unheeded, a 
 prey to the pinchings of hunger, and the cor- 
 rodings of difeafe. Whilft he is fuffering from 
 the cravings of appetite, and the pain of his 
 fores, between the hopes of relief, and the 
 dread of difappointment ; he perceives, within 
 the gate, every one emuloufly a<flive to contri- 
 bute his fervices towards the pomp, or conve- 
 nience of his mailer. In fuch a ftate of pain, 
 of fufpeuce, and apprehenfion, how natural 
 that reflexions like thefe llaould arife in his 
 mind ! 
 
 * For w^hat end was I born, and for what 
 '^ purpofe was I fent into the world ! The Fa- 
 ' ther of mercies doth not willingly afflict his 
 
 * creatures ; yet he hath emptied upon me the 
 
 * whole vial of his wrath. He has difabled me 
 
 * from earning my bread, by grievous fores 
 
 * with which he has afflided my body ; and 
 ^ inftead of the application of oil and wine, to 
 < heal my wounds, he withholds the hand of 
 
 F i . * compaflioa 
 
224 Dhts and Lazarus. 
 
 * comp^ffion from affwaging their pain. Tor- 
 ' mentcd as I am with their increaiing viru- 
 
 * Icnce, and with continued ncgle<5l, the appe- 
 
 * tite of hunger urges, with importunity, for 
 
 * inftant gratification. All I defirc of this rich 
 ' man, or of his dependents, are only the 
 ' crumbs which fall from his table. But my 
 
 * requcft, modefl as it is, is rcfufcd. Eating 
 " bread to the full them (elves, they do not feel 
 'for.mc, who arn even hard at death's door, 
 
 * and unlefs fomc one has compaffion on me, 
 ' ihu\\ foon be delivered from all my trouble. 
 ' May God, in his mercy, put an end to my 
 ' futFcrings, and my life together ! Though he 
 
 * has fmglcd me out as the objeft of his chaf- 
 ' tifement here, the marks of his difpleafure 
 
 * will not, I truft, accompany me beyond the 
 < p-rave. Who knoweth but, wretched as I 
 
 * am now, he may foon receive me to himfeif^ 
 
 * and amply recompenfc me for aU my fuffer- 
 
 * Ings? Wiio knowcth l^ut he may foon change 
 ' mv mourning into joy, and convey me to 
 
 * that bleffed abode, \vhere tears are wiped 
 
 * from every face, where there is no more cry- 
 
 * ing, neitiier forrow, nor pain I This confi- 
 
 * dence in his goodnefs, this truft in his mercy, 
 
 ♦ hath 
 
Dives and Lazarus. 225 
 
 •^ hath fupportcd me under a burden, other- 
 
 * wife too heavy to be born. But continued 
 
 * neglccl, vioicnt pain, and unfatisfied hunger 
 
 * have, at length, with flow and cruel dclibe- 
 
 * ration, almoft deprived me of a miferable, and 
 
 * wretched cxiftence !' 
 
 Unhappy JLazarus ! thou wcrt defpifed or 
 earth, and thy accumulated forrows met with 
 no alleviation; but after thou hadft fallen a 
 victim to their power, thou received^ for thy 
 reward, ** an exceeding, and eternal weight of 
 '^ glory." Thou patiently fubmittedll to thy 
 grievous lot, and thou now lookeft back with 
 pleafure on the virtues, with the exercifc of 
 which, thou wert fo fevercly tried. Thy foul, 
 efcaping from this prifon of clay, found a re- 
 fuge in Abraham's bofom, where it will be 
 eternally preferved from the mortification of 
 difappointmcnt, from the infults of reproach, 
 and the diflradiion of defpair. 
 
 Did the fame bleflings await the rich man ? 
 Did his fplendid drefs, magnificent table, of- 
 tentatious equipage, afford him comfort on the 
 t>ed of death? Did he enjoy the refle<ftlon, the 
 animating reflcdion, that he had confidered 
 t^he wants, and relieved the necefTities of the 
 
 poor ; 
 
220 Dives and Lazarus. 
 
 poor ; that he had lived a life of virtue and 
 piety ; and that, having a(5lcd the part of a 
 fteward, in which he had been ruler over many 
 things, his accounts vsxre made up — fo fairly 
 ftated, and fo accurately balanced — that he 
 only waited their examination to receive an 
 approving difcharge ? But fo far from having 
 accounts made ready, he never confidered that 
 he had any to be pafled — he never confidered 
 that he was accountable to God — but that his 
 riches, fatal delufion ! were gotten by his own 
 hand, and by his own might. If then he died, 
 as he had lived, in a ftate of infenfibility — if 
 he pafTed out of this w^orld, as he had con- 
 tinued in it, without reflecting on the relation 
 in which he ftood to God, and to fociety ; 
 what a tranfition in his circumltances ! what 
 an inftant change from power to fubmiffion, 
 from mirth to mourning, from diffipation to 
 delpair ! *' In hell he lifted up his eycsj being 
 •* in torments !" If, on the other hand, he re- 
 flected, that, as he had no claim to fuch dif- 
 tinCtion of flation, his rank, and confequence, 
 and fuperiority were affigned him, on the ex- 
 prcfs condition that he fhould a£l the part of 
 God'^s vicegerent, in comforting the afBided, 
 
 relieving 
 
Dives and Lazarus. 227 
 
 relieving the dlftreiTed, and exciting all by the 
 prevalence of his example, and the perfuafioii 
 of his advice, to fear, and obey, the great God 
 of heaven and ear-tli — what muft have been 
 his diftracftion, and horror ? His foul mufb have 
 felt that " fearful looking-for of judgment, and 
 " fiery indignation," before he was plunged 
 into its mifery. Dreadful foretafte ! He muft 
 have laid on his laft bed, anticipating the eter- 
 nity of mifery which awaited him, and in- 
 ftead of dcrivins; comfort from the reflection 
 of his wealth, he muft have heartily wiflied, 
 that he had never pofTciTed it. How dreadful 
 muft have been the thoughts of meeting the 
 author of his abundance, feeling himfelf ob- 
 noxious to his wrath ? Exifting in this deplor- 
 able ftate, in this miferable condition, he is 
 Called to realize thofe horrors which were 
 painted by his imagination, and anticipated by 
 his confciencc. '' In hell he lifted up his eyes, 
 " being in torments." In hell ! the abode of 
 wicked fpirits, between which, and the man- 
 fions of the blcffed, there is a great gulf fixed, 
 fo that they, vyho would cfcape their punifh- 
 fnent, cannot — neither can thofe who are hap- 
 py, go to alleviate, no not even with a drop of 
 
 water. 
 
228 Dives and Lazarus. 
 
 water, the torments of the damned. See, in 
 this region of woe, the portion of him who, 
 not long ago, " was clothed in purple and fine 
 *' linen, and fared fumptuoufly every day !" 
 How had he incurred fuch feverity of punilh- 
 ment ? Not, I again repeat it, not becaufe he 
 had been cruel, unjull, or impious. No ! be- 
 caufe he had centered his happinefs in the 
 gratification of his wifhes ; becaufe he had led 
 a life of indolence, of thoughtlefines, and dif- 
 fipation. May the alarming reflection fuggeft 
 to every one of fuch a charader, the ncceflity 
 of an uf::ful, of a virtuous, and religious life ! 
 May the alarming refle6i:ion induce all who 
 are blefied with this world's goods, to acquaint 
 themfelves with the diftrcfics, and affli<5lions 
 of their needy brethren ! May it induce thofc 
 *' who have goods laid up for many years, not 
 *' to truft in uncertain riches, but in the living: 
 " God, who hath given them all things fo 
 " richly to enjoy !" 
 
 ** The beggar died, and was carried by the 
 " angels into Abraham's bofom." He was 
 tranflated from earth to heaven ; not becaufe 
 he had been in want of the comforts, and the 
 neceflaries of life; not becaufe he had been 
 the prey of difeafe, and of wretchcdnefs. No ! 
 
 becaufe 
 
Dives and Lazarus. 22Q 
 
 bccaufe his poverty had not tempted him " to 
 "^ flcal, and take the name of his God in vain;" 
 becaulc, though he had been poor and needy, 
 he " had waited patiently the Lord's leifurc, 
 '^ afTured that all things would, in the end, 
 *' work together," under the diredlion of Pro< 
 vidence, " for his good." 
 
 How ufeful an admonition does the Parable, 
 thus confidcrcd, fuggeft to the two differenr 
 flates of rich and poor ? 
 
 Since happincfs is theobje<ft of all men, and 
 fince riches are defired for the fake of promote 
 ing happincfs, let thofe who arc blefled with 
 them be careful, left, in the fulnefs of their 
 fufficiency, they be tempted to fay — " who is 
 the Lord ?" inftead of feeking it " where 
 " alone true joys are to be found." Let them 
 rather have God frequently in their thoughts, 
 and confider their additional obligations to 
 worlhip, and fear him. Let them often reflect, 
 that "riches take wing and flee away," and 
 that they are, at all times, at the difpofal cf him 
 who entruftcd them to their care — who en- 
 trufted them, not that their pollelTors ihould 
 ufe them, as though they were abfolutely their 
 own— not that their pofleHbr^ fhould become 
 
 independent 
 
2 so Dives and Lazarus* 
 
 independent o{ him " who maketh poor, and 
 *' maketh rich." Let the rich man never for- 
 get, that if his riches were transferred to an- 
 other, all the refped:, and adulation, and ho- 
 mage that arc paid to him, would be trans- 
 ferred together with them. And it would be 
 well, if he would deign fometimes to diveft 
 himfelf in idea, of his wealth and property, and 
 confult his confcience^ whether, as a man, he is 
 entitled to the efleem and refped; of his neigh- 
 bors, and fellow-citizens ; or whether, if he 
 •were not a rich man, he would not be, uni- 
 verfally, and openly, the obje6l of derifion, 
 contempt, and of abhorrence ? Let him con- 
 fult his feelings in what manner the ncgle(n:> 
 the caprice, the infolence, his riches may, 
 in his own opinion, authorize him to Ihew to 
 others, would, if their ftations were reverfed^ 
 be received by himfelf? Let the rich man/ 
 above all, confider, that he is one day to ftand 
 at God's Tribunal, without the protection of 
 wealth, and the influence of authority ; that 
 he is there to give a (inO. and folemn account 
 of the manner in which he has employed 
 his riches, and whether he has made them 
 conducive to the comfort of men, and the 
 glory of God ? Whether, by his exemplary 
 
 condud, 
 
Dives and Lazarus, 331 
 
 exemplary condu<5l, and difFufive charities, he 
 has promoted the caufe of Chriftianit}-, and the 
 iaivation of mankind ? And that, in that tre- 
 mendous day, he may ftand before God, with 
 humble confidence, let him be perfuaded to 
 wean his atfed:ions gently from the things of 
 this life, to fet tlicm upon things above, and 
 by abundant charities, fervent prayer, and de- 
 vout deportment, endcvor to obtain an inhe- 
 ritance *' where neither moth nor ruft can 
 " dcftroy, and where thieves cannot break 
 *^ through nor fteal." 
 
 Let the poor man, inftead of murmuring at 
 the ftation Providence has allotted him, com- 
 fort himfelf with the rcflc(5lion, that his po- 
 verty, if he be virtuous, will foonbe fucceeded 
 by bleflings too great for the tongue to exprcfs, 
 or the heart to conceive. Let him, fmce it 
 hath pleafcd the Almighty, to withhold from 
 him many of the comforts of this life, endevor 
 to fecure happinefs in the next, thofe joys ** un- 
 *' fpeakablc, and full of glory, which will be 
 " the reward of patient continuance in w ell- 
 " doing." When poverty, *' that fore evil," 
 prcfles hard upon him, let him remember that 
 to attempt to remove it, either by deceit, or 
 
 diflioneftv. 
 
232 Dives and Lazarus. 
 
 difhonefty, is direftly to oppofe the admi- 
 niftration of Providence — for God, if it feem 
 fit, will cither make away for his relief, or will 
 abundantly reward him for his patience. Let 
 him teftify, by his civility, meeknefs, quiet- 
 nefs, that he is defcrving of the countenance, 
 of the kindnefs, and charity of his fuperiors„ 
 Let him be careful not to fquander what he 
 earns, in rioting and drunkcnnefs, but let him 
 cndevor to provide for his family, as becomes 
 his ftation. 
 
 And may both rich and poor conftantly 
 refledl upon the future life, both of happinefs 
 and mifery, which awaits us ; that " if we 
 *' have done good, we fliall go into life ever- 
 " lafting, and if we have done evil, into ever- 
 " lafting fire !" 
 
 God imprefs the aw^ful thought fo ftrongly 
 upon our minds, that, in every thing we think, 
 and fay, and do, we may prepare ourfelves 
 againft the dreadful day of trial ! 
 
 SERMON 
 
[ 233 J 
 
 SERMON XVI. 
 
 GENESIS XLV. 2S. 
 
 And Ifrael fatdy it is enough ; Jojeph my fon is 
 yet alive i I will go, and fee him before I die. 
 
 ^ I ^HERE is not, perhaps, any event recorded 
 -•^ by the facred, or by any other, writers, 
 either ancient or modern, which fo much en- 
 gages our attention, and interefts our feelings; 
 as the narration delivered, with fuch beautiful 
 ilmplicity, and exquifite graces, by Mofcs, the 
 oldeft, yet unparalleled hiilorian, commonly 
 entitled, the hiftory of Jofcph and his brethren. 
 It may net be an unpleafmg, nor will it, I 
 hope, be an unprofitable employment of our 
 time, to detail the principal parts of this amuf- 
 ing hiftory ; as many reflexions will arife 
 which may ferve to inform, admoniih, direct 
 us, in our paffage through life. 
 
 The facred writer acquaints us that Jofeph; 
 
 above all his brethren, was the objed: of his 
 
 Q father's 
 
234 Hifiory ofjofcph 
 
 father's partiality and affe6lion. Ifracl, or, as 
 he is fometimes called, * Jacob, " loved Jofeph 
 *' more than all his children ;" and from this 
 fburce originated many of the forrows, which 
 were accumulated upon him in the decline of 
 life. Jofeph being the fon of his old age — for 
 Ifrael was ninety- one years old when he was 
 born — "he made him a coat of many colors." 
 What but the weaknefs of age could have fug- 
 gefled that fond, that abfurd diftindlion? The 
 father, by an act of injudicious preference, 
 alienated the affedions of all his fons from his 
 beloved child ; " they hated him, and could 
 ** not fpeak peaceably," or with civility, "unto 
 ** him." In the fimplicity of his heart, he relates 
 a dream, encouraged no doubt by Jacob's no- 
 torious partiality, which indicated his future 
 greatnefs, and their abjc6l humiliation — thus 
 awakening their jealoufy, and Simulating their 
 refentment. " And^he dreamed yet another 
 " dream,*' prophetic of their flill greater mor- 
 tification. 
 
 The Sons of Ifrael about that time " re- 
 " moved their father's flock to Sechem. And 
 
 * Chap, xxxii. 281 and chap. xxxv. 10. 
 
 " Ifrael," 
 
and Ills Brethren. 235 
 
 <« Ifrael," anxious to hear of the fafety of his 
 fons, who had juftly inccnfcd the men of 
 Sechem againft them, * " faid unto Jofeph, do 
 " not thy brethren feed the flock in Sechem ? 
 " come, and I will fend thee unto them." 
 Unfortunate old man! who knew not what 
 that day would bring forth ! He knew not 
 what pangs that parting would occafion ! He 
 knew not that the fon of his old age, who had 
 juil: predicted that himfelf, his mother, and his 
 brethren fliould bow themfelves to him to the 
 earth, was leaving his paternal roof, never, 
 never to return I 
 
 In obedience to his father's command, he 
 went in purfuit of his brethren. " And when 
 " they favv him afar off," rccolleding his pre- 
 lages of greatnefs, and felicitous to prevent the 
 completion of them, " even before he came 
 " near unto them, they confpired againft him 
 " to flay him." Inhuman monfters! to be fa - 
 tiated only with a brother's blood ! Their 
 iirft intention, dictated by jealouly, and ap- 
 proved by malevolence, of "" flaying him, and 
 " cafting him into fome pit to fee what would 
 
 * Chap, xxxlv 
 
 Q 2 <* become 
 
236 IiiftG)y ofjofcph 
 
 " become of his dreams," was providentially 
 defeated. For Reuben, hearing their fanguinary 
 purpofe, propofed, under the fpecious pretence 
 of not fliedding his blood, but with the real 
 defign of ad;ually ridding him out of their 
 hands, i* and fafely delivering him to his 
 *' father again," that they fliould caft him into a 
 pit in the wildernefs, which, in thofe countries, 
 were frequently digged by fncpherds to hold 
 rain water for their cattle, when they could 
 not find a fpring, and were far from a river. 
 
 His brethren, after they had caft him into 
 the pit, fat down to eat bread. And during 
 their rcpafi:, the}' perceived a company of Ifli- 
 maelites going down into Egypt. A propor- 
 tion was made by Judah, not to leave him in 
 the pit, but to fell him to the IflimaeUtes, or, 
 as they are called, the Midianites, being near 
 neighbors, joined together in trade, and mak- 
 ing one caravan, or company. Thus is the 
 child, whom Ifrael loved more than all his 
 children, in the hands of the defcendants of 
 that man " whofe hands were againfl every 
 " man, and every man's hands againfi: him."^" 
 To exculpate thcmfelvcsin the eyes of their 
 
 * Chap. xvi. 12, 
 
 venerable 
 
and his Brethren. 237 
 
 Tcnerable parent, " they took Jofeph's coat, 
 " and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the 
 *•' coat in the blood" — dlabolicvil machination ! 
 '' and they took it to their father, and faid, this 
 «* have we found; judge whether it be thy 
 ** fon's coat or not." You who are parents, 
 " whofc lives arc bound up in the lives of your 
 '' children," ye bcft can tell, what were the 
 feelinss of this induls^ent, of this afflicted fa- 
 ther ! Ye bcft can tell, what were the forrows 
 of his heart, when the child of his hopes was 
 devoured, as he thought, by evil bcalb, and 
 was, without doubt, rent in nieces. Here wc 
 mufl leave him, mourning for his Ion many 
 days, and accompany this fuppofcd dead fon, 
 through a variety of fcenes fmgular and fur- 
 prifing — fcenes planned by the wifdom, and 
 executed by the agency, of God. 
 
 The Midianites, when they arrived in Egypt, 
 fjld Jofcph unto Potiphar, an oflicer of dlfrln- 
 guilhed rank in the court of Pharaoh. What- 
 ever was the department for which his mailer 
 defigned him, the attachment of Potiphar was 
 equalled only by the fidelity of Jofeph. " He 
 '' made him overfeer over his houfe, and all 
 *^ that he had, he put into his hands." He 
 
 Q 3 ' '^'^as 
 
23 S B'tftory of Jofeph 
 
 was advanced, by a quick fucceffion of events^ 
 to an eminence of power which often intoxi- 
 cates, and which, as often, in the wifdom of 
 Providence, is the occafion of falhng. But in 
 all this " he erred not, nor aded fooliilily" — 
 in affliction, patient and refigned ; in prof- 
 perity, he was meek and humble. 
 
 A circumftance altogether unexpected con- 
 tributed to his apparent ruin, but produced, in 
 the end, his higheft elevation. Solicited, by 
 the wife of Potiphar, to an ad:, unlawful in it- 
 self, and injurious to his mafter, he is enabled, 
 by a fenfe of right, and a principle of gratitude, 
 to withftand the importunate folicitation — 
 " how can I do this srreat wickednefs, and fm 
 *' againft God ?" Mifreprcfented, however, to 
 his mafter, he is degraded from being any 
 longer overfeer of his houfe ; and " though 
 '^ innoccncy was found in him," he is dragged 
 to prifon, and immured in a dungeon, where 
 '* his feet were hurt in the llocks, the iron 
 ** entered into his foul." 
 
 In this gloomy manllon w^ere two officers 
 of Pharaoh's court. And they dreamed each 
 a dream which Jofeph interpreted ; and it 
 happened in three days from that time, to 
 
 both 
 
and his Brethren. 23Q 
 
 both of them, as he had predi6led. Two full 
 years after, Pharaoh dreamed two portentous 
 dreams, which, when no one of the wife men, 
 and magicians could be found to interpret 
 them, the ungrateful chief butler, to endear 
 himfelf to the king his mafler, vouchfafed to 
 recoiled: his fellow-prifoner, and to acquaint 
 Pharaoh with his I'upernatural qualifications. 
 When Jofeph was brought before Pharaoh, 
 he aflured him, that he did not poiTes the 
 power of interpretation as a natural endow- 
 ment ; *' it is not in me, God fhall give Pha- 
 *' raoh an anfwer of peace." Having heard 
 the dreams, he interpreted them to the entire 
 convi<5lion of the king, and his attendants. 
 Pharaoh, ftruck with his wifdom, and obferv- 
 ing '* an excellent fpirit to be in him, faid unto 
 " Jofeph, fee, I fct thee over all the land of 
 ** Egypt." Jofeph was now thirty years old, 
 when he arrived at this fummit of greatnefs. 
 He entered upon his office by taking a furvey 
 of the country, and giving diredlions how the 
 plentiful harvefts might be properly difpofed ; 
 for it is faid, " he gathered corn as the fand 
 ^' of the fea, very much until he left num- 
 *' bering." 
 
 Q 4 But 
 
240 Htflory of Jofeph 
 
 But the feven years of plenty expired. " And 
 "the famlnewas over all the face of the earth;" 
 not only in Egypt, but in all the neighboring 
 countries; and among thofe who wanted bread 
 were the father and brethren of Jofeph. "And 
 *' Jofeph's ten brethren went down to buy 
 *' corn in Egypt. But Jacob fent not Benja- 
 *' miUj Jofeph's youngeft brother, with them, 
 '* left peradventure mifchief fliould befal him 
 *' in the way." Upon their arrival in Egypt, 
 they were directed to Jofeph, and the dream 
 which he had related, and which incenfed 
 them againft him, now received its comple- 
 tion; for "they came, and bowed themfelves 
 " before him, with their faces to the earth.'* 
 He recognized his brethren, but aflumed a 
 charader unnatural to the amiable ferenity of 
 his temper. " He made himfelf ftrange unto 
 " them, and fpake roughly unto them," and 
 9ccufed them of dcfigns hoftile to the Egyp- 
 tian Government — *' yc are fpies, to fee the 
 " nakednefs of the land ye are come." To 
 reriiove fo injurious a fufpicion, they relate to 
 him their kindred, andfituation — the veryob- 
 jcd: he had in view. But rcgardlefs of their 
 arguments, he pcrfifts in his declarations. 
 
 Whci^ 
 
dud his Brethre7t. 241 
 
 When they repeat more fully their circum- 
 {lances and condition, he pretends to be con- 
 firmed in his fufpicions. *' That is it that I 
 *' fpake unto you, faying, ye are fpies;" for if 
 your father fent you, indeed, from the land of 
 Canaan, to buy corn, and ye have yet a brother, 
 why did he not fend him alfo ? '* Hereby ye 
 ^* fliall be proved ;'' at the laft he determines 
 that one of them fhall be kept in cuftody, and 
 the others fhould return to the land of Canaan. 
 " And they did fo" — they agreed to his pro- 
 pofal. What a variety of fcnfations mult have 
 crowded in his breaft ! the hearing his native 
 language after an abfence of twenty-two years 
 from his father's houfe; the predidions of his 
 brethren's obedience to him fulfilled ; the ac- 
 count of his brother's health and welfare ; the 
 recoUe^ftion of the mifery his father had fuf- 
 fered on his account, and the joyful expefta- 
 tion that he fliould foon be reflored to his em- 
 braces ! With fuch fenfations he was over- 
 powered ; and nature required relief. He 
 retired, therefore, and wept. Previous to their 
 return to the land of Canaan, Jofcph gave 
 orders that, when their facks were filled, their 
 money (liould be reflored. When they came 
 
 to 
 
242 ITiJiory ofjojeph 
 
 to their father's houfc, and related the occur- 
 rences of their journey ; when they cmpf ied 
 their facks, and found every man's bundle of 
 money in his fack, the good old Patriarch 
 vented his apprchenfions in this empaflioned 
 complaint, '' Me have yc bereaved of my chil- 
 *' drcn, Jofeph is not, and Simeon is not, and 
 *' ye will take Benjamin away." Reuben, 
 defirous ** that they fliould live, and not die," 
 undertakes to reftore Benjamin fafe to his fa- 
 ther. A fecond time they went down into 
 Egypt : and apologizing to the flieward of 
 Jofeph's houfe, for the money that was found 
 in their facks, he affurcs them that no evil 
 was intended them, and acquaints them, that 
 they are that day to dine with " the governor 
 ** over all the land of Egypt." When they 
 were introduced into his prcfence, he again 
 enquires of the welfare of Ifrael — "Is your 
 " father well, the old man of whom ye fpake.^ 
 '' Is he yet alive ? And they anfwered, thy 
 *'/ervant our father is in good health ; and 
 ** they bowed down their heads, and made 
 *' obeifance." By prefenting, with their own, 
 the duty of their Father, his fecond dream was 
 fulfilled. Three tables were provided for their 
 
 mutual 
 
and his Brethrejt. 243 
 
 mutual accommodation; one for Jofeph, who 
 was diftin2:uil]icd as the head of the land ; one 
 for the Egyptians, his attendants and minif- 
 ters ; and one for Jofeph's brethren ; for the 
 Egyptians, from the peculiarity of their cuf- 
 toms, would not condefcend to fit at the fame 
 tabic, with the Hebrews. As they fat down 
 to meat, Jofeph, to their utter aftonlfhment, 
 placed " the firfl-born according to his blrth- 
 " right, and the youngcft according to his 
 " youth." 
 
