^-f 
 
 
 Division 
 
 SCO 
 
1919 
 
 TWELVE ^iomhi%i- 
 
 DISCOURSES, 
 
 DELIVERED CHIEFLY AT 
 
 THE MEETING-HOUSE 
 
 OF THE PEOPLE CALLED 
 
 (QUAKERS, 
 
 IN THE PARK, 
 
 South wark, 
 
 BY THE LATE 
 
 / 
 
 THOMAS LETCHWORTH. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed by J. W. GALABIN, Ingram-Court, Fenchurch- 
 
 ftreet, for 
 
 W. RICHARDSON, at the Royal-Exchange. 
 
 M.DCC.LXXXVII. 
 
( iii ) 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 ^ I A H E S E Dlfcoiirfes were taken in 
 I fhort-hand at the time of delivery, 
 by a perfon not in the fame reli- 
 gious community with the preacher. A 
 few necefTary corredions of grammatical 
 inaccuracies have been fnice made ; and, in 
 fome inftances, a more complete citation 
 of the texts adduced. In quotations made 
 from memory, it muft frequently happen 
 that the words are not quite exad. It fuf- 
 A 2 ficiently 
 
( iv ) 
 
 ficiently anfwered the fpeaker's purpofe if 
 the general import of the paflage was con- 
 veyed, and expreflions, which thus qualify 
 the citation, are frequently introduced, and 
 always to be implied. 
 
 It is well known that the miniilers of the 
 religious fociety, with whom the author of 
 tliefe Difcourfes profefTed, difclaim all pre- 
 vious ftudy in the compofition of their ex- 
 temporaneous fermons. It cannot, there- 
 fore, be expe6led that they iliould be exa6t 
 in methodical arrangement, or abound in 
 the embellilliments of modern eloquence. 
 What was not attempted it is no difgrace 
 not to have attained. It may, however, 
 perhaps, juftly be a matter of doubt whe- 
 ther that zeal and energy of dehvery, which 
 arife from the feehngs of the moment, may 
 not, in their effe6ls on the audience, more 
 than counterbalance the cool corre^lnefs of 
 fludied oratory. The Quakers lay down 
 few dogmas, and feldom enlarge on thofe 
 myAerious pohits of theology which have 
 fp much divided the Chriftian world, and 
 
 have 
 
( V ) 
 
 have moflly occafioned contention in pro- 
 portion to their obfcurity. The doctrine 
 of univerfal grace, of which a manifefla- 
 tion, or portion, is given to every man,' 
 and by obedience to which he is enabled to 
 fulfil his duty, and to walk acceptably with 
 his Creator, is the leading principle of that 
 fociety, who hold, as the necellary refult 
 of it, that true worfhip conhfts in a hum- 
 ble proflration of heart and communion of 
 fpirit with the Father of mercies, and is 
 therefore perfectly confident with a ftate 
 of filence. Thefe points are inculcated in 
 the following pages, perhaps, to a degree of 
 tautology, for which an extra6l from one 
 of the Difcourfes, in the preacher's own 
 words, may furnifli the beft excufe. 
 
 " Though it is probable that v^^hat I 
 " have fometimes delivered may have been 
 *' more or lefs fimilar to that which I have 
 " aforetime delivered, yet I hope that even 
 " a repetition of do6lrines and advices, 
 " which we are urged to deliver from a 
 *' fenfe of duty, may not be as water fpilt 
 A 3 " upon 
 
( vi ) 
 
 ** upon a ftone, but may have a tendency 
 " (If not to convey any material informa- 
 ** tion to the underftanding) to flir up at 
 ** leaft the pure mind by way of remera- 
 " brance." 
 
 The love of fame, taken as a general 
 principle, and including the defire of being 
 efteemed and approved by one's friends, 
 frequently mingles itfelf with our befl mo- 
 tives. But, though this paffion may, in a 
 public preacher, receive fome gratification 
 from the filent and folemn attention of the 
 hearers, it would fcarcely excite a prudent 
 man to expe6l any increafe of reputation 
 from the publication of Difcourfes, of 
 which the fubjeft and arrangement were 
 not pre-conceived, and the expreffions fuch 
 as were fuggefted at the inflant. In the 
 prefent inllance, at leaft, no imputation of 
 this fort can arife to the author of thefe 
 Difcourfes, who is removed from the fcene, 
 and the influence of all earthly paffions. 
 The apology for the prefent publication 
 refts on the hope that imprelTions of a falu- 
 
 tary 
 
( vii ) 
 tary nature may, by this means, be renew- 
 ed on luch minds as are fincerely defirous 
 of fulfilling the duties of their ftation, and 
 of reaching the haven of eternal reft. 
 
 A friend of the author has favoured us 
 with the following brief account of him. 
 
 Thomas Letchworth was born at Wood- 
 bridge, in the county of Suffolk, in the 
 year 1739. His parents were of the people 
 called Quakers, and his father, a tradef- 
 man in that town, was a preacher among 
 them. In that religious fociety, the earn- 
 ings of honeft induftry are thought to be a 
 mode of maintenance more confiftent with 
 the evangelical qualifications required in a 
 Chriftian minifter, and with the influence 
 he ought to pofTefs in his congregation, 
 than legal ftipends or gratuitous contribu- 
 tions, which too frequently occafion con- 
 tention in the one inftance, or dependence 
 in the other. He received from his father, 
 who had a numerous family, the common 
 education of a boarding- fchool at Hart- 
 ford, and was afterwards put apprentice to 
 A 4 a 
 
( viii ) 
 
 a linen-draper at Epping. In the early part 
 of his life, he was of a confumptive habit ; 
 and this imperfecl ftate of his health pro- 
 bably confpired with a difpofition, naturally 
 refle61:ive and ferioas, to imprefs on his 
 mind a ftrong fenfe of the vanity of hu- 
 man defires, and the importance of reli- 
 gious duty. Before he was twenty years of 
 age, he began his minifterial fervices, in 
 which he was particularly defirous to incul- 
 cate on the minds of young people a fre- 
 quent confideration of their latter end, and 
 of the awful concerns of futurity. His 
 Difcourfes were copious, animated, and pa- 
 thetic 3 but, perhaps, not altogether free 
 from a certain inflation of language, to 
 which men of fervid imaginations, in ex- 
 preffing their firft conceptions, are frequent- 
 ly fubje6l. His fervices were, however, 
 moftly acceptable, and he fpent a confidera- 
 ble portion of his time in vifiting different 
 parts of the country on a religious account. 
 A t is period, he kept a (hop in Crifpin- 
 ftreet, Spital-fields, whence he removed to 
 
 Ampthill, 
 
( ix ) 
 
 AmpthUl, in Bedfordfhire, but afterwards 
 returned to London, in which city, or its 
 vicinity, he continued to refide till near his 
 deceafe. 
 
 He was not much converfant in the learn- 
 ed languages, but his reading in his 
 native tongue was pretty extenfive. Hif- 
 tory, natural philofophy, the rudi- 
 ments of medicine and anatomy, the lead- 
 ing principles of aflronomy, and even 
 the charms of poetry, furnifhed him with 
 matter of meditation and amufement in his 
 leifure hours. But his favourite ftudy was 
 the myflerious operations of the human 
 mind, the paflions which aftuate it, the 
 nature of its union with the body, the 
 reafonable hope of its immortality, the 
 principles of identity, liberty, neceffity, 
 and all thofe branches which conftitute the 
 fublirae but obfcure fcience of metaphylics. 
 He was well verfed in moll of the writers 
 on thefe fubje6ls, nor did the different opi- 
 nions of religious fe6ls, both in his own and 
 in former periods of hiftory, efcape his clofe 
 examination. J hQ dernier rejult of his en- 
 quiries 
 
( X ) 
 
 quirks may be learned from the following 
 paper, found among his manufcripts with 
 that very title ; and it were to be wifhed 
 that every inquiry and controverfy concern- 
 ing fucli fubje6ls might terminate in the 
 fame humble and liberal manner. 
 
 " From an honeft intention of a6ling 
 " confidently with the relation I bear to 
 " God, my Maker, and to my fellow-crea- 
 *' tures, I have carefully reviewed moll of 
 " the religious fentiments, onthofefubjedts, 
 " held by any fociety of men in the known 
 *' world. I have put a period to my re* 
 " fearches into the books and opinions of 
 *' men, and have concluded to refign my- 
 " felf in future to the guidance of thofe 
 ** fenfations which I feel to increafe my 
 •* love to God and to mankind, and to pur- 
 *' fue fuch meafures of conduflin rehgion 
 " and morality, the profecution of which 
 " gives me the moft peace ; and to judge no 
 " man, neither pretend to exalt my opinions 
 " and pra6tices to j udge of the redlitude of o-< 
 '* ther mens by. Let others do as they 
 
 " will. 
 
( xi ) 
 
 ** will, as for me I will endeavour to feek 
 *' peace, and enfue it. A man cannot be 
 " happy, whatever notions, or opmlons, 
 " he may hold, or whatever meafures of 
 *' condudt he may purfae, unlefs, in the 
 " holding of fuch opinions, and in being 
 *' found in the profecution of fuch mea- 
 *' fures, he feels himfelf eafy and comfort- 
 " ed at heart. Let this rule of my future 
 ** condu6l be termed erroneous, defe6live, 
 " anillufion, or what not — it is the beft 
 " rule of my faith and manners which I 
 *' have been able to find after a clofe enqui- 
 ** ry of fifteen years. Glory to God in the 
 " highejly on earth peace, and good-will to 
 " men, is, and I hope ever will be, the lan- 
 '^ guageof my foul. Amen." 
 
 At what time this fummary of his re- 
 fearches was written does not appear j pro- 
 bably fome years before his deceafe. The 
 following extrafts from three letters, written 
 to a friend during his laft illnefs, the twolat- 
 ter a fliort time before his death, will fhew 
 that thefe fentiments retained their impref- 
 
 fion 
 
( xii ) 
 
 fion to the laO: : they will fhew that he? 
 pofTefTed what, in fuch moments, it is bet- 
 ter to poiTefs than the treafures of the rich 
 or the knowledge of the learned, a fpirit of 
 refignation and peace, and a humble but 
 earned hope in the mercies of the Almigh- 
 ty. 
 
 " Fourteenth of the twelfth months I7^3- ^ 
 am now better than when thou leftell me^ 
 My little bark fprang a leak fome months 
 ago, which gradually gained on the pump 
 until every effort to fave her feemed to be 
 made in vain, and defl:ru6lion feemed in- 
 evitable. The moment was awful, but 
 not fearful. I felt an entire refignation 
 to the appointment of our heavenly Fa-* 
 ther. I have not to tell of being lifted 
 up to extacy in vifions, nor of my fears 
 having been alarmed by any terrific 
 dreams. To God, my Maker, I looked 
 fmgly. My dependence was fixed on 
 him alone. A fober humbling fenfe of 
 his prefence and providence prevented 
 fear, and infpired hope." 
 
 " Eleveftth 
 
( ^iii ) 
 ** Eleventh of the Jiintk month, 1784. I 
 ^' find myfelf ftlll lofing flefh, and rather 
 *' weaker, but, in fome other refpecls, ra- 
 *' ther better. 1 know not what to think. 
 " Here I am 
 
 ** Sp.fe in the handj of one difpofing Power, 
 *' Or in the'natal, or the mortal, hour," 
 
 ** enj ying every gleam of funfliinc to 
 
 " the utmod, and bearing, v/ith as much 
 
 '^ patience and refignation as poflible, the 
 
 " cloudy days and flarlefs nights fome- 
 *' times allotted me under the prefent dif- 
 
 " penfation." 
 
 *' T^wenty-eighth of the tenth months I7^4« 
 " This diforder has much reduced my flefh. 
 " and my flrength -, but I am fcarcely in 
 " any pain ; nor am I fenfible at prefent of 
 " anyfymptom v\rhich threatens any. The 
 " account I received by thy letter of oar 
 " friend ****** affected me much. We 
 *' feem to be in a fimilar weak ftate, and 
 " as it were difTolving apace into the earth 
 " whence we originally ipran^ ^ for, dufi 
 thou art, and to duji thou Jhalt return : 
 and, whenever we die, whether foon or 
 
 " late, 
 
 )te 
 
( xlv ) 
 
 *^ late, I hope we fliall have an unfiiaken 
 " trufl in the common Father of us all, 
 *' and relign to the common lot of all flefb 
 " with compofure and without regret. Re- 
 " member me not as a forfaken and mifera- 
 " ble man, for I enjoy even now, and fuf- 
 " fer but little, very little, comparatively 
 " fpeaking. I rejoice in the good provi- 
 " dence of God, which is over us all con- 
 *' tinually for our good, and is alike gra- 
 ** cious to all his creatures in what he gives 
 " and what he denies them. And, in all 
 " the difpenfations of his wifHom, let us 
 ** truft in him, our common Father, Pro- 
 " teclor, and Friend.** 
 
 He at length gradually funk under the 
 flow but irrefiflible force of a confumption, 
 and departed on the 7th of the eleventh 
 month, (November,) 1784, at the houfeof 
 a friend at Newbury, in BerkQiire. From 
 the foregoing account of the flate of his 
 mind, it is almofi: needlefs to add that he 
 met death with a becoming and humble for- 
 titude. He was interred, at his own re- 
 
 queft. 
 
( XV ) 
 
 queft, in the Quakers burial-ground at 
 Reading, on tJie 14th of the month above- 
 mentioned ; and his funeral was attended 
 by a great number of his friends, who were 
 defirous of teilifying their efteem for his 
 memory by this lafl mark of attention. 
 
 N. B. I'he Jirji Difcourfe in this collediion 
 has been incorredily printed in Ireland^ and 
 attributed to another preacher » It is now 
 printed from a more correSi copy, and rejio- 
 red to the proper owner ^ 
 
 DISCOURSE 
 
"-^.' 
 
 DISCOURSES. 
 
 DISCOURSE I. 
 
 r"T^ HERE is a pafTage of facred writ 
 1 which has been revived in my re- 
 membrance during the filence of 
 this meeting j and the train of reflections 
 v^hich it excited has fealed inftruclion to my 
 mind, and furnifhed me with renewed caufe 
 for humiliation and gratitude. The im- 
 port of it is this : Men and brethren^ what 
 Jhallwe do to befavedf 
 
 No perfon, who ferioufly believes in the 
 exiftence of a God, in a future ftate, and 
 in the awful doflrine of rewards and pu- 
 
 B nifhments. 
 
{ 2 ) 
 
 nifliments, can be indifferent refpe6ling 
 what may be his lot, when he fhall be dif- 
 pofTefTed of this frail tabernacle of clay 
 which he now inhabits, and which is ap- 
 proaching to the period of its diffolution. 
 It cannot be a matter of indifference to 
 him, whether he fhall finally receive the ir- 
 revocable fentence of Go, ye ciirfed^ into 
 the regions of unfpeakable mifery ; or, 
 Come^ ye blejfed of my Father, inherit the 
 kingdom prepared for the righteous j — en- 
 ter thou into the joy of thy Lord, and into 
 thy Mafter's refl. < 
 
 This concern has prompted many to en- 
 quire what is efTentially necefTary for them 
 to believe and pradlife, in order to render 
 themfelves the proper objefts of divine 
 complacence, and furnifh them with a 
 well-grounded hope of a happy and glo- 
 rious immortality. 
 
 The honefl and fmcere, in every nation 
 under heaven, have formed different ideas 
 of. the requifites of falvation; and they 
 have, of courfe, purfued as different mea- 
 
 fures 
 
( 3 ) 
 
 fures to accomplifli that defirable and blef- 
 fed end. 
 
 It does not appear to be my prefent bu- 
 iinefs to particularife any of the various 
 fyflems of faith which are adopted by any 
 party amongfl mankind. It is not to con- 
 trovert matters in which fincere men of va- 
 rious denominations moil furely believe, 
 but rather to recommend them to ftand o- 
 pen always to conviction, and to a fi:ri6t 
 attention to thofe rules of conduct, which, 
 on an impartial examination, appear to 
 them moft agreeable to the will of heaven. 
 I fhall therefore addrefs myfelf to thofe, in 
 whatever religious fociety they are found, 
 vvhofe honeft inquiries have not yet been 
 attended with fufficient convi6lion, — have 
 not yet led them clearly to perceive what 
 the terms are on which their future happi- 
 pinefs depends, and are, therefore, looking 
 one upon another, whilft this important 
 queftion is found at leaft in their hearts, 
 if not in their mcuths, Men and brethren^ 
 whatjljall we do to befaved f An inquiry of 
 
 B 2 this 
 
( 4 ) 
 
 this folemn nature, arifing fi'om a proper 
 fenfibillty of the want of better inflruc- 
 tion, is an indication of that concern and 
 holy anxiety which will ever be acceptable 
 to the Father of fure mercies. He regards 
 fach humble inquirers, after truth and peace 
 with him, with gracious condefcenfion, 
 and, if they rely on the guidance of his Spi- 
 rit, will finally conduft them to his glorious 
 reft. 
 
 I fhall not prefume arrogantly to diflatc 
 to any, refpe8:ing matters of fo important a 
 concern as that of the foul's falvation. E- 
 very man fhould exerclfe thofe talents and 
 gifts, with which the Father of Lights has 
 endued him, in a clofe and fnicere attention 
 to the voice of the internal teacher, and in 
 thedifcovery of thofe truths, both pra6lical 
 and fpeculative, which have an immediate 
 relation to the happinefs of a being circum- 
 ftanced as he is. I fl^iall fimply propofe 
 thofe things vi^hich, in my view, and from 
 my own experience as an individual, ap- 
 pear 
 
( 5 ) 
 
 pear to me worthy of God for their author, 
 and worthy of man's mofl ferious attention. 
 It is an indifputable truth that we made 
 not ourfelves : It is he that hath made us, 
 faid the Pfalmifl, and not we ourfelves^ for 
 wearealfo his offspring. The matter which 
 forms the univerfe, the vehicles which the 
 foul informs, and the more noble intellec- 
 tual powers and faculties we pofTefs, derive 
 their being from the eternal Fountain of 
 all power and intelligence, whom we cha- 
 raflerife by the awful names of Jah, Jeho- 
 vah, and God. It is alfo indifputably evi- 
 dent to me, that we were brought into ex- 
 iftence with the benevolent defiga of our 
 finally fuftaining the confluent dignities of 
 glory, honour, immortality, and eternal 
 life. The Lord Almighty hath, in unfpeak- 
 able mercy, defigned, that, after we have 
 endured a feafon of probation, a confli6l 
 with our paffions, excited by num.erous 
 caufes, and a fight of afFii6llons, we 
 fliould finally receive a glorious reward, a 
 B 3 perpetuity 
 
( 6 ) 
 
 perpetuity of unmixed felicity, in the re- 
 gions of eternity. 
 
 But this defirable and excellent end is not 
 to be effe6led by what is generally called 
 Fate, the laws of neceflity, or the arbitra- 
 ry will, power, or decree, of the Author of 
 our exiftence. God hath, in his wifdom, 
 conilituted us free and intelligent beings. 
 He has endued us with faculties and pow- 
 ers capable of apprehending and pra6tifing 
 thofe elfential duties which he makes the 
 condition of our final acceptance with him. 
 He offer's, but does not impofe ; he gra- 
 cioufly invites, but does not compel, us to 
 accept of happinefs. Hefhews us thefpi- 
 ritual Canaan, the land of the faints inhe- 
 ritance, in every generation : he gives us 
 power to pofTefs, but does not compel us to 
 enter therein. Good and evil are clearly 
 fet before us, but our ele61ion is not con- 
 ftrained to either. The oeconomy of his 
 moral government over rational beings is 
 laid in divine v/ifdom and eternal righteouf- 
 nefs. The great Sovereign of the univerfe 
 
 is 
 
( 7 ) 
 
 is no refpecler of perfons j for, of one 
 blood hath he made all nations that dwell 
 on the face of the earth. They ftand in 
 the fame relation to the univerfal Father, 
 Shepherd, and Bifhop, of fouls, who ten- 
 derly invites the whole race of mankind to 
 come unto him that they may finally inherit 
 thejoyof his falvation. O unfpeakable mer- 
 cy ! unutterable theme ! It is fufficient to 
 awaken the moft glowing fenfations of ex- 
 alted and grateful praife to that God who is 
 the falvation and glory of the righteous ge- 
 nerations, the rock of their Jlrength^ and their 
 everJafiing refuge. 
 
 To this do6lrine the holy apoHle bore an 
 ample and explicit teflimony : Of a truths 
 (faid he, ) / perceive that God is no refpe5fer 
 of perfons^ but, in every nation, he that fear- 
 eth him, and worketh righteoiifnefsy is accepted 
 with him* 
 
 Thus we find that it is the fear of the 
 
 Lord, and an obedience to the law of righ- 
 
 teoufnefs, which are the terms alone by 
 
 B 4 which 
 
( 8 ) 
 
 which men can be faved. If ye live after the 
 flefh^yejhall die \ but, if ye ^ through the fpirit, 
 mortify the deeds of the body, ye Jl:all live. 
 This is a propofition of univerfal impor- 
 tance ; a propofition which relates to every 
 individual in the vaft community of man- 
 kind, however circumftanced, whether 
 bond or free, rich or poor, or in whatever 
 climate they refide. 
 
 All this may, indeed, be acknowledged 
 both by thofe within and without the au- 
 dience of my voice, who yet are in doubt 
 ivhat they fiall do to be faved YiiXh. an ever- 
 lafting falvation. They want to be infor- 
 med of the precife ideas that fhould be af- 
 fixed to the conditions contained in the 
 text ; although, perhaps, they readily ap- 
 prehend that the terms life and death mean 
 future happinefs and mifery. 
 
 I fiiall therefore attempt, according to 
 the abiUty I am endued with at this feafon, 
 to give you my thoughts on the important 
 fubjedl under confideration. 
 
( 9 ) 
 
 7(? live after thefiejh is to live in the gra- 
 tification of our animal appetites and paf- 
 iions beyond the bounds of reafon, tempe- 
 rance, and fobriety. All the works of 
 darknefs, which, by the fame apoftle, are 
 termed deeh of the body^ all pride, wrath, 
 envy, hatred, covetoufnefs, with all the de- 
 ceivablenefs of unrighteoufnefs, are, in o- 
 ther words, living after the flejh. Thefe 
 things not only tend to the injury of peace 
 and fociety, and are a bane to that happi- 
 nefs which is the refult of genuine virtue e- 
 ven in this life ; not only introduce nume- 
 rous errors into the animal and moral fyf- 
 tem, and aggravate the infirmities to which 
 thefe bodies are incident, but render us un- 
 fit for thofe contemplations, and that fu- 
 preme felicity, which are adapted to the 
 dignity of rational and immortal fpirits. 
 God, in his wifdom, hath made man a lit- 
 tle (and perhaps but a little) lower than 
 the angels. He has endued him with a ca- 
 pacity for contemplating and adoring him, 
 the fource of uncreated excellence and per- 
 
 fedion. 
 
( lO ) 
 
 fe6lion, and would crown him with fape- 
 rior honour, glory, and happinefs, to what 
 fenfual gratifications can ever afford. Let 
 us not then degrade ourfelves beneath that 
 rank we were defigned to fill in creation, 
 but remember our immortal defcent, the 
 cauie of our being, and its end. 
 
 We have, indeed, bodies, and are impri- 
 foned within elements, which excite within 
 us numerous appetites, afFe6lions, and paf- 
 fions ; but all thefe are to be gratified with- 
 in certain bounds, in a degree proportion- 
 ed to our exigences and neccfTities, of which 
 the fupreme intelligence has implanted 
 a principle within us to judge. 
 
 This principle of intelligence, although 
 called by a variety of names, and diflin- 
 guiflied by various appellations, in the va- 
 rious profeflions amongft men, is one in 
 nature, and univerfal amongft mankind. 
 It is the fpirit in man that giveth a right 
 underftanding : it is the light that (more 
 or lefs) enlightens every man: it is the 
 word of God in the heart, and the word of 
 
 faith 
 
( II ) 
 
 faith which the apoille preached to the Gen- 
 tiles : it is the grace that hath appeared un- 
 to all men, teaching them to deny all un- 
 godlinefs and the world's lufts, and to live 
 righteoufly, foberly, and godly, in this pre- 
 fent world : and, finally, it is the fupreme 
 reafon, the law of truth and reftitude, the 
 teft of virtue and vice, which God himfelf 
 hath placed in the hearts of all men -, and 
 happy are thofe who hear and obey it in all 
 things. 
 