 Before they returned out of Egypt, Jofeph's 
 filvcr cup, according to his own diredtions, was 
 put in Benjamin's fack, that he might make a 
 trial of his brethren's regard and affedlon for 
 their youngeft brother, and their father. As 
 foon as the morning was light, they were fent 
 away ; and the lleward went in purfult of 
 them, and challenged them, with having llolcn 
 the cup out of Jofeph's houfe. Scandalized 
 with the reproach, they unlade their aflcs ; but 
 when they difcovcred it in Benjamin's fack, 
 they returned forrowful, and fore afraid to the 
 city. When they were come into his houfe, 
 Judah addreffes the Governor, from the 
 eighteenth verfe of the forty-fourth Chaptej: 
 
 to 
 
2 14 Hj/^ory of Jofeph 
 
 to the end, in a ftraln of fuch fimple, animated, 
 perfuafivc eloquence, as art cannot equal, and 
 learning cannot reach. Jofeph was moved 
 with the afFeding relation ; and, difmiffing his 
 attendants, he faid unto his brethren, after his 
 mind had got relief by a flood of tears, *' I am 
 ** Jofeph, doth my father yet live?" Repre- 
 fent to yourfclves their feelings, when they 
 heard the declaration. Every paffion which 
 can agitate a guilty mind — fliame at having 
 taken offence at their brother's dreams; indig- 
 nation at having confpired againft his life ; re- 
 morfe for occafioning their father twenty-two 
 years of mifery ; and apprehenfion, left Jofeph 
 fhould requite them '' as they had thought to 
 " have done unto him," rent their hearts with 
 the violent confli(R:. But he difpelled their 
 apprehenfions, and comforted their fouls : he 
 reprefents them to themfelves as agents in the 
 hands of God, to accomplifli his hidden pur- 
 pofes. " It was not you that fent me hither, 
 '* but God." 
 
 *' When they came into the land of Canaan, 
 *' unto Jacob their father, they told him, fay- 
 *^ ing, Jofeph is governor over all the land of 
 " Edvpt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he 
 
 " believed 
 
and Jus Brethren. 2 15 
 
 ^' believed them not." Hearing the name of 
 his long-loft fon, the fummlt of greatnefs to 
 which he was arrived, " his heart fainted/* 
 for he diftrufted the authenticity of the rela- 
 tion. Impatient of doubt, they relate the con- 
 verfation that pafted between them, and appeal 
 to the carriages, which Jofeph had fo refped:- 
 fully fent for his conveyance. The fpirit of Ja- 
 cob tTieir father now revives. " It is enough," 
 fays he, " Jofeph my fon is yet aliVe, I will go 
 *' and fee him before I die." 
 
 Methinks 1 fee the venerable patriarch, with- 
 drawing from his affembled family, and retir- 
 ing to offer the incenfe of thankfgiving, to the 
 God of his fathers. Methinks I hear him re- 
 counting, in the pofture of humility, the mer- 
 cies of God, imploring forgivenefs of his diftruft 
 of Providence, and pouring out his foul in de- 
 vout fupplications to the awful Being, who 
 '' bringcth low, and lifteth up." 
 
 Jofeph, knowing the time in which his 
 father and his family would be at Goflicn, 
 " made ready his chariot, and went up to 
 " meet Ifrael his father, and prefented himfelf 
 " unto him ; and he fell on his neck," affeiH:- 
 ing interview ! '' and wept on his neck a good 
 
 '^ while." 
 
246 Hijiory of Jofepli 
 
 " while." Who is the man fo much to be 
 envied as Ifrael, at this interefting fcene ? Ye, 
 who are fathers, fay, what would be the fen- 
 fibilities of your fouls, at meeting with the 
 child of your bofom, who '^ had been dead 
 " and was alive again, who had been loft, and 
 " was found ;" and, moreover, in a time of 
 univerfal dearth, when *' the hungry had not 
 " bread to eat, and the thirfty water to drmk," 
 was " governor over all the land of Egypt.'* 
 And " Ifrael faid unto Jofeph, now let mc 
 *' die fmce I have feen thy face, becaufe thou 
 " art yet alive;" there is nothing in this world, 
 in which I can now be interefted. I have 
 gone mourning for thee many years ; my hours 
 have been embittered by thy lofs ; but it hath 
 pleafed God to blefs me, in letting me fee thy 
 face before I die. 
 
 Jacob after this lived feventeen years in 
 Egypt, the only part of his life that he can be 
 faid to have known comfort. But even this 
 gleam of happinefs was in the fetting of hi? 
 days, when ** he could hardly difcern between. 
 " good and evil — when he could not tafte 
 ** what he eat, or what he drank." And ** the 
 *' time drew nigh, that Ifrael muft die." And 
 
 after 
 
and hh Brethren. 247 
 
 alter he was buried, for he was laid, as he had 
 requefted, with his fathers ; Jofeph's brethren 
 " fent a meflenger to him, acknowleging the 
 " evil they did unto him," and foHciting his 
 forgivencfs. Having long buried in obHviori 
 their unkindnefs, he wept when they brought 
 it airain to his remembrance. His heart was too 
 obedient to the dictates of rehgion, to " return 
 *' evil for evil. He comforted them, and 
 " fpake kindly unto them." Jofeph was now 
 fifty-fix years old ; and he lived afterwards 
 fifty-four years, *' adminifbering juftice, and 
 *' executing truth." 
 
 The entire hiftory permit me to recommend 
 to your attentive, and ferious perufal. And I 
 pray God it may teach every parent, judicious, 
 and impartial, affcdlion to his children ; and 
 every child, reverence to his parents, and love 
 to his brethren ! May it give underilanding to 
 the fmiplc ; to the young man knowlegc and 
 difcretion ! May it lighten the burden of afflic- 
 tion, and difpofc us all to trufl in Him ** who 
 *' bringeth good out of evil ; and who would 
 " not that any lliould perifli, but that all 
 " fliould repent and live." 
 
 SERMON 
 
[ 2-jg ] 
 
 SERMON XVII. 
 
 PSALM cxxii. 1. 
 
 Iwas glad when they f aid unto me, let us go hit$ 
 the Houfc of the Lord. 
 
 TO neglecSl the public worfliip of Almighty 
 God is now become fo very common, 
 that many men, no doubt, imagine themfelves 
 ejtcufcd from the obligation of attending it. One 
 Sunday fucceeds another, and we perceive a 
 growing inattention, an increaiing unconcern 
 about publicly fupplicating the bleflingof God. 
 Many have fo habituated themfelves to 
 this fliameful abfencc from God's houfe, 
 that, one might conclude, they have entered 
 into covenant with Him, and that to make 
 a public acknovvlegement of his power in 
 prayer, and to offer him the public tribute of 
 praife and thank fgiving, is no longer to con- 
 ftitute a part of their chriftian duty. It is no: 
 to fuch men 1 fliall now addrefs myfelf; for 
 a^ they do not attend on the fervicc of tl 
 
 R Churc, 
 
250 An earncji Rxhortatton 
 
 Church, what is here delivered can neither con-f 
 vincc them of their difobedience, nor perfuade 
 them to a better mind ; but my difcourfe will 
 be addrefled to thofe who are fometimcs prc- 
 fent, but generally abfent. And obferving the 
 congregation rather larger than ufual, and, 
 therefore, compofed chiefly of thoie vsho do 
 not regularly frequent the courts of the Lord's 
 houfe, I cannot have a more favorable oppor- 
 tunity to befeech you publicly, my brethren, 
 in the name of God, and for the fake of our 
 Lord Jefus Chrift, that ye will, from this day, 
 devote the Sunday to the holy purpofe for 
 which God Almighty defignedit; that ye will, 
 from this day, invariably attend public wor- 
 fhip ; and that, inftead of loitering in idlenefs 
 at home, or wandering about in mifchief 
 abroad, during the time of divine fervice, ye 
 will " pay your vows in the great congrcga- 
 " tion," and fay, from your hearts, with the 
 devout Pfalmift, " } was glad when they faid 
 " untome, letusgointothehoufeoftheLord." 
 In this difcourfe I fhall, firfi:, lliew the obli- 
 gations incumbent on every peifon, without 
 exception, to attend the public worfliipof God 
 every Sunday. 
 
 After 
 
 \ 
 
to attend public Worjhtp. 251 
 
 After which I fliall remove the excufcs 
 made for the negledl of it. 
 
 And laftly, I fliall earncftly exhort you to 
 worfliip God as regularly as the Sunday comes, 
 " in this houfe which is called by his name." 
 May the blefling of God accompany what is to 
 be delivered! And may this houfe, dedicated 
 to God, be diftinguiflied, every fucceeding 
 Sunday, by the regular, and conllant atten, 
 dance of every individual, whom God requires 
 to be in it! 
 
 ift. It has always been the objc6l of every 
 Government to inculcate, upon the people, re- 
 ligious principles ; well knowing, that, if the 
 fear of God be not implanted in the heart, 
 inen would never be reftrained by a fenfc of 
 right, a principle of duty, nor the terror of law. 
 And for what end are churches built, and mi^r 
 nilters appointed \ Surely that the ignorant 
 may be intruded in, and the more intelligent 
 reminded of, their duty to both God, their 
 neighbor, and thcmfelves. The Legiflature, 
 conceiving it to be the indifpenfable duty of 
 every one to attend public worfliip, has im- 
 pofed a fine upon all who negledl it : of fo 
 much confequence does it appear to rulers and 
 R 2 governors. 
 
252 All carncjl 'Exhortation 
 
 governors, that the houfe of God fliould be 
 regularly frequented. For it is evident, that, 
 unlefs fociety be aduated by religious prin- 
 ciples, there willfoon be a fubverfion of order, 
 and an end of government. 
 
 A fecond obligation to attend divine wor- 
 ihip is, that it is the only mode of conveying, 
 and of receiving inftru6lion. We are more de- 
 vout, we are more ferious, we feel ftronger 
 imprefTions of ReHgion, by fupplicating God 
 in the Church, than we can do in private ; for 
 a devout congregation is an emblem of IJea- 
 ven. Thofe indeed, who are religioufly dif- 
 pofed, may derive much edification from join- 
 ing in prayer regularly with their families, 
 from offering up their private devotions to 
 God, and from frequently reading the holy 
 Scriptures. But the Church is the only place, 
 where we can be exhorted to the obfervance 
 of thofe duties we negled:, and diffuaded from 
 the com million of thofe vices, to which we are 
 addi(fi"ed. For inflance : the man who does not 
 attend the Church, does not, of confequence, 
 receive the Sacrament. Now, by his negle(5l, 
 he does not hear his obje£lions to the celebra- 
 jtion of the Lord's Supper removed ; he hears 
 
to attend pJih lie WorJIilp. 25^ 
 
 fto exhortation to the obfervance o( that indif- 
 penfablc duty; and he becomes, at laft, almoft 
 infenfible. that Jefus Cnrifi:, the very night on 
 which he fuffcred death to redeem us, exprefsly 
 commanded it. Is a man addicted to intempe- 
 rance, and profane fwearing. to exceffive paf- 
 fion ? By not going to Church he does not hear 
 the folly of his vices expufed ; he does not hear 
 the denunciations of God Almighty, " againft 
 " thofe who commit fuch things," denounced ; 
 and, therefore, continues in the indulgence of 
 them, till he goes down to the grave with all 
 his fms unrepented of, on his head. Confider, 
 on the other hand, the happy effcds of a regu- 
 lar attendance on the fervice of the Church. 
 A fuitable difcourfe, by God's bleffing accom- 
 panying it, may be a mean of convincing a 
 {inner of the error of his ways, of leading him 
 to amendment of life, and of making his 
 peace with both God and man. " The word 
 *' preached may, and does, profit" in a variety 
 of inftances. How many thoughtlcfs wretches 
 who confumed their time, and fquandered 
 their fubilance, have become diligent and care- 
 ful ? How many, who behaved like brutes and 
 favages to their families, have, by hearing the 
 
 R 3 ward 
 
25»4 An earneft Exhoriatlon 
 
 Word of God, become docile, and peaceable ? 
 Now, if fuch advantages arife froni a regular, 
 and conftant attendance on the fervice of the 
 Church, is it not every man's duty to be con- 
 flant in his attendance ? " I fpeak as to wife 
 men, judge yc," my brethren, and determine 
 on the propriety of it. 
 
 The lad obligation I fliall mention, incum- 
 bent on all men to celebrate the public vvorlhip 
 of God, is the exprefs command fo repeatedly, 
 and emphatically, delivered in the holy Scrip- 
 tures. 
 
 It is to be obferved, that the command is no 
 way qualified, by leaving it to our own difcre- 
 tion, whether we will go to church or not. 
 God's houfe is the place appointed where we 
 are to receive inftru^ion, to offer up prayers, 
 and to give thanks unto God. The Almighty 
 commanded " the children of Ifrael, their 
 " wives, and their little ones, and the ftranger 
 " within their gates, to aflemble that they 
 " might hear, and that they might learn, and 
 *' fear the Lord their God, and obferve to do 
 '* all the words of his law: and that their chil- 
 ** drcn too might hear, and learn to fear the 
 *J Lord their God.'^ What attention did they 
 
 pay 
 
to attend piibVtc WorJIup, 255 
 
 pay to God*s command ? " There was not a 
 *' word of all that Mofes commanded, which 
 ** Joftiua read not before ALL the congrega- 
 *^ tion of Ifracl, with the women, and the little 
 *' ones, and the ftrangers, that were converfant 
 *' among them." Let any man take a view 
 of this congregation in general, and could he 
 fuppofe that God Almighty had given a com- 
 mand that every foul throughout the parifli, 
 who was not prevented by ficknefs, or unavoid- 
 able neceffity, fhould pay his adoration 
 to Him in his own houfc ? " When God 
 *' judges the world in righteoufnefs," may none 
 of you, my brethren, experience the judgments 
 he will denounce againfl thofe who have neg- 
 led:ed his worfhip ! God requires, and com- 
 mands you to appear every Sunday, in this 
 houfe of prayer. Inftead of which, you come 
 when you have no engagement, and juft as you 
 may feel difpofed. Do you ever confider by 
 Whom the command is given? Is there a man 
 amongft you who would pay the fame inat- 
 tention to the reqiicji of him, of whom you 
 rent a farm, or derive your fubfiftence ? To 
 leave you without excufe ; to reprefcnt you to 
 yourfclves, as ungrateful and difobcdicnt, as 
 R 4 indeed 
 
250 An carmji Exhortation 
 
 indeed you arc, to the God who created, antl 
 redeemed you, I fhall obviate the pleas with 
 which you fo eafily fatisfy yourfelves. 
 
 ( 1 ) You have bufinefs you allege, and you 
 cannot, for the fake of going to Church, neg- 
 le£l it. It may be fo. To whom are you in- 
 debted for the means of bufmefs ? To God, 
 you will allow : no doubt. And what com- 
 mand has he given refpe<5ling it ? *' The 
 '* feventh day is the fabbath of the Lord thy 
 '' God ; on it thou Ihalt do 7iq vianncr of 
 " zvork.^^ If budnefs require you to abfent 
 yourfclycs fo very often from Church, you had 
 better, I had almoft faid, have no bufmefs ; 
 you had better be in the loweft ilation in life, 
 with juft bread to cat, and raiment to put on, 
 than have engagements w^hich prevent your 
 worfhipping God. Bufmefs is to fupply you 
 with the comforts, and conveniences of this 
 life : Religion is to fecure your happincfs to 
 all eternity. Afk your hearts, whether you 
 prefer ? 
 
 (2) It is fomctimcs impioufly faid, where 
 is the neccfTity of going to Church, when we 
 obferve many people, no better than ourfelves, 
 who have gone all their lives ? ** Their blood 
 
 ''be 
 
to attend piihlic WotJJi'ip, 25 f 
 
 " be on their own heads! to their own mailer 
 " they ftand or fall ;" and to him muft they 
 give account for all the means of improvement, 
 and anfwcr for their negled of it. Will it 
 render the punifliment of eternity cafier to 
 bear, becaufe you do not bear your punifli- 
 ment alone ? We have enough to do to take 
 care of our own fouls, let us not intermeddle 
 with others, unlefs we can improve them in 
 goodnefs. 
 
 (3) It is fometimes alleged, that your clothes 
 are fo inditferent, you arc aft^mcd of going to 
 Church. In anfwer to this excufe, will you be 
 feen by any perfon, who is not acquainted 
 with your fituation, and circumftances r But it 
 may be often afked, with too much propriety, 
 of thofc who make it ; is it not in your 
 power to provide better? Do you not fpend fo 
 much money in drinking, or fo much time in 
 idlenefs, as, if you were employed in your bu- 
 fmefs, would fupply you with clothes fuitable 
 to your ftation ? If you are careful, and induf- 
 trious, be not afliamed. It is not improbable, 
 but that fome people, obferving your regu- 
 larity and devotion, may charitably fupply 
 
 vou 
 
258 An tdrneji "Exhortation 
 
 you with fome. But if they (hould not, yoil 
 had better worfhip God, and fave your fouls, 
 than lofe them eternally, under the pretence 
 of not having fo good clothes as your neigh- 
 bors. 
 
 (4) Some pretend to excufe their neglec?l of 
 the Church becaufe they are ignorant, and 
 they Ihall not, they hope, be punifhed for 
 their want of knowlea;e. One would think it 
 almofl: impolTible, that any man fliould pafs 
 fuch a grofs impofition on himfelf. Is the 
 Gofpel fo uninterefting, that we may live in 
 wilful ignorance of it ? If there be any thing 
 in the world a man fliould be deflrous of know- 
 ing, it is furely the way to Heaven. Would 
 you not wifh to have fome greater certainty 
 of your falvation, than the mere hope that 
 you (hall not be damned, becaufe you would 
 not know your duty, under the pretence, that 
 you fhould thereby be pxcufed from the prac- 
 tice of it? 
 
 (5) Another excufe made for not attending 
 Church, by fome people, is, that they can read 
 the Scriptures, and good books at home. Now 
 I appeal to your confcience before God, in 
 
 whofe 
 
t9 attend public U'orJJitp. 25g 
 
 whofe more immediate prefcnce we all are at 
 this moment, whether you are, on the Lord's 
 day, fo profitably employed ? Your confcience, 
 I prefume, tells you that you are not. But to 
 convince you that it is your duty to attend the 
 church, I will fuppofe you guilty of fome 
 vice — fwearing, for inftance. Now, whilft 
 you have been reading, as you pretend, at 
 home, a difcourfe hath been publicly delivered 
 by the minifter, which remarkably affefts your 
 cafe, and circumftances. Had you heard it, you 
 might have been induced to think on the dan- 
 gerous ftate you were in, with refped to Al- 
 mighty God ; you might have determined to 
 reform your life, and to ceafe from the abfurd, 
 and fmful pradice, of negleding public wor. 
 Ihip. But is it likely you fliouldread at home, 
 what muft fill you with fhame, and firike 
 you with felf-condemnation ? Befides, were 
 every one to make the fame excufe, Churches 
 would be quite unnecefTary, and the whole 
 body of the Clergy almofl, would be a bur- 
 den upon fociety ; as their entire employ 
 would be the baptizing of infants, vifiting the 
 fick, and burying the dead. Sunday, that 
 blefTed day, appointed for the celebration of 
 
 our 
 
26o An carneji 'Exhortation 
 
 our Redemption by Chrift, would ceafe td 
 be beneficial ; the confequence of which would 
 fhortly be, that we fliould live without fa- 
 cramcnts, without piety, *' and without God 
 " in the world." For the profanation of the 
 day which God has commanded to be kept 
 holy, you who ncglcc^t the Church are an- 
 fwerable. 
 
 (0) The laft excufe I fliall at prcfent men- 
 tion is, tliat the apprehcnfion of catching cold, 
 and the badnefs of the weather, often pre- 
 vent many people, they pretend, from attend- 
 ing the fervice of God, who are forry to be 
 hindered from it. 
 
 Perfons of delicate conftitutlons, and thoie 
 affli(5led with any feverc complaints, may 
 fullly make the excufe. But *' be not de- 
 " ceived ;" do not impofe on yourfelves. Is 
 not your health more endangered by cold and 
 rain, in the profecution of your bufmefs, or 
 the enjoyment of your plcafures, than it 
 would be by attending public worfhip ? Wc 
 need not argue on this fubjc£l ;, God is the 
 Judge. You may allege many things in vin- 
 dication of your negletft of it. But be well 
 allured, that your cxcufes are fuch as you 
 
 ihall 
 
to attend pub ik Worjlitp, 2^\ 
 
 fhail not be afliamed, or afraid to offer at 
 (rod's Tribunal. When you abf'cnt: your- 
 felves from Church, arc you neither with- 
 held by difincrmation, nor diverted byamufe- 
 mcnts? What anfvver does your confcience 
 give ? 
 
 Nothing nov.' remains, but that I briefly 
 expoflulate with you for prefuming to devote 
 the part of the Sunday, to your own purfuits, 
 which fliould be fpcnt in the public worfhip 
 of Almighty God. 
 
 Of every foul committed to his care, the 
 minifler of the Gofpcl muft give account to 
 God. To obferve you, therefore, my brethren, 
 when you fhould be attending public wor- 
 Hiip — fome purfulng your pleafures — fomc en- 
 gaged in bufniefs — fome indulging in idlenefs 
 — and fome immerfed in diffipation — awakens, 
 in my breaft, fcnfations of the moft piercing 
 nature, and enkindles, in my heart, apprehcn- 
 fions the moft alarming. When the Sunday 
 comes, and the Bells warn you that *'the day 
 ** is the Lord's," let me befeech you to con- 
 fider, that you are then called by the great 
 God of heaven and earth; that he expe(?.s 
 you tc attend him in his own houfe; and 
 
 that. 
 
202 jln earnejl Exhortation 
 
 that, if you arc remlfs and negligent, you fliall 
 provoke his heavy difpleafure. Do not at- 
 tempt to fatisfy your confcicnce, by pretending 
 fome little engagement, or trifling bufmefs. 
 The Almighty admits of tio hufinefs to detain 
 you conftantly from his worfhlp. Would you 
 be fatished, vv'ere your own commands neglect' 
 e(i, under fuch trivial pretences ? We lament 
 that the heathens had no Sunday, ruo fet day, on 
 which they might have worlliipped God. And 
 we make ourfelves worfe than the heathens, 
 becaufc, having fuch a day, we defpife and de- 
 file it. Ticprefent to your minds the awful fea- 
 fon, when you fliall be vifited with ficknefs, 
 and arieftcd by death ; and afk yourfclves, if 
 you think your confciences will fignify their 
 approbation of your having been 07ily occajional 
 worlhippers of God? Do you think you fliall 
 derive any pleafure in that awful hour, from 
 the refledion, that you have fpent fo many 
 Sundays, emphatically called God's own days, 
 in idlenefs, in bufmefs, or in pleafurcs ? Ah 
 foon, too foon it may be! will that time arrive. 
 And fliould I be called on to attend you in 
 thofe agonizing moments, if I am not fuccefs- 
 
 ful 
 
to attend puhlk WorJh)p. 2G3 
 
 ful in piy attempt, to perfuade you to attend 
 public worfliip, every page of the Bible will 
 forbid me to give you encouragement to ex- 
 pe6l falvation. Confidcr how deplorable fuch 
 a Itatc will be, and may God give you Gracq u- 
 \Q prevent it J 
 
 SERMON 
 
[ 203 ] 
 
 SERMON XVIII. 
 
 GENESIS, XXVTII. lO. 
 
 Surely the Lord is in this phce, and I hiew it 
 
 not. 
 
 THE carelefs and irreverent behavior of 
 many people, in the houfe of God, affefls 
 with deep concern, all ferious, and well-dif- 
 pofed minds. Is it that they do not go there, with 
 the adual defign of worfliipping God ? or be- 
 caufe they may as well fpend an hour in 
 Church as any where elfe, and therefore think 
 themfelves difcharged from the obligation ot 
 devoutly fupplicating God? Whatever be their 
 motive, it is evident that they do not confider 
 themfelves in the more immediate prefence of 
 him, who is *' jealous of his honor, and who 
 " will not give his glory to another." All fuch, 
 with too great reafon, may fay with Jacob in 
 the text, '* Surely the Lord is in this place, 
 *' and I knew it not. And he was faraid, anc^ 
 
 S *'faid, 
 
266 On devout Behavior, 
 
 *' faid, how dreadful," or how awful, " Is this 
 " place ! This is none other than the houfe of 
 « God, and this is the gate of heaven." That 
 I may, by the bleffing of God, excite, in every 
 irreverent worfliipper, the fame awful ideas ; 
 that I may, by the affifiiance of Divine Grace, 
 awaken, inevery carelefs breaft, the tremendous 
 thought, that furcly God is in this place, I will 
 beg your ferious attention, whilil I fhew, 
 
 Firft, The motives and inducements that 
 ought to bring us to the houfe of God. Se- 
 condly, The devotion and reverence with 
 which we ought to behave in it. Thirdly, 1 
 fhall point- out fome of the improprieties too 
 often obfervable in our congregations ; and 
 fhall then conclude with a ferious application. 
 
 Firft, We go to Church to acknowlegc 
 Whofe we^are, and Whom we fervc ; to de- 
 monftrate to the world, and to ourfelves, that 
 we have enlifted under the banners of the 
 Lord ; and that, " whoever others may fcrve, 
 " the Lord our God will we fcrve, and his 
 " voice only will we obey." We go to Church 
 to return God our public thanks for creating, 
 preferving, and redeeming us from everlafting 
 mifery ; to bcfecch him to " give us thofq 
 
 *' things 
 
i?i Church, 20/ 
 
 '* things that be needful for us ;'* and above all, 
 
 to grant r,s the dired:ion and affiftance of his 
 
 Holy Spirit, Icll we fall a prey to our grand 
 
 adverfary, the devil. We go to Church to 
 
 confcfs our un\vorthincfs,ho\v little we dcferve, 
 
 and yet how much wc receive, to declare our re- 
 
 folutions of amendment, and to fupplicate the 
 
 Grace of God, to enable us to keep them. 
 