 I would not be underftood to mean that 
 this principle, of which I am fpeaking, is 
 defigned to inftruct us in all truths which 
 the human mind may, in its own a6livity 
 and wifdom, attempt to inveftigate ; or to 
 give us a clear infight into thofe numerous 
 fpeculative fubjefts, which have not only 
 unprofitably employed mankind, and di- 
 verted their attention from things more 
 fubftantial, but which have perplexed and 
 divided them from generation to genera- 
 tion. 
 
 But, 
 
( 12 ) 
 
 But, by the exercife of this pure, holy, 
 heavenly, principle, we may apprehend 
 thofe truths which belong to us, and which 
 have an eflential relation to the prime end 
 of our being. Of thefe truths the Father 
 of Spirits has conftituted man an adequate 
 judge. 
 
 This is implied by the queflion which our 
 Lord himfelf propofed to a people mifled by 
 the traditions of their fathers, and who 
 had, through the negleCl of this principle, 
 taken for do6lrine the commandments of 
 men : Tea^ and why^ even ofyourfelveSi judge 
 ye not what is right ? 
 
 The obligation to all our focial, relative, 
 and religious, duties arifes from the rela- 
 tions we ftand in to our fellow-creatures and 
 to God, the holy author of our exiftence. 
 The general relation, which our fellow- crea- 
 tures ftand in to us, is that of brethren, 
 children of the fame univerfal parent, fub- 
 jeft to the fame neceffities, and formed for 
 the fame unfpeakably glorious and happy 
 end. Hence it is our duty to exercife the 
 
 amiable 
 
( '3 ) 
 
 amiable virtues of love, forbearance, kind- 
 nefs, and charity, to all around us 3 to feek 
 their happinefs, and lighten the weight of 
 human mifery to the utmoft of our power. 
 
 There are, alfo, various accidental rela- 
 tions amongfl: mankind, as mafter, fervant, 
 father, governor, and numerous others ; 
 all which have their correfpondent duties. 
 
 The relation we fland in to the great Au- 
 thor of our being is that of children, which 
 is one and immutable at ail times. A hfe, 
 agreeable to that relation we ftand in to the 
 Lord Almighty, is that of filial fear. O- 
 bedience and worfliip are our indifpenfable 
 duty to him j and the rules of juflice, cha- 
 rity, and brotherly kindnefs, are indifpen- 
 fable obligations on us to the reft of man- 
 kind. 
 
 Thus far, perhaps, theperfons, whom I 
 immediately addrefs at this time, may con- 
 cur with me in fentiment : but they, as 
 well as myfelf, are perhaps confcious of 
 having failed in numerous inftances of dif- 
 
 charging 
 
{ H ) 
 
 charging their religious duties to God, and 
 their fecial duties one to another. 
 
 We have all jinnedy and fallen fiorf of the 
 glory of God, We have multiplied our tranf- 
 greflions without number, and our mani- 
 fold iniquities rife before us as a thick 
 cloud, obfcuring the brightnefs of that Sun 
 of eternal Righteoufnefs, which would o- 
 therwife illuminate our underftandings with 
 its marvellous lights. Who, therefore ^ (fays 
 the humiliated penitent foul,) Jhall deliver 
 lis from the body of this death F Who fhall 
 take from us the weight of our fins, under 
 which we groan inceffantly ? Who Jhall de- 
 liver us from the wrath to come ? Men and 
 brethren, whatfiall we do to befaved ? 
 
 The conditions of our redemption, and 
 reconciliation with the gracious Father of 
 us all, are clearly exprefied in the oracles 
 of facred truth. The placability of the di- 
 vine nature is repeatedly afferted. He, with 
 whorn dwells wifdom, juftice, righteouf- 
 nefs, and flrength, is alfo reprefented to us 
 in the glorious adorable chara6ler of a God 
 
 of 
 
( 15 ) 
 
 of mercy, long-fufFering, and never-failing 
 kindnefs ; as a Being ready to blot out our 
 tranfgreffions from the celeftial regifter on 
 cur fnicere repentance, and to remember 
 them no more. He will reflore unto the 
 humble penitent the joy of his falvation : 
 he will guide him by his counfel, and af- 
 terwards receive him into glory. 
 
 This important and interefting doclrine 
 was typified under the law, fpoken of by 
 the prophets, and glorioufly afferted by the 
 Son of God, who is our mediator with the 
 Father, and the hope of all the righteous 
 generations. In his character was difplay- 
 ed to mankind, in the moil eminent and 
 ftriking manner, the provident care, mercy, 
 and goodnefs, of God towards his whole 
 rational creation. Like flieep they have 
 gone aftray from the univerfal Shepherd and 
 Bifliop of fouls. They have revolted from 
 his government, and widely wandered from 
 the path of purity and holinefs, which is 
 alfo the path of pleafantnefs and peace ; 
 that path of moral re6litude and truth, that 
 
 bright 
 
( i6 ) 
 
 bright and fhining light, which (like ths 
 luminous orb after it arifes in our hemi- 
 fphere) fhines with increafing refulgence 
 and fplendor till it arrive at the meridian 
 altitude of glorious perfe6l day. The light, 
 which fliines from heaven on the under- 
 ftandings of men, will lead all thofe, who 
 purfue its dire6lion, by degrees of expe- 
 rience, through the wildernefs of this world 
 in perfe£l fafety : it will bring them, when 
 the days of their warfare are accom- 
 pliflied, to the grand end of their crea- 
 tion, — to that complete fruition of blifs, 
 which is figuratively reprefented to us by a 
 city that has foundations, whofe builder and 
 maker is God 5 a city, whofe walls are fal- 
 vation, and whofe gates are eternal praife j 
 a city, that has no need of the elementary 
 light of the fun, moon, or ftars j for, the 
 Lord God and the Lamb are the light there- 
 of : a city, where God reigneth triumphant- 
 ly amongft his faints, and is to them an 
 inexhauflible fountain of joy, light, and fe- 
 licity, for ever. There the weary tabula- 
 ted 
 
( '7 ) 
 
 ted pilgrim finds an end of all his anxiety 
 and labour j the days of his mourning are 
 ended, and he receives the reward of his 
 faith and patience, the fruition of his hopes, 
 even the eternal falvation of his fcul. 
 
 The important meffage which Chrifl, the 
 glorious high-prieft of the Chriftian reli- 
 gion, had in commiffion from his and our 
 Father, from his and our God, was, that 
 he compafiionated his creatures, incompaf- 
 fed with the dillrefles that their fins had 
 brought upon them, — that he willed not 
 their everlafting feparation from him, the 
 fource of happinefs, but that he was wil- 
 ling they fhould be reconciled to him. For 
 this end, he called upon them to repent and 
 be CGWuerted^ that their fins might be forgiven 
 them, and that they might finally enter in- 
 to his reft. 
 
 This was the interefi:ing do6lrine which 
 the Saviour of the world promulgated, and 
 happy are thofe who hear and obey it I 
 
 Repent^ and he co?i-vertedj that your^fms may 
 ' he forgiven you. It is not the alTent of th^ 
 
 C lip, 
 
( i8 ) 
 
 iip, and of the tongue, to the glorious 
 truths of the gofpel j it is not the fplendid 
 formality of high profeffion ; it is not cry- 
 ing Lord, Lord ! in the hour of ftrong con- 
 vi6lion ; but it is a furrender of the will 
 and affe'5tions, a renovation of the heart and 
 conformity to the divine image, which can 
 alone gain us an admittance into the New 
 Jerufalem, the city of God. 
 
 If we make an impartial furvey of our 
 pad lives, review our frequent revoltings, 
 and compare our condu(5l with the convic- 
 tions we have received of right and wrong, 
 virtue and vice, there is fcarcely a foul pre- 
 fent bat mail feel fome degree of remorfe, 
 fome degree of repentance, for the turpi- 
 tude of his morals, and his want of love, 
 obedience, and gratitude, to fo gracious a 
 Father, who has encompaffed us with blef- 
 fnigs, and prefervcd us, by his providence, 
 from the earliefl period of our lives to the 
 prefent hour. On thefe folemn reflexions 
 we muft (I fay again) witnefs fome degree of 
 * repentance -, 
 
( 19 ) 
 
 repentance ; but, unhappily for us, the Im- 
 preflions that are made on our minds, on a 
 ferious review of our anions, are foon can- 
 celled, foon effaced, by the inflaence which 
 a variety of creaturely obje61:s are fuffered 
 to make upon us, and, like the early dew, 
 they foon pafs away : Of the rock that begat 
 them they have beeji immindfuL Cleanfed, in 
 fome degree, as we are by the waters of 
 contrition, we again become defiled by a 
 repetition of that iniquity, which, in the 
 moments of our humiliation, we had deter- 
 mined to renounce and forfake. We are a- 
 gain caught in the fnare bf our lufts, and 
 captivated by obje6ls which have a tenden- 
 cy to alienate our aiFe6lions from the one 
 adorable Object, the fource of our fafety and 
 fehcity, the only permanent and fapreme 
 good. What is to be done in the fatal di- 
 lemma to which our inconftancy to our 
 virtuous refolutions has reduced us ? Shall 
 we defpair of the divine mercy, which we 
 have fo often abufed ; of that goodnefs v/e 
 have io long trifled with ? or, fear that our 
 C a future 
 
( 20 ) 
 
 future endeavours will be vain, and that, 
 for our multiplied tranfgrelTions, we ihali 
 be made^ dcfolation for ever I God forbid ! 
 Let us rather, in the depths of felf-abafe- 
 ment, proftrate our fouls at the throne of 
 grace, and humbly implore the continued 
 mercy of the univerfal Parent. Let us beg 
 for flrength and holy abihty to withfland 
 fucceeding temptations, and run the ways 
 of his commandments with delight. 
 
 As a father pitieth his children, fo he 
 pitleth thofe who fear him, and, in immor- 
 tal kindnefs, will bring them to the joy of 
 his falvation. He knoweth our frame, and 
 remembereth that we are but duft. Al- 
 though he hideth his face for a moment, yet 
 with everlafling kindnefs will he remember 
 Zion 5 for, her maker is her httjhand, the 
 Lord of Jlofls is his name. Let us there- 
 fore befeech him, in the fervency of pray- 
 er, to fend forth help from his holy fanflu- 
 ary, and flrengthen us to renew and keep 
 our. covenants with him to the end of our 
 days. 
 
 Let 
 
■ ( 21 ) 
 
 Let us refrain from the commlflion of 
 evil, and wait on him in the filence of all 
 flefh, that the Fountain of light and truth 
 may again enlighten us to fee ourfelves as 
 we are feen of him, and inflame our hearts 
 with that celeftial fire which purgeth away 
 the intelle6lual filth and drofs that prevent 
 the afcent of the foul God-ward, and render 
 it an unfit habitation for his holinefs to 
 dwell in. As our own backflidings have 
 frequently corretled us, and covered our 
 minds with anxiety, let our future condu6l, 
 direded by his grace, atone for what is pall:, 
 and, by a converfation ordered aright, let 
 us glorify our Father who is in heave?i. 
 
 I feel, at this feafon, the influence (in 
 degree) of that celefl:ial charity which 
 breathes through Immanuel to the whole 
 creation of God, and wiflieth falvation to 
 every foul that inhabits the earth. In that 
 I intreat you, as a being fubje6i: to the fame 
 infirmities which you fometimes unavailably 
 deplore, Kepent^ and be co?iverted. Repen- 
 tance you have frequently experienced, but 
 C 3 too 
 
( 22 ) 
 
 too little, I fear, of that eiTential conver- 
 lion which the gofpel of Jefus propofes. 
 It is highly probable that fome pcrfons pre- 
 fent have feen the neceffity of that renova- 
 tion of heart, and reformation of manners, 
 intended by converfion ; and yet, urged by 
 the powerful prevalence of their lufts and 
 offelf-love, are feeking,- if poilible, to find 
 fome other remedy for a w^ounded con- 
 fcience than that which the limplicity of the 
 gofpel requires as a neceilary prelude to the 
 favour of God. They are enquiring What 
 fiallwe doto befaved f and, like the young 
 man in the gofpel, they have been animated 
 with a defire to be inrolled among the dif- 
 ciples of Jefus, who are called heirs of 
 God, and co-heirs with Chrifl, of that in- 
 heritance which is incorruptible and full of 
 glory. They have alked counfel of the 
 wonderfid Counfellor, and addrefTed him 
 with the important queftion. What good 
 thing fiall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 
 yet, when the unchangeable terms of faiva- 
 tion have been propofed y when they have 
 
 been 
 
( 23 ) 
 
 been told they mull part with all their i- 
 dols, they have gone away forrowful : the 
 terms have appeared too hard for them to 
 comply with ; and, like the king who 
 v^anted to be cured of his leprofy, and was 
 ftaggered at the thought of taking fo long a 
 journey as the prophet had direcled, are 
 crying out, Are not Abana and Pharphar^ 
 rivers of Damafcus^ better than all the 'waters 
 of Ifrael ? will not their waters cieanfe 
 me from my impurity ? 
 
 Thus, numbers among mankind are 
 llriving to elude thofe meafures which tiie 
 gofpel of Jefus enjoins, and are fiibliituting 
 others in their Head, which are better a- 
 dapted to foothe the carnal mind, and pre- 
 vent that mortification of the deeds of the 
 body which human nature fhrinks from 
 with horror. Man is deiirous topofTefs the 
 crown of eternal life, but not willing to 
 bear the crofs. He would indeed reign with 
 Chriil, but not fuiier with him. He would 
 accompany him to the mount of transfigu- 
 ration^ but not to Golgotha. He would be 
 C 4 his 
 
( H ) 
 
 his attendant at his glorification, but not in 
 the awful fcenes of his liumiliation. 
 
 Divers have wandered as from moun- 
 tain to mountain and from hill to hill, 
 feeking for the living in the fepulchres of 
 the dead. They have fometimes adopted 
 one creed, and fometimes another, — pra6li- 
 fed external ordinances, and complied with 
 empty forms -, addreffing themfelves fre- 
 quently to guides, as blind and impotent as 
 themfelves, with this awful query. Men and 
 brethren^ wbatjhall we do to befaved F 
 
 I fay again, repent, and be converted ; 
 for, this is the only way to find falvation 
 to your fouls. No external ceremonies, no 
 verbal confeflions, no change of opinions 
 merely, can accomplifh this repentance 
 and converfion, and afford you the conC:- 
 quent rewards of a glorious immortality. 
 This important work of falvation cannot 
 be effe6led in man's time, will, a6livity, or 
 wifdom, but is wrought in him by the 
 powerful operation of the Holy Ghofl, 
 which is as a confuming fire to the adverfa- 
 
( 2J ) 
 
 ry, to the adverfe part of man, to the cor- 
 rupt will, which would not that Chrift 
 fhould reign in his kingdom, and that 
 God fhould be all in all. 
 
 It is the baptifm of fire, of which John's 
 was but a type, which, difcriminating the 
 pure from the impure, gathers the wheat 
 into the garner, but confumes the chaff 
 with unquenchable burnings. 
 
 In the world there are many voices 
 which correfpond not with the voice of 
 Chrift, the only Shepherd and BiOiop of 
 fouls, whom we ought to hear and obey in 
 all things, but which are the voices of thofe 
 who teach for hire, and divine for money : 
 who look for their gain from their quarters, 
 and are ready to make war againft confcien- 
 tious men, who cannot put into their 
 mouths. Thefe have found it their world- 
 ly intereft to lead the deluded people from, 
 rather than to, Chrift, the glorious high- 
 prieft, the life and light of men. They 
 have attempted to render that myfterious 
 which the Holy Ghoft has left clear, and to 
 
 perplex 
 
( 26 ) 
 
 perplex the underftandings of men with 
 vain metaphyfical fpeculations, without 
 making ihem either wifer or better. This 
 clafs of men, whofe God is their belly, whofe 
 glory is their Jloame^ have indeed proved j^y^y- 
 Jicians of no value. 
 
 Many have enquired of thefe. What fiall 
 we do to be faved? but they, not having ex- 
 perienced the work of falvation in them- 
 felves, are incapable to inftru^l others in 
 the way that leads to eternal life. Inllead 
 of laying the axe to the root of the corrupt 
 tree> they have only attempted to lop off 
 fome of its branches, and refcind fome of 
 its moft palpable excrefcences. They have 
 been crying, Peace, peace ! when the alarm 
 of dan2:er fhould have founded in the ears 
 of the people. They have prefcribed e- 
 moUients where the moft fearching opera- 
 tion was expedient ; and, healing the 
 wound of the daughter of Zion deceitfully, 
 have lulled multitudes into a fatal fecurity, 
 by flattering them with hopes, which, it is to 
 
 be 
 
( 27 ) , 
 
 be feared, will end in confafion and difap- 
 pointment, and perifli for ever. 
 
 There are others who affume the office 
 of miniflers, the purity of whofe inten- 
 tions chanty forbids me to difpute; who, 
 like a man that attempts to anfwer a quef- 
 * tion before he has fully heard it, have too 
 precipitately embarked in the important 
 work of inftrufting fouls in the great things 
 of falvation. Thefe are, like Ephraim, 
 a cake not turned j are not yet inflru6led in 
 the way of the Lord perfe6lly, and, whilft 
 they are teaching others, had need them- 
 felves to be taught what are the firfl prin- 
 ciples of the oracles of GoH. The coal 
 from the holy altar has not yet been ap- 
 plied to theix^ J[?ps, and they have been mi- 
 niftering, by the law of a carnal command- 
 ment, without being endued with the pow- 
 er of an endlefs life. They have run on 
 the Lord's errand unfent, and have not ef- 
 fentially profited the people. They have 
 taken upon them to guide thofe who are in- 
 quiring what jh all we do to be faved^ and have 
 
 led 
 
( 28 ) 
 
 led them Indeed from the confines of Egypt, 
 but leave them, undire6led to the fpiritual 
 Mofes, to wander in uncertainty, and to 
 compafs a mountain of doubts in the wil- 
 dernefs. 
 
 May the Lord Almighty, in his infinite 
 mercy, gather thefe who are wandering as 
 fheep without a Ihepherd, and lead them 
 into the facred inclofures of his fold of e- 
 ternal refl and fafety I 
 
 May the nations of them that have fat 
 in darknefs be again enlightened by the 
 glorious breaking forth of the Sun of 
 righteoufnefs in their hearts, that our Zion 
 may yet become an eternal excellency, and 
 the joy of many generations ! 
 
 Let it not be thought, by any thing I 
 have faid, that I look upon all, who appear 
 girded with the linen ephod of other Chrif- 
 tian focieties, either as impoftors, or the de- 
 luded votaries of Antichrift. I freely de- 
 clare I doubt not but many of them have 
 had a difpenfation of the gofpel committed 
 to them J and, although they may be bi- 
 
 afled 
 
( 29 ) 
 
 afled by the prejudice of education and the 
 traditions of their fathers, yet the root of 
 the matter feems to be in them. I efteem 
 thefe, in whatever fociety they are found, 
 and in whatever veftments they are clothed, 
 as my brethren in the feilowfliip of the e- 
 verlafting gofpel of Chrift. Yet I cannot 
 dire£l the fearcher after truth, who is pen- 
 iively inquiring /Fte he Jhall do to be faved^ 
 to the miniflry of any man ; but would ra- 
 ther recommend him to the immediate 
 teaching of the word nigh in the heart, e- 
 ven the fpiritof God. This is the only in- 
 fallible teacher, and the primary adequate 
 rule of faith and manners, and will lead 
 thofe who attend to its didates into the 
 peaceable paths of fafety and of truth. 
 Let the earned humble petition of your 
 •-fouls be, to the Father of fure mercies. 
 Lead me by thy coimfelj and afterwards recei've 
 me into glory : let thy rod and thy ilafF fup- 
 port me, through the uncertainties of time, 
 to a happy conclufion in thy fav^our. Ye 
 jieed not, faith the apollle to the church 
 
 formerly, 
 
( 3^ ) 
 
 formerly, that any man teach you, fave as 
 this anointing teacheth, which is truth, 
 and no lie. Ceafe, therefore, from man, 
 whofe breath is in his noftrils, and whofc 
 exiftenceis but as a vapour j for, wherein 
 is he to be accounted of ? Asa fallible be- 
 ing he is fubje6t to frequent deception, and 
 is therefore liable to deceive ; but the fpirit 
 of God can neither be deceived, nor will it 
 deceive any foul that fubmits to its holy 
 government, and obeys its di61ates. In this 
 is our fafety and ftrength, and the hope of 
 our eternal reward, when our weary pilgri' 
 mage fliall come to an end. 
 
 O ye penitent prodigals, my foul earneft- 
 ly longs for your reftoration to the mercy 
 and favour of God ! 
 
 Ye, who are reduced, by your wanderings 
 in the wildernefs of this world, to a ftate of 
 extreme poverty, to the want of that bread 
 which comes down from the celeftial regions, 
 and which can alone nourifh the foul up to 
 eternal life 3 ^-ye, who have long been at- 
 tempting to fatisfy the cravings of an im- 
 mortal 
 
( 3' ) 
 
 mortal fphit with the hulks and fliells of 
 an empty profeffion of reUgion, look to- 
 wards your Father, from whom you have 
 revolted. Remember that in his houfe there 
 is bread enough, and to fpare : there your 
 fouls may be richly repleniflied with endu- 
 ring fubflance. Return, O houfe of Ifrael, 
 from your backflidings, and feek the face 
 of your everlafting Father and Friend ! In 
 unfpeakable kindnefs he hath declared that 
 he will be found of thofe w^ho feek him in 
 fmcerity of heart ; and that as many as 
 knock at his gate for an entrance fhall be 
 admitted to his prefence, and receive the re- 
 milTion of their fins. O unfpeakable con- 
 defcenfion ! unutterable love ! Though 
 glorioufly exalted above the heaven of hea- 
 - vens, and placed at the fummit of all per- 
 fe6lion, yet his gracious regard is to the 
 fons of men, and he is beautifying the place 
 of hi I feet. 
 
 The humble addrefs which the prodigal 
 made to his father, the return that he met 
 with, and the manner of his reception into 
 
 favour, 
 
( 32 ) 
 
 favour, are exceedingly expreflive of the 
 becoming penitence of the one, and the 
 mercy and benignity of the other. / have 
 Jinned againfi heaven^ an din thy fight ^ and am 
 no longer worthy tb be called thy fin ; make me 
 therefore as one of thy hired fer'va7its. The in- 
 jured neglected parent compafTionates his 
 diflrefs, takes the prodigal in his arms, 
 owns him for his fon, orders the fatted calf 
 to be killed, and rebukes the envy of his 
 elder brother with this my fon is dead^ but he 
 is alive, again ; he was lojl, but is found. O 
 the height and depth of the goodnefs and 
 mercy of God ! Look unto him, ye ends of 
 the earth, and be faved ! 
 
 Before I conclude, I find it in mine heart to 
 addrefs another clafs in this meeting : a clafs 
 who have earnefllyfought, and happily found, 
 him of whom Mofes and the prophets did 
 write, Jefus of Nazareth, the Immanuel, 
 which, being interpreted, is, God with us. 
 YoUjWho once were fcattered as flieep without 
 a fhepherd on the barren mountains and de- 
 folate hills of an empty profeflion, the great 
 
 Shepherd 
 
( 33 ) 
 Shepherd of fouls hath gathered vsithin the 
 facred inclofures of his told, and you are 
 under the peculiar protection of the Lord 
 Almighty. He hath plucked you as brands 
 out of the burning, and redeemed you to 
 himfelf with the faving flrength of his right 
 arm. When the blacknefs of darknefs fur- 
 rounded your dwellings j when the terror 
 of his judgements enconpafTed you for dif- 
 obedience, by his light you walked through 
 the region and valley of the iliadow of 
 death. Although for a moment he turned 
 his face from you, yet, in everlaillng kind- 
 nefs, hath he gathered you from the world 
 to himfelf. Oh I may you ever remember his 
 unutterable mercy, and dedicate the remain- 
 der of your days to the honour of his 
 name. 
 
 My fpirit falutes you, in the endeared af- 
 fection of the gofpel of peace, as fellow- 
 travellers towards the land of eternal reH, 
 and wi{hes your eflablidiment in righteouf- 
 nefs for ever ; — that you may abide in ho- 
 ly patience the fiery trial of faith through- 
 D out 
 
{ 3+ ) 
 
 out the days ofyour earthly pilgrimage, and 
 beco'ne as fixed pillars in the celeflial build- 
 ing and houfe of God. 
 
 If you fledfaftly abide in the word of 
 faith, wherein you have been taught, nei- 
 ther the mahce of men, nor the united 
 powers of darknefs, fhall be able to pluck 
 you out of the hands of him who is your 
 judge, your king, your protector, your 
 father, and everlafling friend. As a garden 
 indofed has he made you, in fafe dwellings 
 has he appointed your lots, .and, in the end 
 of days, he will be your refuge for ever. 
 When this earth fhall be wrapped together 
 like a fcroll, and the fun and moon be dar- 
 kened ; when every glorious conftellation 
 of the heavens fliall fink into everlafting 
 obfcurity, and the elements of this world 
 fhall be diflblved with fervent heat -, you 
 will poffcfs a habitation within the.fuperior 
 regions of a new heaven and a new earth, 
 where the Lord your righteoufnefs dwells. 
 
 Many of the pretended wife, learned, and 
 prudent, of this world, who have fought 
 
 to 
 
( 35 ) 
 
 to climb up fome other way rather than en- 
 ter by Chrifl, who is the door into the 
 fheepfold, may pity you as fools, or ridi- 
 cule you as enthufiafts 3 they may account 
 your life madnefs, and your end without 
 honour ; but they will one day be aftoniih- 
 ed at the ftrangenefs of your falvation, 
 when they may fee, to their confufion, that 
 you are finally numbered among the chil- 
 dren of God, and your inheritance is a- 
 mongthe faints. 
 
 In the world you are to expect tribula- 
 tions of various kinds, ficknefs, difeafe, and 
 pain : temptations and difappointments in- 
 vade the breads of the moft temperate, vir- 
 tuous, and religious, among men. A 
 cup of mixture, more or lefs .impregnated 
 with the wormwood and the ga!!, is the 
 lot of humanity, defigned doubtlefs to ef- 
 fe6ta valuable purpofe by him who aifli6ls 
 not willingly, nor without a righteous and 
 benevolent caufe, the children of men. 
 
 D 2 As 
 
( 36 ) 
 
 As the heavens are higher than the earth, 
 fo are the ways of the Almighty than 
 our ways, and his thoughts than our 
 thoughts. 
 
 We fee a little, and but a very little, of the 
 amazing univerfal plan of his government 
 over rational and immortal fpirits. It lies 
 beyond the reach of the mofl exalted crea- 
 ted faculties to comprehend his wifdom 
 throughout the righteous adminiftration of 
 his providence, which is unfearchable. It 
 is our duty, as frail, dependent, and im- 
 potent, beings, to meet every difpenfation 
 with that refignation of fpirit which incef- 
 fantly breathes the humble language of Not 
 my willy O Lord^ but thine^ be done in all 
 things. Though the times are gloomy, the 
 out-goings nf the morning are of God. 
 He will yet comfort the wafle places of Zi- 
 on, and build up her defolations. He will 
 make her wildernefs as Eden, and her de- 
 ferts as the garden of the Lord : joy and 
 gladnefs iliall be found therein, thankfgiving 
 and the voice of melody. Awake, there- 
 fore. 
 
( 37 ) 
 
 fore, and putonftrength, ye who have lien 
 amongli the pots ; ye, who have been afB.161- 
 ed, toffed wdth tempcfts, and not comtort- 
 edj for, the hour of your falvation is near. A- 
 bide in holy patience, and hope to the end. 
 It is our duty, under the evils which we 
 feel, and which our prudence could not 
 prevent, to implore divine aid to endure 
 them with patience, rather than to pray 
 that they may be removed from us ; leli, 
 Hke ignorant children, wefhould feek to a- 
 void that potion, from our heavenly Fa- 
 ther's hand, which is gracioufly defigncd to 
 remove, or prevent, a greater evil. This is 
 not the place of your reft, but a fiateof 
 probation, a painful pilgrimage, a land of 
 pits and of fnares, through which lies a nar- 
 row path CO the regions of eternal peace. 
 The foul, by reafon of its conneilion with 
 the body, and while incloled within tae 
 walls of flefh, cannot extend its views, and 
 employ its faculties, on divine objecls with- 
 out frequent interruption. Bat, when the 
 diys of its captivity are accomphilied, it 
 D 3 .will 
 
{ 38 ) 
 
 will be capable of a more glorious expan- 
 fion in the kingdom of light and immorta- 
 lity, andpofTefs that joy which is unfpeak- 
 able and full of glory. Therefore, in all 
 the calamities to which we are fubjecl in the 
 houfe of our pilgrimage, we have a place of 
 refuge to flee to, where fafety is alone to 
 be found. Though, indeed, we muft feel 
 in fome degree as men, yet we may poffefs 
 the patience, refignation, and holy forti- 
 tude, of Chriflians, who are looking for 
 a better country, a more excellent inheri- 
 tance, in that city v^^hofe inhabitants have 
 no occafion to complain that they are fick. 
 
 Be ye, therefore, ftedfaft, immoveable, 
 always abounding in the work of the Lord, 
 forafmuch as ye know that your labour 
 fhall not be in vain. Be ye, in your feve- 
 ral flations in the church and in the world, 
 as way-marks to the honeli fmcere inqui- 
 rers, who are alking the way to Zion, and, 
 from a true fenfe of their condition, are 
 crying out. What Jhall we do to be faved I 
 Shew forth, by your example of charity, fo- 
 
 briety, 
 
( 3-9 ) 
 
 brlety, temperance, and holinefs of life, 
 that you are redeemed from-the fpirit of the 
 world that lies in wickednefs. Be not cap- 
 tivated by its trifling arrmfements, nor en- 
 fnared by its lying vanities, but retain the 
 fear of God, v^^hich will keep the heart clean, 
 and prove a fource of furefl confolation 
 when all things elfe will be unavaiHng. 
 Let the purity of your lives dernonftrate 
 that you are attentive to things more ex- 
 cellent, and have placed your affections on 
 things permanent and eternal ; things 
 which eilentially relate to the falvation of . 
 the foul. 
 
 Thus, you will be a means of leading o- 
 thers in the way of truth and righteoufnefs, 
 and become the confecrated temples of the 
 Holy Ghoft. You will witnefs an increafe 
 of ftrength, wifdom, and holy {lability, 
 from day to day, and perfeverance in the 
 way that is everlafting. 
 
 Finally, my brethren, farewel. I com- 
 mend you to God, the great Shepherd of If- 
 rael, and to the word of his grace, as the only 
 D 4 infaUibie 
 
( 40 ) 
 
 infallible guide to dire6l you What yefiall do 
 to befaved. It is able to build you up in 
 the moft holy faith, to dired your feet in 
 the paths of righteoufnefs and peace, and, 
 finally, to put you in pofTellion of a glo- 
 rious inheritance, among the faints, that 
 will never fade away 1 
 
 DISCOURSE 
 
( 41 ) 
 
 DISCOURSE ir. 
 
 n^H E N Jefus faid to his difcipJes, a rich 
 , manjhall hardly enter into the kingdom of 
 heaven -, and again I fay unto youy it is eafier 
 for a camel to go through the eye of a needle 
 than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom 
 of God. IVhen his difciples heard it, they were 
 exceedingly amazed^ f^yi^S* '^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^ 
 faved ? It is no wonder, indeed, that thefe 
 appeared to them to be hardfavingSy and that 
 they fhould excite their aftonifliment, if they 
 apprehended by them, that the kingdom of 
 heaven was only open to poverty and 
 \yretchednefs. It appears, I think, beyond 
 
 controverfy, 
 
( 42 ) 
 
 controverfy, that, notwithftanding the dif- 
 ciples attended to the doClrine of fuch an 
 excellent minifler, who fpoke with pecu- 
 liar authority-; yet they did not at once 
 comprehend the whole of his do6lrine and 
 works. Their 'underftandings were gra- 
 dually opened and informed : they were 
 led on flep by ftep. The work of religion 
 was not with them, as fome people have i- 
 inagined the work of religion to be, an 
 inilantaneous work ; they went on from 
 ftrength to ftrength, and from one degree 
 of knowledge to another, till they had ac- 
 quired as much as was neceffary for them. 
 They were not inftru61:ed in all truths, but 
 in fuch as refpe6led the duties of their day 
 and of their ftation, and which, in the 
 courfe of their pilgrimage in this world, 
 filled them with a humble hope and expec- 
 tation of ultimately entering into one that 
 is infinitely better, there to partake of the 
 joy of their Lord, and of that reft from 
 their labours which is prepared for the peo- 
 ple of God. Thus, we find, when they 
 
 were 
 
( 43 ) 
 were told that they miifi eat his jlefi^ and drink 
 his blood, — that it was neceflary a man 
 fliould hate his father and mother y his wlfe^ 
 his children, and even his own life, — accepting 
 thefe texts, at firii, in a ftricl and literal 
 fenfe, it is no wonder they fhould think 
 them hard faylngs : hard indeed it would 
 be if it were necelTary that the affe6llons, 
 which flow from confangui.iity and affi;ii- 
 ty, mult be totally eradicated, and the ma- 
 lignant pailion of hatred be fubftituted, in 
 order to render us fuccefsfal candid ites for 
 an inheritance that is incorruptible and 
 that fadeth not away. 
 
 But it is clear to me, beyond the leafl 
 doubt, that our Lord defigned, throughout 
 the whole of his miniftry, to excite and to 
 ftrengthen, inftcad of weakening, thofe 
 bands by which fociety is held together. 
 
 He defigned to infpire us with the moft 
 friendly aiFeftions, as the main, or princi- 
 pal, motive to the difcharge of the various 
 fecial and relative duties : this appears to 
 me to be comprehended in the fecond com- 
 
 juandment. 
 
( 44 ) 
 mandment, Thoufialt love thy neighbour at 
 thyfelf. With refpe(5l to this particular paf- 
 fage of the New Teftament, it may, per- 
 haps, be profitable, at leaft to the younger 
 part of this aiTembly, whofe experience has 
 not yet been much, and whofe obfervations 
 have been but tranlient, to advert a little to 
 the occafion of thefe hardfayings^ which ex- 
 cited the amazement of the difciples. 
 
 It feems there was a young man who had 
 heard of the fame of Jefus ; who wanted 
 to be inflrufted with refpe6l to what mea- 
 fures were necefTary for him to adopt and to 
 purfue in order to inherit everlafting life. 
 Urged by this defire, he makes an applica- 
 tion unto Jefus, addreffing him after this 
 manner. Good majier, what good thing fiall 
 I doy that I may inherit eternal life ? Our 
 faviour enumerated feveral of the com- 
 mandments, to which he replied, and no 
 doubt with the greatefl: degree of fmcerity. 
 All thefe have I kept from my youth up, what 
 lack I yet f It appears that our Lord meant 
 to bring his love and his virtue to a fevere 
 
 tell. 
 
( 45 ) 
 
 tefl:. 07ie things fays he, thou lachft ; if 
 thou wilt he perfeSi^ fell that thou hajiy and 
 give to the poor j take up thy crofs^ and follow 
 me, and thou fmlt have treafure in heaven* 
 It feems that our Saviour ftruck at his dar- 
 ling palTion, the love of money ; for, upon 
 hearing this propofal, it is evident that he 
 preferred, at that time, retaining his cor- 
 poreal pofTeffions, that prefent temporary 
 good, to the future and remote one of eter- 
 nal life, for, hewe?ifawayforrowful. 
 
 Then Jefus faid to his difciples, A rich 
 man JJ:all hardly enter into the kingdom of hea" 
 ven. It mufl:, indeed, be acknowledged, 
 that, feeing we have nothing which we 
 have not received, — that we are not pro» 
 prielors of the inheritance which we pof- 
 fefs, but tenants only at will 5 for, the earth 
 is the Lord's, and the fulnefs thereof and the 
 cattle on a thoifand hillsy — we ought to re- 
 linquifli, to give up, a part, or the whole, 
 of that which is lent us, when it is the 
 will of the giver to make that requifition ; 
 but it is evident to me, that this particular 
 
 requifition 
 
( 46 ) 
 
 requilition intends not a general command* 
 I conceive, that it is not riches, merely as 
 riches, which can prevent our entrance into 
 the kingdom of heaven It may be faid, 
 with equal truth, that it is eafier for a ca- 
 mel to go through the eye of a needle than for 
 a poor man to enter into the kingdom of heaven ^ 
 if he have nothing but poverty and wretch- 
 ednefs to recommend him. It is very evi- 
 dent, from divers circumftances, that our 
 Lord's controverfy was not with riches, but 
 the fpirit of pride, which too frequently 
 pofTefles the hearts of the rich ; for, we 
 have an account of a rich, and yet of a 
 good, man, Jofeph of Arimathea. From 
 the feveral accounts of the evangelifts it ap- 
 pears he was an honourable counfellor, a 
 rich man, a good, ajuft, man, adifcipleof 
 Jefus, and one that waited for the kingdom of 
 Gcd, though it was probable that he was a 
 member of the Sanhedrim. 
 
 It feems to me that the rich man, de- 
 figned in this text, is fuch a man as is repre- 
 fented to us in the parable : T'here was a 
 
 certain 
 
(47 ) 
 
 certain rich maUy "who was clothed with pur^ 
 pie and fine lineUy and fared fumptiiovfiy every 
 day : there was alfo a certain beggar, that was 
 laid at his gate, full of fores, of whom there 
 can be no doubt that he was a proper ob- 
 je6l of human fympathy. He was laid at 
 his gate full of fores : his requifition was 
 humble, defining to be fed only with the 
 crumbs that fell from the rich mans table ; 
 moreover, the dogs came and licked his fores. 
 It came to pafs that the beggar died, and that 
 he was carried by the angels into Abrahajris 
 bofom : the rich mail alfo died, and was bu" 
 'f'ied ; and he lifted up his eyes in hell, and 
 faw Lazarus in Abraham's bofom. He cried 
 out, in a fort ofago?iy, Pat her Abraham, have 
 mercy upon me, and fend Lazarus that he may 
 dip his finger in water to cool my tongue, for I 
 am tor me Jit ed in this flame : but Abraham 
 anfwered. Son, remember, that thou, in thy life- 
 time, receivedft thy good things, and likewife 
 Lazarus evil things j but now, he is comforted^ 
 and thou art tormented. But we are not to 
 infer from this text, that, merely his being 
 
 clothed 
 
( 48 ) 
 
 clothed in purple and fine linenj or faring 
 fumptuoufly, was the caufe of his confe- 
 quent mifery j or, that it followed of 
 coiirfe, having received the good things of 
 this life, he fhould fuffer the worft of evils 
 in the next ; but it appears he wanted that 
 brotherly fympathy, that friendly affe6lion, 
 recommended to us in the character of the 
 good Samaritan, which is not re{lri6ted to 
 any peculiar clafs, but directed to every ob- 
 ject of diftrefs. There was a man, who, 
 travelling from Jerufalem to Jericho, fell 
 among thieves : he w^as fpoiled, he was 
 wounded. — The priefl pafled by, — he who 
 attended at the altar of God, he that fhould 
 have poflelTed a fpirit of univerfal charity. 
 The priefl pafTed by, — the Levite followed 
 his example, untouched with the feelings of 
 humanity j his heart was contra6led, per- 
 haps, by the prejudices of a party, which 
 he had conceived to be religion. But a Sa- 
 maritan pafTed that way : he looked upon 
 the man with that fympathy and compaf- 
 fion which the love of Chrifl infpires to- 
 wards 
 
( 49 ) 
 
 Wards a brother in diftrefs, incapable of 
 relieving himfelf, upon whom many fuffe- 
 rings were brought, and many more ex- 
 pelled to follow. He takes compaflion of 
 this poor Jew, pours oil and wine into his 
 wounds, attempts to alleviate his grief by 
 leflening its caufe ; and, though he could 
 have no expectation of cOmpenfation, yet 
 it did not reflrain him from attempting e- 
 very thing in his power for the relief of 
 this indigent perfon, and his views were 
 not confined to the prefent time j he look- 
 led forward, and endeavoured to provide 
 for his future well-being, giving a direction 
 unto his hoft, 1 will repay thee. It was there- 
 fore the want of this fympathy, together 
 with the fpirit of pride, which prompted 
 the rich man to purfue the lufts of the flefh, 
 of the eye, and the pride of life, at the ex- 
 pence of his focial and religious duties, 
 which rendered him highly criminal. This 
 appears clearly to have been defigned : the 
 character of this certain rich man and that 
 of the beggar formed a contrail:. The rich 
 
 E man 
 
{ so ) 
 
 man wanted virtue ; the poor man was dt^- 
 tituteof food J it is evident, however, that 
 he was in a humble flate. What could he 
 have afked lefs if he had aiked any thing ? 
 The feverity of hunger forced him to afk 
 thus much of him, as he was incapable of 
 helping himfelf. He defired only the 
 crumbs that fell from the rich man's table, 
 but he was unnoticed. If he had been of 
 the rich, if there had been a profpe6lthat 
 the intereft, or the pleafure, of the rich 
 man could have been augmented by relie- 
 ving him, he would have noticed him as La- 
 ban did Abraham's fervant when he fiw the 
 bracelets on his fifter's hands. Come in^ thou 
 llejjed of the Lcrd^ ivherefpre jiandejl thou 
 ivithout ^ the door would have been readi- 
 ly opened to opulence, and titular dignity 
 would have found an eafy accefs ; but the 
 poor beggar lay unnoticed : the inferior 
 fpecies of animals feemed to feel more fym- 
 pathy than the rich man. Moreover the. dogs 
 came and licked his fores. J would not be 
 underllood, by any thing that I have faid, 
 
 to 
 
( 51 ) 
 
 to attempt an ingenious apology for ths 
 richi but, at the fame time, I would at- 
 tempt to make that diftinction between the 
 poverty of the heart and the polTeffions of 
 the hands which the author of the Chrif- 
 tian religion deiigned. In the courfe of 
 the providence of Almighty God it fo fall- 
 eth out, that the efforts of the laborious 
 and induftrious are not crowned with equal 
 fuccefs. But we are not to conclude that 
 the perfon, whofe barns are filled with plen- 
 ty, and whofe prefTes are ready to burft with 
 new wine, is the diftinguifiied favourite of 
 heaven, any more than that the poor man, 
 who divides his morfel with his family, and 
 mixes his tears with his bread, is reproba- 
 ted by heaven. It is the abufe, and not 
 the ufe, of riches which the teifimony of 
 Chrift is certainly againfl. The apoftles 
 did not enjoin the rich to throw away their 
 riches, but he exhorts Timothy to charge 
 them, who are rich in this world, that they be 
 not high-mindedy that they affume nothing 
 on the fcore of their pofleffions j charge the 
 E 2 rich 
 
( 52 ) 
 
 rich cfthis wcrld that they be not high-mindedy 
 neither trufl in uncertain riches^ but in the 
 li'^oiiig Gody who giveth us all things richly to 
 enjoy. This is what he had in charge, ad- 
 ding, I think, that we brought nothing with 
 us ifito the world, and we jhall carry nothing 
 out of it* leaked we came into the worlds 7ia~ 
 ked we Jld all return, be difTolved and mixed 
 with thofe elements, from which v/e origi- 
 nally fprang. I would, therefore, attempt, 
 at leafl, that we fhould individually refle6t 
 upon the circum fiances that we are placed 
 in, and that we fhould receive with grati- 
 tude the portion which, in the general courfe 
 of God's providence, fhall be allotted to us. 
 Nothing more is required of us than to be 
 goodjiewards of the manifold grace of God, 
 We are called ilewards j and a time ap- 
 proaches, with unavoidable certainty, when 
 the Lord of the univerfe will call us, will 
 fummon us hence, with give thou an account 
 of thy fewardjldip, for thou fhalt be no longer 
 fteward. Let us therefore confider the fe- 
 veral talents we have received for the im- 
 provement 
 
( 53 ) 
 
 provement of our hearts in the Chriftian 
 life : let us confider the outward benefits 
 that are bellowed upon us, and let it be 
 the ftudy of our lives to apply them pro- 
 perly, and to refemble the good Samaritan ; 
 that, in imitating the example of the author 
 of the Chriitian religion, it may be the de- 
 light of our lives to diffafe happinefs all a- 
 round, and to go ahout doing good. This 
 appears to be of indifpenfible obligation. 
 If the rich man had pofTefTed this friendly 
 difpofition, the beggar v^ould not have 
 been neg]e6led at the gates of his houfe, the 
 dogs would not have been fuffered to lick 
 his fores ; he would have poured into them 
 lenient balm ; he would have attempted to 
 bind up his broken heart, and to njoipe away 
 all tears from all faces, to diffufe happinefs 
 in as extenfive a manner as his abilities 
 could quaUfy him to diffufe it, and therein 
 he would have been the beft prepared to 
 join the heavenly fociety above, when a pe- 
 riod fhould have been put to his exiftence 
 upon earth, and his pofTeiTions could no 
 E 3 longer 
 
( 54 ) 
 
 longer a:vail him. But this was not thecir- 
 cumftance of the rich man ; he wanted 
 bowels of compajjion j and, therefore, what- 
 ever rehgious party he was conne6ted with, 
 whether of the Pharifees or of the Saddu- 
 cees, he was not acceptable in the fight of 
 the Searcher of hearts. Let us now refle6t 
 a little on what his feelings mufl be, — the 
 feelings of a man that has rolled along in 
 pomp, that has been clad in purple and fine 
 U?ieny that has had his finglng men and his 
 fingingwomeny with the found of the pipe and 
 of the tabret, to attune his heart to joy, yet 
 deftitute of the feelings of humanity and of 
 worthy ' fentiments of religion. Death ap- 
 proaches, — he fees the heavens pajjing away 
 as afcrolly and the very foundation of his 
 happinefs diffolved. 1 cannot better ex- 
 prefs it than in the language of the holy 
 fcriptures : When in his profperity, the de- 
 fir oyer came upon him ; his purpofies were cut 
 ofi\ even the thoughts of his heart and the defire 
 cf his eyes ; bid his day is turned into nighty 
 his light into darknefs -, his harp is turned into 
 
 mourning y 
 
( 55 ) 
 
 7}wurmj2gy and his organ into the voice of them 
 that weep. He is about to quit this, fcene 
 of things without any hope or expe6la- 
 tion of entering upon any fcene that is 
 better. He looks back upon a Hfe that has 
 been fpent in various fpecies of diiTipation, 
 in the gratification of his fenfual appetites, 
 and in the negle6l ef every focial duty. 
 He now finds himfelf in a circumflance far 
 beneath the poor beggar's that lay at his 
 gate. — Confcience refumes the feat fhe had 
 lofl, — -wounds that had been healed break 
 out afrefh, and bleed anguifh. He looks 
 back, but it gives himnopleafure ; the pic- 
 ture excites the moH painful feelings. He 
 looks forward, but he has, no hope j his 
 Jinging men and \\isji?2ging iscomen^ with the 
 voice of the pipe and the tab ret, can no 
 more infpire his foul with joy. He is about 
 to quit this mortal ftage, and to enter into 
 the world of fpirits, but deftitute of thofe 
 moral virtues that would have qualilied 
 him to join the celeftial fociety, and to 
 take a part in the general feftivity which 
 E 4 prevails 
 
( 56 ) 
 
 prevails throughout heaven's emph-e. The 
 rich man hfted up his eyes to heaven in a 
 ftate of angulfn j he beheld the beggar in 
 Abraham's bofcm. We are not to confider 
 this text literally : this is a parable, not a 
 matter of fa6t 5 and a parable defigned to 
 illultrate the moral do6lrine of the gofpel 
 of Chrift. He reaped the fruit of his do- 
 ings, that v^hich will inevitably follow a 
 courfe of diffipation and a negle6t of our 
 proper duties : l^he recompence of his hands. 
 will be rendered to every man. l-o thofe^ who 
 obey not the truth, but obey unrighteoufnefsy 
 indignation and wrath y tribulation and an- 
 guifi, upon every foul of man that doeth evil : 
 of the Jewfrji, andalfo cf the Gentile ; for^ 
 there is no refpeB of perfons with God: and 
 I wifh to God there were lefs refpe6t of 
 perfons with men. This was the circum- 
 ftance, as I conceive, of the rich man. — 
 Let us now confider what might be the 
 feelings and the hopes of the poor beggar. 
 Defpifed of his brethren, unpitied, unre- 
 lieved, he lay at the gates of the rich man 5 
 
 the 
 
( SI ) 
 
 the dogs licked his wounds : — he importu- 
 ned chanty, — but he importuned in vain. 
 The rich man's ear was deaf to his prayers. 
 What confolation could he have in this 
 flate ! Indeed, his feelings muft have been 
 exquifite. Hunger and third are appetites, 
 which, in the extreme, throw the mind in- 
 to tumult. His natural feelings were pain- 
 ful, but what were his profpecls ! What 
 were his hopes ! Though he was poor, he 
 was not forfaken of his Maker : he could 
 not boail: of pir-ple and fine linen^ he atten- 
 ded not the tables of the rich, nor partook 
 of their luxurious banquets, yet he was the 
 offspring of the eternal Father, who made 
 of one blood all the nations of men who dwell 
 on all the face of the earthy and hath deter mi- 
 ned the bounds of their habitation^ If the 
 earth was unpropltious to his prayers, flill 
 heaven was opea to his cries. The Sove- 
 reign of the univerfe^ who regards the cry^ 
 ingof the poor and the fuppli cation of the needy ^ 
 took companion on the poor beggar. He 
 was about to quit his rags, to quit his po- 
 
 vertv, 
 
( 58 ) 
 
 verty, and to enter into a ftate of everlaft- 
 ing happinefs, — he was carried by the angels 
 into Abrahams bofom. Which of thofe cir- 
 cumftances was the moft defirable ! Let us 
 extend our views beyond the prefent fcene 
 of things : let us anticipate the fliock we 
 cannot fhun. Which v^^ould you rather 
 fuflain, the chara61".er of this poor beggar, 
 or the chara6ler of this certain rich man ? 
 Would you lofe the hopes of the beggar in 
 order to fuftain the dignity of the rich 
 man ? This, methinks, is a queftion 
 which common fenfe would not be long in 
 deciding upon ; but, fuch is the weaknefs 
 and frailty of our nature, that we approve 
 the right, and yet purfue the wrong : we 
 do the thing that we would not, and negledl 
 that which we would, do. The paflions of 
 human nature are exceedingly flrong, and 
 there is fome one that generally chara6lerifes e- 
 very perfon ; a kind of reigning paflion, which 
 like Aaron's rod, fwallows up all the reft. 
 We are not all purfuing one path of vanity, 
 for its paths are endlefs : but we have an 
 
 aptitude. 
 