 I ilfall fhcw, therefore, in the i'econd place, 
 
 the reverence and devotion we ought to feel m 
 
 our hearts, and exprefs in our behavior, whilft 
 
 we are in the Church of God. " How awful 
 
 " is this place ! This is none other than the 
 
 ** houfc of God, and this is the gate of Hea- 
 rt '♦ 
 " ven. 
 
 Let us confidcr how we behave, when we 
 
 are admitted into the prefence of a fuperior, of 
 
 whom we have a requeft to make, and whofe 
 
 refuflil, or compliance, will be attended with 
 
 lofs, or produ<5livc of advantage. Do we fit 
 
 down carelcis and unconcerned, not resjard- 
 
 ing what he fays, and behaving with evident 
 
 marks of difrefpedt, and uneafmefs ? Do we 
 
 feem vifibly weary of his company, and openly 
 
 acknowlege the irkfomenefs of his prefence ? 
 
 And when he allures us of his difpofition and 
 
 S 2 pQWcr 
 
2(38 On devout Behavior 
 
 power to ferve us; when he treats us with the 
 kindncfs of ellcem, and the warmth of friend- 
 i]iip, do we return his civilities with the cold- 
 nefs of indifference, and the mortification of 
 difdain ? Ou the contrary, do we not exprefs 
 by our looks, declare by our w^ords, and de- 
 monftrate by our adlions, our attachment to 
 his pcrfon, and our regard to his intcrefl ? Do 
 we not fliew by our behavior, our fcnfe of his 
 kindnefs, and how highly we value the favor 
 he has conferred ? And is the obligation one 
 man can confer on another, to be compared 
 with the mercies we fupplicate, and receive 
 from God? Docs the diftindlon, between one 
 mortal and another, merit greater honor and 
 reverence, than our Almighty Creator merits 
 of us all ? How ought we to carry ourfelves 
 then in his Divine Prefence, and in the houfc 
 appropriated to his worfhip ! Ought we not 
 there to collcdt our wandering thoughts, and 
 fix them fteadily upon God ? Ought we not to 
 be careful both what we think, and how we 
 behave, kit, Inftead of obtaining a bleffing, we 
 bring on ourfelves a curfe? Our congregations 
 ought to exhibit an alTembly of people met for 
 thciblc purpofe of worftilpping God; of fuppl- 
 
 cating 
 
hi ChurcJi. 2(JQ 
 
 eating his blcffing, of deprecating his vengeance. 
 Every look, every gefture, every pofturc in 
 which we ftand, or fit, or kneel, fliould exprefs 
 our fenfe of God's awful prefcnce. And in- 
 ftead of fuffcring our minds to be employed 
 about either bufnicfs or pleafure, we fliould at- 
 tend entirely to the fervice in which we ap- 
 pear to be engaged, whether it be in prayer, 
 thankfgiving, reading, or hearing the word de- 
 livered by the miniftcr. But we not uncom- 
 monly hear many people, as foon as they go 
 out of Church, declare, that, inftead of attend- 
 ing to the prayers and the fermon, they have 
 been thinking upon very different fubje(5^s. 
 This may, to fiich thoughtlefs creatures, appear 
 a trifling circumftancc ; but it is the greatefh 
 infult that can be fliewed to God, and his wor- 
 ship. It is " drawing near to him with your 
 *' li})s, while your hearts are far from him; it is 
 *' appearing to men to pray, but it is being 
 " v\ithin fuUofhypocrify," ofhypocrify towards 
 God. " And an hypocrite," it is faid, '* fliall 
 ** notftand before Him. Holinefs becometh 
 " the houfe of God;" and when we approach to 
 worfliip the Lord, it Ihould be ♦' with an holy 
 S3 " worfiiip ;" 
 
270 On devout Beha-jior 
 
 " worfiilp ;" our hearts fhould accompany our 
 tongues in the celebration of religion. 
 
 I now proceed to take notice of the errors 
 obfervable in our congregations. I mention 
 firft, the manner in which fome people go into 
 Church ; they appear quite carelefs and indif- 
 ferent ; when they go to their feats, they fit 
 down with as much unconcern, as if the bufi- 
 nefs they went about were of no confequence. 
 Let me recommend it, earneftly recommend 
 it, to every perfon, rich and poor, young and 
 old, as foon as you get to your refpediive places, 
 to " fall meekly upon your knees," and to 
 bcfeech Almighty God to accept your prayers 
 and devotion, to grant a bleffing to v\ hat the 
 minifter is about to deliver, and to bring it 
 home to your confciences. Let me beg of 
 you all, to make ufe of fuch a prayer every 
 time you go into the Church, and let me pre- 
 vail with you, to teach your children one like- 
 wife. Such a behavior would be devout and 
 reverent ; we fhould then appear like what we 
 are, a congregation of fallen creatures, fuppli- 
 cating fdlvation of our Almighty Creator. But 
 there is one thing I would recommend before 
 
 you 
 
/■// Church. 27] 
 
 you go into the Church ; confider into whofe 
 houfe, and for what purpofc, you are going. 
 And when you enter the Church-yard, look 
 with fcrious reflecfllons on the graves, the re- 
 pofitories of the filent dead; confider that y^^ 
 may never be permitted to walk among them 
 again, and that the very next grave that is 
 opened, may be for yourfelf. Such rcflcdions 
 will fuggcft a reverent behavior in the Houfc 
 of God. 
 
 (2) Many people go late into the Church, 
 and often, not without making a prodigious 
 noife, fo that not only the whole congregation 
 is difturbcd ; but fomc, thoughtlefsly and in- 
 confiderately, whether they are engaged in 
 prayer, or in attending to the word of God, 
 inftantly withdraw from their duty, and thus 
 add to the noife and confuilon, already made. 
 Now no perfon who confiders he is fupplicat- 
 ing a blcfling from Almighty God, perhaps 
 prefcrvation *' from fuddcn death, or from 
 ** eternal damnation," would prefume cither to 
 rife from his knees, or to ceafe offering his pe- 
 tition, becaufe fomcbody at that time is going 
 tQ his feat. One cannot but wifh, if for no 
 
 S -I other 
 
2'J2 Oil devout BeJurolor 
 
 other rcafon, that every one would be early in 
 his attendance on the fervice of the Church. 
 
 I cannot here omit mentioning, that if the 
 kail noife be made, either by the falling of a 
 book, or any other little accident, how very 
 anxious many people feem till they know what 
 is the matter. Let your attention be fixed 
 upon God, and the falvation of your fouls, and 
 you will behave with more decency and re- 
 verence. 
 
 (3) There is a regulation, that it is much 
 to be wiflied, was made in almofl every con- 
 gregation. The indecency, I believe, is only 
 to be found, to our great reproach, in the 
 Church of England ; I mean the fhameful, the 
 irreverent cuftom of praying to God, in the in- 
 dolent pollurc of fitting on our feats. Were a 
 perfon taken in a country of fiivages, whole 
 cuftom was to murder every one they appre- 
 hended, would he, when they made ligns to 
 him that he was going to die, fit indolently 
 down, and cal■clcf^ly alk them to fpare his life ? 
 \S^ouId he not fall upon his knees, and ear- 
 ncllly implore their mercy } How few flievv 
 the iame folicitude for their eternal falva- 
 tion — let this congregation bear vvitnefs ! 
 
 Should 
 
ht CJmrch, 27S 
 
 Should any man, to excufe his want of devo- 
 tion, fancy, that, though he repeats his prayers 
 in a fitting pofture, yet he prays in his heart, 
 and hears what the minifter prays, and obferves 
 and goes along with him, let him weigh well 
 in his mind the direcflion of the Apoftle, *' glo- 
 '^ rify God in your body, as well as in your 
 '* fpirit, for both are God's." 
 
 Though God principally requires the heart, 
 yet having made our bodies, an homage is due 
 unto God from them. And be aiTured, where 
 *' the heart is rijrht towards God," tlic reve- 
 rcnce of the body will naturally follow, as far 
 as it is in the power of the heart to command it. 
 
 Good men, in all ages, have not contented 
 themfelves to worfliip God with good thoughts> 
 or inward motions only, but with the external 
 ads of Religion — fuch as either the inllitution 
 and practice of the Church, or the cuflom of 
 the country had made external figns of honor ; 
 as uncovering the head, bowing the body, 
 kneelinti; on our knees. 
 
 Nor has any age, I believe, of the Chrillian 
 Church produced men, who have betrayed fuch 
 flight thoughts of God, and his Son Jefus 
 Chrift as the prefcnt, in the carclcfs and neg- 
 ligent 
 
27 i On devout Behavior 
 
 ligent way of Worfhip to which many fecm to 
 have given themfelves up. 
 
 The diflenters from the church, whenever 
 they go to prayers in their pubUc meetings, 
 aJl cither tall upon their knees, or fliew their 
 reverence by Handing. And fliall all other 
 feds, when they pray in their public congre- 
 gations, difcover external marks of homage to 
 God Almighty ; and fhall wc, the members of 
 the Church of England, the beft of all Churches, 
 confult our eafc as if we were at home ? This 
 is a contempt of God, a reproach to our Church, 
 a fcandal to our Religion, an offence to devout 
 minds, and an ill example to all who obferve, 
 or fit near you. 
 
 Let mc fuggefl: further, that that frequent 
 litting during the time of Divine fervice, pro- 
 duces drowfmefs and languor. And this is one 
 caufe, why people fleep more in the Church of 
 England, than they do in the meetings and 
 conventicles of diffenters. 
 
 I have to add, that, as many people may ob- 
 ject thay cannot kneel upon the bare ground, 
 it is devoutly to be wifhed that every one, who 
 is able, would provide himfclf, as he may do it 
 at a trifling expence, with a bafs, or haflbck, for 
 
 the 
 
/// Church. 
 
 275 
 
 tlie purpofc — and that every pcrfon who is not 
 able to procure one might be fupplied by the 
 fupcrintendants of the parifli. Your Church 
 would then have much more the appearance 
 of an houfc of God, than it has at prcfcnt. 
 
 It is, however, to be obfervcd that fome, 
 from a^i^e, or bodily infirmity, or from a variety 
 of caufcs, cannot bear to kneel during the time 
 of fcrvice with comfort, and therefore, cannot 
 kneel with devotion. It is not cxpe^ed, nor 
 would it be proper, that fuch people fhould 
 attempt to do it ; but let me fuggeft even to 
 thcfc, that the utmoll: reverence is due from 
 them to God, and that, if they do not ncgledto 
 pay it, though they are obliged to fit on their 
 feats, he will mercifully accept their fer\{ccs 
 
 ( i) I am next to take notice of the extreme 
 impropriety of leaning againft the pews, or leats, 
 during the time of the reading of the lYalms, 
 and of the Prayers by thofe who ftand up, as 
 though thofe perlbns were unable to fupport 
 thcmfclves. It betrays a lliamcful indifference 
 for the worOiip, and fervicc of God. Let all 
 men, whofe behavior is io irreverent, confidcr, 
 that alTuredly '' the Lord is in this place," be- 
 holding, and obferving them. 
 
 (.>) Let 
 
276 On devout Behavior 
 
 (5) Letmc remark too, that a very difagree- 
 able cuftom prevails of repeating aloud after 
 the minifter, to the great difturbance of many 
 who fit near them, thofe parts of the fervicc 
 in which the congregation fhould follow him 
 only with the eye. Sometimes they read too 
 faft, and prevent others from underftanding 
 what he fays. The Rubric direds where the 
 people fliould repeat ; and where it gives no di- 
 re<^lions, it intends that the congregation fliould 
 be filent, and liflen to the minifter. 
 
 (0) I would, briefly, mention another cir- 
 cumftance, which, though it may efcape ge- 
 neral obfervation ought, I think, to be 
 fuggefted and imprcfl"ed : thofe who have 
 Bibles in the Church, generally look for the 
 text ; and ufually the whole congregation, 
 when it is taken out of the Pfalms ; and fomc 
 are often {o long in finding it, that a part of 
 the Sermon is finifl:cd, before they have paid 
 the fmalleft attention to it. Now the firft 
 part of the fcrmon is often an explanation of 
 the text ; and if people do not know the mean- 
 ing of the text, they cannot profit much, I 
 apprehend, by the difcourfe upon it. 
 
 (7) Let me mention, further, what has al- 
 ways 
 
in Church. 27/^ 
 
 ways given great offence to ferious minds, the 
 levity, and foolifli talking, to which many addicl 
 themfelves in the houfe of God. One would 
 imagine that fuch people go with no other 
 view, th^n to make remarks on the drefs, on 
 the finery, and folly, of their neighbors. Is 
 whifpering, talking, laughing, feemly, do you 
 think, in God's prefencc ? Let me befeech you 
 to ceafc from fo foolifli, and fo fmful, a practice. 
 
 (s) Let me, laftly, take notice of another 
 indecency, committed chiefly by the younger 
 part of the congregation, I mean the irreverent 
 cuftom of rufhing out of the church, almoft 
 before the fcrvice is concluded. Let me pre- 
 vail with you all, and you who are fathers and 
 mafters more cfpccially, to enjoin jour children 
 and fervants, before they depart from God's 
 houfe, to go reverently on their knees, and be- 
 feech God to forgive the wanderings of their 
 hearts, and the coldnefs of their devotions ; 
 that, '^ what they have heard with their out- 
 *' ward ears, may produce in them the fruits 
 " of good living." Teach them then to de- 
 part like fniful creatures, who have been wor- 
 ihipping an Almighty God. 
 
 I will beg your patience a moment longer, 
 
 whilft 
 
278 On devout Behavior 
 
 whilll: I make a fhort application. Let mc 
 then requeil of you all, my brethren, to think 
 ferloufly, before you enter the Church, into 
 w'hofe awful prefence you are going. And 
 ^vhen you have entered it, let me bcfeech you 
 to fall meekly on your knees, to fupplicatc 
 God's acceptance of your prayers, and to grant 
 that the word to be preached, may become 
 ** a favor of Hfe unto life," to all that hear it. 
 Let there be, in future, no noifc made by your 
 entering it. And v^-hcthcr your are reading, or 
 hearing the word, or offering up your prayers 
 and thankfgivings, do not let any little diftur- 
 "bance, as the opening of a door, or the falling 
 of a book, withdraw your attention from your 
 duty. Let this Church be, in future, diftin- 
 'Tuifhed by the reverence and devotion of all 
 who frequent it ; and let me entreat you to pay 
 fo much honor to Almighty God, as to pray to 
 him, not in your prefent cuftom of fitting on 
 your feats, or even the more decent one ot 
 ftanding, but " meekly kneeling on your knees.*' 
 Let all impertinent gazing at other people's 
 drefs ; let all talking, whifpering, and laughing, 
 be for ever banifhed from this holy place. And 
 inftead of haftily departing before the Blefling 
 
 is 
 
2?i Church, 2/9 
 
 IS pronounced, let us return thanks to God for 
 the opportunity of attending His houfe and 
 fervice, and beg his Grace to accompany what 
 has been deUvered. 
 
 ' May God Almighty grant, that neither our 
 negligence in frequenting this houfe of prayer, 
 nor our contentions in rending and troubling 
 it, nor our irreligion in polluting of it, may 
 ever hinder the benefit we hope to reap in it, 
 nor prevent his hearing all our prayers, which 
 we put up in humility and reverence ! May 
 the eyes of that gracious and holy God wc 
 come here to worfliip, be opened day and night 
 in this houfe of prayer, and his ears attentive 
 to our petitions, and his hands open, and ready, 
 to relieve our wants, and to blefs us every Lord's 
 day, and in all our weekly concerns to our 
 lives end, through Jefus Chrift our Lord ! 
 
 SERMON 
 
I 281 ] 
 
 SERMON XIX. 
 
 PROVERBS XX. i. 
 
 Wine is a mocker, Jlrong drhih is raging, and 
 whofoever is deceived thereby is not wife. 
 
 a 
 
 \? all the vices to the commiflTion of whjch 
 wc arc allured, either by the propcnfity 
 o^ nature, or the temptations of life, there is 
 fiot one that involves us in fo many dangers as 
 €xceflive drinking. 
 
 in whatever light Vve confider that deteft- 
 able vice, whether as pernicious to our health, 
 deftrudive of our underftan dings, fatal to our 
 families, or offcnfive to God, it ftands pre-emi- 
 nently diftinguifhcd above every other. So 
 inalignant indeed in its nature, and fo ruinous 
 in its confequences is every fm, that wc may 
 fay of the commiflion of each, what the vromcn 
 anfwcrcd one another, when they were congra^ 
 tulating the king of Ifrael on his fucccfs againft 
 
 T the 
 
282 v^j////? "Drunhnnefs. 
 
 the PhlUdlnes, *' Saul has flain his thoufands ;" 
 but of drunkenncfs it may be faid, " it hath 
 " flain its ten thoufands." 
 
 The defign of this difcourfe is to (hew the 
 fin, the folly, and the danger attending it. 
 
 So heinous does the fin of drunkennefs ap- 
 pear to the Apoftle, that he exhorts his Corin- 
 thian converts, with thofe who indulge in it, 
 *' not to keep company," not to have any fel- 
 low^ip, or intercourfe, with them ; " But now 
 *' I have written unto you not to keep com- 
 '^ pany, if any man that is called a brother,'* 
 that profefles the Chriftian faith, *' be a drunk- 
 ** ard, with fuch an one, no not to eat." 
 
 In his Epiille to the Galatians, he joins this 
 vice with thofc other works of the flefh, which 
 exclude Chriftians from the kingdom of God. 
 In the catalogue are, " hatred, variance, wrath, 
 " ftrife, feditions, murder, revellings, drmiken^ 
 ** nefs ; of the which I tell you, they who ha- 
 *' bitually, or frequently, commit them," or 
 any of them, *' fliall not inherit the king- 
 " dom of God." 
 
 Drunkennefs is fuch an enemy to every 
 thing that is virtuous and pious, to every 
 
 thing 
 
Againji Dninhnnefs. 283 
 
 thing that is decent and becoming, the reli- 
 gious and the good, would, one would think, 
 rife up, as one man againll: it, as a fm that 
 degrades us from the honor of human natur*, 
 and renders us more vile and contemptible than 
 " the bcafts that periili." 
 
 Shall man that is made *' after the image 
 ** of God," and ranks in dignity next to the 
 glorious angels — fhall man who is endowed 
 with reafon to inform him of the will of his 
 Creator — who is pofTcfTcd with confcience to 
 awaken him to comply with it — fliall a Chrif- 
 tian who has taken the vows of God upon him, 
 and bound himfclf by the moft awful obliga- 
 tions to renounce all prohibited indulgences, in 
 order that he may be entitled to an eternal 
 kingdom ; fliall, I fay, this wife and rational 
 creature, man— fliall he part with his reafon, 
 his confcience, his heaven, his God, for the 
 fake of " wine which is a mocker, or flrong 
 *' drink which is raging" — which will involve 
 him in prefent (hame, and expofe him to eter- 
 nal ruin ? This is fuch a pitch of folly, fuch an 
 extravagance of madncfs, as all, upon ferious 
 thoughts, mull condemn \n ith fcorn, and re- 
 probate with indignation, 
 
 T 2 The 
 
284 ^^^;V//? Drunhnnefi. 
 
 The commifTion of this vice is become fo 
 frequent, and cuftom has rendered it lb fami- 
 liar, many endevor to pcrfuade themfclves, 
 cither that it is no fm, or if it be, that it is of ^ 
 very venial nature : but that they may not, as 
 my text fays, ** be deceived thereby," by any 
 fophiflry of argument, or convenience of per- 
 fuafion, let them weigh this pcrfuafion in the 
 balance of fcripturc, and it will at once, ** be 
 '• found light :" for fays the word of God, as 
 fiire as a future ftate is to fucceed the prcfent, 
 as fure as a Heaven is provided for the righte- 
 ous, and the fober, fo fure arc drunkards to 
 be of the number of thofc who Ihall not enter 
 into it. 
 
 Our BlelTed Saviour gives warning to all 
 Chriftians, to be prepared againft his fecond 
 coming to judgment. *' Take heed to your- 
 " felves, left at any time your hearts be over- 
 " charged with furfciting, and drunkcnncfs, 
 " left that day come upon you unawares ; for 
 *' as a fnare it will come upon all that dwell 
 " upon the earth.'* 
 
 Religion, which prohibits intemperance, 
 and rcftrains excefs, does not deny a freedom 
 confident with innocence, nor rcfufe a plca- 
 fiirc allowable by decencv. 
 
Agd'tnjl Drunkcfinefs. 283 
 
 As we have fecn the fin, let us now confider 
 the folly of drunkcnnefs; that " wine, or (Irong 
 <* drink," in the language of the text, taken 
 to cxcefs, often makes people fools, or mad :— 
 ♦< Wine is a mocker, ftrong drink is raging, and 
 ** whofoever is deceived thereby, is not wife.'* 
 A pcrfon intoxicated is not always mailer 
 of himfelf ; he cannot always do what, in a 
 fober temper, he is inwardly convinced is bell 
 for him to do, but is fubje£l to the unreafon- 
 able commands, and arbitrary power of his 
 pafTion ; and at pcrfed variance even with his 
 own mind, frequently committing, what he, as 
 frequently, condemns. 
 
 Were a perfon enjoined, under the fevcrlty 
 of a heavy penalty, to be every day drunk as a 
 juft punifliment for the tranfgrcflion of the 
 laws of his country, with what juftice would 
 he complain of the unreafonablenefs of the 
 law; and with what propriety might he mur- 
 mur at the tyranny of the impofition ! 
 
 A man intoxicated with liquor can fcarcely 
 articulate his chaos of ideas ; he is rude too in 
 his manners, and diforderly in his condu<5l : 
 fometimes indeed he has neither the power of 
 his tongue, nor the ufe of his limbs ; but in 
 
 T 3 both 
 
286 Agahift Dntnhnnefs 
 
 both cafes the greatcft kindncfs that can be 
 done to him is to put him carefully out of the 
 way, till time and fleep bring him to his fcnfes 
 agam. And furely, when his underftanding 
 rfctums, if he hath any fenfe of fhamc, or feel- 
 ing of difgrace, he muft be covered with con- 
 fufion when herefled;s how fcandaloufly he has 
 offended againft decency, and good manners. 
 
 And it is not only whilft he is in aflate of 
 intoxication, that his faculties are difordered, 
 but fuch is the influence of cuftom, and the 
 prevalence of habit, he is often fo befotted as 
 to become a child in underftanding, when, 
 through length of days, and accuracy of obfcr- 
 vation, he might have been enabled to *' give 
 " fubtilty to the fimple, and to the young man 
 "' knowlcge, and difcretion." 
 
 A perfon of diftindion and confequencc, 
 who addids himfelf to intemperate drinking, 
 lofes the refpe£l and deference, which, when 
 he is fober, he is often anxious to have paid, 
 even in an undue proportion. 
 
 Drinking is a vice, which, more than all 
 others, expofes people to ads of violence, and 
 the difgrace of quarrels : thoib efpccially whofc 
 tempers are naturally violent, and under no 
 
 rcftraintc 
 
Agabi/l Drunke?wefs, 287- 
 
 reftraint. And whoever is of a peevidi dif- 
 pofitlon, and little mafter of himfelf, fliould 
 carefully abftain from that degree of ftrong 
 liquor, or that fort of it, which produces the 
 mifchievous effed of tranfporting him into 
 madnefs and frenzy. How many perfons fall 
 out in the rage of drinking, of which they 
 know not the reafon, and can very faintly re- 
 colled: the manner ? 
 
 And this is fo common, Solomon obferves 
 of it proverbially, that " he, who fits long at 
 " the wine" till liquor cnflame him and his- 
 company, is like to have *' wounds without 
 *' caufe." — " Who hath woe ? who hath for- 
 " row ? who hath contentions? who hath. 
 " babling ? who hath wounds without caufe ? 
 " who hath rcdnefs of t^cs ? They that tarry 
 *' long," fays he, *'atthe wine." 
 
 When the ipirits of fomc men are enflamed 
 by immoderate drinking, they blaze out into a 
 paffion at the Icaft affront, and often when the 
 affront is but imaginary ; they arc fo far 
 out of their own power as to ad, and talk 
 fuch unjuftifiable, and abfurd things, as, in a 
 fobcr, cool temper they cannot bear to rciicd 
 on, or to have, I do not fay, repeated, but even 
 intimated, to them. 
 
 T 4 Drunkenncfs 
 
288 -(^g^i^ft Drunkennefi. 
 
 Drunkennefs is a vice which cannot be fiip^ 
 ported but at a prodigious expencc, together 
 with a wafte of time, and ncgledl of bufinefs. 
 How many leave their families at home pinch- 
 ed with want, often ftarving with hunger, ia 
 order to maintain this expenfive vice ? Drink- 
 ing, when it has involved a man beyond what 
 his circumftances, bufmefs, or income will 
 bear, hath been the ruiu of many a comfortable 
 and plentiful fubfiftence. •* The drunkard 
 *' and the glutton fhall con:>e to poverty, and 
 ** drowfmefs fhall clothe a man with rags." 
 
 Drunkennefs, l^t it be confidcred, is a vice 
 whereby perfons generally fuffer in their repu- 
 tation, and in the efteem of the world. What 
 name is more notorioufly infamous than that 
 of a drunkard ? Can you entruft a bufinefs that 
 requires vigilance of attention, and comprp- 
 henfion of thought, to a man addicted to drink- 
 ing ? No one of common underftanding is fo 
 yegardlefs of his own intcreft: for in men fo. 
 habituated to intemperarvcc, implicit confi-' 
 dcnce is not to be placed. Youip bufinefs is 
 generally neglcftcd, and they offer you fome 
 idle excufe, which aggravates |heir offence, and 
 enhances your mortification. 
 
 Wc 
 
Agahijl Dru7ike7t?icJ}, 28g 
 
 We have fecn the fin and folly, let us now 
 proceed to the danger, both v^ ith regard to this 
 hie, and the next. 
 
 Drunkennefs fows the feeds of diforders in 
 the conftitution, and tends to make life often 
 fliort, and fometimcs painful. Fevers, drop- 
 figs, a diftraded head, and a vitiated ftomach — 
 thefe, and many more, diforders proceed from 
 cxceflive drinking. Some perfons, indeed, from 
 ftrcngth of conftitution, and fcvcrity of cxcrcife, 
 may not be fenfibly atFcd:cd by it. But to the 
 moll robufl, excefs is, ultimately, poifon. Upon 
 fomcitmay work more flowly, than upon others, 
 but it fcldom fails, in the end, to " bring down 
 their heads with Ibrrow '* to the grave." 
 