( 59 ) 
 
 aptitude, we have a promptnefs, rather to 
 purfue meafures that may produce a tempo- 
 ral good than thofe which will produce a 
 fpiritual gOod. The gratification of the 
 prefent moment engages our paflions. If 
 we were to form an idea by the general 
 pradice of mankind, we feem to forget 
 that we are mortal, and that we muft die. 
 Mankind bufy themfelves often belide their 
 proper bulinefs -, and, v/hilft they are en- 
 larging the boundaries of their earthly in- 
 heritance, are but little folicitous to obtain a 
 habitation in the ?iew heavens mid in the new 
 earth ^wherein righfeoufnefs dwells. They prefer 
 prefent to everlafting good, and negle61; to 
 cultivate thofe virtues which would make 
 them refemble the Deity, (if I may be al- 
 lowed the expreffion,) expand the faculties 
 of the foul, and make it more capable of 
 thofe fublime contemplations which are the 
 employment of the celeftial choir. I wifh, 
 therefore, that we might be induced to re- 
 fle£l on the vanity of human wiOie^^, and 
 on the folly Of human purfaits. We nave 
 
 no 
 
( 6o ) 
 
 no continuing city here : perfe6l felicity is 
 no more to be found in this mutable ftate 
 of things than it was praflicable for the Ba- 
 bel builders to ere6l an edifice that fhould 
 reach the heavens. Many have foared a- 
 loft, and built their neils on high, as upon 
 the cedar of Lebanon, yet they have been 
 brought down. Death levels all diftinc- 
 tions, and earthly pofTeffions make no diffe- 
 rence in the grave : let us fet our affections 
 therefore upon things that are above, and 
 not on things which are beneath. If our 
 affe6tions be placed upon the fuperiorgood, 
 we fhali feel gradually a lefs attachment to 
 things that are feen j — lefs to this world, 
 the fafliion whereof is pafling away, and 
 we are palling away with it. Its pleafures 
 are but as a cloud, or a vapour, which will 
 foon difappear. We are haftening to the 
 place of our deftination, let us therefore 
 run with patience the race that is fet before us, 
 imitating the example of the wife and vir- 
 tuous of all generations, endeavouring to 
 fulfil the various obligations that we are 
 
 under 
 
( 6i ) 
 
 under to the Author of our being and one 
 to another ; — to adopt the phrafe in the pa- 
 rable, that we may be can-ied by angeh into 
 Abraham s bofom, and enter into the fulneils 
 of that joy of which we have here but a 
 foretafte, as of the brook that is by the way. 
 Perhaps fome prefent, in the hours 
 of their foHtude, may refieft, that the/ 
 pafs unnoticed amidft the throng, while 
 others fuflain the plaudit of the people. 
 Let them confider, that, in a few days, 
 there will be an end put to their anxie- 
 ties : if they be virtuous, indeed, they are 
 defined for the regions of glory, immorta- 
 lity, and eternal life, — regions of which we 
 can at prefent form no adequate idea. We 
 fee but darkly y as through a g/afs, — we explore 
 but a little of that vaft plan of the provi- 
 dential government of the fupreme Being ; 
 yet, in a future ftate, with faculties better 
 difpofed, with minds properly prepared, it 
 may be a part of our employment toinvef- 
 tigate the difpenfations of divine provi- 
 dence, which at prefent appear exceedingly 
 
 myflerious ; 
 
( 62 ) 
 
 mydrerlous; — to celebrate, in afuture world, 
 - the wonderful difplay of wifdom and pow- 
 er in the conftitution of this, and alfo the 
 goodnefs of God in adapting all his difpen- 
 fations to all his people for the accomplifh- 
 ment of their fupreme good ; and, from a 
 principle of conviction, to join the heaven- 
 ly hoft in faying, Great and marvellous are 
 thy works ^ Lord God Almighty : jujl and true 
 are all thy ways^ thou Ki?ig of faints. I am 
 encouraged to expe6t this from the faying 
 of Chrifl, that what I do, thou knowef not 
 noWy but JJ:>alt know hereafter -, therefore, let 
 not the poor be difconfoiate in their habita-r 
 tions of poverty, but let them attempt, in 
 their refpeflive flations, to fill up the du- 
 ties of their day, and they fliall end in peace 
 everlafling. I intend not by what I have 
 faid that I have any perfon in view who is 
 wanting in charity and benevolence ; by no 
 means : my defign is general. I commend 
 that good and virtuous difpofition which 
 has been apparent in many whom I am ad- 
 drefTmg 3 and I wifh they may perfevere ifi 
 
 that 
 
( 63 ) 
 
 that which is right, and that they may en- 
 deavour /o lay lip for them/elves a good fc'U'd^ 
 dation againjl the time to come. Riches are 
 attended with many fnares, and fo is po- 
 verty : that poverty, which brings a man \o 
 want the nec^ffaries of Ufe, will require un- 
 common fortitude and patience to bear. 
 There are indeed fnares in every ilate. E- 
 very (late is a ftate of probation, and there 
 are temptations excited in our minds Vvrhicli 
 correfpond withthe fiiate and circumftances 
 that we are in^ and to the feveral biaffes 
 that we poflefs. Let us therefore lay, a fide 
 every 'weight and burden^ and the Jin 'which ea- 
 Jjly befets uSy and rim with patience the race 
 that isfet before us^ cheriiliing, in the firll 
 inftance, a fmcere love of the fupreme Be- 
 ing in the higheft degree, and then the love 
 of our neighbour as ourfelves, that we may 
 poflefs a fpirit of univerfaf benevolence, 
 which will prompt us to do all the good we 
 can to that family of which the Lord God 
 Almighty is the Father and Head. 1 con- 
 ceive, indeed, that religion and virtue allow 
 
 of 
 
( 64 ) 
 of degrees in love. There are peculiar' aU 
 tachments which arife from confanguinity^ 
 and alfo from affinity, which religion has 
 no controverlies with. We read, in the cha- 
 ra61er of our Lord, that, notwithflanding 
 he poiTeffed a love of ail his difciples, and of 
 all the inhabitants of the earth, yet John 
 fee?ned to be diflinguifhed : he leaned upon 
 his bofoniy he was the difciple whom Jefus 
 loved J but we are not hence to conclude 
 that he loved no other ; but there was i. 
 pjcubar attachment to the difciple whom Je* 
 fus loved, 
 
 I would recommend, in attempting 
 every ftep of reformation, and in every 
 good word and work, that we attend to, 
 and wait for, the influence of the holy Spi* 
 lit ; that which would fandlify us, that 
 which would gradually inform our under- 
 Itandings, remove our prejudices and our 
 doubts, infpire us with the moft fubftan- 
 tial hopes, and open to us profpefts that 
 are the moft plealing ; and, whatever por- 
 tion of ill may be allotted us in the courfe 
 of divine providence, let the virtuous ever 
 
 bear 
 
( 65 ) 
 
 bear in remembrance that ther^e is a river, 
 the Jireams whereof make glad the heritage 
 of God ', and every (inccre devoted foul, of 
 every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, 
 that fears God and works righteoufnefs, is 
 part of this heritage, which is replenifhed 
 with the fhowers of immortal ^oodnefs, 
 and is as a garden ijiclofed, notvvithftanding 
 the different circumftance of individuals. 
 The whole of this heritage is inclofed v/ith 
 walls that are impregnable, — impregnable 
 againft the enemy. They will be preferved, 
 by the providence of Almighty God, as in 
 a garden that is inclofed, — a garden that 
 will be refreflied with the defcent of celef- 
 tial rain, that will be repleniflied, and bring 
 forth the acceptable fruits of virtue and ho- 
 iinefs. My fold, faith the Pfalmift, thirfl^ 
 ethfor God ; yea^ for the living God ; and a- 
 gain, ^s the heart panteth for the water ^ 
 brooks, fo panteth my foid after thee, O God ! 
 This is the difpoiition of the humble foul, 
 who looks upon the Lord as his fuperior 
 good, and prefers a communion with him 
 F to 
 
( 66 ) 
 
 to the increafe ofcorn^ winey or oil. He will, 
 by every method, endeavour to keep open 
 a communication with this fountain, — a 
 fountain that will never be exhaufted. 
 Thanks be to God we have a river : though 
 we may be expofed to many things, to the 
 darknefs and light, the heat and the cold, 
 yet, in the courfe of our pilgrimage, there 
 is a river that flows from Hermon's hills, 
 the ftreams whereof ever make glad the he- 
 ritage of God. 
 
 Let us attempt to pafs along this river 
 that we may be replenifhed, fo fhall we 
 experience that which is fpoken of Wifdom, 
 my brook became a river y and my river became 
 afea. The good, the virtuous, man ; the 
 man, that feels the emotions of filial piety^ 
 has recoiirfe to this river. A brook is o- 
 pened to him by the way, at which he can 
 fatiate his thirft, and renew his flrength. 
 He will, in waiting upon God, jjiount up as 
 on wings of an eagle y he will walky and not be 
 weary j runy and not be faint. Thanks be 
 to God that we have this river, and I wifh 
 
 we 
 
( 67 ) 
 
 we may dlftinguifh this fountain of living 
 water from the broken clfterm that can hold 
 no water. If this be the cafe with our 
 hearts, then we fhall find our confolatioa 
 enlarge, our hopes increafe till they are 
 loft in fruition, and our faith terminate in 
 open vilion, in the contemplation of thofe 
 truths of which we can at prefent form but 
 inadequate ideas, when we fhall enter into 
 the joy of our Lord, and be numbered with 
 the wife. T!hey that are wife f is all film as the 
 brlghtnefs of the firmament ^ and they that turn 
 77iany to rlghteotfnefs as the ftars for ever and 
 ever I 
 
 F 2 THE 
 
( 68 ) 
 
 PRAYER 
 
 AT THE 
 
 CONCLUSION OF THE MEETING. 
 
 MOST Gracious God, infpire our 
 hearts with fuitable reverence, that 
 we may approach thee acceptably, and of- 
 fer up our prayers to thee in full afTurance 
 that, though heaven is thy throne, and the 
 earth thy footftool, yet thou art gracioufly 
 pleafed to notice the inhabitants of this 
 
 lower 
 
'( 69 ) 
 
 lower world, as well as thofe who are clo- 
 thed with the greateft degree of dignity, 
 and are perfeftly happy in a world that is 
 infinitely fuperior. Imprefs our hearts 
 with a fenfe of thy goodnefs, upon which 
 we every moment depend. Let it be ma- 
 nifefted unto us, that the difpenfnig of thy 
 manifold grace fhould imprefs us with emo- 
 tions of filial piety and gratitude unto thee, 
 who art the fource of every thing that is 
 good. We approach thy altar in the mul- 
 titude of thy mercies, and look in confi- 
 dence towards thee, that, notwithftanding 
 our many infirmities, there is mercy with 
 thee^ that thou mayeji be feared. Grant, we 
 befeech thee, that, by the operation of thy 
 holy Spirit, thou everlafting Shepherd and 
 Bifhop of fouls, multitudes may be gather- 
 ed out of the wildernefs, in which they have 
 wandered and been loft, within thy fold, 
 to become a part of thy flock, and the (heep 
 of thy pafture. Be pleafed, in mercy, to 
 bring back every flieep that has ftrayed un- 
 to the fold again, that, as we are thine by 
 F 3 creation, 
 
( 7° J 
 
 creation, we may, at length, be thine by 
 adoption into a ilate of fonfhip, and be- 
 come heirs of a fpiritual inheritance, the 
 crown immortal, that fliall never fade a- 
 way. 
 
 O mioil righteous and everlafling Father, be 
 pleafed, we humbly befeeclithee, to look down 
 upon the various circumfiiances of thy peo- 
 ple J confole the poor, and abate the pride 
 of the rich, that we may, by the interpofi- 
 tion of thy fpirit, be what thou wouldffc 
 have us to be, a humble dependent people, 
 looking up unto thee as the fource 
 whence all our bleflings are derived, and 
 imploring at thy throne to be inflrufled to 
 life our talents to the ends and purpofes for 
 v/hich thou haft given them, that, when e- 
 ver thou flialt be pleafed to fummon us 
 hence, we may have an evidence, a hope, as 
 an anchor that is moft fure and ftedfaft, 
 that may preferve our fouls in tranquillity 
 •when the waves of afili6lion roar, when the 
 winds of adverfity may blow upon us from 
 every quarter. In the moft painful difpen^ 
 
 fations 
 
( 71 ) 
 
 fations we may have topafs through, grant 
 that we may find an afylum in thy name, 
 which has been the tower of defence, the mu- 
 nition of rocks, to the righteous in all gene- 
 rations. 
 
 O Lord, enable us to call fuccefsfully up- 
 on thy name, that we may be faved with 
 an everlafting falvation ; that, fortified by 
 thy grace, we may endure the dangers of 
 profperity, and alfo the trials of poverty, 
 if they fliall be permitted to attend us ; 
 that we may not be elevated too high, nor 
 puffed up to deny thee, and fay, who is the 
 Lord ? nor may be ever fo cafi: down and 
 opprefled in adverfity, as to ileal, and take 
 thy name in vain, to deny thee, O God ; 
 but that, in every difpenfation of thy pro- 
 vidence, we may humbly acquiefce with 
 thy will, and fay, Not my willy O Lord, but 
 thine be done. 
 
 Grant, we befeech thee, that, under an 
 awful fenfe of thy attributes, which it is 
 not in the power of human beings adequate- 
 ly to conceive, nor of the tongues of an- 
 F 4 gels 
 
( 72 ) 
 
 gels to exprefs, in the contemplation 
 of thy attributes, our fouls, inflamed 
 with a fpirit of pure devotion, may afcend 
 up, and put up our fupplications, to 
 thee, O Lord. We feel a holy awe per- 
 vade our fouls : in the contemplation of 
 thy attributes our words are fwallowed up : 
 we offer unto thee the increafe of praife, and 
 afcribe unto thee every thing that is excel- 
 lent, every thing that is great : to thee be- 
 long majefty and dominion, with every o^ 
 ther adorable attribute, now and for ever- 
 more. Amen, 
 
 piscourse; 
 
( 73 ) 
 
 DISCOURSE in. 
 
 THERE is part of a pfalm, or hymn, 
 compofed by a fervant of God, 
 which has been revived, in my remembrance, 
 in this meeting ; and I may fay, in much 
 fmcerity, it hath been the language of my 
 heart : Offer unto God thankf giving. 
 
 The defign of the author of this pfalm 
 was, to excite, both in himfelf and in the 
 minds of others, the moll fervent emo- 
 tions of gratitude, thankfgiving, and praife. 
 Thankfgiving, if it be more than the cold 
 
 formahty 
 
 / 
 
( 74 ) 
 formality of unmeaning words, is the ge- 
 nuine offspring of gratitude and devotion. 
 It arifes from a juft fenfe of the manifold 
 favours bellowed upon us by the providence 
 of God, who hath liberally fupplied his 
 creatures with the provifion neceflary for 
 *them. 
 
 The Scriptures fpeak of the Almighty 
 not only as watching over, and providing 
 for, the fuperior clafs of beings in this 
 world, but as extending his providential 
 care (to ufe a comparative mode of fpeech) 
 to the meanefl of his creatures. Not a 
 fparrow falls without him : he heareth the 
 young ravens when they cry, and he hath 
 provided richly for the foul of every living 
 thing. Man, in a peculiar manner, appears 
 to be diftinguifhed above all other clafTes of 
 animal exiftence by a rational power of re- 
 fle6lion. He is capable of afcending from 
 efFe6\: to caufe, of obferving the concatena- 
 tion thereof, and of inferring, from the 
 phsenomena of nature, the exiftence of a 
 wife, powerful, intelligent, and good. Be- 
 ing 
 
( 75 ) 
 
 ing, whom we call God. Hence he be- 
 comes an accountable creature : hence he 
 has a motive to thankfgiving and praife, of 
 which the lower orders of animals are not 
 capable ; for, whatever fimilarity there may- 
 be betvv^een the endowments of inferior ani- 
 mals, and their inflin6live powers, and the 
 faculties of the human fpecies, yet hiftory 
 affords us no inilance of the former betray- 
 ing the leaft figns of devotion. Man is 
 made a little, and perhaps but a little, low- 
 er than the angels. He is capable of con- 
 templating the attributes of the fupreme 
 Caufe ; and who can contemplate the at- 
 tributes of the divine Being without feel- 
 ing the emotions of filial fear and grati- 
 tude ? But it is exceedingly to be regretted, 
 that we ufe not thofe fuperior powers, with 
 which we are endued to the nobleft purpo- 
 fes, for which they were given us. We 
 employ too little of the fhort fpan of time 
 in the inveftigation of fubje6ls which are 
 adapted to infpire us with the bed affec- 
 tions, and to acquire thofe virtues that 
 
 would 
 
( 76 ) 
 
 would dignify our nature : but, inflead 
 thereof, we defcend from the rank we 
 fhould fill, and, with inferior orders of a- 
 nimals, make paflion, inftead of right rea- 
 fon, our guide and ruler. Thus we be- 
 come governed by thofe fenfual appetites 
 which we fhould govern. We give away 
 the power received for the noblefl purpo- 
 fes, or make it fubfervient to our lowefl 
 pafTions ; and, like thofe animals which are 
 fed by fruit which drops fpontaneoufly 
 from the trees, fome people feem deflitute 
 of reflection whence their provifion is deri- 
 ved, feldom look up, feldom, if ever, con- 
 template the caufe, feldom refle61: that the 
 earth is the Lord's, and the fidnefs thereof y 
 with the cattle on a thoiifand hills, and that 
 we are every moment dependent on his 
 bounty. This is the unhappy circumflance 
 of too many of the fons and daughters of 
 men. 
 
 I apprehend the principal defign of all 
 Gofpel minifters is, to excite in the minds 
 of their hearers fuch reflections, on beings 
 
 circumflanced 
 
( n ) 
 
 circnmftanced as we are, and on the rela- 
 tion we bear one to another and to the fu- 
 preme Caufe, as may be productive of fi- 
 lial piety, prompt us to make our hearts 
 the facred altar of the Lord Almighty, and 
 o^er iinto God thankfgivitig and praife. 
 
 I fervently wifh that all our hearts may 
 be at this feafon, and not only at this feafon 
 but at all other times, fo imprelTed with 
 the infinite obligation we are under to the 
 fupreme Being, that thankfgiving might be- 
 come an habitual frame of fpirit, continued 
 throughout all the occurrences of life, fet- 
 ting the Lord always before our eyes that 
 we do not evil or offend him. Ingratitude, 
 it feems, a6luated the children of Ifrael. 
 It hath been the principal caufe, or fource, 
 of all moral evil. Thus, the people of the 
 houfe of Ifrael received the favours of 
 heaven without turning their thoughts 
 reverently toward the fource whence 
 they were derived : they ate and draiTk^ and 
 rofe up to play, 
 
 Inftead 
 
( 78 ) 
 
 Inftead of being difpofedto thankfglving. 
 they indulged a fplrit of levity. They rioted 
 on the divhie bounty, and forgot to give 
 thanks : they vv^anted, therefore, a proper 
 motive to the difcharge of their feveral du- 
 ties ; for, when we are imprefled with a 
 proper fenfe of gratitude for favours recei- 
 ved, we are naturally difpofed to fearch for, 
 or fludy, the will and pleafure of the per- 
 fon who conferred on us thofe favours. 
 We carefully watch for an opportunity to 
 exprefs our gratitude, not only in being 
 verbally thankful, but are alfo ftudious 
 to avoid every thing that would furnifli oc- 
 cafion of offence to our benefactor ; and, 
 on the other hand, are equally ftudious to 
 render ourfelves, as much as poffible, wor- 
 thy objefts of his favourable regard. Thus 
 it is in focial life among men, and flmilar 
 thereto it is with thofe minds which are im- 
 prelTed with a fenfe of gratitude to the fu- 
 preme Being. The confideration of his 
 goodnefs fhould lead us to refledl on our 
 own unworthinefs 5 for, we are indeed un^ 
 
 worthy 
 
( 79 ) 
 
 worthy of the leafi of his mercies^ and of his 
 truth ; yet he has favoured us with the for- 
 mer and the latter rain, the upper and the 
 nether fprings j with feed-time and with 
 harveft ; has filled our barns with plenty, 
 and hath liberally provided for the fufte- 
 nance of his creatures. ImprelTed with the 
 fenfe which this obligation impofes, the 
 grateful heart would approach his altar in 
 the multitude of his mercies, and fay. What 
 JJjall we render unto thee for thy goodnefs to the 
 children of men ? 
 
 This is the language of the devoted 
 heart ; and, though it might be uttered 
 only mentally, or not be expreffed by any 
 vocal found, yet the Searcher of hearts 
 would accept that afFe6lion, or devotion ot 
 mind. He accepts the intention of the 
 heart before it is brought forth, or mani- 
 fefted by any external atSl, and we fhall then 
 have the moft powerful motive to hope for 
 the divine aid. Were our hearts thus im- 
 prefled, we fliould embrace every opportu- 
 nity of enquiring how we (hould commend 
 
 our- 
 
( 8o ) 
 
 ourfelves to his notice, — how exprefs the 
 gratitude we feel. We fliould be induced 
 to manifeft it by a difcharge of every re- 
 hgious and of every focial duty, by waiting 
 upon and worfhipping him, by offering to 
 him the pure incenfe of thankfgiving and 
 praife, exprefling what we feel for the 
 favours received, by communicating, in 
 proportion to our refpe6live meafures, to 
 thofe who ftand in need of afliflance j and, 
 indeed, imprelTed with the emotions of 
 gratitude to God, it will be the chief plea- 
 fure of our lives to go about doing good a- 
 mong men. But of thofe, who are defli^ 
 tute of this moft worthy principle of grati- 
 tude, other joys allure the aftedions, other 
 motives than religious and focial duties. 
 They are in purfuit of fome favourite fen- 
 fual objefl, which, at beft, compared with 
 the fuperior good, is only an unfubflantial 
 phantom, and purfued at the expence of e- 
 very thing that confers real dignity on a 
 
 rational 
 
( 8i ) 
 
 rational being, and renders him acceptable 
 to the Judge of all the earth. 
 