 And as to thofe who furvive the diflempers 
 generated by drinking, we may oblcrve fuch 
 manifeft decays in their ftrcngth, and under- 
 ftanding, and memory, that, they appear like 
 walkinganatomics, to deter all thoughtful men, 
 frorr^ fuch dellru<flive, and pernicious courfes. 
 
 Again, wher^ the nature of man is changed 
 into that of a beaft, he is infcufihly prepared 
 for the reception of " other fpirits more wicked 
 *^ than himfelf,-' and is expofed to the danger 
 " of going onlmni one wickcdnefs to another." 
 
 When 
 
290 Agahifl Drunhnnefs 
 
 When God takes away the power of his grace, 
 and the guidance " of his Spirit," the poor 
 wretch is at the mercy of every temptation 
 iliggcfted by the " world, the flefh, and the 
 *' devil ;" he then goes on till God will bear 
 with him no longer, but " gives him up to a 
 *' reprobate mind." 
 
 Bcfidcs, each fccne cf drunkennefs prepares 
 a perfon for the commilTion of every other fm, 
 to which the propenfity of his nature, or the 
 convenience of temptation, may incline him. 
 
 Laftly, let us confider the accidents to which 
 a drunken man is perpetually liable. — A per- 
 fon, in a flate of intoxication, is often incapa- 
 ble of avoidinor the mod fliockinc: misfortunes. 
 So ftrong a mill is before his eyes, that he can- 
 not difcern the danger of a pit, nor the horror 
 of a precipice. 
 
 Need I inftance thofe who have been drag- 
 ged by their horfes, and have gone fenfelefs 
 out of this world, to anfwer for their profligacy 
 in another ? 
 
 If by thefe, or fuch like accidents, men arc 
 brought to a fudden, and untimely end, in 
 what a dlfmal condition do they pafs out of 
 this, into the next life, dying in the very a6l of 
 
 abufmg 
 
Againji Drunhnnefi, 29 1 
 
 abuiing God's mercy, and tranfgreffing his 
 wilJ ? — " Charity, which hopeth all things," 
 here Ihrinks with horror from the profped of 
 futurity. 
 
 Having fliewn the fm, the folly, and the 
 danger, of drinking to excefs, I will only de- 
 tain yon, whim I recapitulate the arguments 
 that have been urged. 
 
 Drunkennefs is pernicious to both body and 
 foul; with a drunkard we are forbidden to 
 keep company — a drunkard is of the number 
 of thofe fmners who fhall not be admitted into 
 the. kingdom of heaven. Our Saviour cautions 
 us againft the commlffion of this vice, left we 
 fhould be furprlzed by death unawares. The 
 drunkard ceafes to be mafter of hlmfelf : his 
 behavior is fo unfccmly, he cannot reflect on 
 it witliout Hiame, nor hear of it without con- 
 fufion. Inftead of inftrudlng by his advice, 
 and engaging by his example, his underftand- 
 ing is bewildered, and his conduct deteftable. 
 Let him reflecfl too, how he expofes hlmfelf to 
 infults, or is involved in quarrels ; how often, 
 at fuch times, he does what he has reafon deep- 
 ly to regret all hi^ life after. Let him confider 
 the injury he is committing againft his family; 
 
 how 
 
20 U J^amH Drufikennffi. 
 
 how much better his circumrtanccs would be. if 
 he would lave with care, what he thus iquandcrs 
 vith profurion. And it is oMbme weight too, 
 that he ruins his characfter and reputation ; he 
 is no loniier conlidercd as a perlbn in whom 
 vou can place couxidence, and, of courle, iub- 
 jec^s himl'elt to reproaches, and to lofs of bufi- 
 nefs. With hurtiuir his reputation, and in- 
 juring his fortune, he deftroys his health. Sucb 
 is his habit of body, that the pricking of a 
 tliorn, or the ftins^ns; of a crnat, lliall be at- 
 tended with as long a conhnement, and fevcre 
 a pain, as, in a founder conftitution, would be 
 the violence of a fever, or the fraclure of a 
 limb. Let him confider, that, when he is in- 
 toxicated, he knows not what mifchiefs and 
 and follies he may be drawn into. 
 
 Laltlv, let him remember how liable he is 
 to danger^ and mi:»for tunes— how many men 
 in a ftate of drunkenncfs, and infenfibility, have 
 been fummoned before the tribunal of their 
 Judsrc; and let him alTv himfelf, if he would 
 choofe to add to the number r Let him weigh 
 all thefe things ferioully ; and if he has any 
 regard for his fubftancc, his .health, his cha- 
 lacicr, his falvation, he will prefer\e himfelf 
 
 from 
 
Agaiuji Drunkcnuefs. 2'j3 
 
 from all immoderate ufe and cxcefs of wine, 
 which, the wlfcll of men fays, ** is a mocker, 
 " and from ftrong drink, which is raging," bc- 
 caiifc, he had obfcrvcd by experience this to 
 be true, that " whofocver is deceived thereby 
 *'' is not wife." W^liich good advice may God 
 Almighty give us all grace to obfervc throujib 
 Jefus Chrill our Lord. Amen. 
 
 SERMON 
 
r 205 ] 
 
 SERMON XX. 
 
 MATTHEW V. 34. 
 
 1 fiiy nntoyoujjivear not at at all. 
 
 WHEN human laws are violated, it is 
 generally under the veil of fecrecy, 
 and in the hour of concealment ; it is generally 
 either with the profpe<n; of gain, or the expec- 
 tation of pleafure. But the commands, which 
 Almighty God delivers, are openly, and daringly 
 infulted ; and though the tranfgreflion of them 
 promifes neither profit, nor delight; though 
 it be attended with the difpleafure of God at 
 prefent, and his eternal difpleafure hereafter ; 
 men perfift, through the wantonncfs of fport, 
 and the violence of outrage, to difobey, offend, 
 provoke the Being, who " gave them life, and 
 " breath, and all things." And of the fevcral 
 commands, whether '* written with the finger 
 *' of God/' or enjoined " by his own and only 
 
 " begotten 
 
2QQ Again ft profane Su'eariHg. 
 
 ** begotten Son," there is not one, I believd, to 
 the violation of which men are {o much ad- 
 didcd, whatever be the caufe, as that of pro- 
 fane fwcaring, the vice prohibited by our Sa* 
 vlour in my text, " 1 fay ilnto you, fwear not 
 ** at all." 
 
 To diiTuade you from a pradlice, which be* 
 trays fuch a want of reverence towards God, 
 and of decency towards men, let me beg your 
 attention, whilll I fhew^, in the firfl place, 
 the extreme danger incurred by profane fwcar- 
 ing. 
 
 After which, I iliall examine the rcafuns 
 people urge in their juftilication. And laftly, 
 I fhall earneftly exhort you to defift from a cuf- 
 tom, which expofes you to the judgment of 
 an Almighty, and incenfcd God. 
 
 Now, as we are exprefsly forbid to fwear 
 precipitately, and raflily, by the facred name of 
 God, to accuftom ourfelvcs to fwcaring is an 
 open, and public declaration, that we call in 
 queftion the wifdom, and bid defiance to the 
 power, of an All-knowing and Omnipotent 
 God : it is telling the fupreme Lord of heaven 
 and earth, that the laws he has cnaded, and 
 the commands he has delivered, arc trifling in 
 
 thcit 
 
Agahijl profane Svoearhig. 297 
 
 their nature, and ridiculous in their tendency ; 
 and that wc do not think it worth while to 
 pay any outward regard to him whofe protec- 
 ti' n we renounce, and whofe vengeance we 
 
 y. But can there be fuch an inftance of 
 
 r. v, fuch an extreme of madnefs, as to fport 
 
 h the holy and tremendous name of the 
 
 i God, the great Creator, the mighty So- 
 
 cn, Uie dreadful Judge of all the world? 
 
 ; ■' nothing to invoke the adorable name, to 
 
 engage the venerable tcftimony, to defy the 
 
 teirible vengeance of the divine Majcfty of 
 
 heaven and earth ? 
 
 ** O God, my flefli trembleth for fear of 
 *' Thee ; and I am afraid of thy judgments !" 
 
 The danger we incur by profane fwearing 
 will further appear, by confidering for what 
 end the faculty of fpeech was beftovved upon 
 us. 
 
 It is no lefs by our fpeech, than our Ihape, 
 that we are diftinguiflied from the brute crea- 
 tion. The tongue is fliid to be '* the beft 
 *' member that \sc have." And can it be 
 fuppofed that the Almighty endowed us with 
 it to profane his name, and infult his authority ? 
 Can it be fuppofed that it was the defign of 
 U our 
 
298 Againjl profane Swearing. 
 
 our All- wife Creator to give us the power of 
 fpeech, that we might the more effedually dif- 
 tinguifh ourfeives from all the works of his 
 hands, by the infolence of provocation, thedcfi- 
 fianceofjuftice, and the renunciation of mercy ? 
 Can any man reconcile the inconfiftency of 
 blafpheming the name of God, and fupplicat- 
 ing his forgivenefs, with the fame mouth ? At 
 one moment imprecating vengeance, and call- 
 ing for damnation ; at another fuing for par- 
 don, and pleading for acceptance ? 
 
 " Thou hafl: given me a tongue, O Lord, 
 " and I will praife thee therewith !" 
 
 The aggravation of profane fwearing will be 
 heightened by confidering further, that whilft 
 it dilhonors God, it brings dcftrudlion on our- 
 feives. 
 
 Now, if '' at the day of Judgment, we lliall 
 " give an account of every idle word," uttered 
 in the levity of mirth, and the tranfports of 
 diffipation, and if even thefe will incur the 
 cenfure, perhaps meet the puniQiment, of the 
 Judge, what will be the judgment denounced 
 againft deliberate oaths and imprecations, 
 againft wilful curfes and blafphemies ? God 
 him.felf has fvvorn that the fm fhall not go unpu- 
 
 niflied : 
 
Jjgainjl profane Siveanng. 299 
 
 nifhed : he hath engaged hisjuftice " not to 
 " hold fuch an one guiltlefs." AiTure thyfelf, 
 O fwearer, that God will one day vindicate 
 his name from the abufe, and his authority 
 from the contempt, which thou fo induflrioufly 
 heapeft upon them. Remember, that thou 
 importuncft God to hear, and braveil: him to 
 judge, of thy wickednefs. And reflecfl too, 
 •whilft the time is allowed thee, whether the 
 delight thou haft in uttering oaths and curfes 
 now, will be a fufficient compenfation, for the 
 fentence of being doomed '* to dwell forever, 
 " with the devil and his angels ?" How w'ilt 
 thou be able to hear this tremendous denuncia- 
 tion, from infulted Majefty, *^ thy delight was 
 ** in curfing, and it fhall happen unto thee ; 
 '' thou lovedft not bleffing, therefore fhall it be 
 ** far from thee ?" 
 
 There is one argument againft profane 
 fwcaring, which, though comparatively of 
 little weight, may not, perhaps, be urged al- 
 together in vain — it is an offence againft good 
 manners. Now, if any favor hath been con- 
 ferred on me, which conduces greatly to my 
 happinefs, by a charadcr I highly regard and 
 j:evcre5 and if I am fubjcc^ to the mortifica- 
 
 U 2 tion 
 
300 jjga'mj} profane Svcearhig. 
 
 tion of hearing him ridiculed andabufcd ; car 
 I be fuppofed to efteem tbofe perfons by whom 
 I am fo much mortified ? Can I hear with pa- 
 tience, or reflect without indignation, on the 
 abufe which has been fo wantonly heaped on 
 my benefactor, and my friend? And can I hear 
 the facrcd name of God profaned — can I hear 
 the Deity infulted, by whom I was created 
 out of duft, by whom I am redeemed from 
 eternal death, and with whom I hope to dwell 
 for ever, and ever — can I hear fuch a Being 
 provoked and defied, without being troubled 
 with fear, and filled with horror ? Does the 
 fwearer fuppofe that a ferious, and religious 
 man can hear his multiplicity of oaths, with- 
 out feeling concerned for the honor of his God ? 
 But docs he not himfelf obferve, how vifiblya 
 whole company is fliocked with his impreca- 
 tions? how cautious every one is, of even leading 
 him to fpeak, left their cars lliould be ftunned 
 by his blafphemies? And can he help reflecting 
 on the cenfures, which every one pafies upon 
 his conduCl, after his departure ? Whatever be 
 his rank or fituation, every perfon whom he 
 leaves behind, delivers his fentiments with free- 
 dom expreffivc of contempt ; each perfon la- 
 ments 
 
Jlgahijl profane Swearing. 301 
 
 ments that the innocent and improving fociety 
 fhould have been interrupted by obfervations 
 fo unmeaning, irreverent, and impious ; and 
 exclaims, in the language of David, wuth 
 indignant abhorrence, '' I will not henceforth 
 " know, this v^icked perfon ;" each declaring 
 his hearty defire that he could, with decency, 
 avoid his hateful fociety. 
 
 I now proceed to examine the reafons people 
 urge in their juftifieatlon. 
 
 Men allege, that they have contraded the 
 habit of fwearing they know not how, and 
 that it is become (o familiar, they fwear with- 
 out fcarce knowing that they are violating a 
 commandment : which is faying, in other 
 words, that they have lived without a fenfe of 
 God on their minds, and have treated Him, by 
 degrees, with fuch infolent familiarity, they 
 arc hardly confcious whether they invoke his 
 lacred name, or not. That many men fwear, 
 without confidering, what they are faying, 
 ?.nd Whom they are provoking, is eafy to be 
 believed ; bccaufe, be the fubjecfl of their coa- 
 verfation ever fo trifling, we hear them conti- 
 nually fwearing by the name of God, and try- 
 ing, as it were, whether they cannot utter 
 U 3 within 
 
302 Agahiji profane Swearing . 
 
 within a certain time, fuch and fuch a number 
 of oaths as neceflary, in their opinion, to ren- 
 der their converfation intelligible, or intcreft- 
 ing, or agreeable. Is this the return you make 
 unto God, for his wonderful love in redeeming 
 your fouls by expiating your guilt with his 
 own Blood ? Confidcr, how by fwearlng with- 
 out thought, you are adding fin, to fm — con- 
 fider what deep repentance fuch an accumula- 
 tionofguilt will demand — and,confidcrfurther, 
 that if it be not repented of, you are irretrievably 
 loft, both body and foul, for ever. The rcflcdion 
 of having difobcycd, it may be, almoll all your 
 life long, a pofitivc command of (lod without 
 confideration, will not alleviate ; no — it will 
 increafe the torments of hell. Many men, 
 notwithftanding, look upon the fin of fwcar- 
 i'ng as not deferving punifliment, bccaufe they 
 are, in other refped:s, juft and upright. Strange ! 
 that a man can perfuadc himfclf it is his duty 
 to fulfil every engagement, into which he may 
 enter, '* with a man that fhall die, and the fon 
 " of man that lliall be made as grais," and 
 ihould think himfclf authorized to *' forget" 
 the obligations he is under, of paying reverence 
 to " the Lord his maker I" 
 
 Another 
 
Agahijl profane Swearing, 303 
 
 Another cxcufe fome men plead, is, that 
 they are urged to fwear by paffion and difap- 
 pointment. And, indeed, we fomctimcs hear 
 people, when in a paffion, fwear fuch tremen- 
 dous oaths, we are afraid that God Almighty 
 will vindicate his injured honor, by inflicting 
 inftant punifhment upon them. Now people 
 of this defcription are, ufually, I think, thofe 
 who have been fortunate in life, whofe under- 
 takings have fucceeded, and who arc not fub- 
 jcdl to mortifications. And, therefore, becaufe 
 Almighty God has profpered, I will not fey, 
 blcli'cd them, if he with-hold for a moment 
 his indulgent providence, unable to brook dif- 
 appointment, they wreak their vengeance, by 
 infulting the Author of all their good, by 
 outragcoufly daring him, inftead of comforts, 
 to pour upon them his curfes. When they 
 are provoked, they can find no wav of cx- 
 prefling their rcfentment, but by defiring God 
 to render them, not objects of his mercy, but 
 of his indignation — '* to deftroy them, both 
 " body and foul, in hell." If God were ex- 
 treme to mark what we do amifs — if he were 
 fo enraged by our offences as to punifli them 
 
 U4. bv 
 
304 Agahtfl profane Sivearing, 
 
 by immediate tokens of his difpleafure, vs hicli 
 of us could abide ! The fwearer would then 
 find the punifliment he implored, not, as it is 
 now, delayed, but inflided ; and whilft the 
 oath was in his mouth, the vengeance of God 
 would fall upon his head. 
 
 The Legiflature, in its wifdcjm, to ftop the 
 progrefs, has inflidled a punifliment on this 
 deteftable fm : and happy would it be for fo- 
 ciety, if the charader of an informer, in this 
 refpedl at leaft, had ceafcd to be odious — 
 happy would it be for the fwearer himfelf, if 
 an information were laid, and the penalty ex- 
 aded, for every oath. Why the law is not 
 enforced, two rcafons, which, I fear, arc in- 
 controvertible, may be affigncd ; men are in- 
 different about the honor of God ; and the 
 magiflrates themfelves, the guardians of the 
 laws, are fometimes guilty of a violation of 
 thofe laws they are commiilioned to proted:. 
 
 There is one circumftance, which, without 
 impropriety, may be mentioned here, the fre- 
 quent, the habitual cuflom many people have 
 of " taking God's name in vain." Whatever 
 be their convcrfation, the name of God, of 
 
 the 
 
Againjl profane Swear i?ig. so 3 
 
 the Almighty, js perpetually ufhcred in. If 
 they be relating any thing furprifing, you are 
 hardly able to colled, their meaning, by their 
 frequent and profane exclamations : if you are 
 telling them of any extraordinary circuni- 
 ftancc, you are every moment interrupted by 
 the fame lenfelefs, and impious cuftom. Nay, 
 " to take the name of God in vain" is become 
 fo univcrfally fafliionable, that it even makes 
 a part of the convcrfation of \vomen ; and t/ie 
 /acred name of God, I blufli to fpeak it, is intro- 
 duced, even by tJiem, to give a fplrit, and an or- 
 nament to their difcourfe, forgetting the advice 
 of the Pfalmill:, " to fct a watch before their 
 *•' mouth, and to keep the door of their lips." 
 " Accuftom not thyfelf," fays the wife fon of 
 Sirach, " to much fwcaring ; neither ufe thy- 
 *' feif /o tJi£ naming of the Holy One. A man that 
 " ufeth much fwcaring fliall be filled with ini- 
 '' quity, and tlic plague Ihail never depart from 
 ** his houfe." 
 
 I will detain you a little longer, whilft I 
 earneftly cxliort you to obferve the direaion 
 oi our Saviour, ** I fay unto vou, fwear not 
 ''at all." 
 
 lam 
 
300 Agatnjl profane Swearing. 
 
 I am to addrefs you then, my brethren, on 
 one of the moft interefting fubjedls, which can 
 engage the attention of an affembly of Chrif- 
 tians. As we arc all to ftand one day before 
 God's dread tribunal, and to give an aocount 
 for every profane, and idle word we have fpoke, 
 I am to perfuade you, in the language of the 
 Pfalmift, '^ to put a bridle in your mouth, that 
 ** you may not" rafhly, or inconfideratcly, 
 *' offend with your tongue.*' And if I am fo 
 happy as to prevail with him who fwore, to 
 fwear no more, inftead of living under the dif- 
 pleafurc of God, he will abound, it may be 
 hoped, ^' in the fruits of the Spirit, gcntlenefs, 
 '* goodncfs, meeknefs, faith, temperance." To 
 the young, and inexperienced, fvvearing may 
 appear a genteel accomplifliment ; but what 
 is the appearance of being genteel ; what 
 would be the adlual poiTcirion of the whole 
 ■world, if it be incompatible with a fiiate of 
 falvation ? If your life be prolonged to an ad- 
 vanced age, and your oaths and curfes be mul- 
 tiplied in proportion ; when your end draws 
 nigh, and your foul is on the eve of its depar- 
 ture " to give account of all the deeds done in 
 
 '' the 
 
Agahift profane Swearing. 307 
 
 '' the body," inftead of feeling the affurance of 
 Redemption, and the confolations of Grace ; 
 inftcad of beholding, by faith, the holy Angels 
 ready to convey your departing fpirit into the 
 hands of your Redeemer, you will be dif- 
 traded with rcmorfe, and agonized with de- 
 fpair ; your confcience will prefcnt a legion 
 of devils, waiting, with impatient folicitude, 
 the diflolution of the foul and body, to punilh, 
 with implacable, and eternal feverity, your in- 
 excufable dlfobedience. 
 
 Let thofe who are learning, and thofe who 
 have been already taught in, this fchool of 
 profligacy, confider well the confequences of 
 the progrefs they make in the vice off wearing. 
 If, in the young man, this deteftable habit ap- 
 pears indecent and profane; in him w^hofe 
 forehead is furrowed by the wrinkles of age, 
 it is Ihocking and impious. Would to God, 
 therefore, I could prevail w ith him to confider 
 that the Grave is foon— he knows not how 
 foon— to receive him ! Would to God I could 
 prevail with him to confider, how bitter will 
 be his refleaions, how melancholy his prof- 
 peds, when he is Handing on the precipice 
 
 of 
 
808 Agatnjl profane Swearing. 
 
 of eternity, and the prop of time is falling fafi: 
 from his fupport ! Would to God I could 
 prevail with him to confider, what it is to die, 
 in defpair of God's mercy ! For the word 
 of God warrants the alTcrtion, hard as it 
 may feem, that the man, who " accuftoms 
 " himfclf to much fwearing," hath no ground 
 of hope for Salvation. And can I perceive 
 one, or rather I might fay, fo many of you, 
 my brethren, to be in that dreadful ftate, with- 
 out warning you of your danger ? Can I ob- 
 ferve you living at eafe in the coramiilion of 
 lb abominable a fin, without befeeching you, 
 in the name of God, and for the fake of our 
 Lord Jefus Chrift, to ceafe from it ? Some, I 
 fear, may, upon a review of their conducft, per. 
 ceive their profane oaths to be '' as the ftars 
 *' in the firmament ;" their impious curfes, 
 " as the fand upon the fea fliore." But from 
 this day, my Chriftian brethren, no longer add 
 to the catalogue of your offences againft the 
 Moft High. Do not, for' God's fake, do not 
 preferve your unhappy confirtency to the lalt. 
 Though you may have lived without Religion, 
 and fwearing is almoft inconfiftent with . the 
 
 profcffion 
 
^gaiiift profane Swearing. 300 
 
 t 
 
 profeffion of Religion, let me, for God's fake, 
 for the fake of your fouls, let me prevail with 
 you not to die without repentance. In your 
 return from this houfe of God, **fee, if you 
 " can tell, how oft you have offended ;" be- 
 fcech God *' to blot out your tranfgreffions," 
 and to give you grace ** to fwear no more." 
 
 SERMON 
 
[ 311 ] 
 
 SERMON XXI. 
 
 JOB XTX. 21. 
 
 Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, 0,yc 
 my friends, for the hand of God hath toucJied 
 Vie. 
 
 SUCH are many of the afflidions of life, 
 that they can be no way alleviated without 
 the fympathy of friendfliip, and the tendernels 
 of compaiTion. 
 
 For though a confcioufncfs of integrity is 
 the only Iburce of comfort, though a fenfe of 
 uniform reclitudc is alone able to fupport the 
 violence of external aflaults ; yet fometimcs fo 
 formidable is their onfet, fo heavy is their 
 preflure, the gentle hand of compaffion is re- 
 quired to eafe the fmart of anguiili, and deaden 
 the pain of afflicflion. 
 
 Of the truth of this pofitlon, the Patriarch 
 oi Uz is an eminent example. 
 
 ^* There is none like him," faith the Al- 
 mighty, 
 
312 On CompaJJion. 
 
 mighty, '' upon the earth, a perfe6l, and an 
 " upright man, one that feareth God, and 
 " efcheweth evil." Notwithftanding this tef- 
 timony of his integrity, he exclaims, in the pa- 
 thetic language of the text—" Have pity upon 
 *' me, have pity upon me, O, ye my friends, 
 " for the hand of God hath touched me." 
 
 The firft account which is given of this fon 
 of affliction, after premifmg his uprightnefs and 
 piety, is the accumulation of his riches, and 
 the fplendor of his houfehold, in confequence 
 of which, he was confidered " the greatefl: of 
 . *' all the men in the Ea^t." Blefled with a 
 large and goodly family, the ties of kindred, 
 cemented by the bands of concord, amity, and 
 love, he was in poiTeffion of every good this 
 w^orld could beftow. But, to prove him in 
 the furnace of afflid:ion ; to know of a truth, 
 whether he ferved God from a principle of 
 piety, or as the fccurity of his fortune, meflcn- 
 ger fucceeded mcfTenger, one acquainting him, 
 that *' his oxen and his afles were (lain by his 
 ** enemies the Sabeans ;" another, ** that the 
 " fire of God had fallen from heaven, and burnt 
 *' up the fhccp, and the fcrvants,and confumed 
 *' them ;" a third," that the men of the land 
 
 *' of 
 
On Qojnpajfion. 3 1 3 
 
 ** of Chaldea had fallen on his camels, and car- 
 *' ried them away, and flain his fcrvants with 
 ** the edge of the fword :" whilft he was re- 
 latins: thefe laft tidings, another arrived to in- 
 form him, *' that, as his fons and daughters 
 " were eating, and drinking wine in their 
 *' eldeft brother's houfe, a great wind came 
 *' from the wildernefs, and fmote the four cor- 
 " ners of the houfe, and it fell on the young 
 *' men, and they were dead." His veffel of 
 forrow was already full, but this laft drop 
 made the waters of affli6lion overflow. He 
 leems marked, by a peculiar defignation, to 
 bear the weight of God's vengeance. In the 
 morning, he is flieltered, and protected, from 
 the violence of ftorms, and the horror of ihip- 
 wreck ; in the evening, he is ftruggling with 
 the waves of difappolntment, and plunged in 
 the abyfs of forfaken hope. And how does he 
 receive this fevere chaftening of the Almighty ? 
 He does not break out in harflmefs of invec- 
 tive, norbitternefs of complaint; but, with the 
 piety of refignation, accompanied with the 
 feelings of fenfibility, " naked," fays he, *' came 
 ** I out of my mother's womb, and naked flial} 
 " 1 return ; the Lord gave, and the Lord hath 
 
 ?^ *> taken 
 
3 1 4 0}t Compaffio?i. 
 