 Thus the children of Ifrael, in propor- 
 tion as they loft fight of the providence of 
 the Almighty, and of what he had done for 
 them, became more and more depraved ; 
 infomuch, that they joined fome of the 
 furrounding nations in the performance of 
 idolatrous a6ls. They feemed to have loft: 
 the idea of the unity of God : they became 
 deftitute of a fpirit of gratitude. The 
 prophet, in the name of the Lord, de- 
 grades them beneath the condition of the 
 moft contemptible claffes of animals: Hear^ 
 O heavens, and give ear^ O earth ! for, the 
 Lord hath fpoken, the ox knoweth his owfier, 
 and the afs his majlers crib, but Ifrael doth 
 not know, my people doth not confder. If 
 thefe animals are not capable of rational 
 refle6tion, yet they poflefs fomething that 
 bears a refemblance of gratitude, diftin- 
 guifhed by the appellation of inftinSi. 
 They, at leaft, exprefs fome notice of thofe 
 on whom they depend for fupport : the ex 
 
 G knoweth 
 
( 82 ) 
 
 knoweth his owner ^ and the afs his majier's 
 crib* This pafiage fets forth the great mo- 
 ral depravity of that people; and, in fhort, 
 the hiflory, which the holy Scriptures fur- 
 niOi us with refpeding the children of If- 
 rael, conveys a charge of peculiar igno- 
 rance, obflinacy, and ingratitude : T^he ox 
 knoweth his owner , and the afs his majiers 
 crib', but Ifrael doth not know, my people doth 
 not confider. Ah,finfiil nation, a people laden 
 *with iniquity, a feed of evil doers ! In ano- 
 ther place, the prophet hath fhewn, that, 
 in departing from what they fhould have 
 been, in forfaking the God of their fa- 
 thers, for want of a reverent attention to 
 his ftatutes, they loft the fpirit of devotion, 
 ^tid judgements were infli6led on them by 
 Extraordinary caufes. They deprived them- 
 selves of the felicity that is infinitely fupe- 
 rior to all the gratifications of fenfual appe- 
 tites. My people have committed two evils ^ 
 they have forfaken me, the Fountain cf living 
 waters^ and have hewn to themfelves cifierns, 
 broken cifierns, ix^hich can hold no water. Here 
 
 again 
 
( 83 ) 
 again they are indireflly charged with in- 
 gratitude. To ufe the figurative language 
 of the holy Scriptures, hefpread a table for 
 them inthe wildermfsy condu6led them by a 
 cloud by day, and a pillar of Jire by nighty 
 put them into pofTeflion of vineyards which 
 ^ere not their Sy and of olive-yards which they 
 hadnot planted, yet they were ungrateful 5 they 
 ceafed to offer unto God thankfgiving ; that is 
 to fay, the fpecies of thankfgiving which is 
 acceptable to the fupreme Being. They 
 made, indeed, many prayers j they fpread 
 forth their hands toward the habitation of 
 his holinefs ; the fervices of the tabernacle 
 were punctually performed 5 but, with all 
 thefe, they pofTefTed not a fpirit of thankf- 
 giving, but offered unto God a mere form of 
 words, fentiments in which the heart took 
 no part, which had not been dictated by a 
 fpirit of gratitude. They offered, there- 
 fore, the facrifce of fools. Such is the 
 weaknefs of our nature, that we would 
 perfuade ourfelves, were it poffible, that the 
 Almighty poffefTes the vanity and ambition 
 ..y^O^ G 2 of 
 
( 84 ) 
 
 of a creature who is fond of the incenfe 
 of adulation, and capable of being decei- 
 ved by the offerings of flattery, in which 
 the heart is not interefted^ but, as he is 
 without the parts, fo he is without the 
 paflions, of a creature. No weaknefs is 
 to be attributed to him, who is perfect and 
 felf-fufficient. He can derive no additional 
 felicity from our thankfgiving : he can ex- 
 perience no diminution from our withhold- 
 ing him the praife which is due to his great 
 and excellent name. He has inftituted 
 worfhip, and commanded thankfgiving, for 
 our fakes, to promote our felicity, and not 
 his own. Can we fuppofe, that, approach- 
 ing him with words compofed by way of 
 prayer and thankfgiving, in which the 
 heart is not interefted, can be acceptable to 
 him ? No : and therefore their new 
 moons, the calling of their afTemblies, and 
 their many prayers, were not acceptable in- 
 cenfe to the Lord God of Sabaoth. They 
 had committed two evils : they had forfaken 
 htm^ the Fountain of living waters , and had 
 
 hewn 
 
( 85 ) 
 
 hewn unto themfehes cijierns, broken clfterns^ 
 which could hold no wafer. Therein is fet 
 forth the great lofs that people fuflained 
 when they departed in heart from that re- 
 verent attention which they fhould have 
 paid to the fupreme Being while they were 
 partakers of his favours and mercies ; the 
 great lofs they fuftained by forfaking the e- 
 verlafting Fountain of fehcity for the mere 
 fenfual pleafures of this hfe, which are not 
 to be compared with the fpiritual joys that 
 refult from a Hate of real devotion and 
 thankfgiving. 
 
 There is no fource of temporal pleafure 
 but what may foon terminate. Difappoint- 
 ment awaits us in every flate. Pains, afflic- 
 tions, difeafes, may foon render us incapa- 
 ble of tafting thofe pleafures we have long 
 been in the purfuitof j and, after a tedious 
 chafe, in the moment when we blefs our- 
 felves with the expeilation of fruition, we 
 grafp the phantom, and find it air. How 
 many inftances have we feen of people, in- 
 toxicated with a fpirit of ambition and ava- 
 G 3 rice, 
 
( 86 ) 
 
 rice, who fuppofed that the accumulation 
 of* wealth would render them perfedly hap- 
 py 5 who have propofed to themfelves a fu- 
 ture period, when they fhould fit down at 
 the end of their labours in peace ; and have 
 gone on, from one Itage of life to another, 
 led as it were by an ignis-fatuus, to peram- 
 bulate the enchanted circle ! Difappointment 
 has terminated their purfuits. If we have 
 not fomething elfe to reft our hopes upoa 
 than the pleafure which this world can pro- 
 duce, we fhall be like the man who dreamt 
 that he was hungry, and ate j thirfty, and 
 he drank ; but awoke, and beheld his appe- 
 tites ftill remained : and this may perhaps 
 conftitute, in part, the mifery of a future 
 ftate, — the entering into it with appetites 
 which cannot be gratified. 
 
 Having attempted to fhew the impor- 
 tance of gratitude, and the difmal confe- 
 quences that flow from the contrary prin- 
 ciple, I will now attempt, at leaft, to 
 point out one caufe why we feel fo little of 
 this virtuous afFedlion i — that is, Ambi- 
 tion, 
 
( 8/ ) 
 
 tion, the grand enemy of man's felicity. 
 On the wings of imagination, in an extra- 
 vagant anticipation of the future, man de- 
 prives himfelf of the enjoyment which vir- 
 tue would yield him in the prefent hour. 
 He labours for very vanity, and difquiets him- 
 felf in vain. Perhaps we fhall find the ve- 
 ry feeds of ambition fown as it were, and 
 interwoven, with our very nature and con- 
 flitutlon. There is fome fpecies of ambi- 
 tion that takes place in the loweft as well 
 as in the higheft ranks of fociety. In our 
 prefent circumflances, let them be what 
 they may above wanting the neceffaries of 
 life> (which is the lot of but very few, com- 
 paratively fpeaking ; and, of this few, the 
 evil has been brought upon them princi- 
 pally by their own imprudence and intem- 
 •■perance,) we fhould be content. A few, 
 indeed, have been fubje6led to want the ne- 
 ceffaries of life by unavoidable events : 
 thefe are worthy obje6ls of charity, and 
 will not be neglecled by thofe who can feel 
 for another's woe. But, indeed, fuch is 
 
 G 4 the 
 
( 88 ) 
 
 the want of fympathy, that fome people 
 feldom fee an affli6lion without their own 
 doors. They hve for themfelves only, and 
 feem as if they were as deftitute of the 
 love of their neighbour as they are of gra- 
 titude to God. But, with refpeft to this 
 paffion of ambition, againft which I would 
 in a peculiar manner endeavour to guard 
 the minds of youth, refill it early, or 
 it will grow with your growth, and ftrength- 
 en with your ftrength. Guard againft the 
 errors of libertinifm, the errors of the 
 fpendthrift, and the errors of the mifer, 
 that you may early pofTefs the emotions of 
 gratitude to the Author of your being. If 
 it be your lot to abound in this world*s 
 goods, receive the fuperabundant favours 
 with gratitude, and thankfully apply them 
 to the purpofes for which they were given. 
 But, fuch is the nature of this paffion, 
 (ambition,) that it prompts us to look up 
 tothe clafTesof mankind a little above us, 
 and not to the Moft High. We look a- 
 mong our neighbours, who have acquired 
 
 a 
 
( 89 ) 
 
 a little more than we have .acquired, and 
 are led as it were imperceptibly towards a 
 flate we can never attain. 1 have never 
 known,. in. the courfe of my obfervation, 
 a perfon, who was not contented in a low 
 ftate of life, that was ever happier in a 
 higher ; but I have known ibme who have 
 been. Jiappy in a low ftation, and, when 
 they have eaten their morfel in quietnefs, 
 have offered unto God thankfgiving and 
 praife. Happinefs is tendered to all. Be but 
 grateful, and thou fhalt be happy; for, 
 gratitude will.infpire us with this fentiment, 
 Havifig food and raiment j be therewith con- 
 tent. 
 
 I make thefe obfervations on the fubje61: 
 without premeditation j and, indeed, the 
 want of order in my delivery of them will 
 be a fufficient proof of it. I recommend 
 jthem to your ferious confideration, and 
 wifli your hearts may be fuitably im pre (Ted 
 with the fubjedl. And, though thankfgi- 
 
 ving fliould be ourgeneral mental habit, our 
 hearts fhould be particularly imprefTed with 
 
 it 
 
( 9° ) 
 
 it at particular times. We ought to look 
 up with peculiar thankfgiving to the throne 
 of grace in the moment of fruition. We 
 have enjoined no peculiar mode, or form, 
 of prayer or thankfgiving. We have no 
 ceremony by way of grace before and after 
 meat ; but, in difpenfing with thefe forms, 
 we do not difpenfe with the thing itfelf in- 
 tended by them. We ought to be imprelTed 
 with filial piety towards our Almighty Fa- 
 ther. We ought to make a folemn paufe 
 previous to our partaking of the divine 
 bounty, and to pofTefs fuch a fpirit of de- 
 votion, that we may offer ^ at leaft mental- 
 ly, unto God thankfgiving and prat fe. 
 
 And, at the clofe of the day, though we 
 have no form of evening or morning pray- 
 er, yet I would attempt to imprefs the 
 minds of youth efpecially, that, before 
 they clofe their eyes to lleep, they (hould 
 review the tranfa6lions of the paft day, and 
 fee what there is to approve, what to con- 
 demn, — to contemplate the mercy and the 
 goodnefs extended to them, that they may 
 
 offer 
 
( 91 ) 
 
 offer unto God thankfgiving for his mercies, 
 and commend themfelves to his proteftion. 
 Again, in the morning, we ought alfo to 
 offer up thankfgiving. If we pofTefs this 
 difpofition of mind, we fhall not be entan- 
 gled with tlie things of this Hfe, which en- 
 fnare, but fhall confider ourfelves as Gran- 
 gers and pilgrims on earth, anticipating a 
 better country, a better inheritance, where, 
 with faints and angels, and the fpirits of 
 juft men made perfeft, in a humble con- 
 templation of the divine attributes, and of 
 the difpenfations of his providence, and fa- 
 voured with the renewed impreflion of his 
 goodnefs, we may, with purified fpirits, 
 approach him in the multitude of his mer- 
 cies, and off'er unto him thankfgiving and 
 fraife I 
 
 DISCOURSE 
 
( 93 ) 
 
 DISCOURSE IV. 
 
 yfRISE, and go hence -, for, this is not thy 
 reji ! We are abundantly inftru6t- 
 ed in the holy fcriptures refpe£ling the 
 fhortnefs of human life, the brevity of all 
 terreftrial pleafures, and the vanity of all 
 human purfuits, compared with the fatif- 
 fa6lion w^hich is found in a courfe of virtue, 
 and the glorious hope with which it infpires 
 its humble votaries of ultimately pofTeffing 
 
 an 
 
(' 94 ) 
 
 an inheritance which is incorruptible, and 
 fadeth not away. 
 
 It is the worthy purpofe, or end, of real 
 rehglon, to ennoble our nature, to raife 
 our thoughts and contemplations from car- 
 nal to fpiritual, from terreftrial to celeftial, 
 obje6ls. Set your affeBions, fays the apof- 
 tle, on things above, not en things on the 
 earth. If our affeftions be folely placed on 
 things which are beneath, or on the plea- 
 fures derived to us from an intercourfe with 
 the objefts of fenfe, our happinefs, indeed, 
 will be exceedingly fhort-lived and uncer- 
 tain. Here we have no continuing city : eve- 
 ry thing of a terreftrial nature is mutable. 
 There is not any ftate or circumftance of 
 life, however pleafnig, that we can have a- 
 ny fecurity will continue long. :ij nf ba 
 -A tranfition, from a ftate of opulence 
 to a ftate of poverty, our own obfervations 
 have inftru6led us, has fometimes been 
 made very quick. We cannot either fore- 
 fee or prevent thofe occurrences which 
 may be produ<5live in future of profperity 
 
 or 
 
( 95 ) 
 
 or adverfity, of pleafure or pain. The 
 faJJnon of this worlds faith the apoflle, paf* 
 feth away^ and we are indeed pafllng with 
 it. Short is the fpan of human life : fhorfc 
 the path we have to tread from the cradle 
 to the grave, the houfe appointed for the 
 reception of all living j for, duji thou arty 
 and to duJi thouJJmlt return. Seeing, there- 
 fore, we have no conti7iiiing ctty\ let us form 
 the wife refolution of feeking one that is to 
 come 3 a city which hath foundations^ whofe 
 builder and maker is God, I have underllood 
 by this pafTage of Scripture, which is figu- 
 rative, that we are called upon, as rational 
 creatures, by the voice of divine wifdom, 
 feeing all the pleafures, or fatisfa6Vions, 
 which arife from an intercourfe with fen- 
 fible objects, mufl terminate, to endeavour, 
 by the beft ufe or application of thofe 
 powers, which heaven has endued us withi 
 to feek that fpecies of happinefs which will 
 be permanent, and is adapted to the nature 
 of a rational and an immortal fpirit. This 
 is the comment which I have made on this 
 
 paiTage 
 
( 96 ) 
 
 pafTage of holy writ : and I do mofl fervently 
 wilh that our minds may be dlfpofed at this 
 feafon ferioufly to refle6l on the comparative 
 folly of all fenfaal indulgences, and on the 
 vanity of human purfuits ; and be anima- 
 ted to feek the fuperior good, a habitation 
 in t\\Q city of the fatJits folemnities^ a city that 
 bath foundations. Zoo^, faith the text, upon Zi- 
 o?z, the city of our Jolemnities^ and thine eyes 
 JJoallfee jerufalem a quiet habitation ; fiot one of 
 its flakes fiall ever be removedy nor any. of its 
 cords be broken : there the glorious Lord is to 
 its inhabitants as a place of broad rivers and 
 f reams. He is the fource whence their 
 happinefs is derived \ and, as he is immor- 
 tal, the happinefs, derived from an inter- 
 courfe or communion with him will 
 confequently be permanent. We are in- 
 ftru6led by what means we are to feek fuc- 
 cefsfuUy this city that hath foundations. We 
 are told, in the Revelations, in words fome- 
 what of this import, Blefled is he who 
 keepeth the commandments of God : he 
 fhall have accefs to the tree of life, which 
 
 Hands 
 
( 97 ) 
 Hands in the midll of the Paradlfe of God, 
 fliall enter in through the gates into the 
 city, and become a fellow- citizen with the 
 faints, and of the houfehold of God. Here 
 we learn, that, if we would poffefs a habi- 
 tation in this city, we muft feek it by walk- 
 ing in the commandments. Again, if thou 
 wilt enter into life^ keep the commandments. 
 There is no other way to become an inha- 
 bitant of this city than by obedience to the 
 facred commandments of heaven, which are 
 ofunivcrfal oWigation. Let us not, there- 
 fore, expect to climb up any other way, or 
 to attain a ftate of felicity hereafter, by a- 
 ny other mode than obedience from the 
 heart to the manifeftations of the divine 
 will ; and, with refpe^l to the command- 
 ments of God, we are alfo infl:ru6led by 
 what means they are to be afcertained j at 
 kaft, by individuals for themfelves : ama~ 
 nifejlation of the Spirit is given to every man 
 to profit withal. It is called lights becaufe it 
 hath a property which is analogous to that 
 element. It illuminates the underflandings 
 
 H of 
 
( 98 ) 
 
 of mankind, by inftru6lmg them in mat- 
 ters of the greateft importance, — matters 
 which refpe6l their final acceptance with 
 the Judge of the whole earth at the l^aft 
 day. 
 
 But, though the light fhines, or a mani- 
 fejiation of the Spirit is give?2 to every man to 
 profit ivitJoalj yet there are, comparatively 
 fpeaking, but few who attend to its dic- 
 tates, and purfae that courfe of virtue 
 which the light of the gofpel of Jefus evi- 
 dently points out. It is with many as it 
 was with the multitude when our Lord 
 was perfonaUy on earth. Lights fays he, is 
 come i7ito the world, but men love darknefs ra^ 
 ther than light. He came, a divine meflen- 
 ger of heaven, to propofe the terms of re- 
 conciliation to fallen creatures. He came 
 to enlighten their underftandings, to cor- 
 rect the depravity of their hearts, to puri- 
 fy them, and to make them meet for an /«- 
 heritance which is incorruptible, and fadetb 
 not away. He came to reveal to them the 
 way which leads to this glorious city ; but 
 
 they 
 
( 99 ) 
 
 they turned a deaf ear to the inftru6lions of 
 wifdom : they would not attend to his coun- 
 fel, nor be admoniflied by his reproofs. 
 Light is come into the worlds but men love 
 darknefs rather than light, T^hey hate the 
 light, neither come to the light ^ left their deeds 
 fioidd be reproved. 
 
 Perhaps, if we review our lives j if we 
 look into the book of confcience, we fliall 
 find fomething recorded there which bears a 
 refemblance, more or lefs, to the circum- 
 ftance of thofe people in the days of our 
 Lord's perfonal appearance on earth. 
 There is not a being, arrived to years capa- 
 ble of ferious reflection, who hath not had 
 fome fecret conviilions for doing wrong ; 
 who hath not had fome compunclion of 
 confcience for having tranfgrefTed the laws 
 and ftatutes of heaven. But, as the point- 
 ing of the facred finger leads to things con- 
 trary to the wifh of the fenfual heart, im- 
 merfed in pleafures derived from terref- 
 trial purfuits, we are not difpofed to attend 
 to the inftruclion of the facred monitor. 
 H 2 We 
 
( lOO ) 
 
 We are rather difpofed to be flattered in 
 our vices, to be foothed in our fins, than 
 to have them correfted, and to be led into 
 the juft man's path, which is as the Jhijiiiig 
 lights that fiineth more and more unto the per- 
 feSi day. 
 
 There is a circumftance on record con- 
 cerning an ancient king, which may ferve, 
 perhaps, to illuftrate the do6lrine which I 
 have in view to affert. He was about to 
 lead out his army to battle, and was doubt- 
 ful of the event of his intended enterprife. 
 He was defirous, if pofTible, to know what 
 fhould be the decifion of the day j and, for 
 that purpofe, he intended to confult fome 
 feer -, but he meant feme perfon who fhould 
 be capable of flattering his vanity and wifli- 
 es. A prophet of the Lord was propofed 
 to him, — one who had never ad:ed the part 
 of a fycophant, but had fpoken the word 
 of the Lord faithfully : — but he was not 
 difpofed to confult this prophet. That, 
 indeed, which would have recommended 
 him to every judicious perfon, was the caufe 
 
 of 
 
( loi ) 
 
 of his refufing to confult him. He knew 
 he would not attempt to footh his vanity, 
 prophefy fmooth things, or fpeak deceit: 
 therefore he determined not to confult him. 
 / hate him, for he doth not prophefy good con- 
 cerniiig me, but evil. And thus, with re- 
 fpe6l to the divine monitor, the manifefta- 
 tion of the grace of God in the human 
 heart, which bears a faithful teflimony to 
 our confciences ; we are not difpofed to 
 attend to its diftates, but we call upon our 
 paflions to footh us, to flatter us, and to 
 concur with our vain hopes, and, by this 
 means, have negle^led things which are of 
 the greateil: importance. We are rather de- 
 firous that we may be indulged in the pur- 
 fuit of lying vanities, than to have our 
 eyes effectually opened to fee our own na- 
 kednefs, the depravity of our hearts, and 
 the way which leads to Zion. I hate him ; 
 fory he doth not fpeak good concerning me^ but 
 evil. Thus mankind hate the reproofs of 
 the divine light in their own confciences, 
 becaufe it teflifies againfl their darling paf- 
 H 3 fions^ 
 
{ 102 ) 
 
 fions, and thwarts them in their pleafing 
 purfuits ; intercepts their long-indulged 
 profpe61s, and points out to them a road, 
 the purfuit of v/hich would afford them no 
 pleafure though it leads to Zion.. Their 
 thoughts are engrofTed by inferior obje6ls ; 
 they have no tafte, or relifh, for things 
 which are of a fpiritual nature, but would, 
 if it were pofTible, take up their reft in 
 tranfient gratifications, and not be felici- 
 tous with rcfpe<ft to the conclufion of the 
 fcene, or what fhall be their circumftance, 
 orftate, in the world, or life, which is to 
 come. 
 
 Tbey hate the light : why fo ? becaufe it 
 manifefls their deeds of darknefs. They 
 do not like to take a view of their own 
 hearts. Such is the depravity thereof, that 
 a view of it is indeed humiliating to the 
 pride of human nature. They had rather 
 draw a veil over their fins than fee them in 
 their proper colours, as they really are ; 
 or purfue fuch meafures of condu6l as 
 would ennoble their nature, rectify their 
 
 judge. 
 
( 103 ) 
 judgements, and open to them profpefls 
 far more inviting than what this world can 
 afford, even the profpe6l of an everlafting 
 habitation in the new heaven and the new 
 earthy wherein right eoiifnefs dwells. 
 
 But, though I am led tofpeak after this 
 manner, I have no doubt that there are 
 many in this audience who have weighed 
 the worth of vanity, and eftimated the in- 
 fignificancy of all terreftrial things ; who 
 have feen that they are not adapted to fa- 
 tiate the thirft of an immortal fpirit. They 
 have contemplated, and have gathered 
 from their own obfervations, that every 
 thing is mutable ; — that the finger of Om- 
 nipotence hath written on the face ofuniver- 
 fal nature, They fnall periJJo, They have 
 gathered, I fay, from their own obferva- 
 tions, that every thing, included in this 
 fyftem, is mutable ; and that, in a fliort 
 time, a period will be put to their exif- 
 tence on earth, when their conne6lion with 
 all fubl unary obje6ls will be diffolved for 
 ever. Under fuch a profpe6l of the uncer- 
 H 4 tainty 
 
( 104 ) 
 tainty of terreflrial pleafures, they have 
 beea animated tofeeka city which hath foun^ 
 dations -, or, in other words, have been ex- 
 cited, by the pu reft motives, to purfue 
 thofe means w^hich will introduce that hap- 
 pinefs into the foul which is not dependent 
 on any elementary or fecondary caufes, but 
 on an union of foul with the Author of 
 its being ; and hav^e chofen, if it fliould be 
 their lot in the courfe of the providence of 
 divine wifdom, X.o fnffer rather aff,i6iion "with 
 the people of God, than to e?yoy the pleafures of 
 fin^ which are but for afeafon. I falute thefe 
 with the falvation of the love of the gofpel 
 of Chrift. Thefe are fe eking a city which 
 hath foundations^ whofe builder and maker is 
 God i and their hope will not be as the 
 hope of the hypocrite, which will perifo, but 
 a hope that will terminate in an everlafting 
 fruition of joys, which eye hath not feen, 
 nor hath ear heard, nor hath it e?itered into the 
 heai't of man to conceive. Blejfed are they 
 who keep the commandments of God : they will 
 have accefs to the tree of life, which Jlands in 
 
 th 
 
( 105 ) 
 
 the mldjl of the Paradife of God^ and Jhall 
 enter in through the gates into the city^- — be- 
 come fellow-citizens with the faints^ and of the 
 houfeholdof God, For, having been redeem- 
 ed from the bondage of corruption, they 
 ihall enjoy the glorious Hberty of the fons 
 of God ; they fliall enter into the city of 
 the faints folemnities, the inhabitants 
 whereof fhall never complain that they are 
 fick. Indeed, it affords the moft enUvening 
 fpecies of hope, to them that feek this city, 
 that, when the clouds fhall gather black- 
 nefs, darknefs, and tempefl, — vv^hen the 
 profpeft of the future fhall be exceedingly 
 gloomy, — they can penetrate this gloom, and 
 anticipate an everlafting habitation in pu- 
 rer fkies, /Vz the new heaven and in the new 
 earth, wherein righteoifnefs dwells. I wifh, 
 friends, we may be effectually animated by 
 the confideration of thefe things ; that, 
 feeing every thing is uncertain, and that 
 we may be deprived of the choicefl of 
 terreflrial blelTmgs in an unexpe6led hour, 
 let us T^c";^ a city that hath foundations y and 
 
( io6 ) 
 
 lay up for ourfehes a good foundation againfl 
 the time which is to come. 
 
 It is, indeed, to be acknowledged, with 
 \ reverent gratitude and praife, that many 
 are the blefiings we have received in the 
 courfe of God's providence s and we ought 
 to receive them in a humble becoming man- 
 ner, — in a manner becoming dependent be- 
 ings, who have nothing which they have 
 not received, and to ufe, or apply, them to 
 the purpofe for which they were given. 
 But we are not to reft fatisfied in thofe en- 
 joyments which are to be derived merely 
 from an intercourfe with terreftrial objefls, 
 Arife, and go hence ; this is not thy refl ! But 
 there is a refl prepared for the people of God ; 
 and that reft is to be attained by a reverent 
 attention to his commandments. This is 
 the conftant do6lrine of the holy Scrip- 
 tures, both in the old and in the new Tefta- 
 ment : let us, therefore, ftudy the will of 
 heaven refpe6ling us; and let it be our 
 conftant concern to recommend ourfelves to 
 the Author of our being, by manifefting 
 
 the 
 
( 107 ) 
 
 the love, we feel or pofTefs for him, in a 
 reverent attention to his flatutes and his 
 commandments. Were our hearts thus dif- 
 pofed heaven-v/ard to feek the fuperior 
 good, we fliould be able to join with the 
 royal pfalmift in faying, My foul thirfteth 
 for God ^ for the living God! Again, As the 
 hart pant eth after the water-brooks, fo paiiteth 
 my foul after thee, O God I A contempla- 
 tion of the divine law, to thofe who love 
 it, would open a fource of the moft 
 exalted pleafure, and they would in- 
 deed fay with the pfalmift, T'hy ftafiites 
 are jny fongs in the houfe of my pilgrimage. 
 Now I underftand, by fovgs in the text, 
 that they were the chief, or principal, ob- 
 je61s of his affections; that they were in- 
 fcribed on the tablet of his heart, as well 
 as written on the pofts of his doors. They 
 were the fubjefls of his meditation when 
 he lay down and when he rofe up. 
 
 May it pleafe the Author of all good fo to 
 infpire our hearts with a noble contempt of 
 all fenfual indulgences, as that we may 
 
 purfue 
 
( io8 ) 
 
 purfue thofe things which are mofl excel- 
 lent 5 and, feeing the infufficiency of all 
 terreftrial fcenes to communicate to us per- 
 manent felicity, we may fet our afFeftions 
 on things which are above, and, by a courfe 
 of praftical virtue and obedience, lay up 
 for ourfelves treafure in heaven, where 
 the moth nor ruft cannot corrupt, nor 
 thieves break through, and fteal. Then 
 Ihall we ultimately attain that reft which is 
 prepared for the people of God, in which 
 there is fulnefs of joy ! 
 
 DISCOURSE 
 
( 109 ) 
 
 DISCOURSE V. 
 
 THERE is a pafTage of holy writ 
 which hath engaged my ferious me- 
 ditation. You will find it, on facred record, 
 in words to this purport : 
 
 If thine own heart condemn thee not^ then 
 hafi thou confidence towards God -, by which 
 I have underftood, thou haft confidence, 
 and a humble expedlation of the divine 
 bleffing, and that thou fhalt be accepted 
 of the Judge of the whole earth in the 
 day of judgement, the day of final deci- 
 fion. 
 
 The 
 
( no ) 
 
 The apoftle alfo fays, But, if thine own 
 heart condemn thee^ T-ememher that God is 
 greater^ and knoweth all things j by which I 
 have underftood, that, if v/e fland con- 
 demned at the tribunal of our own hearts, 
 we (liall not be approved of him, who 
 looketh not as man looketh, but looketh at 
 the heart. 
 
 I conceive, however, that this pafTage is 
 not to be admitted without fome exception ; 
 for, it is pofTible that fome people may 
 have digreifed fo widely from the paths of 
 truth and virtue, and funk fo deeply into 
 the loweft fpecies of fenfuality, as to have 
 their underftandings clouded, and perceive 
 not the propriety and the excellency of vir- 
 tue. Their confciences are hccomQ feared as 
 with a hot iron. Reiterated tranfgreffion of 
 the divine law renders the heart, as it were, 
 in fome degree, callous, and it lofes that 
 delicate moral fenfibiUty diilinguifhed by 
 the appellation of confcience. On the o- 
 ther hand, fome pious well-difpofed people, 
 afiiidled perhaps by fome fpecies of natural 
 
 difeafe. 
 
{ "I ) 
 
 difeafe, have let in, and cherifhed, ground- 
 lefs fears and apprehenfions, have thought 
 themfelves fo morally depraved and pollu- 
 ted, that, though fome of chem feem to be 
 the bed of mankind, we may haveobferved 
 them to have been brought to the confines 
 of the horrible pit of defpair. Thefe may, 
 I think, be confidered as exceptions to this 
 general rule of the apoflle. 
 
 Now I conceive the apoflle intended to 
 this purport ; that, whoever wifhes to re- 
 ceive the beft information refpedling the 
 duties which he owes to his Maker and to 
 his fellow-creatures, and purfues thofe 
 means of inftru6lion which he apprehends 
 will be the moil conducive to obtain it, and 
 who conforms his life, his manners, and his 
 converfation, agreeably to that knowledge 
 which he has received, as he will not be 
 condemned of his own heart, but have the 
 teftimony of a confcience ijoid of offence to^ 
 wards God and towards man^ fo he will be 
 approved of his Maker, and approved of 
 the wife, the difcerning, and the good, of 
 
 all 
 
( "2 ) 
 
 all ranks and denominations of men. On 
 the contrary, the man who wilfully acls a- 
 gainft the fober dictates of his judgement, 
 will of courfe (unlefs he becomes indeed a 
 reprobate) feel the teflimony of his own 
 confcience againll him. Perhaps this mo- 
 ral fenfibility may not always attend him. 
 In his convivial hours, — hours that are kt 
 apart for the gratification of merely fenfual 
 appetites, — hours that are pafied in 
 unholy delights, in rioting and drwikenfiefsy 
 in chambering and wantonnefsy he may not be 
 fufceptible of the impreffions of confcience ; 
 yet, in the moments of his recefs, when he 
 retires from the pleafing and delufive fcenes 
 of vanity, in the moments of cool reflec- 
 tion, he will feel the teftimony of his own 
 confcience, which may prompt him to a6l 
 in a manner limilar to that of our great 
 primogenitor, who, in the calm evening of 
 the day, remembered the tranfgreffion of 
 the morn, felt the reproaches of his own 
 confcience, and attempted to hide himfelf 
 from the all-penetrating eye of the Lord of 
 
 the 
 
( 113 ) 
 
 the univeiTe. Adam, li-here art thou ? He 
 hid himfelf among the trees of the gar- 
 den ; and thus it is with us, or has been, 
 more or lefs, with us all. We firft tranf- 
 greiled, and then fought to hide ourtranf- 
 greffion j for, it is my firm opinion, that, 
 if mankind were as heartily concerned to 
 reform their evil pra6tices as they are to 
 conceal them, the work of reformation 
 would foon be more ftriking and apparent 
 amongft the feveral ranks and claiies of 
 mankind. 
 
 Whoever has the teHimony of his con- 
 fcience againft him will have no foiid 
 foundation of hope, orexpe£lation, of be- 
 ing approved of him whofe Jaws he has 
 tranfgrefTed, whofe ftatutes he has viola- 
 ted. 
 
 I wifh, my friends, we might be all fuit- 
 ably impreffed with the importance of this 
 fubje6l. Jt is of all others the moft inte- 
 refting to us, — a goodconfcience. 
 
 But it is exceedingly to be regretted that 
 
 this fpecies of good, this fpecies of riches, 
 
 I is 
 
( iH ) 
 Is toofeldomtheobje6l of our purfuit. In 
 this world, we are as a gueft that tarrieth 
 but for half an hour. In a fhort time, 
 thofe who poflefs goodly inheritances mull 
 leave them to their children or heirs. Ge- 
 neration fucceeds to generation very quick- 
 ly. Were we, therefore, to pofTefs all the 
 riches of this world j were we to be made 
 proprietors of the world itfelf, under the 
 anticipation of that folemn period when we 
 fhall be about to quit this terreflrial fphere, 
 what is it that a man would not give in ex- 
 change for his foul ! What is it he would not 
 part with, were it in the power of his dif- 
 pofal, for the teflimony of a good confciefice^ 
 to give him a humble confidence towards 
 God, that the future ftate he is juft enter- 
 ing upon fhall be within the confines of the 
 general afTembly of the jufl and purified 
 fpirits, who, in the fruition of eternal joy, 
 receive the ejid of their faithy even thzfaha- 
 tion of their fouls ! 
 
 I befeech you, my friends, in the love of 
 the gofpel of Chrift, that ye walk wifel^^ 
 
 that 
 
( tis ) 
 
 that ye be circumfpeB, that ye ftudy, In the 
 firft place, your refpeftive duties, that you ' 
 be prompted by the pureil and worthieft 
 motives to aft agreeably with the informa- 
 tion you have received, that fo you may 
 pofTefs this ineftimable blefiing, zgood con- 
 fcience^ or a confcience 'void of offence both to^ 
 wards God and towards man. 
 
 This is that fpecies of treafure which we 
 are exhorted to lay up for otrrfehes in heaven, 
 in bags that wax not old, where the moth and 
 the ruji cannot corrupt, nor thieves break 
 through and fie al. This is the fpecies of 
 riches, and the only fpecies of riches, v/hich 
 the craft and violence of others cannot 
 wrefl from us -, for, it is fecured beyond 
 the power of plunder : it is fecured in a 
 man's own heart, over which his neighbour 
 can have no controul. But, whatever elfe 
 he pofTeiFes, he may, in the courfe of di-* 
 vine providence, be ftripped of. He may 
 lofe his fair inheritance ; it may be tranfla- 
 ted to the hands of others by events which 
 human wifdom could not forefee, nor hu- 
 I 2 marl 
 
( ii6 ) 
 
 man prudence prevent. He may be flrip- 
 ped of all his property, and be brought to 
 penury and want ; but the teftimony of a 
 good confcience cannot be taken from a 
 man : it muft be given away, — it muft be 
 voluntarily parted with, by a tranfgreffioii 
 of thofe di6lates which may be called the 
 law of confcience. Therefore let us lay up 
 for ourfelves a good foundation againfl the 
 time to come. 
 
 But I am aware of an objeftion which, 
 perhaps, may be made. It is this : the 
 excellency of a good confcience is univerfal- 
 ly admitted j but where is the man who 
 pofTeffes this ineitimable treafure ? Where 
 is the man who can lay his hand upon his 
 heart, and fay, that it condemns him not ? 
 Upon a review of the aftions of his life, 
 and the influencing motives of his conduct, 
 where is the man who can lay his hand up- 
 on his heart, and pronounce himfelf imma- 
 culate ? 
 
 I believe there is not fuch a man exit- 
 ing j that is to fay, a man that doth not fin, 
 
 or 
 
( i'7 ) 
 
 or hath not aforetime finned ; for^ all have 
 finned ^ and fallen fort of the glory of God^ 
 and of courfe have forfeited thofe glorious 
 privileges which were pofTefTed by our pri- 
 mogenitors in their paradifiacal flate, before 
 they tranfgreffed the divine law. We have 
 finned, and fallen fhort of the glory of 
 God ', but we are abundantly inftrudted, 
 both in the old and new Teftament, that 
 the Author of our being willeth not the 
 death of thefmter, — that he wiileth not the 
 de{lru6lion of creatures which he hath 
 formed capable of eternal life. He is not 
 difpofed, at all events, to confign them to 
 the realms of irremediable woe and milery, 
 but has manifefted himfelf towards his 
 creatures in the character not only of a 
 juft, butalfo of a merciful and gracious, 
 being -, a being who compaffionates the in- 
 firmities, the weakneiTes, and wanderings, 
 of his creatures, and who hath provided a 
 means for the redemption of mankind from 
 fm, and, of courfe, from mifery : — that 
 means is Jefus Chrifr, the mediator of the 
 I 3 new 
 
( "8 ) 
 
 new covenant, the high-prieft of the Chrif* 
 tiandifpenfation, conftituted, not after the 
 law of a carnal commandment, but after 
 the power of an endiefs life, who remain-r 
 eth a priefl for ever. It is a faithful fayittg, 
 and it is ^uoorthy of all acceptation^ that Jefus 
 Ch'ifl came into the world to favefinners -, not 
 to fave them in their iins, but to fave them 
 from their Iins, to cleanfe them from all 
 xinrighteoufnefs, to reftore unto his crea- 
 tures the glorious liberty of the fons of 
 God, and, of confequence, a good con- 
 fcience : Wherefore^ fays the apoftle, "we 
 irufi moe have a good confcience. 
 
 This is the great and glorious purpofe of 
 the manifeftation of the Son of God, that, 
 notwithflanding we have fmned, and fallen 
 ihort of his glory ; that we all, as fheep, 
 have gone aftray from the flieepfold, and 
 have wandered in the wildernefs of this 
 world, yet, if we confefs our fms, God is 
 faithful aitdjufl to forgive us our fins, and to 
 cleanfe us from all unrighteoifiiefs -, by which 
 I underftand, that the office of the media- 
 tor 
 
( 119 ) 
 
 tor is not only to be the means of the remlf- 
 fion of fins that are pad, through the for- 
 bearance of God, but that his office alfo is 
 to cleanfe and fan^tify the penitent foul, — to 
 cleanfe it from all iinrighteoiifnefs^ and, of 
 courfe, it will have a good confcience, and 
 have confidence towards God. Now thefe 
 are general propofitions, to which we all 
 accede. Offers of mercy are held out to us 
 through Jefus Chrift our Lord, and our 
 confciences will moil certainly condemn us 
 unlefs we attempt to apply thofe offers, to 
 apply thofe healing qualities, unto our- 
 felves. The teitim.ony of our confciences 
 will fland againft us if we neglecl this great 
 falvation, which is offered to us through 
 Jefus Chriil our Lord. I befeech you, 
 therefore, by the mercies of God, (than 
 which there is nothing, perhaps, more 
 likely to influence the fenlible and judicious 
 part of mankind, who open their eyes, and 
 view the vafl extent of the divine empire ; — 
 who contemplate the phsenomena of na- 
 ture, and the feveral means that the Au- 
 I 4 thor 
 
( 120 ) 
 
 thor of nature has taken for the conferva^ 
 tion of all the fpecies of his creatures, I 
 befeech yotiy therefore^ brethren^ by the mer- 
 cies of God,) that you prefent your bodies a 
 living facrifice, holy and acceptable to God, 
 which is our reafonable fervlce . But there is 
 no facrifice that can be offered upon the al- 
 tar of God, there is no prayer whatever 
 which claims the notice of the Lord God 
 of Sabaoth, which is not the offspring of 
 a humble, of a devoted, heart, fenfible of 
 its.weaknefs, fenfible of its unworthinefs, 
 and of a purity of intention to apply thofe 
 means for its redemption, and to purfue 
 thofe methods, for the future, which fhall 
 receive the teftimony of confcience, and 
 the recompence of the jufl at thelafl day. 
 
 Let it, then, be the firfl objedl of our 
 attention to feek a good confcience. Let 
 us think every thing elfe but as drofs and 
 as dung. Every acquifition we may make 
 within the compafs of the creation, bears 
 no proportion to the blefling of a good 
 confcience \ for, pofTefling this, a man has 
 
 peace 
 
( 121 ) 
 
 peace at home. Whatever tumults may a- 
 rife, whatever winds may blow, whatever 
 affli6lions may furround him, thefe will but 
 play round his head -, they cannot reach his 
 heart; for, the good man JJ:all be fatisfied from 
 hmfelf. He will have a fource of fatisfac- 
 tion in himfelf, which will diffipate every 
 gloom, — a fatisfaflion the fenfual are ftran- 
 gers to. He will look beyond the confines 
 of time, and expe6l a habitation in the new 
 heavejis clnd the new earthy wherein right eoufnefs 
 dwells. Though men fliould look upon his 
 life to be without ufe, and his end without 
 honour, yet he will be approved of God, 
 and the lot of his inheritance will be with 
 the faints. But, if a man does not pofTefs 
 the teftimony of his own confcience, he 
 cannot be happy in any circumflance of 
 life. Wherever he goes, his confcience 
 will attend him ; and, even in the houfe of 
 banqueting, he will fometimes, as it were, 
 fee a hand-writing on the wall, T'hou art 
 weighed i?t the balance, and found wanting. 
 Jf he come to the greatelt honour and 
 
 preferment. 
 
( 122 ) 
 
 preferment, ftill he will be like Cain ; and, 
 having a bad confcience, may be doomed to 
 compafs the earth without being able to 
 make a happy fettlement in any part of it. 
 He has no peace in himfelf : he is feeking 
 for that without, which muft be found 
 (if ever it be found) within, him ; for, if a 
 man be completely fatisfied, it muft be 
 from himfelf : (it muft not, however, be 
 confidered as the efte£l of his moral con- 
 dud, apart from Jefus Chrift ; it muft pro- 
 ceed from that pure ftate which is termed, 
 in the facred writings, regeneration.) His 
 afFe6tions muft be tranftated from creature^ 
 ly obje6ls to the Creator. They muft be 
 fet, not on things beneath, but on things 
 which are above, and then it will become 
 \ the obje6l of his purfuit, to lay up trea- 
 fure in heaven j and, where the treafure is, 
 there will the heart be alfo. 
 
 But, let it not be imagined that that is 
 pecuhar to an inhabitant above the ftars. 
 Let it not be imagined that he muft afcend 
 to the heights above to feel the joys of the 
 
 com- 
 
( . 123 ) 
 
 community, or fociety, of purified fpirits ; 
 for, thejuft upon earth, and the glorified in. 
 heaven, participate of the fame eternal 
 Fountain of mercy, goodnefs, and truth : 
 they are replenifhed at the fame immortal 
 Fountain of mercy and goodnefs ; — a 
 Fountain, that can never be drawn dry, — a 
 Fountain, at which the righteous of all de- 
 nominations have drunk. They have been 
 refrefhed widi thofe flreams which inter- 
 fe6l this vale of tears ; and, as they have 
 paiTed along, they have experienced a growth 
 in grace, and in the faving knowledge of 
 the Lord Jefus Chrift. They have enjoyed 
 a foretafte of that fpecies of felicity which 
 eye hath not feen^ ear hath not heard ^ nor hath 
 it entered into the heart of 7nan, unregenerate 
 man, to conmve. This is written for all 
 that fliall be joined to the fociety of the 
 juft ; not to any tribe or nation in particu- 
 lar, but to people of all names and tongues 
 ^dXfear God and work righteoujnefs^ whofe 
 
 hearts 
 
( 124 ) 
 hearts condemn them not, who pofTefs the 
 teftimony of a good confcience. 
 
 We are told, that the kingdom of heaven 
 is within us j and our Lord, forewarning his 
 difciples concerning the deceivers of the en- 
 fuing times, who fliould fay,Xo, here isChriJi^ 
 and/?, there is Chrift I cautions them, fay- 
 ing, go not forth after them : the kingdom 
 of heaven, fays he, is within you. And, 
 in another place, it is defined to be righ- 
 teoufnefs, peace, and joy, in the Holy Ghofl. 
 Then, wherever there is the beauty of 
 righteoufnefs, wherever there is that mo- 
 ral reditude which is confonant to the law 
 of God, there is the kingdom of heaven, — 
 there is the temple of the Holy Ghoft ; and, 
 thus fan(5lified in the name of the Moft 
 High, the veflel bears the infcription of 
 Holhiefs to the Lord! I'he kingdom of heaven 
 is within you. Let us be concerned to expe- 
 rience that re6titude of heart, that conver- 
 fion of foul, wdiich will qualify us to en- 
 joy the incomes of the Holy Spirit, — that 
 
 wdll 
 
( '25 ) 
 
 will qualify us to have commiimon ivith the 
 Father^ and with his So?t J^fus Chriji. 
 
 I commend thefe obfervations to your 
 ferious confideration, befeeching you, my 
 friends, let it be the firft obje6l of your 
 ftudy to attain and keep a good confcience. 
 If we are confcious of having finned, let us 
 implore the interpofition of the divine mer- 
 cy J let us be proflrate at the footflool of the 
 throne of divine grace ; let us attempt to feel 
 thofe afFe6lions, thofe penitential afFe6lions, 
 that will prompt us to enter into the temple 
 of the Moll High, in adifpofition of mind 
 fuitable to the occafion, and fimilar to that 
 of the poor publican. We have nothing 
 that we can boaft of. Indeed, the moft ex- 
 alted among men have nothing to boaft of 
 in the fight of God. After we have dif- 
 charged our obligations, we are unprofitable 
 fervants. We are unprofitable to him, and 
 have nothing to claim upon the fcore of me- 
 rit, becaufe we have done nothing but what 
 was our duty. 
 
 Let 
 
( 126 ) 
 
 Let us, imprefled, therefore, with tliefe 
 motives, A^y afide every weight, and the fm 
 which doth fo eajily befef us^ and run with pa^ 
 tience the race that is Jet before us. Let it be 
 thejiift man's path, to which the eye of our 
 mind may be allured, and our feet be turn- 
 ed, which IS as a fiining light y that jhineth 
 more and more unto the perfeB day. That, 
 as we pafs along, and as we grow in years, 
 we may grow in grace, we may grow in fa- 
 vour with the common Father of us all : that, 
 when our natural fun may be on the decline, 
 and nearly fet, whether we are in the meridian 
 or evening of old age, we may have a prof-* 
 pe6l of immortality 3 and, having our fun 
 fet in an unclouded horizon, it may be to us 
 the glorious prefage of an eternal fair day. 
 
 I commend us to God, and to a humble 
 attention to the manifeftation of that Spi- 
 rit which he hath given to every 7nan to profit 
 withal^ and which is adapted to the proper 
 information of our judgements, to flrength- 
 en our virtuous refolutions, to guide us by 
 its counfels through the wildernefs of this 
 
 world, 
 
( 127 ) 
 
 world, and eftablifh us in the realms of 
 glory, where, with faints and angels ^ and the 
 fpirits of juji men made perfeBy we may ce- 
 lebrate the praifes of the Author of our be- 
 ing. Thus, if we a6l wifely, and wifh to 
 polTefs a good confcience, we fhall be tran- 
 ilated to that fphere where the wife foall fhine 
 as the brightnefs of the firmament ^ and they, 
 that turn many unto righteoufnefsy as the fiars, 
 for ever and ever ! 
 