 " taken away, blefled be the name of the 
 - Lord !" 
 
 There are not wanting, it miift be confcflcd, 
 inftances of men, who have experienced fuch 
 a reverfc of fortune, and who, inftcad of droop- 
 ing under the burden, have rifen fuperior to 
 all their calamities — men, who have been fuj:- 
 portcd by the force of fpirlts, the advantages 
 of health, and the affiftance and confolatioii 
 of friends; all of which, as fmgular as unde- 
 served, the upright Patriarch was deprived: 
 his own perfon was afflicled with a grievous 
 diftempcr, and his friends, miferablc com- 
 forters ! together with the wife of his bofom 
 —and furely llie was bound by the tic of in- 
 tcreft, the impulfe of affection, the obligation 
 of duty, to have foftened, with a lenient hand, 
 all his forrows — were leagued, all, in an unna- 
 tural alliance, to infult him ^^ith his misfor- 
 tunes, and reproach him for his infincerity. 
 The Patriarch here exhibits an amiable pattern 
 of wifdom, refignation, and piety : when his 
 complaints are difregardcd, and his fupplica- 
 tions defpifcd, he, in the confcioufnefs of his 
 innocence, raifes his thoughts from earth to 
 Heaven; from human comforters, to the fource 
 
 of 
 
On Compaffion. S 1 5 
 
 of all confolatlon, *'l know that my Redeemer 
 *' llveth, and though after my fkin, worms 
 '* dcftroy this body^ yet in my flcfli Ihall I fee 
 '* God. I (liall come even to his feat : he will 
 " put ftrcngth in me, for doth he not fee my 
 ** ways, and count all my ftepsr" Anticipating, 
 in humble expectation, " this recompence of 
 " reward, till I die," fays he, ** I will not re- 
 " move my integrity from me ; my righteouf- 
 " nefs 1 hold faft, and will not let it go, my 
 " heart fliall not reproach me fo long as 1 
 *' live.'* 
 
 God Almighty having, in his infinite wif- 
 dom, alTigned to his creatures an endlefs va- 
 riety of fituations, one *' to abound," whilft 
 another " is perilhing with hunger;" one to 
 enjoy his health and ftrength, in the fulnefs 
 of fpirits, and the energy of vigor, whilfl an- 
 other is racked with pain, or difabled by infir- 
 mity, it may not be an ufelefs employment of 
 our time, to fliew the provifion the great Fa- 
 ther of our exillence has made for thofe of his 
 children, who are pining in want, or languifti- 
 ing in ficknefs. 
 
 The firft confide ration is, that, as all man- 
 kind have derived their being from the fame 
 X 2 fountaio-- 
 
3 1 6 0)1 CompaJJjon, 
 
 fountain of life, and all, upon the fame ioott 
 without any particular regard, or pcrfonal claim 
 to his favor ; it follows that the rich, out of 
 their abundance, are to fupply the wants and 
 neceflities of the poor. 
 
 And the reafon on which this humanity, to 
 be cxercifedby one defcription of men towards 
 another, is founded, is incontrovertible. *"' For 
 " who maketh thee to differ from another ?" 
 Are you bleflfed with hereditary wealth, pro- 
 vided to your hands without care, as it is 
 fquandered, often, without judgment ? Surely 
 then it muft occur to you, that you are highly 
 favored of Heaven, and that fome acknow- 
 legement is due to him, from whom you have 
 received it ? 
 
 And what acknowlegement fo jufl: and na- 
 tural, as " binding up the broken in heart, 
 *' and giving medicine to heal their ficknefs ?" 
 
 Again. Have you been fuccefsful in bufincfs, 
 and fortunate in your intercourfe with the 
 world ? Have your projects fuccceded beyond 
 your expectations, and have riches rolled by 
 every tide, and been wafted by every gale ? 
 This is under the aufpices, and by the permif- 
 fi on, of Heaven ; " Not your hand, nor your 
 
 ** might 
 
Qn CompaJJto7i, S 1 7 
 
 *' mlglit have gotten you this wealth." Or, if 
 inflead of this fuperfluity of abundance, you 
 are but a httle more profpcrous than fome of 
 your neighbors — to whorn are you indebted ? 
 If then the fun of profperity fhine on you, 
 and withhold his follering beams from otliers, 
 is it not an intimation from " the Giver of 
 *' every good gift," exprefled in characters too 
 legible to be overlooked, and too important to 
 be difregarded, to wipe avvay the tear from 
 the cheek of forrow, and comfort the heart 
 that throbs with affliction? 
 
 But let it not be imagined, that the exerciie 
 of compaffion is to be confined entirely to the 
 rich and profperous. No. Compaffion does 
 not altogether confift in the diflribution of 
 charity. To inilrud: the ignorant, to reprove 
 the profane, to cheer the defponding, is the 
 common duty of all mankind; of both rich 
 and poor. To fatisfy the doubts, to remove 
 the fcruples, to appeafe the difquietude of our 
 neighbor, is incumbent on all, the loweft lot, 
 of humanity. 
 
 But the great Author of our being has made 
 
 a farther provifion for thofe, to whom he has 
 
 denied the good things of this life, in the be- 
 
 X 3 nevolent 
 
313 0« CompaJJioji. 
 
 jievolent principles he has implanted withirx 
 us. At the fight of a diftrelTcd objed; we feel, 
 and "ue cannot but feel, ftrong emotions of 
 compaffion. This generous principle arifes 
 with an impatient, and imperceptible hurry 
 in our breafls. Our wifhcs to relieve, are eager 
 to be gratified ; and if we are rcftrained by the 
 want of power, we would purchafe it at the 
 expence of a participation of the wretch's fuf- 
 ferings. 
 
 This humane principle receives not only the 
 fandion, but the encouragement, of Revelation, 
 and is there placed before us in every light that 
 may engage our regard, or interell our affec- 
 tions. CompafiTion is, in the Evangelical Cove- 
 nant, recommended by Example, and enjoin- 
 ed by Authority ; and it is required of us as 
 an indifpenfable article of our duty, as a diflin- 
 guifhing mark of our adoption. 
 
 To ads of mercy we have an urgent induce- 
 ment fet before us, in a living and familiar 
 pattern. The holy Jefus, '^ the Author and Fi- 
 *' nifher of our faith," was conftantly employed 
 in removing the ills, and relieving the infir- 
 piities of thofc, who labored under them. 
 
 Thus are we excited by the fuggeftions of 
 
 pur 
 
On Compel ffion, Sig 
 
 o-ar nature — required by the precepts of our 
 Religion — encouraged by the example of our 
 lledeemcr — to alleviate the diftreiTes of others, 
 and adminifter comfort to thofe, who cannot 
 adminifter it to thcmfclves. 
 
 With the hard-hearted and inhuman, thefc 
 arguments, and arguments like thefe, although 
 founded in reafon, and fupported by Revela- 
 tion, will have little weight. 
 
 Yet to thefe fons of inhumanity, let us fug- 
 geft, that, fo uncertain is every poflefTion on 
 this fide the grave, the moft affluent, however 
 fenced he may be with all human fecurities, 
 knows not how foon he may {land in need of 
 the alMance, and fricndfliip of others: or, if 
 he is not reduced to diftrefs, God often denies 
 him the power of enjoying, either by want 
 of health, or, through a dread of poverty, the 
 riches, which, with fuch avaricious parfimony, 
 he hath icrapcd together. 
 
 Than fuch a Spedacle — a man furrounded 
 with abundance, and withheld, by an AU 
 mighty Power, from an application of it, to the 
 conveniences and comforts his fituation re- 
 quires — there can be nothing more melancholy. 
 
 ** Man," fays the Scripture, '^ i^ born to 
 X 4 " trouble ;" 
 
320 On CompaJJion. 
 
 *' trouble ;" it accompanies every flate, as na- 
 turally as the fhadovv accompanies the body. 
 Every wife man, therefore, though he cannot 
 dry up its fource, will break its power, and avert 
 its fury. He will imitate the condu6l of the 
 Patriarch, that, when his troubles come upon 
 him, whether the chagrin of dif.ippointment, 
 the lofs of health, or the frowns of fortune, he 
 may poffes one comfort greater and better 
 than all this world can beftow, the refledion, 
 the cheering refledion, of having uniformly, 
 and effedlually, promoted the welfare and hap- 
 pinefs of his fellow- creaturefs. " When the 
 *^ ear hears me," may he fay, '' then it blefTes 
 *' me ; and when the eye fees me it gives 
 ** witnefs to me, becaufe I deliver the poor 
 " that cry, the fatherlefs and him that hath 
 *' none to help him. The bleffmg of him 
 *' that is ready to perifli, comes upon me, and 
 *' I caufe the widow's heart to fmg for joy. 
 *' I am eyes to the blind, and feet am I to the 
 " lame." 
 
 To excite in every breafl the amiable virtue 
 of compaflion, let us take a view of the dwell- 
 ings of afflidion, not what imagination may 
 create, or fancy feign, but what is too fre- 
 quently 
 
071 CompnJJion. 82| 
 
 quently exemplified by our own obfervatlon. 
 How often do we behold a large, and innocent, 
 and deferving family, deprived of all the com- 
 forts, and the neceflaries of life, by an unforefeen 
 and unexpeded ftroke, without the power of 
 making any provifion for themfelves ; unable, 
 through weaknefs, to earn their bread, and 
 alhamed, through the recoUedionof better days, 
 to beg it. Into fuch a dwelling let us enter ; 
 and infbances, God knows, of fuch uncertainty 
 of all human good, meet us, very often meet 
 us, in our pailage through life. We fee the 
 mother of a numerous offspring, overw^helmcd 
 with all the diflradions of forrow, lamenting, 
 with equal affedion, thelofsof an indulgent huf- 
 and, and the fate of helplefs orphans. Every 
 expedient which occurs to her bewildered 
 mind, to provide them with the comforts of a 
 decent competency, and prefer vc them from 
 the fnares of impending ruin, flic adopts as 
 likely, and as foon rejeds as impradicablc. 
 Jlear the difconfolate widow, crying over her 
 children, with the feelings of maternal tender- 
 nefs ; ' I am left, my children, your protcdor, 
 
 * without the means of protection. The com- 
 
 * forts of life wc enjoyed in common together 
 
 * are 
 
322 On CompaJJion. 
 
 * are fled with your affectionate parent vvlio 
 ' procured them. Anxious to provide againft 
 
 * the viciflitudes of fortune, and the cafualties 
 
 * of accident, he funk under the load of evils 
 
 * which his fohcitude fuffsfcfted. The bitter- 
 
 * nefs of death was encrcafed with the appre- 
 ' henfions of what we fliould fufFer, when we 
 ' were left behind him. The llroke is now 
 
 * given, and we feel, what, at a diftance, I be- 
 
 * held with gloomy horror. Had it pleafed 
 
 * God to have fpared him, vvhilft you were able 
 ' to fupport yourfelves, whilft he had imprcfled 
 ' on your minds a flrong fenfc of integrity and 
 ' Religion, fortified by fuch principles, we 
 ' would^have ftruggled hard, for an honeft live- 
 ' lihood, for a virtuous fupport. But though 
 ' the fcene be fo lamentably changed, though 
 
 * every profped: of comfort be vaniflied, we will 
 
 * not, under the Providence of the Almighty 
 ' abandon ourfelves to defpair. Thy ways, O 
 ' God, are unfearchable ; and if it leem good 
 ' to thee to deprive us of the means of fub- 
 
 * fiftence here— rfor all thy di/pcnfations, how- 
 ' ever unpalatable, arc tender mercies — grant us, 
 ' gracious God, foon to meet, where tears and 
 ^ forrovv, and anguifh fliall be known no more.' 
 
 Let 
 
On Compajfion. 323 
 
 Let the mod hard-hearted be witnefs to 
 iuch a fcenc of parental tbndnefs, deep diftrcfs, 
 and pious refignation ; let hun revolve in his 
 mind what fuch a family muft fufFcr, and he 
 cannot, furely, rcfufe fliewing companion to 
 them. I will only obfcrve that the poorcft, 
 the meaneft, the moft contemptible are among 
 thofe, for whom the Redeemer of the world is 
 making interccffions to their Father who is in 
 Heaven. And he does not, we know, intercede 
 in vain, llcfemble then the Father of the 
 univerfe. Attend to the fupplicating voice of 
 diftrcfs, '* Have pity upon me, have pity upon 
 '' men, O, ye my friends, for the hand of God 
 ^' hath touched me.'* 
 
[ 325 ] 
 
 SERMON XXir. 
 
 * 
 
 PSALM XC. 12. 
 
 So teach us to nnmher our days that we may 
 apply our Jiearts unto w'lfdom, 
 
 A S we have now almoft arrived at the end 
 -^^^ of another year, I cannot addrefs yo^ 
 more properly on any fubjed:, than on the un- 
 certainty of human Hfe; imploring you to be- 
 fcech the Almighty to give us grace '* to num- 
 ** ber our days" — not to reveal to us the de- 
 terminate time of our life — but that we may 
 make aright, and true, ufe, of the certainty we 
 all of us have, of our approaching difTolution. 
 
 The Pfalm, from which the text is taken, 
 was written by Mofes, when the children of 
 Ifrael had provoked the Lord in the wilder- 
 nefs ; in confequence of which the Almighty 
 
 * Preached the laft Sunday n\ the year. 
 
 threatened 
 
320 On the Uncertainty of Life. 
 
 threatened that they fliould all perlfh, and 
 that none Ihould reach the promifed land, 
 Caleb and Joftiua excepted, but fhould all die 
 in the fpacc of forty years. When the Lord 
 had *' brought his people out of Egypt with a 
 " mighty hand, and a ftretched-out arm" — ■ 
 when, during their journey, " he rained down 
 ** Manna from heaven, and ftruck the hard 
 *' rock that the waters gufhed out," in order 
 to " preferve them alive by a great dellver- 
 ** ance — when he had brought them to the 
 " borders of the promifed land," and there 
 commanded Mofes to fend a ruler out of every 
 tribe, that they might report " whether the in- 
 '* habitants were ftrong or weak, few or many, 
 *' and the land they dwelt in, whether it was 
 " good or bad — what cities they dwelt in, 
 •* whether In tents, or ftrong holds" — that is, 
 whether In open villages, or walled cities — 
 " and commanded them alfo to bring of the 
 " fruit of the land, for It was almoft the time 
 " of vintage — and, during their journey, to be 
 ** of good courage;" — after an abfence of forty 
 days, they returned, and " reported of the land 
 '♦ that it was very good," and produced a cluf- 
 tcr of grapes of prodigious fize, and pome- 
 granates. 
 
Ott the Uncerta'mty of Life. 327 
 
 granates, and figs, in confirmation of* their re 
 port; butadded withal, thatthcydefpairedofever 
 getting pofl'cflion of it, becaufe the inhabitants 
 were of that warlike complexion as to bid de- 
 fiance, and threaten death, to fuch a defperate 
 attempt. This conclafion of their account fil- 
 led the whole people with indignation againfl 
 Mofes, and againfl the Lord; and, with impiety 
 in their mouths, and rebellion in their hearts, 
 they cried *' would God wx had died in the 
 ** land of Egypt, or would God we had died 
 '* in this wildcrnefs ! But Jofliua and Caleb, 
 ** wlio were of them that fearched the land," 
 remembering the mercies which God had 
 fliewn them fmcc their departure from Egypt, 
 would have difpcllcd their fear, animating 
 them to take courage, ** for that tbc land, they 
 *' had pafl'cd through to fearch it, was an ex- 
 " ceeding good land; and that, if they would 
 " not' rebel againft the Lord, but put their 
 " trufl- in him, he would bring them into this 
 " land, and give it them," it being the very 
 country he had promifed to their fathers, " a 
 " land flowing with milk and honey." The 
 people, however, fo far from hearkening to their 
 voice, " bade the congregation to ftone them 
 
 '' with 
 
328 On the Uncertainty of Life, 
 
 " with ftones." To divert thetn, provoked as 
 they were with wrath, and exafperated with de- 
 fpair, from a purpofe which proclaimed defianc(i 
 to the Almighty himfelf, ^' the glory of the Lord 
 " appeared in the tabernacle of the congrega- 
 " tion, and fliewed hot difplcafure amongll 
 " them : he fware by himfelf, faying, that all 
 " of them, as they had defired, fave Caleb and 
 ** Jofliua, fhould die in the wildernefs, in lefs 
 " than forty years." You will read the enter- 
 taining relation, in the thirteenth and four- 
 teenth chapters of Numbers. The lives of the 
 Ifraelitcs being, by this event, fo much fhort- 
 ened, Mofes compofed the Pfalm of which my 
 text is a part, bcfeeching the Almighty, that, 
 as forty years were to be the extreme of their 
 life, and many might be called hence much 
 fooner, he would be gracioufly pleafed to pre- 
 pare them againft the awful day of his vifitation, 
 " So teach us to number our days, that we 
 ** may apply our hearts unto wifdom.' 
 
 The firft argument I fhall urge to prevail 
 with you to make the fame fupplication, is the 
 uncertainty of human life. 
 
 So flender is the thread by which the prin- 
 ciple of life is fuftained, that it is often cut 
 by the moft trifling accident. . How rpany, 
 
 blefffd 
 
Ofi the Uncertainty of Ufa, 32g 
 
 blcfled with the mod robuft conftitutions, 
 catch diforders, which, though impercep- 
 tible in their origin, and difregarded in their 
 progrefs, are fatal in their termination ? How 
 many come into the world, with the feeds 
 of difeafe implanted in the habit, which 
 wither and confumc the body that contains 
 them ? How many fall a facrlficc to their 
 own rafhnefs, to the obllinacy, nay fometimes 
 to the indifcretion, and levity of others? How 
 many, employed in bufniefs, or amufed with 
 innocence, from which, as danger is not per- 
 ceived, fo it is not apprehended, are cut ofFby 
 the vifitation of God ! In a word, the food 
 we cat, the air we breathe, the raiment we 
 wear, the ground wx tread upon, all are in- 
 ftrumcnts in the hands of Providence, to exe- 
 cute his will, and haftcn our diflolution. 
 
 Now, if we are always " encompaffed with 
 '' fo many, and great dangers;" if we are, 
 every moment, liable to fuch inevitable, and 
 fatal attacks, will not prudence didtatc, and 
 wifdom recommend the method, adopted by 
 ** the meckcft of the fons of men," to befcech 
 him, ** in wliofe hand are the ilFues of life and 
 ••' dedth, fo to teagh us to number our days," 
 
 Y that. 
 
330 OntheUncerlahityofLlfe. 
 
 that, whether we are arrefted by " the pefti- 
 *' lence that walketh in darkncfs," or wounded 
 by " the arrow that flieth hi the noon day,'* 
 we may fall like men not ignorant of the dan- 
 ger, and not unprepared for the event ? 
 
 But to the uncertainty of human life, let us 
 add, fecondly, the certainty of death. 
 
 That we fliall all die, our confutations afford 
 us, from their weaknefs and debility, the moft 
 decifivc evidence. Nor can our lives be pro- 
 lonj^ed to fuch a period, as to juftify us in the 
 negled: of preparing for death. Though we 
 {hould live to '' the age of three-fcore years 
 *' and ten, or four-fcore years, they will be 
 " days in which wc liave no pleafure in them." 
 And is that ftate to be envied, in which wc 
 (hall live without fatlsfa<fl:ion, and die without 
 hope ? Could an exemption from death be 
 pleaded by any mortal, fome might catch at 
 the fhadow of hope, that the fame favor would 
 be extended to them. " But it is appointed 
 '* unto all men once to die." And as death is 
 the prelude to an unchangeable flate of hap- 
 pinefs or mifcry — may the Almighty ** fb 
 " teach us to number our days, that we may 
 ** apply our hearts unto wifdom!" By re- 
 
 fleding 
 
On the Unccrtahity of Life. 331 
 
 flcdin^ on the certainty of death — by antici- 
 pating the time, when the union between the 
 body and the foul fhall be diiTolved — when this 
 body fhall be turned to duft, and the foul, its 
 inhabitant, fliall wing its flight " to God that 
 " gave it," — by anticipating that awful mo- 
 ment, God grant us to live prepared againft 
 its approach ! 
 
 A third argument I fliall urge to prevail 
 with us, to befcech the Almighty to give us 
 grace that " wc may apply our hearts unto 
 " wifdom," is the great importance of the 
 ftate in w^hich we die. 
 
 If we die in a Hate of unrepented fm, '' a 
 *' certain fearful looking for of judgment, and 
 ** fiery indignation" inevitably awaits us. For 
 to no purpofc is the Gofpel revealed, to no 
 purpofe did our Saviour, Jefus Chrill:, come 
 into the world, to redeem us, and ** purify us 
 •' unto good works," if we are at liberty to live 
 in the utter negleill, in the abfolute contempt^ 
 ofthofe rules he has prefcribed, for the 2;o- 
 vernmcnt of our lives. Is it fitting that our 
 Redeemer fliou Id take upon him our nature, 
 be crucified, and flain for our fakes, and we re- 
 tufc tn do what he enjoins? Can we perfuade 
 
 Y 2 ourfelve'. 
 
332 On the Uncertahtty of Life. 
 
 ourfclves, that, if we live in the wilful tratifl 
 greffion of the commandments, and are to be 
 judged at the lafl: day by the Gofpel, we fhall, 
 notwithflanding, be preferved from wrath, and 
 entitled to mercy ? Impoffible! No man, who 
 ever reads or hears the word of God, can amufe 
 himfelf with an expectation fo egregioufly 
 deceitful. " Be not deceived, God is not 
 " mocked ; for whatfoevcr a man foweth, 
 " that," and that only, " fliall he reap." If then, 
 according to our works, we are to be puniflied, 
 QT rewarded ; and if, when we lie on the bed 
 of death, our comfort is to be derived from 
 " our being made like unto Jefus Chrift ;" if 
 we defire to be poiTcfled of the animating 
 aflurance, that, when we walk through the 
 ** valley of the fhadow of death, the rod and 
 ** the flaff of God" will fupport and comfort 
 us ; can we be {o infatuated as not to implore 
 by prayer, and obtain by piety, this heavenly 
 affiftance ? By bringing frequently to our re- 
 flexion the concluding fcene of our lives, we 
 Ihall be induced, and, by the fupport of God's 
 grace, fliall be enabled, to live in fuch a man- 
 ner, that we may anticipate it, without confler- 
 nation. for as it is a fcafon that mufl: arrive, 
 
 a trial 
 
On the Uficertamty of Life. 333 
 
 a trial we muft undergo, not to be prepared 
 againft its approach, is to a6l in oppofition to 
 every principle of reafon, to every fuggeftion 
 of wifdom. To apply our hearts unto wifdom, 
 by rightly numbering our days, or by making 
 a true ellimate of life, is to look forward to the 
 time, when life ihall ccafe, and eternity com- 
 mence, and to be able to review our condu(5^, 
 if not with cordial approbation at leaft, with- 
 out feverc reproach. 
 
 I will trefpafs a little longer on your pa- 
 tience, whilfl 1 make an application that may, 
 perhaps, be thought not unfuitable, to the 
 prefent feafon. 
 
 As we have almoft completed another an- 
 ni al revolution of time, let us be prevailed 
 with to examine ferioufly our paft condud:. 
 Since the commencement of the period which 
 is now expiring, fome of our friends, our re- 
 lations, and acquaintances have been carried 
 to their graves. Mortality hath made a rapid 
 advance, and hath fpared neither fex, nor age, 
 but with unrelenting violence, has deftroyed 
 lielplefs innocence, and decrepid infirmity, the 
 bloom of beauty, and the vigor of health. To 
 the Providence of the Almighty it is owing, 
 
 Y 3 that 
 
334 On tlie Uncertainty of L'tfe. 
 
 that we have been fpared. Had we been of 
 the number of thofe who are now in the re- 
 gions of death, could we have appeared, in the 
 prefence of our Maker, as rational creatures, 
 who had been blefTed with a revelation from 
 heaven, to enlighten our minds, and regulate 
 our lives? Or would the violation of its laws, 
 and the tranfgreffion of its commandments 
 " have rifen up againft us, and condemned 
 ^' us? Let us confider w^hat it is to die uitl; 
 any one fm, on our head. It is to appear be- 
 fore Almighty God, and make an open ac- 
 knowlegement, that we have lived in rebellion' 
 againft him, that we have difregarded his laws, 
 and renounced his protection. God of his 
 mercy grant, that no one here may die, in fuch 
 a fituation ! Our lives, we know, are uncer- 
 tain—this is the laft time, it may be, fome of 
 us lliall be permitted to worfhip God, in this 
 'congregation — let us, therefore, from this day, 
 begin to reform our conduct, to '' repent and 
 "■ turn to God." Let us not enter on another 
 year, without the ftrongefl refolutions, w ithout 
 the mofi: fervent pra}'ers to the Almighty, to 
 enable us, by his grace, to live well. Let us, 
 from this day, expel every paiTion that alienates 
 
 our 
 
On the Uncertainty of Life. 335 
 
 our heart from God. Let us become ills fcr- 
 vants, and demonftrate our fidelity, by that teft, 
 which can alone be acceptable to him, and fa- 
 tistadory to ourfelvcs, obedience. Inftead of 
 putting off the thoughts of death, let us live, 
 from this day, to learn to die. Let us often 
 contemplate the time " when this mortal Ihall 
 *' put on immortality" — when the Judge of the 
 world will fend us the fummons, to appear in 
 his more immediate prefence. Whether wc 
 may live to enter upon another year, we know 
 not ; but in all human probability, before the 
 clofe of it, fome of us, who arc now here, Ihall 
 be reduced to duft ; ftiall become as though 
 we had never been. The brigheft eyes in 
 this aflembly may, before that period, have 
 waxed dim — before that period, the pleafmg 
 profped of comfort and happinefs, which many 
 children now behold, may, by the lofs of their 
 affedionate parents, have vanlflied — before 
 that period, many tender wives, ftricken with 
 grief, may lament the lofs of their indulgent 
 hufbands — many difconfolate hufbands, over- 
 whelmed with cares, may be deprived of the 
 deareft objects of their afFedions ! 
 
 ^uch being the uncertainty of human life, 
 Y 4 let 
 
336 On the Uncertainty of Life, 
 
 let us not continue under fuch infatuation, as 
 to defer any longer being reconciled to God, 
 that if it {hall pleafe him to prolong our lives 
 to the revolution of another year, we may, 
 from this day, date our entrance upon a new 
 exiftence ; we may, from this day, " have 
 " ceafed to do evil, and have learned to do 
 *' well." It will be a day we fhall then review, 
 not with guilty defpondence, but with reli- 
 gious cheerfulnefs : inftead of living under the 
 difpleafure of God; inftead of being fubjedl to 
 the depreffions of melancholy, and the dif- 
 quietudes of grief, when we are vifited with 
 ficknefs, or overwhelmed with afflidions, even 
 then " we fhall fear no evil ; for God will be 
 " our God for ever, and ever, He will be our 
 *' guide unto death." 
 
 * Grant, we befeech Thee, gracious God ! 
 
 * when thou art pleafed to call us to thyfelf; 
 y when thar awful moment approaches, that 
 
 * the delights of riches, and the hardships of 
 
 * poverty fhall ceafe from before our eyes ; 
 
 * when wc are bidding a long adieu to our 
 inends, relations, and every thing in this life; 
 
 * when we are encompaiTtd with the horrors 
 
 * of death, and are about to be launched into 
 
 ' eternity ; 
 
On the Uficerta'mty of Life. 337 
 
 * eternity ; Oh ! grant, that our fpirits may be 
 
 * fuftaincd by a Uvely faith in thy Son Jefus 
 ' Chrill: — that the vifage of death may be dif- 
 
 * armed of its terrors — and that we may tri- 
 
 * umphantly enter '' into that reft which re- 
 ' maineth for the people of God !" 
 
 SERMON 
 
[ 339 ] 
 
 SERMON XXIII. 
 
 DEUT. XXV. li, 15, lO. 
 
 TJiGuJhalt not home in thy houfe divers ineafures, 
 
 a great and afmall. 
 But tlioufialt have a pcrfe5f andjujl weight, a 
 
 perfect andjnji meafure Jhalt thou have \ that 
 
 thy days may he lengthened hi the hind zvhich 
 
 the Lord thy God giveth thee, 
 por all that dofiich things, and all that do un- 
 
 rtghtcoujly, are an ahominat'ion unto the Lord 
 
 thy God. 
 
 WERE the holy Scriptures perufcd with 
 more frequency, and greater attention, 
 the welfare of fociety would be preferved by 
 the uniform obfcrvancc of juflice, and the per- 
 vading prevalence of integrity. For could any 
 man, who had conftantly before his eyes God's 
 awful denunciations againft fraud, dare, deli- 
 berately, to commit it ? Would any man — for 
 
 whatever 
 
3 10 On Uprighinefi. 
 
 whatever confidcratlon, who meditates on the 
 icrlptures which teftify of God, which " fhew 
 ** us what is good, and what the Lord our God 
 " requires of us" — openly violate thofe laws 
 which bring difhonor on God, and deftruftion 
 on himfelf ? No, he would be able to return a 
 right anfwcr to the awful queftlon propofed 
 by our blefled Saviour, '' What fhall it profit 
 *' a man, if he gain the whole world, and lofe 
 *' his own foul ? or, what fhall a man give in 
 ** exchange for his foul ?" 
 
 The defign of this difcourfe is to flicw, that 
 every man, by dealing fairly and juftly, mod 
 cffedually promotes his own intcrcft, and fe- 
 cures the bleffing of God on his endevors — 
 and to exhort you, in the laft place, as you 
 hope to meet the Saviour of the world in 
 peace, to " w^afli your hands in innocency, and 
 *' take heed unto the thing that is right." 
 
 Now, in the language of the text, *' not to 
 ** have divers meafurcs, a great and a fmall, 
 " but to have perfect and jull weights, and 
 '* pcrfccl and juft mcafures," is, not to wrong 
 any one, though, in all human probability, we 
 could do it without danger of difcovery, and 
 dread of difgrace : not to have the villany to 
 
 encroach. 
 
On Uprt^liUiffs. 341 
 
 encroach, or the meannels to impofc on the 
 (imphcity, or ignorance of others, however 
 conducive to our own interefl: — not to de- 
 tain from any one, what we know in our con- 
 fcience, belongs to him, though he may not 
 know it himfelf: — not to deceive by Ipcaking 
 othcrwifc than we think — but to perform 
 what we profefs, and fulfil what we promife: 
 and to be hi reality y what we are ;// appearance: 
 it is to obfcrve literally, the rule propounded 
 by our Saviour — *' whatfoever ye would that 
 " men fliould do to you, do yc even fo to 
 *' them :" — it is to profccute all our dcfigns 
 by fair, and honeft means, and to challenge the 
 infpe^lion, and judgment of God, upon our 
 every action. 
 
 The advantages of ailing fairly, and honeftly, 
 are many in number, and great in value. For 
 what fb efFcvSlually promotes character, and 
 eftablilhes reputation? An honed man we 
 truil u 1th conlidcncc, and eilecm his promife 
 equal fecurity with the ftrongcit engagements. 
 
 Not fatisfied with employing an honeft man 
 ourfelvcs, we feel it incumbent on us, for both 
 the good of our friends, and as the reward of 
 upriglitnefs, to proclaim his integrity. *' Who 
 
 " ever 
 
342 On XJprighlnefs. 
 
 " ever faw the righteous forfaken ?" His ho- 
 nefty entitles him to our notice, and recom- 
 mends him to our regard, and we are happy 
 to beftovv on him every mark of kindnefs, and 
 every teftimony of efteem. To what incon- 
 veniences do men readily put themfelvcs, to 
 befriend "an honeft man ? They cheerfully 
 poftpone a favorite defign, or a neceflary 
 work, as well to accommodate him, as to 
 avoid the employing a man of an infamous, 
 or even of a fufpicious, character. Let the 
 poor man compare this luilre of reputation, 
 this heart-felt fatisfadion of integrity, with 
 the advantage of a lie, atid the gain of deceit 
 — and what was faid bf the charadler of the 
 unrighteous, he will find to be applicable to 
 the work of unrighteoufnefs. — *' I went by 
 " and lo ! it was gone ; I fought it, but the 
 " benefit of it could, no where, be a(ftually 
 " found.'* Let him confider further, that 
 when a man has once defervedly obtained the 
 charad:er of unjuft and unrighteous, " no crc- 
 " dence is given to his words ;' when he 
 fpeaks truth, he is not believed; when he 
 means honeftly, he is not trufted. Let the ho- 
 neft man reflecfl upon this, and he will then fee 
 
 how 
 
On Uprightnefs, 348 
 
 how much better is a little, acquired by juf- 
 tice, and improved by integrity, than " great 
 " revenues without right." 
 
 Would men, whofe objed: it is to be rich, 
 duly weigh the prodigious advantages refulting 
 from the reputation of fair-dealing and ho- 
 nefty — whatever might be their principles — 
 they would a6l fairly, in order to promote their 
 own intereft. But to perfonate a chara6ler 
 which has not a real exiftence — to pretend to 
 be honcft, when there is no principle of ho- 
 nefty — what is it but to live in perpetual ap- 
 prehenfion, left fome unlucky accident fhould 
 betray the hypocrify, or fome unforefeen cir- 
 cumftance difcover the guilt, of our condudl ? 
 If, therefore, a man think it his intereft to be 
 efteemed an honeft man, let him be fo indeed 
 — and his condud:, the more it is examined, 
 the more amiable it will appear : for though 
 the fruit of his reputation hangs expofcd to 
 the caprice of wantonnefs, and the violence 
 of outrage, he will, notwithftanding, enjoy 
 it, in fecurity, " under his own vine, and 
 " under his own fig-tree." Fraud, deceit, 
 extortion, point out indeed — but the direflion 
 is deceitful — the readicft way to wealth ; they 
 
 lead 
 
344 On Uprtghtnefs. 
 
 lead to " the high mountain, from which arc 
 " feen all the glories of the world, and the fe- 
 *' licity thereof;" but riches, obtained in this 
 manner — by the facrlfice of cur innocence, 
 and the proftitution of our integrity — are pur- 
 chafed at infinitely tot) great an cxpence. To 
 what inconveniences, troubles and mortifica- 
 tions has the man cxpoftd himfelf in the ac- 
 quifition — to what lafhes of ccnfure, and kcen- 
 nefs of afperity is he perpetually fubjedl, 
 through the brutality of ignorance, and the 
 malevolence of envy — in the enjoyment of 
 this ill-gotten wealth ? And, *' after walking 
 " in a vain fhadovv," as the Pfulmifl: expreffes 
 it, " and difquieting himfelf in vain, to heap 
 " up riches without knowing who Ihall gather 
 " them — whether a wife man or a fool — he 
 " leaves them often in the midfl of his days'* 
 — the very time he has fet apart in his own 
 mind to enjoy them — and the profufion and 
 prodigality with which they are fquandered, 
 are, often, proportionate to the avarice and 
 rapacity with which they were acquired. Have 
 not, therefore, " in thy houfe divers meafures, a 
 ** great and a fmall. But thou flialt have a per- 
 •* fc<S and jufl weight, a perfedl and jufl mea- 
 
 '' furc 
 
On Upright nefs. 3 15 
 
 " fure fhalt thou have ; that thy days may be 
 *' lengthened in the land which the Lord thy 
 *' Godgiveth thee. For all that do fuch things, 
 *' and all that do unrighteoufly, are an abomi- 
 '* nation unto the Lord thy God." 
 
 Let us now fee how the blcfling of God 
 may be obtained on honeft, and fair, dealing — 
 and this will appear from the confideration of 
 God's regard to juftice, as well as from the 
 tcftimony of Holy Writ, The man who trcf- 
 palTes on his neighbor, by breaking down the 
 fences of jufticc and honclliy, fets himfelf to 
 counteract: the defi^ns of Providence. For it 
 is the will of heaven that all men fhould a(5l 
 with fairnefs towards each other, becaufe the 
 violation of right introduces into fociety no- 
 thing but diftruft, diforder, and confufion. 
 But the tellimony God bears to uprigbtnefs 
 is found in, almoft, every page of Scripture. 
 " The Lord lovcth the thing that is right. 
 *' Such as are blcfTcd of God fhall poflcs the 
 " land, and they that are curfcd of Him fliall 
 *•' be rooted out." Let me not be undcrftood 
 to mean, that every hoiieft man profpcrs in 
 life more than the unjull — this is by no means 
 the cafe. An honefl man, having no indircffc 
 
 Z views, 
 
346 0« Upright nefs. 
 
 views, no fraudulent meafures to accompllfli, 
 behaves with opcnnefs and candor; and, mean- 
 ing no ill himfelf, he does not I'ufpedl others 
 of it, fo that an advantage is frequently taken 
 of his ingenuous, and amiable fmiplicity. Be- 
 fidcs, his conduct is a continual rcproot to the 
 unjuft, and unrighteous ; it is no wonder, 
 therefore, that " they bend the bow privily 
 *' to llioot at him that is true of heart" — as 
 it i§ written, " the ungodly feeth the righte- 
 *' ous, and feeketh occafion to flay him." 
 But if, by profperity, you mean the Bleffing 
 of God, the upright man alone can be faid 
 to profper ; " for God has made an hedge 
 *' about him, and about his houfe, and about 
 " all that he hath on every fide." 
 
 If it be urged in favor of injuftice, that 
 men, notorious for oppreffion, deceit, diflio- 
 ncfty, and every vice which defiles the human 
 heart, arc careiTed by the Great, and patro- 
 nized by the Wealthy — let not this dagger 
 thy virtue, nor provoke thy indignation. *' This 
 " is an evil under the fun, and it is common 
 " among men." But, as in the days of the 
 Pfalmift, fo likcwifc, in our own — " often 
 " has the ungodly been ken in great power, 
 
 " and 
 
On Vprtghtmfs. 34/ 
 
 " and flour Ifhing like a green bay- tree — but 
 " when you went by, has he not been gone?" 
 Such men are guilty of an egregious miftake 
 in their firft fetting out — they choofe a wrong 
 foundation — they overlook the rock, and build 
 upon the fand — and, " when the rain de- 
 *' fcends, and the floods come, and the winds 
 ** blow, and beat upon the houfe, it falls ; and 
 *' often great is the fall of it." When they 
 have pra(!:l:ifed iniquity fo long, they get be- 
 wildered in its mazes; and, having been ac- 
 cuftomed to toil in the artifices of deceit, and 
 the ftratagcms of diflionefly, *' the pit they 
 *' dig for others, they fall into, in the end> 
 " thcmfelves.** 
 
 I will prefume a little longer on your pa- 
 tience, whilfl I earneftly exhort you to the 
 uniform pradice of honefhy, and uprightnefs 
 in all your dealings. 
 
 And let me, firfl, entreat you, as you regard 
 your own peace of mind, and the good opinion 
 of the world.-^If you deal unjuflly — whether 
 yovi be rich or poor — you deprive yourfelves 
 of the greatefl of earthly blellings, inward 
 fatisfa^tion. Many there are, who have been 
 fucccfsful in their callings, who have labored 
 
 Z 2 with 
 
346 On Upright nefi. 
 
 with patient perfeverance — many wlio have 
 accumulated with aftonifliing rapidity, and 
 when you expeded, that they would enjoy the 
 fruits of their induftry, the power has been 
 withheld from them. No fooner is the hurry 
 of bufmefs over — no fooner does the tumult 
 of employ fubiide — than the mind, wanting 
 ^n objedl on which to engage her thoughts, 
 turns, naturally, to the hoarded treafure. The 
 man refledls how it has been obtained : the 
 very a6l of bequeathing his goods is a fad 
 memento how unjuflly he has acquired them. 
 His animal fpirits droop — the functions of the 
 fouL are almoft fufpended — " fearfulnefs and 
 " trembling come upon him, and an horri- 
 " blc dread overwhelms him." Or, to drown 
 reflection, he enters into various engagements 
 : — his uneafy thoughts are difpelled by the in- 
 cenfe of adulation, the mirth of company, 
 and the revelling of wine. And, if he can 
 but keep refledion at a diftance, he wears a 
 look of complacency, and aflumes a fmile of 
 cheerfulnefs. Miferable is the flate of that 
 man, who is at variance with himfclf — whofe 
 reproof and torment are in his own bofom ! 
 Would you not prefer a little — would you not 
 
 prefer 
 
On Upright nefs. 349 
 
 prefer a ftate which will barely fupply food 
 and clothing for the body, to the envied 
 flatc of being poiTefTcd of " riches kept for 
 *' the owners thereof to their hurt?" Would 
 you not prefer a (late, in which you can 
 challenge ail the world, and triumphantly fay, 
 ^' I have injured no man, I have oppreiTed no 
 *' man; I have defrauded no man?" — in which 
 you can appeal to God for the innocency of 
 your hands, and the integrity of your heart? 
 
 To exhort thofe in a lower ftation of life — 
 *' not to have In their houfes divers meafures, 
 *' a great and a fmall — but, on the contrary, 
 *' a pcrfecSt and juft weight, and a perfedl and 
 ^' jull meafure" — in other words, whatever 
 may be your calling — to adl honcftly and 
 fairly, without fraud and w'ithout deceit — 
 would God fuch exhortation were unneceflary! 
 Would God you would confider, that an un- 
 blemlflied character is your chief dependence ! 
 And if you ftaln it by open fraud, or fecret 
 impofitlon, you rob )ourfelves, and become 
 poor indeed — you are bereft of the fupport of 
 your bcnefaAors, and the confolations of your 
 confcience. — As it hath feemed cood to the 
 Almighty to place yjon in an humble fphere of 
 
 Z 3 life, 
 
350 On Uprtghtnefs. 
 
 life, be not impatient of poverty, " but truft 
 f' in the Lord and be doing good," difcharge 
 the duties of your ftation, '* and verily you 
 *' fhall be fed." By holding flift your inte- 
 grity, and being content, by patient labor, to 
 fupport yourfelves, you engage all mankind 
 to become your friends ; and continued kind- 
 neffes will do you more good, than what you 
 can make, by chance, through fraud or over- 
 reaching.: — When you are confined to a bed 
 of ficknefs, and ftand in need of the aflfift- 
 ance of your neighbors, your pain will be 
 aflwaged, and your bed made eafy, by the 
 attentions of the humane, and the relief of 
 the wealthy. And above all, you will make 
 God your friend. — When He calls you out of 
 this world to give an account of your con- 
 duifl, your integrity " will cover a multitude 
 *' of fms" — it will plead for you with irre- 
 fifliblc efficacy, and, having gained the appro- 
 bation of men on earth, will fecure the favor 
 of God in heaven. When, therefore, you 
 are difpofed to ad: difhoneftly and deceitfully, 
 call to mind that '^ all that do fuch things, 
 *^ and all that do unrightcoufly, are an abo- 
 *' minatiou unto the Lord." 
 
 As 
 
On Uprightiiefs. 351 
 
 As to thofc wlio hnvc rifcn to faperior Na- 
 tions, let mc rcqucft you to remember, that, 
 however Independent you may be on men, 
 you are ilibjec^t {lill to the ^vl]l of Providence. 
 " He is about your path, and about your bed, 
 *' and ipicth out all your ways." At his dread 
 tribunal you are to meet, face to face, " the 
 *' poor, the needy, the fatherlefs, and him 
 *' that had none to help him." Can diftrefs 
 challenge you, as its author ; can poverty fix 
 on you, as its caufe? You will not then be 
 prote(5led by the power of gold, nor the fu- 
 periority of ftation. As the righteous, and 
 the juft, will obtain the approbation of their 
 Judge — fo will He render unto the unrighte- 
 ous, and the unjuft, '* feven-fold into their bo- 
 " fom. For all that do unjullly, and unrighte- 
 " oufly, are an abomination unto the Lord.'* 
 
 Reflect, my brethren, all of you, on what 
 has been faid ; and when you return to your 
 feveral occupations, let it be evident that: this 
 difcourfe has not been addreifed to you in 
 vain. Whatever you may have been in your 
 pail life ; in every future period of it be ftricfl- 
 \y honed," and uniformly jull. Neither prac- 
 tife yourfclves, nor encourage in others, arti- 
 Z 4 iice. 
 
352 - On Uprightiiefi, 
 
 fice, or diihoncfty. Fortify your fouls in the 
 "ways of uprightnefs, by the frequent reflection 
 that you are to appear before the Judge of the 
 world ; and that, what you are now fo anxious 
 to conceal, will then be openly expofed- — 
 think how you fhall be overwhelmed with 
 Ihame, with remorfc, and with apprehcnfion, 
 and think, how every one you may have 
 wronged, by the ufe of " a fmall meafurc, or 
 " a falfe balanpe," will deliver in his evidence 
 againft you. 
 
 SERMON 
 
[ 353 ] 
 
 SERMON XXIV, 
 
 JAMES V. 14. 
 
 is a?ivjjck a77io?igyou P let htm call for the ciders 
 of the church, tmd let them pray over him, 
 
 IN the affairs of this life, whatever is of mo- 
 ment is performed by wife, and prudent 
 men, without delay: in the affliirs of eternity, 
 indifference, thoughtleffnefs, negled, defiance, 
 are fo confpicuoufly vifible, as to ftrikc the 
 moft inobfervant. I would lead your atten- 
 tion to a circumftance of infinite moment : I 
 mean, the extreme abfurdity, the unaccount- 
 able folly, the imminent danger, of fuffcrmg 
 ficknefs and decay, to make (low, yet fenfible, 
 attacks upon the human frame, before the 
 ordinances of the Gofpel are embraced, and 
 before any preparation is made tor eternity. 
 An abfurd notion prevails amongfl the igno- 
 rant, that the Tick, who are fo ill as to need 
 the vifits of the clergy, rarely recover. Ridi- 
 culous ! It is likewife fuppofed, that, it a man 
 
 make 
 
354 On SkkneJ's. 
 
 make his will, he iliall not long rurvivc> 
 What! Do yoLi imagine Providence is direi?-- 
 cd in the adminiftration of the univerfe by cir- 
 cumftances like thefe ? " God doeth whatfo- 
 " ever pleafeth Him in heaven above, in the 
 " earth beneath, in the iea, and in all deep 
 *' places, and none can ftay his hand, or fay 
 *' unto him, what doeft thou?" In confequencc 
 of fuch dangerous prepofTciTion, the minilter 
 is often fent for, when the poor wretch is 
 in the agonies of death, or fo diltra6led with 
 pain, or overwhelmed with ficknefs, as to be 
 infenfible of his fituation. What is to be 
 done ? He is i;equefl:ed to adminifter the Blef- 
 fed Sacrament, and the friends of the fick 
 perfon charitably hope, that, if it (hould pleafe 
 God to take him, all will then be well. 
 Sometimes indeed he is indullrioufly kept from 
 a fenfe of his fituation, leil a concern for his 
 falvation fhould co-operate with his ficknc/s, 
 to bring him to the grave. 
 
 If there be any condition, which, more than 
 another, excites our commlfcration and pity, it 
 is that of a wicked man with fmall hopes of 
 life, awakened to a fenfe of his danger. Stung 
 with remorfe, his whole condud arifcs before 
 
 his 
 
On Stcknefs. 355 
 
 his viev\' — the extortion and injuftlce he has 
 committed; the oaths and curfcs he hath utter- 
 ed; the fabbaths he has profaned — he fees every 
 fm unite to condemn him in the fight of God: 
 lie looks forward to the ifTuc of his conducl:, 
 and his confcience prefents the Redeemer of 
 mankind, no longer merciful and forbearing, 
 but ready to take vengeance for his iniquities — 
 " a fire devours before him., and behind him a 
 ^' flume burneth." Had the man, before his 
 ficknefs had made (o dreadful a progrefs, fent, 
 as the text direds, *' for the elders of the 
 ** church, the minifters of reconciliation" — 
 had he made the beft reparation to thofe he 
 had injured — had he, as his ficknefs increafed, 
 made a proportionate progrefs in the work of 
 repentance, and made his peace with God — he 
 might, inll:cad of being dillraclcd with remorfe, 
 and agonized with defpair, have entertained 
 humble hopes of being admitted, through the 
 all-fufRcicnt merits of Jefus Chrift, into the 
 manfions of everlalling peace. Can tiicre be a 
 llronger argument to prevail with you, on the 
 firll intimation of ficknefs, to enter upon the 
 work of repentance ? that, if it fliall plcafe 
 God to rcllorc you to health, fjrrow for fin 
 
 may 
 
350 On Skbicjs. 
 
 may produce reformation of life : or, if the 
 Almighty, in his all- wife counfels, fhould 
 otherwife determine, that you may have a 
 more comfortable profpcc^l of eternity. 
 
 By a timely exhortation to repentance and 
 amendment, the fick may be enabled, if fick- 
 nefs continue long upon them, to correct, by 
 the affiftance of Divine Grace, the depravities 
 of their nature. Many men may have behaved 
 fo brutifhly to their families, that they would 
 •wifti to make fome reparation, according as 
 their circumftances and fituation may allow : 
 at leaft, they would wi(h to acknovvlege^ how 
 fenfible they felt themfelves of the impropriety 
 ©f their conduct ; and to afk, and to receive, 
 forgivenefs of thofe, whom they had teized by 
 their caprice, provoked by their fiifpicions, or 
 opprefled by their power. It might occur 
 likev\ife, " through the miniftry of the word," 
 that iuch a difpolition could be no recommen- 
 daiiontothe favor of the Almighty. For one 
 ot the chief ends of Chriftianity is, to pro- 
 mote peace, and good-wUl, and happinefs, one 
 amongll another. A man who had been al- 
 ways influenced by caprice, or enflamed by 
 violence, might be induced to compare his 
 
 condudl 
 
On Sicknefs. 357 
 
 condu(5l with the example Jefus Chrift had 
 left for his imitation ; whofe whole life was 
 compofcd of meeknefs, patience, and humility. 
 And if it plcafcdGod to raife him up from his 
 bed of ficknefs, inftead of continuing a re- 
 proach, he might become an ornament, of hu- 
 man nature, — dillinguifhed in the whole tenor 
 of his condu^'H', not, as heretofore, by levity, by 
 arrogance, by oppreffion — but by prudence, by 
 condeirenfion , by forbearance. 
 
 "Has the fick perfon been notorious for injuf- 
 
 tice, and unfair dealing? It is the duty of his 
 
 minifter, to reprcfent tohim,the eternal hazard 
 
 to which fuch condudl expofes him — to fhew 
 
 him, from the Scriptures, how Almighty God, 
 
 has expreflcd His abhorrence of it,- and how 
 
 He has fet his face againll all who deal nnrigh- 
 
 teoufly. Should the man recover, and return 
 
 to a better mind, his future uprightnefs will be 
 
 confidcred, in fome meafure, an atonement for 
 
 his former iniquity. And thus will fociety, 
 
 from a worthlefs, obtain a valuable, member. 
 