 PRAYER 
 
( 128 ) 
 
 PRAYER 
 
 AT THE 
 
 CONCLUSION OF THE MEETING, 
 
 MOST gracious Creator, it is of 
 thine infinite mercy that thou 
 deigned to hear our prayers, or takeft the 
 leaft favourable notice of us j for, we have 
 all, as loft fheep, gone aftray : we have 
 finned, and forfaken thy ftatutes, as our 
 fathers have done. We are, therefore, 
 "unworthy of the leaft of thy mercies and 
 grace, yet thou art pleafed to encourage 
 us to approach thy facred altar, to hum- 
 ble 
 
( 129 ) 
 
 bie ourfelves before thee, and to offer up 
 our fupplications unto thee, the common 
 Father of us all. Though heaven be thy 
 throne, and the earth thy footftool, yet 
 thou not only heareft, but hearkenefl, to the 
 voice of the prayer of thy creatures. The 
 prayer of any, and every, penitent foul pe- 
 netrates the heavens, and reaches thee. O 
 moil holy and merciful God, imprefs us, 
 at this feafon, we humbly befeech thee, 
 with fuitable afFedions of foul to enter 
 into thy houfe of prayer, and lift up our 
 hearts with our hands to the habitation of 
 thy holinefs, fenfible, mofl holy God, of 
 thy infinite purity, and of that impurity 
 which we have contracted by the tranf- 
 greffion of thy law. We implore the ex- 
 tenfionofthy mercy, through Jefus Chrift, 
 for the remillion of fms that are paft, and 
 that thou wouldfl be pleafed efFe6lually to 
 cleanfe and fandify us, through the ope- 
 ration of thy holy Spirit, before we fhall go 
 hence, and be no more feen; that, having 
 a hope of immortality, wq may be enabled, 
 K by 
 
( 130 ) 
 by the aid of thy Spirit, to pafs the time 
 of our fojoarning here in fear, and, being 
 concerned above all things to retain in our 
 poiTeffion the teflimony of a good confci^ 
 ence, we may be accepted of the Judge of 
 the whole earth at the laft day j that, in 
 a folemn view of thy greatnefs, our fouls 
 may be humbled, that, under the influence 
 of thy holy Spirit, we may offer up to thee 
 the incenfe of thankfgiving and praife, af- 
 cribing to thee might, majefty, and glory, 
 dominion, and every other excellent attri- 
 bute with which thou art furrounded, now 
 ^nd for evermore. Amen, 
 
 DISCOURSE 
 
( 131 ) 
 
 DISCOURSE VI. 
 
 rj/'I'THOUl' Faith it is impofible to 
 pleafe God j for, he that cometh unto 
 God miifl believe that he is, and that he is a 
 rewarder of them that diligently feek him. 
 
 The revival of this paflage of holy writ, 
 in my remembrance, hath been the means 
 of exciting and fixing my attention upon 
 the fubje6l of faith. 
 
 It cannot, I conceive, have efcaped the 
 
 obfervation of any perfon, who is arrived 
 
 at years of underftanding, and is converfant 
 
 K 2 with 
 
( '32 ) 
 
 with the holy Scriptures, that the fame 
 word fakh hath divers acceptations : that, 
 in fome places, it intends not only a belief 
 in the exiftence of an infinitely wife, pow- 
 eiful, and intelligent, Being, who is a re- 
 warder of them who diligently feek him ; 
 bat alfo an affiance, or trufl, in feafons of 
 adverfity and probation, in that Being who 
 has all power in heaven and earth, whofe 
 power is uncontroulable, who doeth what- 
 foever pleafeth him in the armies of heaven 
 and amonG:{l the inhabitants of the earth. 
 — The word faitb is alfo ufed to diflinguifh 
 between the different difpenfations j to 
 point out the glorious difpenfation of the 
 Gofpel of Chrift, which is called the law 
 of faith ^ and to contradiftinguifh it from 
 the Mofaic difpenfation, which is called 
 the law of works ; and I conceive, that, 
 wherever any pf the writers of the New 
 Teflament fpeak of the infignificancy of 
 works, with refpe^ to the rendering a man 
 acceptable to the Author of his being, the 
 works of the law, or, to ufe the apoftle's 
 
 expreffionj 
 
( 1:^3 ) 
 
 cxprefiion, the deeds of the law, by which 
 no flefli hving can be juftified, are intended. 
 The rituals of the legal difpenfation are not 
 of a nature to be trufted in. Our Saviour, 
 in his perfon, fulfilled the obligation of 
 that law, and was the end of that law for 
 righteoufnefs fake. It is therefore written, 
 that he has taken away the hand-writing o£ 
 ordinances, and nailed them to his crofs, 
 which muft refpecl the rituals of the Mo- 
 faic difpenfation. 
 
 Some people, whom I need not unchari- 
 tably cenfure, have, I conceive, entertain- 
 ed a miftaken notion refpesSting the nature 
 of that faith which is efteflual, through 
 Chrift, to the falvation of the foul. They 
 have apprehended, that a belief in the ex- 
 iftence of the fupreme Being, and a belief 
 in Jefus Chrift, whom God has fent, is of 
 itfelf fufficient, and, unto whomfoever 
 this faith is given, they are to be deemed of 
 the number of the chofen few, whom God 
 predeltinated from everlafling unto eternal 
 life ; and that this faith, apart from the 
 K 3 confideration, 
 
( 134 ) 
 confideratlon of works, is fufficient unto 
 
 falvation : but to me it appears, on the 
 
 moft ferious inveftigation of the Holy 
 Scriptures, that, as without faith it is im- 
 poflible to pleafe God, fo with faith it is 
 poflible to difpleafe him. This is a propo- 
 rtion which I conceive might be proved 
 from divers parts of the New Teftament 
 efpecially ; more particularly where we are 
 told of people, who, after they knew God, 
 (it implies that he was manifefted unto 
 them,) after they knew God, they glorified 
 him not as God, but became vain in their 
 imaginations, and their foolifh hearts be- 
 came darkened. They glorified him not as. 
 God, that is, they brought not forth thofe 
 good fruits, by which it is faid, that our 
 Father who is in heaven is glorified -, for, 
 herein, fays our Lord, is my heavenly Fa- 
 ther glorified, in that ye bring forth much 
 fruit ; by which undoubtedly the fruits of 
 the Spirit are intended, joy, peace, love, 
 long-fuffering, gentlenefs, goodnefs, and 
 faith. — It is poflible that a man may be 
 
 convinced 
 
{ ^35 ) 
 
 convinced with refpeft to the truth of cer« 
 
 tain propoiitions received upon the autho- 
 rity, the divine authority, of him who pro- 
 jpofes them, and yet may aCl in direfl con- 
 tradiction to the obhgation of thofe lawSi 
 Now we are in divers places inftru6led 
 refpecting the efTentiahty of faith ; that it 
 is a Hvely operating principle of the judge- 
 ment, which hath a moral influence upon 
 a man's a6lions ; not a mere barren fpecu- 
 lative faith; but a faith that worketh by 
 love, — to what ? to the purifying of the 
 confcience from all dead works, to ferve the 
 living God, not in the oldnefs of the let- 
 ter, but in the newnefs of the Spirit, and 
 with life i and, lell the primitive Chriftians 
 fhould entertain a miilaken notion of the 
 efficacy of faith in the abftradl, and fliouid 
 reft their hopes of falvation upon their 
 fubfcription to certain articles of faith, 
 though thofe articles be founded upon the 
 bafis of immutable truth, the apoftle takes 
 occafion to inftruct them that faith without 
 works is dead : Thinkeft thou, O vain 
 K 4 man, 
 
( 136 ) 
 
 man, that faith can fave thee ? the very de- 
 vils (fays he) believe, the very devils be- 
 lieve, and they alfo tremble ; for, as the 
 body without the foul is dead, fo faith 
 without works is dead alfo j and he propo- 
 fed a teft, a teft of faving faith, which is 
 eafy and obvious, and ought to be more 
 confulted than it is by the feveral clafTes 
 and focieties of religious profeffors : Shew 
 me (fays he) thy faith without thy works, 
 and I will fnew thee my faith by my works, 
 for, the tree is to be denominated by its fruit : 
 ly their fruits you fiall know them. The 
 true believer is diftinguifhed from the prac' 
 tical infidel by his fruits j he brings forth 
 fruits meet for repentance ; he adds, to his 
 faith, virtue ; to virtue, knowledge j to 
 knowledge, temperance ^ to temperance, 
 brotherly kindnefs j and to brotherly kind- 
 nefs, charity : and, if thefe things (fays 
 the apoflle) be in you, and abound, they 
 fhall make you that ye fliall neither be bar- 
 ren nor unfruitful in the faving knowledge 
 of our Lord Jefus Chrifl. Shew me thy 
 
 faith 
 
( 137 ) 
 Jaith without thy works -, a man may have 
 the clearell: conception of truth without 
 reducing this theory into practice in his 
 own perfon. To apprehend the right is 
 one thing ; to conform ourfelves to the rule 
 of right, in our lives and in our manners, 
 is another thing ; therefore it feems, to me, 
 beyond the leaft degree of doubt, that 
 fomething more than a fpeculative beUef, 
 or a faith in certain propofitions, is necef- 
 fary to render us acceptable to the fupreme 
 Being, and to qualify us for an inheritance 
 among the faints in light, to be heirs of 
 God, and co-heirs with Chrift. And I 
 wifh, as it is a matter of infinite impor- 
 tance to us all, that we, agreeable to the 
 advice of the apoflle to the members of the 
 primitive church, might examine ourfelves 
 whether we are in the faith : Proveyour own 
 fehes ; know ye not yourfehes how that Jefus 
 Chrifi is in you unlefs ye be reprobates F Let 
 us not content ourfelves, that v/e are the 
 defcendants of reputed Chriftian parents, 
 that we have been made acquainted with the 
 
 contents 
 
( 138 ) 
 
 contents of the facred hiftory of the old 
 and of the new Teftament ; let ns not reft 
 fatisfied merely with a profeffion of the 
 Chriftian religion in theory, but let us alfo 
 be concerned to acl confiftently with the 
 nature and obligation of that holy religion 
 which Jefus Chrift was fent of the Father 
 to promote among the fons and daughters 
 of men. 
 
 The obligations and the Chriftian duties 
 enjoined in the New Teftament are adapted 
 at once to better our condition in this world, 
 to make us happier in our fliort pilgrimage 
 through it, and alfo to fecure to us ever- 
 iafting felicity in the world which is to 
 come. Let us not forget that our Lord 
 fays, It is not every 07je that fays ^ Lord, Lordj 
 that fiall enter into the kingdom of heaven j 
 but he that doeth the will of my Father, who is 
 in heaven. And again our Lord inftru6ls us 
 thus : If thou wilt enter into life, keep the 
 commandments. 
 
 By good works, I mean a conformity of 
 the will and of the powers of the mind to 
 
 that 
 
( ^39 ) 
 
 that law or rule of a6lion, which is of God 
 given unto man, to illuminate his paths in 
 this world, and guide him by his counfel to 
 the participation of the realms of eternal 
 glory ; and as the power of obedience is 
 derived from him, the Author of all that is 
 excellent and good, as he is the giver of 
 every good and perfe6l gift, fo that power 
 is given unto us, through Jefus Chrift, by 
 which we are capable of difcharging our 
 feveral obhgations. I fay, it being the gift 
 of God, and not inherent in the creature, 
 we afcribe all unto him, who is the efficient 
 caufe of all holinefs and virtue in every partr 
 of his vaftly-extended empire ; for, it is 
 God that works in us to do according to 
 his own good pleafure, which pleafure is, 
 that we fhould walk circumfpe6lly, not as 
 fools, but as wife, redeeming the time, fee- 
 ing that the days are evil j that we (to ufe 
 the language of the apoflle) fliould be care- 
 ful to maintain good works, which are good 
 and projit able unto men, I pretend not that 
 they are profitable unto God 5 but they are 
 
 profitable 
 
( HO ) 
 profitable unto men j and godlinefs (whlcfc 
 implies the obligation of pra6lical duties,- 
 as well as ftedfaftly believing) is profitable 
 for all things, having the promife of the life 
 that now is, and alfo of that which is to 
 come ; but I may fay, in the language of 
 one formerly on this fubjeft, with refpe(5l 
 to the fupreme Being, who is perfe6l, felf- 
 fufficient, and can receive nothing from 
 his creatures, to whom he has communica^ 
 ted every thing, If thou be righteous^ what 
 giveji thou him, or what receiveth he of thine 
 hand ? thy wickednefs may hurt a man as thou 
 art, and thy righteoufnefs may profit the chil^ 
 dren of men. It is for this purpofe, this 
 noble, this difinterefted, purpofe, that the 
 Almighty has eftablilTied a law to his crea- 
 tures, not for his own profit, but for theirs. 
 Hence it is faid, that the fabbath was made 
 for man, and not man for the fabbath. 
 
 In the wifdom and fupreme goodnefs of 
 the Creator, the obligation of Chriftian 
 duties, in all circumftances, is adapted to 
 the nature and capacity of his creatures, to 
 
 promote 
 
( HI ) 
 
 promote righteoufnefs through all the ranks 
 and clafFes of focietyj and, were but our 
 obedience proportionate to our knowledge, 
 did we a6l confiftently with the dictates of 
 our judgement and the diftates of our faith, 
 we might hope to fee the revival of that 
 flate, when the 7norntng Jiars fang together, 
 and the Jons of God fhouted for joy. 
 
 Examine yourfelves, whether you are hi 
 the faith ; for, we are abundantly in- 
 ftru6led, as I have already obferved, that 
 the faith that is faving is produ6live of good 
 works s and it is the befl and fureft teft 
 whereby to try whether a man has a faving 
 or only a fpeculative faith, as the tree is to 
 be known by his fruits ; for men do not ga- 
 ther grapes of thorns, nor figs of thirties. 
 Therefore that profelTor of the Chriftian 
 religion, the tenor of whofe a6lions gives 
 the lie to his profeffion ; that profefTor 
 gives a manifeftation that he has only a 
 traditional religion, a traditional zeal, and 
 a traditional faith, like the people of the 
 Tews, who exprefled a veneration for the 
 
 temple 
 
( 142 ) 
 temple of the moft high God, and the ri- 
 tuals of the legal difpenfation, and cried, 
 T'be temple of the Lord, the temple of the 
 ZiOrd, the temple of the Lordy are thefe. But 
 the prophet faid, Trujl ye not in lying wordsy 
 fayingy the temple of the Lord, the temple of 
 the Lord'y but amend your ways and your 
 
 doijigs. 
 
 Many and glorious are the privileges that 
 are to be enjoyed by the believer, fuch a 
 perfon as I have attempted to defcribe, who 
 not only believes in the infinitely fupreme 
 and powerful Being -, in the manifeftation 
 of his Son -, in the hiftory of his life, of 
 his death, of his refurredlion, of his af- 
 cenfion into glory, and in the principles 
 and doftrines which he propagated; but 
 who manifefts that he has a faith that 
 worketh by love, the tendency of which is 
 to purify the confcience from dead works, 
 to cleanfe it from all unrighteoufnefs, that 
 the foul of man may become the temple of 
 
 the Holy Ghoft. Great and glorious 
 
 privileges are to be enjoyed by thofe few, 
 
 by 
 
( H3 ) 
 
 by thofe of whatever religious fociety, who 
 are partakers of true faving faith j for, it is 
 worthy of being noted, that the Author of 
 the Chriftian i^Hgion is of no party, but 
 the friend of all j that his grace, like the 
 rays of the fun, is extended to all, from 
 fea to fea, and from the rivers unto the 
 ends of the earth ; infomuch that we are 
 told in the Scriptures, that the Gofpel is 
 preached in every creature under heaven ; 
 that all have heard, though all have not 
 obeyed . 
 
 Thofe, that are true believers, are of 
 that flock and family unto whom it was 
 faid. Fear nof, little flock ; it is your Fa- 
 thers good pleaftire to give you the kingdom, 
 I ain^ fays our Lord, the refurreBion aiidthe 
 life ; lye, that believeth in me, though he were deady 
 yet ft all he live, and he, that liveth and believeth 
 on me, fall never die. We mull note, on this 
 paflage, that here, as well as in many other 
 places in the New and in the Old Teila- 
 ment, we are not to take the fenfe of the 
 Holy Gholl in a merely literal acceptation, 
 
 becaufe 
 
( H4 ) 
 becaufe this would be to admit of a doc- 
 trine contrary to the nature of things, and 
 contrary to fa6l. For inftance, the dead 
 are incapable of belief or dilbelief, literally 
 fpeaking j they are filent in the grave, and 
 therefore are incapable of faith j it there- 
 fore muft intend thofe who are dead in tref- 
 pafTes and fms, aliens to the common- 
 wealth of Ifrael, ilrangers to the promifes 
 of the Gofpel of Chrifl, loft and funk in a 
 fea of fenfuality : thefe are they to whom 
 the voice of the Son of God is extended, 
 and thofe that hear may yet live j they may 
 awake unto righteoufnefs, and fm not. 
 Whofoevery therefore, believes in me, that is 
 to fay, who receives me in the name of 
 him that fent me, who embraces the doc- 
 trine I preach, who fubmits to the in- 
 fluence of the Holy Spirit given to them 
 of me from the Father, thofe who become 
 obedient to the word that I teach, though he 
 were dead, yet J1: all he live-, he fhall be 
 brought to live a life of righteoufnefs, he 
 will bring forth the fruit of righteoufnefs, 
 
 and 
 
i U5 ) 
 
 knd the work of righteoufnefs fhall be peace, 
 and the efFecl fliall be quietnefs and afTu- 
 rance for ever : and h, that liveth and be- 
 iieveth in me^ Jhall never die : this is not, 
 and cannot, be true in a literal fenfe ; for, 
 we fee that death happens to the righteous 
 and to the wicked, to him that facrificeth 
 as well as to him that facrificeth not ; it 
 mufl therefore be intended in a fpiritual 
 fenfe ; he, that liveth and believeth in me, 
 fhall never die, fhall never participate of 
 that future woe and mifery defcribed under 
 the chara61:er of the fecond death -, he fliall 
 be redeemed from the bondage of fpiritual 
 death, and reftored into the glorious liberty of 
 the fons of God; he fhall live a life of righ- 
 teoufnefs here, he fliall enjoy fpiritual com- 
 munion with the Author of his being, he 
 fhall have fellowfhip with the Father, and 
 with his Son Jefus Chrift ; and, after the 
 dilTolution of this body, he fhall be ufliered 
 into the realms of eternal life, he fhall be 
 united with the alTembly of the juft, the 
 
 L church 
 
( h6 ) 
 
 church of the firil-born triumphant in 
 glory. 
 
 Examine yourfelves, whether you are in 
 the faith. Let not us, as a people, any 
 more than others, prefume upon the pro- 
 feffion of a belief in certain Scripture- 
 do6lrines, or in the profeffion of certain ar- 
 ticles of faith ; but let us always remem- 
 ber, that, if ever we are capable of fuf- 
 taining the dignity of faints in heaven, we 
 muft live the life of the juft upon the 
 earth J wemuft purfue the juft man's way, 
 which is as a Jhining lights which jhineth more 
 and more unto the perfedi day. 
 
 The obligation to practical religion, 
 which I have attempted to imprefs upon the 
 minds of this auditory, is yet more ftrong- 
 ly enforced, by the Author of the Chrif- 
 tian difpenfation, at the clofe of that moft 
 excellent fermon which he preached on the 
 mount. After having opened the heavenly 
 treafures of do6lrine, he concludes with 
 faying, If any man heareth thefe fayings of 
 miney and doe tb them noty heJJmll be likened to 
 
 afoolijb 
 
( H7 ) 
 
 a fboUJ]} mmiy uho hiiilt his hoiife upon thd 
 fand. This is the cafe of the merely nomi- 
 nal Chriflian ; he heareth, believeth, or af- 
 fenteth to the dodlrines of the Gofpel of 
 Chrift J ij any man heareth thefe fayings of 
 mifie, and doeth them not, he JJ:all be likened 
 unto afoolijh man, who built his houje upon the 
 fand', and the rain defended, ajid the foodi 
 came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that 
 hoife, and it fell, and great was the fall 
 thereof On the contrary, he deferibes the 
 man who indeed poflelTes faving faith, the 
 faith of our Lord Jefiis Chrift ; the mail 
 who will receive, at the clofe of his la- 
 boars beneath the fun, the end of his 
 faith, even the everlafting falvation of his 
 Ibul : if any man heareth thefe fayings of 
 mijt^y and doeth them, I will liken him unto a 
 wife man, who built his hoife upon a rock ; 
 and the rain defc ended, and the foods came, 
 and the winds blew, and beat upon that hoife, 
 and it fell not, becaufe it was fixed upon an 
 immutable bafisj for, it w^s founded upon a 
 rock. This man builds upon that rock, 
 L 2 againfk 
 
( 148 ) 
 againft which the gates of hell can never 
 prevail. 
 
 God Almighty grant, that of his infi- 
 nite mercy and goodnefs we may examine 
 ' the foundation we are building upon, whe- 
 ther the hopes and expeclations we have, 
 of being faved with an everlafting falvation, 
 be founded upon afpeculativefaith, or up- 
 on fuch a belief in the fupreme Being, and 
 in his Son, as may conform us in heart to 
 that law, that rule of aftion, which the 
 Author of univerfal nature has difpenfed 
 and given to all theclaflesof intelligent be- 
 
 ings. 
 
 Examine yourfehes^ whether yon are in the 
 faith ; prove your own fe Ives ; know ye not your 
 cwnfelveSi how that Jefus Chriji is in you, 
 except you be reprobates? The manifeflation 
 of the grace of God here intended is in 
 every man, and its defign is to inflrucl him 
 in that which is right, and to flrengthen 
 him in the performance of every virtue. 
 •This is the purpofe of the manifeftation of 
 that grace vi/hich bringeth falvation, and 
 
 which 
 
( 149 ) 
 
 which is given unto all men, not to a few, 
 to the exclufion of the reft ; but, through 
 the infinite mercy of the fupreme Being, it 
 is given to all men, and under all defcrip- 
 tions, teaching us that, denying imgodllnefs 
 mid worldly lujis^ we jhould live foherly^ righ- 
 teoiijly^ and godly ^ in this pre fent worlds look- 
 ing for the blejjed hope and the glorious ap- 
 pear ijig of the great God and of our Saviour 
 Jefus Chrift^ who hath given hi mf elf for us, 
 that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and 
 purify to himfelf a peculiar people zealous of 
 good works. — Let us not therefore neglect 
 our Q^Nn mercies, by neglecting that falva- 
 tion which is offered to us through Jefus 
 Chriftour Lord. Let us be ferious, let us 
 be inquilitive, upon a matter of fo great 
 importance as that upon which our happi- 
 nefs in the world of fpirits moft ceitainly 
 depends j let us not content ourfelves with 
 the form and fliow of godlinefs, while we 
 are deftitute of its life, and of its power 
 and heavenly virtue. May our hearts enter 
 into the nature and fpirit of true Chriftian 
 L 3 f^^ith. 
 
( 15° ) 
 
 faith, that by this pieans we may have ac^ 
 cefs to the Father through the Son, and 
 that in thefe our religious and folemn af- 
 femblies we may pofiefs that faith by which 
 Abel offered to God a more excellent faerie 
 fice than Cain j with that faith let us draw 
 near to the temple of the moll high, let us 
 approach to that altar to which none that 
 ferve the tabernacle can pretend ; let us ap- 
 proach the Author of our being and of all 
 our mercies, that we may be difpofed by 
 him, the preparer of the heart, to receive 
 the falutary influences of the Holy Ghoil, 
 and that we may feel ourfelves under the 
 defcription of thofe, mentioned in the Old 
 Teftament, who wait upon the name of 
 the moil high : though the youth may faints 
 and though the young men may utterly fall^ 
 yet they that wait upon the Lord JJoall renew 
 their ftrengthy they fiall mount up icith wings. 
 as eaglesj they Jhall run and not be weary ^ 
 they Jljall walk and not faint » 
 
 To conclude, as my mind feems to be 
 difburdened from that which appeared to be 
 
 my 
 
( '5' ) 
 
 my duty, and which I have been perform- 
 ing, I truft in the ability that God giveth, 
 without any kind of premeditation, under 
 the influence of that celellial charity, which 
 breathes glory to God in the higheft, on 
 earth peace, and good will towards men 5 
 tinder that influence, again I would enjoin 
 the exhortation of the apoflile : Examine 
 yourfeheSj whether you are in the faith 5 prove 
 your own/elves ; k?iow ye not your own f elves, 
 how that Jefus Chriji is in you^ except you be 
 reprobates ? 
 
 L 4 PRAYER 
 
( 152 ) 
 
 PRAYER 
 
 AT THE 
 
 CONCLUSION OF THE MEETING. 
 
 ■ — ...._ x;Mf^»..^~ 
 
 MOST gracious God, the father 
 and fountain of all our mercies, 
 look down from heaven, the habitation of 
 thy holinefs, upon us, thy poor unworthy 
 creatures, and imprefs us with a juft fenfe 
 of what we are, and alfo of what thou 
 wouldft have us to be ; that, feeing our- 
 felves as we are feen of thee, we may ab- 
 hor ourfelves in dull and afhes, and feel all 
 that penitential contrition that is neceffary 
 
 to 
 
( '53 ) 
 
 to render us the objects of thy mercy j that, 
 on a review of our paft lives, we may fee, 
 and fmcerely repent of, the tranfgreffions 
 we have committed j and, under the in- 
 fluence of thine Holy Spirit, we may re- 
 folve, in the future fleps of our fhort pil- 
 grimage, to correal the errors of thofe that 
 are irrecoverably paft. O Lord, enable us 
 to apply the means of falvation, which 
 thou art granting unto us through Jefus 
 Chrift our Lord, that we may receive in 
 meeknefs the ingrafted word which is able 
 to fave our fouls. O Lord, enlighten our 
 eyes to fee, and infpire our hearts to per- 
 form, thofe things which make for our 
 peace, thofe duties which thou haft enjoin- 
 ed unto us of indifpenfable obligation. — 
 Moft gracious Father, thou knoweft the 
 temptations with which we are befet j thou 
 knoweft the weaknefs of our natural powers, 
 and the ftrength of thofe temptations 
 which affail us. Send us, therefore, help 
 from thy ianftuary ; ftrengthen us, O 
 Lord, and impart vigour to every virtuous 
 
 refolution. 
 