 But it may be, that the fick perfon, not by 
 
 his general conduct, but by fome particular 
 
 ad:, has cither enriched himfelf, or opprcfi'ed 
 
 another. The miniiier of Chrift is to fliew 
 
 fuch 
 
358 On Skhiefs. 
 
 fuch an one that " it is eafier for a camel to 
 " go through a needle's eye, than for him to 
 " enter into the kingdom of heaven," iliould 
 he die with that fin on his head; and that un- 
 lefs he make reftitution, and fatisfadlion, to the 
 party he has injured — unlefs he docs, as he 
 would wi(h to be done by — ^not all his prayers, 
 and fighs, and lamentations will, in the leaft, 
 propitiate the favour of God. That very a(5l 
 ** will wttnefs agahift him to damnation!^ When 
 his fears are excited, and his apprehenfions 
 alarmed, with the view of eternity, then is the 
 minill:er to urge, to entreat, to befcech him 
 not to delay the making his peace with an of- 
 fended God, by making reftitution, and fatis- 
 fadion to injured men ; which, if he accom- 
 pliflies, that foul is faved from eternal perdi- 
 tion. 
 
 The fick perfon may have acquired, or be 
 pofleffed of, much wealth, and his whole life 
 may, perhaps, have pafTcd, without ever being 
 decorated with any adts of charity; but, on the 
 contrary, chequered by thofe of meannefs, and 
 deceit. He is to be told that, to be entitled 
 to the mercy of God, he is to be merciful him- 
 felf ; that he is to feed the hungry, clothe the 
 
 naked. 
 
On Sicknejs. SoQ 
 
 naked, and inftrud the ignorant, which is the 
 fu reft way of " laying up treafures where nci- 
 " ther moth nor ruft doth corrupt, and where 
 " thieves do not break through nor ileal.'* 
 Thus if he recover, he becomes *' a father to 
 *' the poor," and inftead of being a '* fong and 
 ** a by-word, when the car hears him then it 
 '' fliall blefs him, and when the eye fees him 
 " it fhall s:ive witnefs to him, becaufe he de- 
 *' livers the poor that cry, the fatherlefs, and 
 *' him that hath none to help him." 
 
 There is an advantage in preparing for a fu- 
 ture life, in the beginning of ficknels, which is 
 productive often of infinite good : people are 
 fomctimes prevailed with, who have deferred 
 that neceffary work, to make their Wills ; by 
 which means, many law-fuits are avoided, and 
 the fick pcrlbn difpofes of his property in fuch 
 a manner, as, when he is to give account to 
 God, he fliall not be afliamcd. But if he live 
 in the hope of foon recovering, and fuffer his 
 diforder violently to attack him, before he 
 confiders ferioufly that he is on the brink of 
 the grave ; w hen the neceffity of making a 
 Will is fuggefted to him, the want of recollec- 
 tion, or the fevcrity of pain, may prevent his 
 
 making 
 
3dO Oti Sichiefs. 
 
 making fuch a diftributlon as is didated by 
 equity, and will be fandioned by Religion. 
 
 What has been faid will, I am aware, be 
 cenfuredand ridiculed, although it is on {o fe- 
 rious a fubjed:, by one defcription of men, who 
 will be ready to fay, in the language of the 
 Prophet, that " it is healing the wound of 
 " God's people falfely." By the wife and the 
 good, the dodrinc will be underftood, and ap- 
 proved : and, far from fearing the cenfure, or 
 the ridicule, I lliould reproach myfelf with 
 theapplaufcjof men, whomeafure Chriflianity 
 by their preconceived opinions of it. Afk 
 yourfelves, whether, when a man is on the 
 brink of the grave, it does not feem the moft 
 likely thing he can do to reconcile himfelf to 
 the Almighty, to fend for thofc he has injured, 
 begging their forgiventfs, and making the befl 
 relHtution in his power — to reconcile thofe 
 whofe affedions he may have alienated from 
 others to their manifeft injury ; and to befeech 
 all, who accompanied him in his mad career, 
 to take warning by his melancholy example ? 
 
 When the fick perfon has compofed his 
 mind, by doing all in his power to render thofe 
 he leaves b<;hind him, more fatisfied, and com- 
 fortable. 
 
On S'l chiefs. 30 1 
 
 fortablc and happy — thus expiating his of- 
 fences againft fociety — \\z is to be exhorted to 
 turn his thoughts moft fcrioufly towards God — 
 to bewail his manifold violations of God's laws 
 — and to befecch Him, through the media- 
 tion of Jcfus Chrift, that He would gracioufly 
 accept his contrition, and not confign him, 
 according to his demerits, to endlcfs torments. 
 Thus being truly penitent, he is to be affifted 
 in preparing his heart to commemorate the 
 death of Jefus Chrift, in the holy Sacrament. 
 He is then to have the gracious promifes of 
 God, the complete Atonement of the Re- 
 deemer, and the whole new Covenant, opened 
 fully to his view. And it his repentance be 
 fuch as, upon his recovery, would have pro- 
 duced amendment, we may charitably hope, 
 that the cafe of the fick perfon is not quite 
 dcfpcrate. Such are the overflowings of the 
 Divine Mercy, that we may prefume the Al- 
 mighty will not difown him at the day of 
 Judgment. 
 
 I now proceed to fliew the propriety of re- 
 qucfting the prayers of the Church. 
 
 The united prayers of others may fomctimcs 
 
 obtain that for us of God., which we cannot 
 
 A a obtain 
 
362 On Sichiefs. 
 
 obtain by our own private prayers alone ; as 
 fcems to be intimated in the verfe following 
 the text — *' the prayer of faith Ihall favc the 
 " fick, and the Lord fhall raife him up : and 
 " if he hath committed fms they Ihall be for- 
 " given him. If two of you," fays our Sa- 
 viour, " fliall agree on earth, as touching any 
 ** thing they fhall afk, it fhall be done for 
 " them of my Father which is in heaven. For 
 <' where two or three are gathered together in 
 *^ my name, there am I in the midfl of them." 
 Surely our BlefTed Saviour afcribes fomething 
 more to thofe united prayers, than to our own 
 fingle, and private, prayers alone. And it 
 teaches us befides a moft ufeful leilbn — the de- 
 pendence we may have upon, and the help we 
 may receive from, one another. For whilft 
 one compaflfionate chriflian affifts his neighbor 
 in his ficknefs today, tomorrow he may fland 
 in need of the like affiftance himfelf. 
 
 And all, who hear that fuch a fick perfon 
 defires to be recommended in their prayers, 
 fhould remember him out of a feeling icnfe of 
 his mifery. They Ihould refled, that the fick 
 perfon cannot come to God's houfe to pray for 
 himfelf; but can only recommend his caic 
 
 and 
 
On Skknefs. 36S 
 
 and condition to us, for our Chriftian chanty 
 towards him, and our prayers for him. And 
 let every perfon, in the congregation, conlider 
 that the fame may one day be his own cafe ; 
 that he fhall as earncftly defirc the prayers of 
 his neighbors, as he is now dcfired to pray for 
 him that is fick. 
 
 When, therefore, the prayers of the congre- 
 gation are defircd for any fick pcrfons, let us 
 confider their condition, and think upon the 
 pain they endure, and the mifcry they feel, 
 their rcftlefs nights, and weary days; how, " in 
 ** the morning, they^fay, would God it w^ere 
 ** even, and at even, would God it w^ere morn- 
 *' ing ;" and let us make their cafe our own, 
 T^ or think how (hortly it may be fo. And fure- 
 
 bo* 
 
 US /» ^ve ftiall then recommend them to God 
 '^ ;; leartily, and fervently, hoping that fuch pray- 
 lie ^crs will be efficacious, either towards the reco- 
 stcWery of the fick, or their happy change; which 
 ^^^,^ is the end of all our addrcflcs to the throne of 
 t ti grace, that God would be pleafed to prefervc 
 ^U .hem awhile from a temporal ^^ or for ever fromi 
 [^ eternal, death. 
 
 •^ Nothing now remains, but that I make a 
 ii.ilcmu appeal to your confciences. 
 
 A a 2 '!{^hcre 
 
304. On S'lchiefs. 
 
 There are two ftates which divide the 11- 
 of man, health and ficknefs. Now as ficknefs 
 is often the forerunner of death, *' and after 
 *' death the Judgment," I am to exhort you 
 to prepare, whilft you are in health, against 
 the day of ficknefs, which, unlefs we are in- 
 ftantly cut off by the vlfitation of God, will 
 one day overtake us. And if we live rcgard- 
 lefs of it, if it fhould fuddenly arreft us, in 
 what way fhall we be enabled to difcharge the 
 duties of a ftatc with which we are entirely 
 unacquainted ? Languor of body, depreffion 
 of fpirits, confcioufncfs of guilt, apprehcnfion 
 of puniflimcnt, may fo diftra^St our mind, that 
 \ve may have no refolution to make our peace 
 with either God, or man. Let us, v. ho arc 
 now in health, enquire of our hearts what 
 would be our profped: of eternity ? Could we 
 look around upon all our neighbors, upon 
 every one with whom wx have had any inter- 
 courfe, and challenge them to fay any evil of 
 us ? Have we defrauded no man ? Have we 
 injured no man 't Could wc, on our return 
 from this holy place, lie down on a bed of 
 ficknefs, with clean hands, and pure hearts ? 
 Could wc look forward to the Judgment- feat 
 
 of 
 
On Slcbiefs. 205 
 
 of Chrlft, without fearing to meet the unpro- 
 tcded, the innocent, and unfufpedling ? For 
 we cannot pafs out of this world with rational-, 
 with well-grounded hopes of being faved, un- 
 Icfs, if we have committed injuftice, if we have 
 done to others as we would not be done unto 
 ourfelves, unlefs, I fay, " we make reftitution 
 " and fatisfa6lion." And, as Chriftians, could 
 we review our lives w'ith complacency, and ap- 
 probation ? Or, have we offended God by per 
 petual drunkennefs ? By frequent curfmg and 
 fwearing ? By devoting the Lord's Day to the 
 purpofes of idlenefs, bufmefs, or dilTipation ? 
 By neglecting to participate that mod folemn 
 ordinance, the Sacrament of the Lord's Sup- 
 per ? How many of you, my brethren, are at 
 this moment fmitten by your confciences ? 
 How many of you are under the fcvereft re- 
 proof for your fliameful, and fcandalcus con- 
 tempt of the laft command of your gracious 
 llcedemer ? How many of you have always 
 flattered yourfelvxsthat you will communicate 
 be i ore you die ? I a})pcal to your hearts — are 
 you guilty of deceit, of injuftice, of drinking, 
 fwearing, profaning the fabbath, of difrcgard- 
 ing the Holy Sacrament ? Do you live in the 
 
 A a 3 open 
 
366 On Siekne/s. 
 
 open commifTion of a vice the Scripture fur- 
 bids ? Do you live in the wilful negledl of a 
 duty it enjoins ? If you do — impofe not on 
 yourfelves, by hoping that you are in a ftate of 
 ialvation. Place no dependence on the merits 
 of Chrift, whilft you live in any known fin. 
 For be aflured, if you die as you live. He will 
 fay unto you — " depart from mc, 1 know not 
 *' whence ye are." Let me, therefore, befeech 
 you to repent, whilft you are in health, and 
 turn to God. Acquaint yourfelves with Him 
 by breaking off your fins, and by a^ing up- 
 rightly. Every day of your lives offer up your 
 prayers to him, and do not have this duty to 
 Jearn,when you lie on a fick bed. Every day 
 of your lives confider, how you fhall be pre- 
 pared, when ficknefs arrefts you, for erernity. 
 If you knew the agony of mind, the mifgiv- 
 ings of heart, the ftings of confcience, thofc 
 men feel, whom ficknefs overtakes, whilft they 
 live in the commiffion of fm, I fhould not, this 
 day, exhort you in vain. — Could I defcribc to 
 you the fituatioii of that man whofe life has 
 been profligate and wicked, whom a fever, a 
 confumption, or any other dilorder is precipi- 
 tating to his grave ; how very awkwardly he 
 
 fcts 
 
0?i Skhiefs. 36; 
 
 fcts about the work of repentance ; how very 
 unholily he prays for the forgivenels of his 
 fins, and how very weary he appears of that 
 Divine employment ; how half unwilling, and 
 exceedingly afraid he is, to receive the Bleffed 
 Sacrament ; how, when he is tortured with 
 pain, or diflippointed of reft ; from his habit of 
 curiing, he vents his imprecations againft his 
 diforder, although he is ftanding on the pre- 
 cipice of eternity — there is not a fmgle perfon 
 that now hears me, who would not, from this 
 moment, ccafe to live wickedly, who would 
 not, from this moment, ftrive to die happy. 
 But though language cannot defcribe, imagi- 
 nation cannot paint the horrors of fuch a fitu- 
 ation, remember that, unlefs you repent, fuch 
 Htuation will one day be your own ; and be 
 aiTurcd, that the apprehcnjton of death, that the 
 dread of eternity is nothing, when compared 
 with the a6tua] pun'iJJiment which awaits you, 
 of *« dwelling for ever with the devil and his 
 " angels." — The denunciation is tremendous, 
 but it is the denunciation of Him who is 
 TRUTH itfclf. 
 
 A a 4 SERMON 
 
[ 36i) ] 
 
 SERMON XXV. 
 
 LUKE 11. 11. 
 
 * Unto you is horn this day y hi the c'lty of David, 
 a Saviour, which Is Chrl/I the Lord. 
 
 -|* yl T the inftltutlon of the Paflbver, to com- 
 jlJL mcmoratc God's mercy, in favlng the 
 lives of the children of Ifracl, " by a great deU- 
 " verance/' Mofcs inflruds them to perpetuate 
 the memory of that fignal event to future '' ge- 
 " Derations ; it fhall come to pafs," fays he. 
 *' when your children fhall fay unto you, what 
 " mean you by this fervicc ? that ye fhall lay 
 " unto them, it is the facrifice of the Lord's 
 *' PaiTovcr, who pafTcd over the houfcs of the 
 *' children of Ifrael in Egypt, when He fmotc 
 *' the Egyptians, and delivered our houfes." Is 
 the queftion propofed to us, why we celebrate 
 this fcflival ? We anfwer, it was inftituted b\ 
 
 * Preached on Chriftmas day. 
 t See Jofeph Mede. 
 
 the 
 
3/0 On the Dhmtty of Chnjl, 
 
 the Church of God, as a religious, and thank- 
 ful commemoration, of the great benefit of our 
 Saviour's incarnation — his taking our nature 
 upon Him for our redemption. ** It came 
 ** into the heart of Mofcs to vifit his brethren, 
 '* the children of Ifrael." '' Bleficd be the God 
 ** and P'athcr of Lord Jefus Chrift," that He 
 came, as on this day, *' to vifit us in great hu- 
 ** mility," in order to '* redeem us from all ini- 
 *' quity, and purify us unto himfelf !" " As 
 " the king of Ifrael defcended from his chariot, 
 " put off his royal apparel," and in a lefs dif- 
 tinguiflied habit, entered the battle; fo did the 
 Redeemer of men diveft himfelf of his hea- 
 venly glory, come down from the throne of 
 his majcfty, clothe himfelf with the flefh of 
 mortality, to conquer our enemies, and to ref- 
 cue us from their power. This is the meaning 
 of our *' keeping this feaft unto the Lord, and 
 *' of our having an holy convocation, or affem- 
 " bly," on this bright, aufpicious day. " For 
 " 7into lis was born this day a Saviour, who is 
 '^ Chrift the Lord." 
 
 When God, in the beginning, '* laid the 
 ** foundations of the earth, when he laid the 
 *' meafures thereof, and ftretchcd the lines 
 
 " upon 
 
On the Divinity of Chrifl. 
 
 ^i 
 
 '*■ upon it, the morning ftars fang together, 
 " and all the fons of God fliouted for joy;" 
 they admired, praifed, and adored the power, 
 wifdom, and goodnefs of God, which were fo 
 confpicuoufiy difplaycd in the works of the 
 creation. And, if ever there was a day on 
 which God's Almighty power, his incompara- 
 ble wifdom, and his infinite goodnefs appeared 
 again, as it did at the creation of the world, 
 furely it was on this day, when *' the Son of 
 *' God took upon Him our flelh," to repair the 
 breach between God and man, and to '* make 
 *' all things new\" For, can we doubt that 
 God, who contrived the fcheme of our re- 
 demption, to give at once fatisfadion to hi? 
 juftice, and triumph to his mercy, was plcafcd 
 with this day, (^n which our Saviour came 
 into the world with tha: body which his Fa- 
 th( f had provided him ? " Go, I pray thee," 
 faid Jacob to Jofeph, ** and fee, whether it be 
 " well with thv brethren." But God, know- 
 ing the wretched condition mankind was in 
 without a Saviour, fent his Son, not to enqairc 
 afterour welfare, but to procure '* eternal re- 
 " demption for us." And, as at the creation 
 of the world, " the fons of God fliouted for 
 
3/2 OnjhelDh'mity of C/iri/f. 
 
 *' joy," fb they again rejoiced at the birth of 
 Him by whom the world was made. For no 
 fooner had the angel of the Lord delivered his 
 meffage, ♦' thofe glad tidings of great joy" to 
 the fiiepherds, " but fuddenly there was with 
 " him a multitude of the heavenly hoft praif- 
 " ing God, and faying — Glory be to God in 
 " the higheft, and, on earth, peace, good- will 
 " towards men." And the ground of our joy, 
 and the reafon of this anthem being fung by 
 the choir of heaven, is expreifed in the words 
 of my text, " For unto us is born this day, in 
 *' the city of David, a Saviour, which is Chrifi: 
 *' the Lord." 
 
 In difcourfing on thefe words, it will be nc- 
 ccifary to enquire, who the Saviour is, dcc'rare^ 
 by the heavenly herald, and what arc the of- 
 fices He fuftaincd to entitle Him to this high 
 charader — fecondly, who are tlie people He 
 came to fave : — After which I fliall conclude 
 v.ith fome rcflcciions fuitable to this day's fo- 
 lemnity. 
 
 I. He, who came to fcek and to favc that 
 which was loft, was no other than both God 
 and man: ** God, of the fubfliance oi' his Fa- 
 *' thcr, begotten before the w^rld ; and man, 
 
 *' of 
 
On the Divinity of Ch rift, 3 7 3 
 
 *^ of the fubftance of his mother, born in the 
 " world : perfed: God and perfedl man : and 
 ** as the rcafonable foul and flcfli is one man, 
 ** fo God and man is one Chrift." 
 
 It was expedient that our furety fhould be 
 man, becaufc He was to perform that perfcd, 
 and exa<fl:, obedience, which God required ofus\ 
 that, thereby having fan6lified our nature in 
 himfelf, God might once more look upon, 
 and be pleafed with, it ; and He now, in hea- 
 ven, intercedes with his Father, to accept us 
 throu2;h his mediation. Now, had he been 
 only God, he would have been free from 
 all fubjedion, and could have paid no obedi- 
 ence — " being equal to his Father, as touch- 
 *' ing his Godhead :" but then, He, aifum- 
 ing our nature, was " inferior to his Father, a< 
 " touching his- manhood :" and in this capa- 
 city, *' Chrift came into the world to do 
 " the will of God, and yield obedience to 
 *' Him." 
 
 Again, obedience being a debt we owe to 
 God, and God having decreed that his jufiicc 
 fliould be fatisfied, " it behoved Chrift to fuf- 
 " fer, and then to enter into his glory." But the 
 Godhead is of that infinite perfcc^tion that it 
 
 cannot 
 
374 On the Divinity of Clri/i. 
 
 cannot fuffer ; {o tliat c nad had no other 
 nature, he could not have paid that debt for 
 us, the punifliment due to fin. It was alfo fit 
 that God's juftice fliould be fatisficd in that 
 nature, which had tranfgrcffcd ; and that the. 
 fame nature fliould fulfer the punilliment, 
 which had incurred the guilt. And, therefore, 
 fo tranfcendent, was the love of the Son of God 
 towards the fonsof men, that rather than they 
 fhould ftill He under the power of death, he 
 refolved, at an appointed time, by becoming 
 incarnate, to accomplilli our falvation. 
 
 But then, that our redemption fliould be 
 complete, our Redeemer was to be God, as well 
 as man. For had he been only man, why 
 would not the fentence have been pronounced 
 againll him, as well as againft the reft o( 
 Adam's pofterity ? " Thou fhalt furcly die ; 
 " for duft thou art, and unto dull; thou flialt 
 " return :" and if fo, " inftead of faving others, 
 " he could not have faved himfelf " But fup- 
 pofe him to have been created innocent, and 
 to have retained his innocency, he could not 
 have made *' fatisfad;ion for the fins of the 
 •* whole world :" it could be no fufficient 
 lanfom for thofe innumerable multitudes that 
 
 ** were 
 
n the 'Divinity of Qhr'ift, 3/5 
 
 ** were to be redeemed to God, out of every 
 *' kindred, and tongue, and people, and na- 
 " tion." 
 
 Befides, could man, or angel have wroughtour 
 falvation for us, it was not fit that we fliould 
 owe fuch an ineftimable bleffing to any other 
 perfon, than to him who created us; becaufe the 
 value of our redemption, being more than that 
 of our creation, it would engage us to love our 
 Redeemer, more than our Creator: and there- 
 fore, in the work of our redemption, God 
 would not give usoccafion to love an angel, or 
 a faint, better than himfelf. The Son of God, 
 who " fits at his right hand, by whom he made 
 *- the world, He muft reftore all things," that 
 the bleffings of our creation, redemption, and 
 all other good gifts might meet in Him, and 
 we be thereby obliged to *' love him with all 
 *' our heart, with all our foul, with all our 
 *' mind, and with all our ftrcngth." — " The 
 ** Church," fays St. Paul, '"■ is purchafed with 
 *' God's own blood." Thus is our redemption 
 wrought out by him who is •' the blcflcd and 
 *' only potentate, the King of kings, and Lord 
 '' of lords !" 
 
 By confidcring the offices our Saviour fuf- 
 
 tained. 
 
3/G O ! the Divhuly of Qhr'ift. 
 
 talned, we iliall the better underftand how» 
 and in what icnfc, he may be faid to favc us. 
 
 He was a prophet : this word, in a ftricl 
 lenfe, (ignlfies one who is enabled, by the Holy 
 Ghoft, to fbretel things to come. Our Saviour 
 foretold the manner of St. Peter's death, and 
 the long life of St. John. But, in a larger ac 
 ccptation, the word is put to denote a perfon 
 who is endowed with power, to interpret, 
 and make known, the will of God. St. John 
 acquaints us how well qualified he was for this 
 office, " He was in the bofom of the Father." 
 He made a full declaration of his Father's 
 will, in thofe fermons, parables, and difcourfes, 
 which we find recorded in the four Evans^e- 
 lifts. He taught upon what terms, and condi- 
 tions, bleffednefs was now to be had, under the 
 difpenfation of the Gcfpel. He revealed, fome 
 commands of God, which were before, either 
 not at all, or fo obfcurely, revealed, in the Old 
 Tcftament, that men thought themfelves not 
 obliged to obfcrvc them. He freed many paf- 
 fages from the filfc glofles which the Phari- 
 fees had put upon them ; and, as the Apoftle 
 fpeaks, *' He brought life and immortality to 
 " light through the Gofpel." He inftitutcd 
 
 Sacraments 
 
0?i the Divhiiiy of Chrtft, 377 
 
 Sacraments, and ordained a miniftry to convey 
 the bleffings of Religion to fuccceding ages. 
 
 He was a prieft: man, having inccnfed and 
 provoked God's juftice, by a continued courfe 
 of fin, it was highly ncccfTary, t-hat in officiat- 
 ing for us with God, our Mediator fhould ren- 
 der Him fbme great and honorable reparation 
 in our behalf; and the greateft reparation h« 
 could make, was to take our punifliment upon 
 himfelf, and offer up his own life to God, as a 
 facrifice, for our fins. Had God required the 
 punilhment of thofe that had finned, the 
 whole race of mankind muft have been de- 
 ftroyed : and he would not pardon us without 
 Ibme commutation for the punilhment that 
 was due to his juflice, that he might prefcrve, 
 and maintain, the authority due to his laws. 
 Upon which account his infinite wifdom and 
 goodncfs found out this expedient, that feme 
 other perfon lliould fuffer in our flead ; and fo 
 we might not be deflroyed, neither our fins 
 go unpunifhcd, JcfusChrifi: gave " himfelf 
 ** a ranfom for us, and, by that one oblation 
 *' of himlelf once offered, he made a full, per- 
 ** feci, and fufficient facrifice, oblation, and 
 " fatii-hnflion, for the fins of the world." 
 
 Bb He. 
 
378 On the Divinity of Qhr'tji. 
 
 He was a king: he came into the world, in- 
 deed, in a low condition, very different from 
 that of a prince. He not only humbled him- 
 fclf in taking our nature upon him, but was 
 born of mean parents, who could not bring a 
 lamb, and, therefore, they, at his prefentation 
 in the temple, offered for him " a pair of tur- 
 " ties." And yet the Prophet Ifaiah truly fliles 
 him, ** the Prince of peace." The angel Ga- 
 briel told his mother, that ** He fliould reign 
 *^ over the houfe of Jacob for ever." He ob- 
 tained, in his human nature, an abfolute power 
 and dominion, whereby '' he became Lord 
 *' and Chrift ; the Prince and Saviour of his 
 " people." And this was according to what he 
 had told his Apoftles, before his afcenfion, *^ all 
 " power is given me in heaven and in earth ;" 
 by virtue of which he elliablifhed a Church, in 
 order to dilfeminate his bleffings, and proclaim 
 his falvation. 
 
 And he had a power to fend down the 
 Holy Gholl: to fupport it with wifdom, and 
 direct it in truth, " When the Comforter is 
 *^ come, whom I w ill fend from the Father, 
 ** He fliall teach you all things:' — by this Spi- 
 rit, he condu(5ts his fubjc<^ls, if they will fub- 
 
 mit 
 
On the Divinity of Chrift. Z7Q 
 
 mlt to his (iiredlion, into the way that leadeth 
 to eternal Hfe. " The Son of man hath 
 ** power to forgive fins," and he appHes a par- 
 don to every one who confcientioufly embraces 
 his Gofpel : we arc the purchafe of his blood, 
 and tlic trophies of his vidlory ; and, '* ii we 
 " arc faithful unto death, he will give us a 
 " crown of lite." 
 
 II. Let us confider, more particularly, the 
 perfons for whom he was born. " Unto you is 
 " horn this day a Saviour." Thefe words were 
 fpoken to a few fliephcrds, '' who were keep- 
 ** ing watch over their flocks by night." Now 
 thefe fliepherds w^ere Jews ; which people ex- 
 pedcd a Saviour to be born of, and for, their 
 own nation. But io jealous were they of their 
 privileges, and fo unwilling others fliould par- 
 ticipate with them, that they denied him to 
 the reft of the world; as if " God was ftill to 
 " be known, and worlhlpped, in Jewry only." 
 And if " he had not been a light to lighten 
 " the Gentiles, as well as the glory of liis 
 " people Ifrael, thefe glad tidingsof great joy'* 
 would have been nothing to us, who were 
 '* ftrana;ers to the common wealth ot Ilrael. ' 
 But blclfed, for ever blefled, be the God of all 
 B b 2 confolation, 
 
380 On the Divinity of Cfifj/I, 
 
 confolation, who fent his Son " to give Hght 
 *' to all who fat in darknefs, and in the fhadow 
 " of death! We were all concluded under 
 " fm ;" and fince " the wages of fm is death," 
 we were to fuffer eternal punifhment, from 
 which human means could fuggeft no delive- 
 rance. We were all in the fame condition, 
 and no one could take upon him, to fatisfy for 
 others, who flood in need of a Saviour him- 
 felf; and therefore, had not He, who was 
 both God and man, undertaken, and paid our 
 ranfom for us, we muft have been liable to the 
 wrath of an incenfed God. 
 
 Having confidered by whom we are re- 
 deemed, and, that it was to deliver us from 
 eternal punifhment, Jefus Chrifl, as on this 
 day, *' left the glory which he had with the 
 '' Father before the world was," may I not ad- 
 drefs yor, in the words of our Saviour to his 
 difciples " Will ye alfo go away?" and anfwer 
 for you all, " Lord ! to whom fliall wc go ? 
 *' Thou hafl the words of eternal life." 
 
 III. I fhall beg your attention, whilfl I 
 make fomc refleclions fuitablc to this day's fo- 
 lemnity 
 
 That God fhduld leave the throne of his 
 
 glory. 
 
On the Divinity of Chrifl. 381 
 
 glory, and condefcend fo far as to take upon 
 Him our flefh — that He fhould parchafc for 
 us fo great an inheritance — what tongue of 
 men, or of angels, can fufficiently admire it, 
 and make any fuitable returns of praife? " He 
 ** took not on him the nature of angels, but 
 ** he took on him the feed of Abraham." Yet 
 at " his birth, the angels called upon one an- 
 *' other, to give glory to God." And (hall we, 
 for whofe fake he came down from heaven, 
 be infeniiblc of his love ? Surely it ought to 
 fill our hearts with a livelv fcnie, and our 
 mouths with a due acknowlegement, of his 
 mercy I "A joyful and pleafant thing it is to 
 " be thankful,'* to behold the goodnefs and 
 favors of God, to recount his mercies, and to 
 hope for a continuance, and increafe of them . 
 To obtain which, let us confidcr, 
 
 (2dly) That we are required to live, not 
 only in the profcfTion, but under the influence, 
 of Chriftianity. We are to regulate our adion?, 
 our dcfires, our thoughts by the word ot God. 
 God is no more reconciled to fm now, than 
 he was before the coming of our Saviour, nei- 
 ther is Chrifl lefs a profeffed enemy to Satan. 
 ^' There is no more concord between Him and 
 
 B b 3 '' Belial, 
 
382 On the Dtvtmty of Chr'tji. 
 
 ** Belial, than there is communion between 
 *' light and darknefs;'* nay, the very end of his 
 *' manifeflation in the flefh, was to deftroy the 
 " works of the devil." In this new and blefTed 
 covenant, he offers his purchafed bleffings, 
 upon condition of our entering faithfully into 
 his fervice ; he cxpedls us to " die unto fm, 
 *' and live unto righteoufnefs." 
 
 (sdly ' We may learn how odious is fm in 
 the fight of God, by the greatnefs of the per- 
 son of our Mediator. God, of his mercy, did 
 not banifh us his prefence for ever, but he 
 would admit no lefs perfon, than his own be- 
 Joved Son, to mediate between him and us, and 
 would accept no lefs ranfom than that of his 
 life. Confidering then, that " God fcnt his 
 *' only begotten Son into the world, that we 
 ** might liv^ through him,'' we fhould en- 
 quire ferioufly of ourfelves, whether the end'of 
 Jiis miffion be anfwered.'' He has made our 
 obedience to be our interell, as well as our 
 duty. He forbids us nothing but vyhat is un- 
 Jjccoming our nature, firid dcftru^^ive of our 
 prefent, as well as future, happincfs. Let us, 
 therefore, be perfuaded not to make fuch a 
 trial of his mercy, as to tranfgrefs his laws, and 
 
 " cafi 
 
Oji the Divinity of Chrlft. 333 
 
 •' caft his commandments behind us." If a 
 Saviour be born to us, let us, from this day, 
 labor to have an intercft in his merits. Let 
 the day on which the Son of God took upon 
 him our flefli, be the day on which we be- 
 come true and fmccre Chriftians. And to 
 ftrengthen our refbhitions, and encreafe our 
 faith, let us all, *' with one confent," comme- 
 morate his nativity, by partaking in the Holy 
 Sacrament of his body and blood : thus, by 
 *' going on from ftrength to ftrength, when 
 ** he fliall appear the fecond time unto falva- 
 *' tion, we may alfo appear with him in glory." 
 Which God of his infinite mercy grant, for 
 the fake of Jefus Chrift our BlefTed Saviour 
 and Redeemer! 
 
 B b 4 SERMON 
 
[ asi ] 
 
 SERMON XXVI. 
 
 JOHN XVI. 7. 
 
 Neverthelefs I tell you the truth, U is expcd'imi 
 for you that I go away : for f I go not away 
 the Comforter will not come unto you ; hut if 
 I depart I will fend him unto you. 
 
 THESE arc the words of our Blcffcd Sa- 
 viour to his difconfolate Difciples, not 
 long before his paflion, whofe minds were de- 
 prefled, and whofe apprehenfions were alarmed, 
 with the melancholy news of their Maftcr's 
 fufferings, the ill treatment He foretold they 
 fhould alfo meet with in the world, and his 
 leaving them in this comfortlefs condition, to 
 go to the Father who had fent him. They 
 muft be defponding with grief, and over- 
 whelmed with anxiety, as often as it occurred 
 to them, that they were " to be hated and per- 
 " fecuted; put out of the fy nagogucs; yea, that 
 *' the time ihould come when he who kilkd 
 
 ** them 
 
380 On the Defcent of the Holy GhoJ}. 
 
 " them fliould think that he did God fcrvicc." 
 And as an aggravation of their forrow, he with 
 whom they had been fo happy and fecure; for 
 "whofe fake they had left all that they had ; he 
 ■who, amidft all their diftrefTcs and fufFerings, 
 was to be the joy and rejoicing of their hearts; 
 even he, from whom alone they expected affift- 
 ance, protection, comfort, and happinefs, was 
 iliortly to be taken from them. But to difpel 
 that forrow, he promifed them another Com- 
 forter, who, by being " prefent with them in 
 ** fpirit," Ihould make amends for their mafter's 
 '* being abfent in body." " Xcverthelefs I tell 
 " you the truth, it is expedient for you that I 
 " go away: for if I go not ayy^ay the Comforter 
 '^ will not come unto you ; but if I depart I 
 "' will fend him unto you." 
 
 In difcourfmg on thefe words, I fliall (hew, 
 firft, why the Feaft of Pentccoft was 
 inftituted. 
 (2dly) How Chrift's going away was expe- 
 dient for his Difciples. 
 (sdly) The great bleffings the Apoftles re- 
 ceived by the coming of the Holy Ghofl, 
 the promifed Comforter. 
 I. This Feail the church now celebrates, the 
 
 day 
 
On the Defcent of the Holy GhoJ. 38/ 
 
 day of Pentecoft, is fo called from its being the 
 fiftieth day after the rcfurreftion of our Lord. 
 He died at the time when the pafchal lamb, 
 which was the type of him, was offered ; and 
 the Holy Ghoft defcended, as on this day, in 
 order that the Gofpel might hold fomc corre- 
 fpondence vMth the Law. The feaft of weeks, 
 or of Pentecoft, was inftituted by Mofes, while 
 the children of Ifrael were Jonrncying in the 
 wildernefs towards the lard of Canaan, and was 
 obfervcd by them for two rcafonS; to which 
 our Whitfuntide bears a ftrong rcfcmblancc. 
 
 They obfervcd it in remembrance ot their 
 
 being delivered from Egyptian ilavery. '' And 
 
 " thou flialtkecp the feaftof weeks, or of Pen- 
 
 '' tecoft," faysMofcs, ''unto the Lord thy God, 
 
 '' and thou (bait remember that thou waft a 
 
 '* bondman in the land of Egypt." And wc 
 
 keep our Pentecoft, in memory of our bemg 
 
 delivered from worfe than Egyptian bondage, 
 
 the bondage of ftn and Satan. For on thi. 
 
 day, the Holy Ghoft endowed the Apoftles 
 
 V. ith power, to preach the glad tidings of the 
 
 Gofpel to the whole world, that wc all might 
 
 become members of Chrift the head. 
 
 The Jews likcwifc kept this Ft-aft in me- 
 mo ly 
 
388 0)1 the Defcent of the Holy Ghojl. 
 
 mory of the Law's being delivered on Mount 
 Sinai. And fo we keep our feaft in memory 
 of our Law's going out of Sion, the promulga- 
 tion of the Gofpel. The old Law was given 
 by Mofes a fervant, thereby intimating bond- 
 age — but grace and truth, the revelation of 
 the Gofpel, by Jefus Chrift our King, and 
 therefore makes us free, and entitles us to call 
 God our Father. 
 
 Having fliewn why the Feafl: of Pentecoft 
 was inftituted, I proceed to confider 
 
 IL The neceffity of the mifiion of the 
 Holy Spirit ; " it is expedient for you that 
 *' I go away: for if I go not away' the 
 " Comforter will not come unto you ; 
 " but if I depart 1 will fend him unto 
 '* you. 
 
 Now this will the better appear, if we con- 
 fider that the Trinity, or three perfons in the 
 Godhead, was to be made known to the dlfci- 
 ples of our Lord. All the three Perfons were 
 concerned in the creation of man ; *' let u$ 
 '' make man," faith God ; which is fpoken 
 after the manner of men who deliberate, and 
 advifc, when they are about a matter of great 
 moment, to fhew the dignity of man's nature, 
 
 above 
 
On the Defcent of the Holy Ghojl. 38@ 
 
 above that of other creatures. All the three 
 Perfons were to be concerned in the work of 
 our Redemption ; God the Father, by fend- 
 ing his Son into the world, and accepting that 
 facrifice once offered on the crofs as an Atone- 
 ment for us ; God the Son, by becoming man, 
 and offering that facrlfice ; God the Holy 
 Ghoft, by a vifible, and fenfiblc, effufion of his 
 gifts and graces. And, therefore, it was expe- 
 dient for them, by whom the dodrine of the 
 Trinity was to be propagated in the world, 
 that the Comforter, who is the Holy Ghoft, 
 fhould thus come, and- manifeil himfclf to 
 them, *' in figns, and wonders, and mighty 
 ** deeds." So that it became expedient, that 
 Ghrill Ihould go up in our flcfli into heaven, 
 and fend down the Bleffcd Spirit to be wltii 
 them here upon earth. 
 
 (2dly) The miffion of the Holy Ghofl was 
 necclfary, or, in the words of the text, " it 
 *' was expedient that Chrift fliould go away," 
 bccaufe He was to be an advocate with the 
 Father, pleading the merit of his fufferings, 
 and urging his promife of acceptance of it, as 
 a full, and perfe<fl fiitisfadlion, for the lins of 
 the whole world. A bleffmg inclllmable in 
 
 itfcif, 
 
ago On the Defcent of the Holy Gliojl. 
 
 itfelf, and which makes abundant recompcnce 
 for his abfence ! Bat befides this, it gave both 
 them, and us, a comtbrtable aiTurance of our 
 own afcenfion, of our meeting in heaven, 
 there to be happy with him, to all eternity. 
 We could not have expeded that duft and 
 afhes fhould have afcended the heavens ; but 
 fmce our nature is gone before in Him, we 
 may juftly hope to follow after him. He is 
 our head, and where the head is, the members 
 may exped admiiTion. ** I go to prepare a 
 " place for you : I will come again, and re- 
 "■ celve vou unto myfelf,that where I an}, there 
 *^ ye may be alfo. Whither our fore-runner 
 "" is for us entered, even Jefus." Hie word 
 fore-runner implies that fome are to follow 
 after ; and if He is our fore-runner, and hath 
 entered for us, then we are they that are to 
 follow, as being of the fame human nature, 
 and members of the fame body. 
 
 III. Let us now confider the great blcf- 
 iings the Apoftles received by the coming 
 of the Holy Ghoft. " ^\ will not leave you 
 " comfortlefs," faith our Saviour to his difcon- 
 folate Difciples, " but I will pray the Father, 
 ^* and he will fend you another Comforter, 
 
 *' that 
 
On the Defcent of the Holy Ghoft, 3g I 
 
 *'* that He may abide with you for ever :" 
 which promifc was puncJitually rulfilled, as on 
 this day, by the Holy Ghoft's dcfccnding on 
 the Apoftlcs to authorize them with power, 
 and enable them with fuccefs, to execute the 
 office to which they were appointed. " The 
 *' Comforter, which is the Holy GhoH:, whom 
 " the Father will fend in my name, He fl^all 
 " teach you all things, and bring all things to 
 *' your remembrance whatfoevcr I have faid 
 "' unto vou." Chrift had revealed the whole 
 will of his Father, concerning the falvation of 
 mankind to his Difciplcs; " all things that I 
 '• have heard of my Father I have made known 
 " unto you." But then their underilaridings 
 were not illumined to comprehend the fenfe, 
 and receive the meaning, of the dod:rines. It 
 was " the Spirit of Truth, that was to guide 
 '* them into all truth." And no fooner had 
 they received the Holy Ghoft, than they be- 
 came learned in the myftcries of Ileligion : no 
 fooner had the fiery tongue lighted on St. Pe- 
 ter, than he undertakes to prove that Jefus 
 was the Chrill, the true MefTiah, and Saviour 
 oi the world. And it is furely no fmall argu- 
 ment of the truth of the Chriftian Religion, 
 
 that 
 
3Q2 On the Defcent of the Holy Ghoji. 
 
 that fb inconfidcrable a number of poor, illite- 
 rate men — men without any temporal autho- 
 rity to aflift them — men who ftruck at the 
 very root of the eftabliflied religions of the 
 countries in which they preached — fhould con- 
 vert to Chrlftianity io large a part of the then 
 known world. ** The Lord worked with 
 ** them," in fuch a manner, that thofe who 
 heard them, " were not able to refift the wif- 
 " dom, and the Spirit, by which they fpakc." 
 Again, Becaufe the Apoftles were the firft 
 preachers of Chriftianity, and fo were to de- 
 liver a true and exa£l rule, according to which, 
 fucceeding ages were to believe in their hearts, 
 and obferve in their practice r the Holy Spirit, 
 therefore, was fo to teach them, as to keep them 
 from falling into errors. Whatever then we 
 find in their waitings, we are to receive as true, 
 and as a rule of both our faith, and condu6l. 
 But this extraordinary way of teaching was 
 not to continue ; the rule being given, we arc 
 to apply ourfelves diligently to read, and learn 
 it ; and the bleffing of the Holy Spirit, on our 
 meafure of application, and defire of improve- 
 ment, is now the ordinary way of his teach- 
 ing. He hath put into our hands the mean* 
 
 bv 
 
On tlie Dcfccut of the Holy Ghoji. 393 
 
 oi inftrudion, it will be our own iault if we 
 do not make a rii2,lit, and proper, ufe of 
 them. 
 
 But left the oppofition the Gofpel (liould 
 meet with, fliould airright the Apoillcs, and 
 deter them from preaching it, the Holy Gholt, 
 therefore, infpired them with zeal and coura2:c 
 to '* fpeak the word of God with boldncfs," 
 and adminiftered comfort under all their af- 
 fli(5lions. The Gofpel, indeed, could not he ex- 
 pected to be received w ith ardor, and obferved 
 with fidelity; the feverlty of its precepts bein^ 
 diametrically oppofite to the corrupt purfuits, 
 and vicious inclinations, of men ; the purity of 
 its worfiiipdirecf^ly contrary to the abfurd rites, 
 and indecent folemnitles of the Heathen ; and 
 the fublimity of its dodrines abfolutely incon- 
 fiftent with thofe rclii2;ions which had obtained 
 for fo many ages, and which were eftabliflicd 
 by the policy, and fupported by the powers, of 
 the refpe^live governments. And fuch was 
 the influence of the Comforter upon them, 
 that " they fpoke the word of God with bold- 
 *' nefs, and being perfecuted, they rejoiced that 
 *' they were counted worthy to futfer fliamc 
 '' for his name." When they were brought 
 C c before 
 
d(j4 On the Defcetit of the Holy Ghoji, 
 
 before rulers and kings, He dictated their de- 
 tence, and dcmonftrated their innocence. And, 
 as they were to be fully fatisfied of the truth 
 of the do(5lrine, which they delivered, fo their 
 conftancy and courage in delivering it, are an 
 inconteftible proof of their belief of it. For 
 had they not been convinced of the truth of 
 what they taught, their conftancy would have 
 failed, and their courage have drooped, when 
 perfecution arofe ; becaufe no man is Vv illing 
 to lofe his life, for maintaining what he does 
 not firn>ly believe to be true. May their zeal 
 and courage be imitated by us, in our feveral 
 ftations 1 May the minifters of the Gofpel 
 *' preach the word infimplicity, and godly fin- 
 ** cerity !'* And may the Religion of Chrill: be 
 believed, profeffed, and pradifed by us all ! 
 l]ut, to the Apoftles preaching the Gofpel, the 
 Holy Spirit added his efficacious Grace to ren- 
 der their preaching, *' the power of God unto 
 " falvation." However learned, or eloquent, 
 may be the preacher, it is the Grace and Blef- 
 ilng of God that mud bring him a plentiful 
 harveil. May the preachers then beg this 
 blelfing at God's hand ! May the people bring 
 along with them, a heart difpofed to receive 
 
 the 
 
On the Dcfcent of the Holy Gh.Jl. 395 
 
 the dodlrine of the Gofpcl, and arefolution to 
 put it iu pra<5llce ! 
 
 As a farther confirmation of the truth of the 
 Gofpel, the Holy Ghoft endowed the Apoftlcs., 
 with the power of working miracles. 
 
 This extraordinary gift fervcd as their cre- 
 dentials, to convince the world that they were 
 the ambaffadors of Heaven — that, from the 
 fame fource were derived both their doclrine, 
 and their power. Miracles were atteftations to 
 the truth of what they delivered, fjncc they 
 could not be performed, without fpeclal pcr- 
 miffion ; and would never be allowed, in the 
 confirmation of falleh*.>ods. Thus Nicodemus, 
 having heard of our Saviour's miracles, con- 
 feifed, tliat " He was a teacher come from 
 ** God, for no man," fays he, " can do thofc 
 *' miracles that Thou docfl, except God be 
 " with liim." And when our Saviour had 
 given fight to one '' tliat was born blind," vvc 
 find him concluding Chrift, to be, at leaft, 
 *' a vvorfliippcr of tlic true God. We know 
 '' that God heareth not iinners ; but if any 
 *•' man be a worHvippcr of God, him Wz 
 *' heareth." 
 
 C c 2 But, 
 
2 C 0;/ the DcfccvJ of tlie Holy Ghof, 
 
 But, feeing the Apoftles were to preach the 
 Gofpcl, tofcveral parts of the world, it v/as re- 
 quifitc, that they ihould be enabled to fpcak 
 the feveral languages of the people, to whom 
 they fliould preach, that their doctrines might 
 be underllood, the truth of them embraced, 
 and the precepts obfcrved. And therefore, 
 
 The Holy Gholl; bellowed upon them the 
 gift of tongues. 
 
 When the Holy Ghoft defcended, " there 
 *' were dwelling at Jcrufalem, Jews, devout 
 " men of every nation under Heaven." And 
 tliofe m.en, from every nation, heard the Apof- 
 tlcs fpeak, in their own tongues, or languages, 
 the wonderful works of God. What mull: have 
 been their aflonifhment, when they reflecled 
 bn the meannefs, and obfcurity,oFthe Apoftles, 
 neither affifted by genius, polifhed by educa- 
 tion, nor improved by exercife ? Hitherto, the 
 wordiip ot the true God had been confined to 
 Palcftine, *.' God was known only in Jewry:" 
 But now their commiffion being " to teach 
 " all nations," they were infpired to fpeak a 
 diverfity of languages, that, in whatever coun- 
 try they mighit preach the Gofpel, their hearers 
 pfight be enabled fully to comprehend it. The 
 
 confounding 
 
Ou the Dtfcait of the Holy Ghojl, 307 
 
 confounding of languages became a punlfli- 
 ment to the old world, by feparating men from 
 mutual offices oflclndnefs, and facility of com- 
 merce, rendering mankind barbarians to one 
 another. But the gift of tongues was an 
 unfpeakable blcfling to mankind, as it was a 
 mean of bringing men of all nations, into an 
 unity of faith, and of the knowlesre of the 
 Son of God ; into a fellowfhip of that Reli- 
 gion, wliich was to banifh all difcords, and 
 unite men's hearts, in the bonds of peace. And 
 the gift of tongues was not bcftowcd in vain. 
 For after the Apoftlcs departed to their feveral 
 provinces, by giving themfelvcs diligently to 
 the miniftry of the word, and the Lord's 
 working with them, converts to Chriftianity 
 were multiplied, in numbers paft recounting. 
 
 Having flievvn, as I propofcd, why the Feaft 
 of Pcntecoft was inftitutcd — how Chrift's g^o- 
 ing away was expedient for the Apoftles — and 
 the great blcflings they received by the coming 
 of thcFIoly Gholt, the Comforter ; it only re- 
 mains that I briefly apply what has been faid. 
 
 1 he do(S:rincs of the Gofpel are conftantly 
 preached to us, and we have been educated in 
 them irom our infancy. They are delivered 
 
 to 
 
398 On the Defcent of the Holy Ghoft. 
 
 to us, " in our own tongue wherein wc were 
 " born^" and are accompanied by the gracious 
 influences of God's Holy Spirit. Let us then 
 ferioufly demand of ourfelves, whether we pro- 
 fit by them, in the manner the Almighty in- 
 tends ? If we have hitherto lived under the 
 difpenfation of Chriftianity, without being im- 
 proved in righteoufnefs,and enriched by Grace, 
 let us befeech the blefled Sandlifier of our 
 fouls, to " create in us a clean heart, and rc- 
 " new aright fpirit within us." If it be *' a fear- 
 *^ ful thingf to fall into the hands of the liviniz; 
 *' God," let us think in time, what portion of 
 wrath we are treafuring up for ourfelves, by 
 " negledling the word fpoken to us." The 
 Chriftian Religion was promulged, and, as at 
 this feafon, the Holy Ghoil: bore witnefs to the 
 truth of it, *' by many figns, and wonders, and 
 ** mighty deeds," to give comfort to us here, 
 and happincfs hereafter. Let us not, for God's 
 fake, let us " not, receive this gift of God in 
 vain." If its docllrines were embraced, and its 
 precepts pradifed, amidft the terrors of perfc- 
 cution, and in the jaws of death; what cxcufe 
 can we offer for not heartily embracing it, when 
 it has the force of law, and the fupport of au- 
 
 thoiitv, 
 
OnthcDtfceiitoftheHolyGhoJi. 399 
 
 thority, when it is recommended by men, and 
 commanded by God ? To receive, or to reject 
 it, is left indeed to our own choice ; but it is at 
 the fame time accompanied with the moil aw- 
 ful fandtions. It is a rule of conduct, and ac- 
 cording to our tranfgrefling, or obfcrving of it, 
 wc are to be punifhed, or rewarded. ** The 
 " word that I have fpoken," fays our Saviour, 
 ** the fame fliall judge them at the hift day." 
 God Ahnighty grant us *' to read, mark, learn, 
 *' and inwardly digeft it," that when the great 
 day o\' retribution comes, the ncglc6led word 
 may not fit in judgment upon us. 
 
 * Heavenly Father ! who art more ready to 
 
 * hear than vvc to pray, and to give more than 
 
 * we can afk, or think, grant us, this day, thy 
 
 * Holy Spirit. We prefume not to aflv it in 
 
 * the meafurc,in which it was formerly impart- 
 
 * ed to the firll preachers of thy Gofpel ; but 
 
 * wc fupplicate thee to endow us continually 
 
 * with its graces, that we may not receive the 
 ' revelation of thy word in vain. Thou gaveft 
 
 * us thy heavenly covenant, to prepare us a 
 ' people acceptable in thy fight; we fupplicate, 
 
 * therefore, thy Holy Spirit, to infpirc us with 
 
 •all 
 
-J 00 On the Defceni of tlie Holy Ghoji. 
 
 * all thofe virtues which will make Chrlftianlty 
 
 * appear fo amiable in our obfervance of it, that 
 ' every one may embrace thy Gofpel from 
 
 * convidlion, may believe its doctrines, and ful- 
 
 * fil its precepts, by beholding in us the beft 
 ' members of fociety, the moft ufeful neigh- 
 ' bors, the moft dutiful children, the moft af- 
 
 * fccflionate parents, the moft exemplary Chrif- 
 
 * tians. Grant, gracious God, that the Spi- 
 
 * rit of truth may, this day, defcend into our 
 
 * hearts, and, after having eftablifhed his dwel- 
 ' ling within us, grant us, we implore thee, to 
 
 * become the eternal temples of thy glory, and 
 
 * of thy trutii !' Amen. Amen. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 1. Cillrt, I'rjntcr, Cr«« II court, t.vvt direct. 
 
,^ ■ ' -^'^ '*-:;'^---'' 
 
 - i