( 154 ) 
 
 refolution, that we may be enabled to lay 
 alide every weight and burthen, and the fin 
 that does mofl eafily befet us, and run with 
 patience the race that is fet before us, in 
 humble faith and confidence in thee, the 
 Creator, the Protestor, and the Preferver, 
 of men -, that, through whatever fcene it 
 may be our lot to pafs, we may feel the 
 fupport of thine everlafting arm, that, 
 when we pafs through the valley of the 
 fhadow of death, we may fear no evil, and, 
 whenever it fhall pleafe thee to fummon us 
 hence, it may be to join the general aflem- 
 bly and church of the lirfl-born, where, 
 with faints and angels, and with the fpirits 
 of juft men made perfe6l, we may ever live 
 to praife thy great and excellent name, to 
 afcribe to thee the greatnefs, dominion, 
 and glory, which belong unto thee, not 
 only now, but henceforth and for ever* 
 more. Amen. 
 
 DISCOURSE 
 
( ifS )i 
 
 DISCOURSE vir. 
 
 N apoftle, writing to one of the pri» 
 mitive churches, addi^eiTed them in 
 this manner or to this purport : ^lench not 
 the Spirit y defpife not prophefying \ prove all 
 things, and holdfaji that which is good. 
 
 The writings both of the Old and the 
 New Teftament abundantly teftify, that 
 God doth not only reveal himfelf unto his 
 rational creatures in the volume of his 
 works, or the book of nature, in which the 
 attributes, particularly of power and of 
 intelligence, are eminently difplayed, but 
 that he alfo reveals himfelf unto his ra- 
 tional 
 
( »56 ) 
 
 tional creatures immediately by his Spirit, 
 which I conceive to be the grand and pri- 
 mary rule or law of a6lion to all ranks and 
 clafTes of intelligent creatures, and that all 
 other modes of the manifellation of his 
 will are fecondary, and fubfervient to the 
 grand, defign or purpofe thereof. 
 
 ^here is afpiritin man^ (a rational capa- 
 city, by which he is eminently diftinguifhed 
 from the beafts of the field and the fowls 
 of heaven,) and the infpi ration of the AU 
 mighty giveth him an iinderjianding. It is 
 very obfervable, that one of the chofen 
 leaders of the people of Ifrael, after having 
 folemnly, by way of commemoration, re- 
 counted the (ignal interpofitions of divine 
 Pov/er, in the emancipation of that people 
 from under the tyranny of Pharaoh, as 
 one inftance of the divine goodnefs, he 
 faith, he gave m alfo his good Spirit to in^ 
 JiruSi us* This manifeftation of himfelf by 
 his Spirit, though extraordinarily difpenfed 
 to many of the prophets, was more or lefs 
 the privilege of every individual \ and we 
 
 fin4 
 
( ^S7 ) 
 
 find the royal pfalmiil frequently alluding 
 to this principle, and rejoicing therein: 
 ^he law^ fays he, of the Lord, is perfeB, con- 
 'vertifjg the foul J the teftimony of the Lord is fare , 
 making unfe thefimple. The law, which he in 
 this place intended, I conceive to be that 
 law of the fpirit of life in Chriil Jefus, 
 which fets us free from the law of fin and 
 death. — A manifeftation hereof was given 
 even under the former difpenfation of Mo- 
 fes J it was the conductor of that people, 
 it was the fource of their greatefl: confola- 
 tion ; for, they all drank of that rock that 
 follo'^jced them ; and that rock, faith the apof- 
 tle, njuas Chriji, T^he law of the Lord, fays 
 he, is perfedi -, by which he could not in- 
 tend the law of rituals peculiar to that dif- 
 penfation, or the facrificial rites of the 
 Jewifh inftitution -, for, the law, fays the 
 apoftle, made nothing perfeB. Again he in- 
 ftrudeth us, that it made not perfe6l, as 
 appertaining to the confcience : it is not 
 the blood of bulls or of goats, or the afhes 
 of an heifer, fprinkling the unclean, that 
 
 could 
 
( >5S )• 
 could fan6llfy to the purifying of the con^ 
 fclence > for, the law made nothing perfeSf^ 
 hut the bringing in of a better hope did^ which 
 hope is Chrift. 
 
 That he (to wit, David) intended the pri- 
 mary divine law manifefted by the Spirit of 
 God unto his creatures, is evident from di- 
 vers other places. — 1 delight, fays he, in the 
 law of the Lord; and again, blejfed i^ the 
 man whofe delight is in the law of the Lordy 
 and in his law doth 7neditate day and night -, he 
 fl:all be as a tree that is planted by the rivers of 
 waters* And, that his chief felicity de- 
 pended on an immediate union or commu- 
 nion with the God of Ifrael, is very evi- 
 dent from that place, where, under the 
 prefTure of his infirmities, and confcious 
 of the want of fuperior aid, he breaks 
 forth in this manner : My foul thirfieth for 
 Gody yea^ for the living God; again, as the 
 hart panteth after the water-brooks ^ fo 
 panieth my joul after thee^ O God. 
 
 Many other paffages might be produced, 
 from the writings even of the Old Tefla- 
 
 ment. 
 
( 159 ) 
 
 ment, while the Jewifh tabernacle was yet 
 remaining : but it is more, flill more, 
 abundantly teftified by our Saviour and by 
 his apoftles. T^be manifejiation of the Spirit 
 is given to every man to profit withaL — This 
 is that principle of intelligence given us in 
 Jefus Chrift, or through Jefus Chrift, our 
 Lord, which the apoflle intended when he 
 faid, quench ttot the Spirit -, which mull cer- 
 tainly mean the inward manifeflation of 
 the Deity to the foul, that grace, a mea- 
 fure whereof is given to every man to profit 
 withal ; and, that it could not mean any 
 written manifeflation of himfelf, or the 
 Scriptures, which fome have conceived was 
 intended by the Spirit, (who allege, that 
 the Spirit, or the will, of God being reveal- 
 ed unto holy men immediately, was me- 
 diately communicated, through the inflru- 
 mentality of the Scriptures, to the refl of 
 mankind,) is very evident ; for, the canon of 
 the New Teflament was not not made up 
 till fome hundreds of years after the writing 
 of this Epiflle -, nor doth it appear, that 
 
 any 
 
( j6o ) 
 
 any epiftlcs or writings of the evangelifls 
 were collefted or completed even daring the 
 lives of the apoftles. The New Teftament, 
 therefore, as a book, did not exift ; but 
 the apoftle alludes to fomething that had 
 been received, which I take to be the mani- 
 fefiation of the Spirit^ that is given to every 
 man to profit withal. 
 
 This principle of intelligence, this ma^ 
 nifeftation of the divine will, its efFeds, 
 its properties, and its influence upon the 
 human foul, is fet forth under various figu- 
 rative modes of expreffion. It is fometimes 
 compared unto fire. As it is the property 
 of fire to purify metal and feparate hetero- 
 geneous matter, fo the Spirit of God, 
 operating on the foul, will thoroughly 
 purge away its drofs and take away all its tin ; 
 cleanfe the foul from all unrighteoufnefs, 
 and of courfe make it a fit habitation of 
 God through the Spirit. — Is not my word, 
 faith the Lord, as a fire ? as a fire to con- 
 fume and defcroy that part in man which is 
 at enmity with that which is good ? — and 
 
 therefore 
 
( i6i ) 
 
 therefore the office of the high prieft of 
 this difpenfation is fet forth, under the fame 
 figurative mode of expreffion, by him who 
 was the forerunner of Chrift, who was the 
 voice of one crying in the wildernefs, pre- 
 pare ye the way of the Lord, make his path 
 Jirait, Me baptized the people, as he faid, 
 indeed, with water, unto repentance ; bur, 
 when he fpeaks of the miniflration of Je- 
 fus, which was to fucceed his, he faith : 
 Hey that Cometh after me, is mightier than /j 
 whcfe JJjoe-latchet I am not worthy to loofe -, he 
 fall baptize you with fre. Now it cannot 
 be conceived that the material elem.ent of 
 fire is intended, which would deftroy men's 
 bodies 3 for, Jefus Chrifl came not to 
 deftroy men's Jives, but to fave them. He 
 fall baptize you with the Holy Ghofl and with 
 fre J whofe fan is in his hand^ and he will 
 thoroughly purge hisfoor^ gather his wheat in^ 
 to his garner^ and the chaff he will burn up 
 with unquenchable fire. This Scripture I ad- 
 duce to {hew that the effedls of the Holy 
 Spirit upon the rational foul, the foul that 
 M is 
 
( l62 ) 
 
 is depraved by the tranrgreffion of the di- 
 vine law, and has contra6led the defilement 
 of lin, is analogous to the operation of 
 that element, that is adapted to purify and 
 refine material bodies. Thus it is faid, 
 that a man, fan6lified by the influence there- 
 of, fhall become as pure as gold, yea, more 
 pure than the golden wedge of Ophir. This 
 I take to be the one effential baptifm, the 
 baptifm of the Holy Ghoft, which clean- 
 feth men from all unrighteoufnefs, and 
 which is neceffary to conftitute us the pro- 
 per obje6l of that inheritance which is incor- 
 ruptible and undejiledj and that fadeth not 
 away. For, the baptifm that now faves is 
 not an elementary baptifm 5 the baptifm 
 which now faves is not the putting away 
 the filth of the flefh, than which nothing 
 could be more eafy for a man to efFe6luate 5 
 but, it is that which gives the anfwer of a 
 good confcience towards God, by the refur- 
 re6lion of Jefus Chrift, who hath faid, / 
 am the refurreSiion and the life ; he, who be- 
 lienjeth on me^ though he were dead, yet fiall 
 
 he 
 
( 1 63 ) 
 he live ; and he, who liveth and belienjeih on 
 me J jhall never die, 
 
 ^lench not the Spirit. The fimile, or 
 figure, is very well maintained j for, as 
 the property of the Holy Spirit is fet forth 
 under the metaphorical language of fire, fo 
 that, which has a tendency to damp its ge- 
 nerous ardour, or prevent its influence, is 
 compared to water. In a moral fenfe, 
 whatever a man does, whatever motion he 
 cherifhes in his heart of the vicious fpecies, 
 whatever licence he gives to his paffions be- 
 yond the bounds prefcribed by the divine 
 law, operates as water on a flame j it 
 damps its ardour. And we fee that thofe, 
 who deviate from the paths of innocence, 
 go on ilep by flep, by little and little, till 
 they are brought to aftions of the mod cri- 
 minal nature, defl:ru6live of their health, 
 deftruftive of their fouls peace, and which af- 
 ford them no pleafure, but a fearful look- 
 ing for of the juft judgement of the divine 
 Being who will deal v/ith every man accor- 
 ding to his works. I fay, every deviation 
 M 2 from 
 
( i64 ) 
 
 from the path of vutue will have this ef- 
 fc6l, to quench the fpirit. Let us, there- 
 fore, by every poflible means, endeavour 
 to cherifh this divine flame j it is a fpark 
 fent from heaven, and it is defigned to pu- 
 rify us throughout, to make us vefTels holy 
 to the Lord, meet for an inheritance with 
 the faints in light, and to celebrate the 
 praifes of heaven's King for evermore. 
 
 ^ie?2ch not the Spirit, Yield to that 
 monitor, which cautions you againft even 
 the appearance of evil, which is mercifully 
 given unto man to dire6l him in his courfe 
 in this world, and eflabHfh him, happily 
 eftabliflihim, in the life that is to come, in 
 the pofleflion of that fpecies of felicity, 
 which eye hath not feen, nor ear heard, 
 nor has it entered into the heart, the un- 
 converted heart, to conceive ; but God 
 hath revealed it to us, fays the apoftle, by 
 his Spirit j for, the Spirit fearches all things, 
 yea, the deep things of God. 
 
 ^ench not the Spirit. Add, to your 
 faith, virtue ; to virtue, knowledge \ to 
 
 knowledge, 
 
( i65 ) 
 
 knowledge, temperance j to temperance, 
 brotherly kindnefs -, to brotherly kindnefs, 
 charity. Thus cherifh the holy flame; 
 yield to the falutary influence of the Spirit, 
 that quickeneth to cherifh in your breafts 
 every heavenly and every friendly affedlion. 
 The duty of a Chriftian, both With, refped 
 to his Creator and his fellow-creature, is 
 fet forth to us in the anfwer which our 
 Lord gave to one who aiked him, which is 
 the greateft commandment ? l^houfialt love 
 the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all 
 thy foulj and with all thy Jirength, This is 
 the firft and great commandment ; and, the 
 tendency of that Spirit .which we have re- 
 ceived, if we yield to its influence, would 
 animate our affeftions toward that Being 
 on whom we depend, and by whofe blef- 
 fmgs we are fupported 3 raife our minds to 
 contemplate the infl:ances of God's power, 
 righteoufnefs, goodnefs, and truth, mani- 
 fefted J and enable us to afcend, as upon 
 the wings of an eagle, in a meditation on 
 the divine attributes ; and infpire us with 
 M 3 that 
 
( >66 ) 
 
 that fpecles of gratitude which it is not in 
 the power of language to define. 
 
 ^bou Jhalt love the Lord thy God with all 
 thy heart, with all thy foul, and with all thy 
 Jlrength. This is the firft and great com- 
 mandment ', and this we fhould be inftruct- 
 ed to do, if we yielded to the influences of, 
 and did not quench, the Spirit, which is 
 like a fire to enkindle within us a facred 
 flame of devotion, in which we may en- 
 compafs the altar of the Almighty, in the 
 multitude of his mercies, and approach ac- 
 ceptably the temple of his holinefs. 
 
 Defpife not frophefying* Now it is to be 
 underftood, that the manifeftation of the 
 Spirit does not fuperfede, or render ufelefs, 
 inflrumental means. God has ufed both 
 thefe means j he has fpoken unto our fa- 
 thers by the prophets j he has fpoken to us, 
 in thefe latter days, by his Son ^ he has 
 fent his apoflles to go forth, by his autho- 
 rity, in his name, to preach the Gofpel to the 
 poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim 
 liberty to the captive, the opening of the prifon 
 
 to 
 
( i67 ) 
 
 to them who were bound, to proclaim the ac^ 
 ceptable year of the Lord and the day of 'ven- 
 geance of our God. He appointed fome pro- 
 phets, and fome evangelifts, and fome paf- 
 tors and teachers, for the edifying of the 
 body in that love by which it is united unto 
 its holy head. Defpife not therefore pro- 
 phefying. 
 
 At the fame time that we conceive this 
 manifeftation of the Spirit to be the prima- 
 ry law and rule of our a6lions, we mufl by 
 .no means defpife inflrumental means of 
 inftrudion. All Scripture is given by the 
 infpiration of God, and is profitable for 
 do6lrine, for reproof, for corre6lion, for 
 inllrudion in righteoufnefs, to make the 
 man of God perfect, thoroughly furnifhed 
 unto all good works, and is able to make us 
 wife unto falvation, through faith which is 
 of Chrift Jefus : we therefore accept the Scrip- 
 tures as an ineftimable blefiing ; for, in them 
 we have an account of the various difpenfa- 
 tions of divine wifdora, and in which we 
 have the concurrent teftimony of the apof- 
 M 4 tics 
 
( >65! ) 
 ties and prophets of Jefus Chrift to this 
 fundamental principle of which we are moft 
 firmly perfuaded. 
 
 Dejpife not prophefying. Let us improve, 
 by every means v^^hich divine wifdom lays 
 in the way, that we may be furnifhed to 
 every good word and work, and increafe in 
 the knowledge of God. 
 
 Defpife not prophefying ; prove all tbiftgs 5 
 hol{J fafi that which is good, I conceive that 
 the manifeftation of the Spirit, given to 
 every man to profit withal, is propofed to 
 his rational underftanding, and fuperfedes 
 not the ufe of thofe rational powers by 
 which he is diftinguiflied ; but it qualifies 
 him to exercife thofe powers in the beft line 
 and to the noblefl purpofes, to afi^ert the 
 dignity of his nature, and qualify him for 
 thofe fpecies of employments w^hich are 
 fuited to the nature of an immortal fpirit, 
 made a little lower than the angels. He is 
 to prove all things, and hold faft that which 
 is good. The Father of lights appeals to 
 the underflanding and faculties of men ; 
 
 when 
 
( i69 ) 
 when he makes a revelation to his crea- 
 tures, he mercifally condefcends to let him- 
 felf down to the faculties they poflefs ; he 
 fpeaks to them in a language they under- 
 ftand. Therefore prove all things ; diftin- 
 guilli properly between things and things 
 in matters of the greateft importance, 
 thofe which refpe6l our final acceptance 
 with the Judge of the whole earth. There 
 are none that claim more our ferious atten- 
 tion. They refpe^l not only the welfare of. 
 our bodies in this world, but alfo the wel- 
 fare of our fouls in that eternity, to the con- 
 fines of which we are nearly approaching. 
 Let every man^ therefore, be fully perfuaded 
 171 his own mind', for, to him that knoweth 
 to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is 
 fin. Let us not be content with being the 
 nominal difciples of Chrift, but let us 
 confider ourfelves as capable of judging in 
 thofe matters that moft nearly concern us ; 
 and, if any lack wifdom, let him afk it of 
 him who giveth liberally and upbraideth 
 not, and it flaall be given him. If we would 
 
 be 
 
( 17° ) 
 be inftrudted in matters of everlafling im- 
 portance, let us confult the facred oracle, 
 Chrift, within us, the hope of glory, and 
 who is faid to be within every man unlefs he 
 be a reprobate j for, fays the apoftle, exa- 
 mine yourfelveSy whether ye be in the faith ; 
 prove your ow?2 fe he s r, knoiv ye not yourf elves, 
 how that "J ejus Chrijl is in you^ except ye be 
 reprobates F 
 
 It feems that our Saviour forefaw the di- 
 vifions that would foon commence among 
 mankind, and endeavoured to guard his 
 difciples againft the dogmas of men, and 
 turn them to fomething within them as a 
 fufficient guide and rule of their a6lions ; 
 for, fays he, fome will fay, lo I here is 
 Chriji 'y and other Sy lot there is Chrift -, he is 
 to be found among the circle of profelTors j 
 lo ! here is Chrift ; others fay, lo ! there is 
 Chrift 3 but go not forth after them, for, 
 the kingdom of God is within you. And 
 again, we are told, that that, which is to 
 be known of God, is manifeft : •— where ? 
 ihall we confult the many commentators 
 
 on 
 
{ ^71 ) 
 
 on the Old and New Teftament ? fliall we 
 traverfe the earth to fearch into the opi-. 
 nions and modes of remote antiquity, in or- 
 der to know what we fliall do to be faved, or 
 in order to know how we (hdl\ be accepted 
 of God ? no : that, which is to be known 
 of God, is manifefted in man, — within. — ^ 
 Having made thefe obfervations, I recom- 
 mend them to your confideration. 
 
 ^iench not the Spirit ; defpife not prophefy* 
 ing'y prove all things, and hold fa ft that 
 nvhich is good. And may we, individually, 
 according to that light and manifeflation 
 of the Spirit which is given unto us, be 
 faithful to the revelations communicated to 
 us thereby, fo that we may have the tefti- 
 mony of a good confcience i and, when we 
 have deviated, let us endeavour to pofTefs 
 thofe penitential difpofitions, that, through 
 Jcfus Chrifl-, we may be accepted of God, 
 and made meet for the realms of glory, 
 where, with the general afTembly and 
 church of the firft-born, and the fpirits of 
 juft men made perfe6l^ we may contem- 
 plate 
 
( 172 ) 
 plate the perfedions of the divine Being; 
 and may join the celeflial hoft in the fong 
 of Mofes, the fervant of God, and the 
 fong of the Lamb, faying. Great and mar- 
 njellous are thy works. Lord God Almighty ; 
 juji and true are thy ways, thou King of 
 faints f 
 
 PRAYER 
 
( '73 ) 
 
 PRAYER 
 
 AT THE 
 
 CONCLUSION of the MEETING. 
 
 OST gracious Father of all our mer- 
 cies, unto whom we have accefs 
 through Jefus Chrift, thy Son, imprefs us 
 with a humbling fenfe of our own unwor- 
 thinefs, and of thine infinite mercy and 
 goodnefs, that we may approach thine holy 
 altar, and humbly implore thee, the Foun- 
 tain of wifdom and flrength, that thou 
 wouldfl be pleafed to enlighten our under- 
 flandings, that we may fee ourfelves as we 
 
 are 
 
( 174 ) 
 
 are feen of thee, and may abhor ourfclves 
 as in duft and afhes, feeimg all thofe peni- 
 tential affedions which may render us the 
 obje6ls of thy forgivenefs, through Jefus 
 Chrift our Lord. Be pleafed to affilluswith 
 the aid of thy Holy Spirit, that, in the 
 future part of our earthly pilgrimage, we 
 may be able efFev^ually to cor reft the errors 
 which we have committed in the firft. — > 
 That, under the influence of thy grace, 
 we may pafs the time of our fojourning 
 here in fear, and may be flrengthened to 
 lay alide every weight, and the fni which 
 doth moft eafily befet us, and run with pa- 
 tience the race which is fet before us, in 
 hope of attaining the eternal inheritance 
 that fadeth not away. Thou moft glorious 
 Being, who art the fource of ftrength to 
 the righteous in all generations, and the 
 tower of their defence ; whofe bread fliall 
 never fail them, and their waters fhall be 
 fure; look down upon us, and fend us help 
 out of thy fandluary, and ftrengthen us 
 out of thy Sion, that we may be ftrong in 
 
 ths 
 
( ^7S ) 
 
 the Lord, and in the power of his might, 
 and be able to ftand againft the force of all 
 thofe enemies who would impede our pro- 
 grefs to the city of Jerufalem, the city of 
 the faints folemnities. Be pleafed, O Lord, 
 to condu6l us by thy counfel, ftrengthen 
 us by thy grace, and afterwards take us in- 
 to the realms of celeftial glory 3 that, when 
 thou fhalt call us hence, we may enter into 
 thofe regions where there is fulnefs of joy ; 
 and where, with the general affembly and 
 church of the firft-born, whofe names are 
 written in heaven, and the fpirits of jufl 
 men made perfect, we may celebrate thy 
 praife. It is with this view our fouls are 
 proftrate before thee ; and we would afcribe 
 to thee, glory, majefty, and dominion, and 
 every other excellent attribute of which 
 thou art worthy, both now and for ever- 
 more. Amen. 
 
 DISCOURSE 
 
( ^n ) 
 
 DISCOURSE VIIL 
 
 WH E N I firfl entered under this 
 roof, I felt as little difpofition to 
 VGcal public fervice as any in the whole of 
 this congregation could have pofTefTed. Con- 
 fcious of my own weaknefs and my many 
 infirmities, I fecretly wifhed to be ftrength- 
 ened by him, who is the Minifter of the 
 fan(5luary and the glorious High Priefl of 
 the Chriflian religion 3 and indeed, unlefs 
 we are favoured with his prefence, we fhall 
 fit as it were in darknefs and in the regions 
 of the {hadow of death. If we feel not the 
 
 N influence 
 
( 178 ) 
 
 influence of his Holy Spirit, efFe6lually to 
 quicken us and infpire us with the fpirit of 
 devotion, in vain fhall we lift up our hands 
 and offer up the facrifice of vocal prayer and 
 praife unto him. It would be well if we 
 had ever in remembrance, that of ourfelves 
 we are nothing, and of ourfelves can do 
 nothing, I mean nothing that is effentially 
 good. Unlefs in our religious afiemblies 
 we are firft miniftered unto by the chief 
 Shepherd and Bifhop of fouls, we cannot 
 poflibly minifter one to another. This the 
 apoftles very evidently fhew, particularly 
 where one of them, alluding to his Gofpel- 
 miniftry, fays, that we may comfort others 
 with the comfort wherewith we ourfelves are 
 comforted of God. The difciple mull firil 
 receive of his Lord, before he can difpenfe 
 it to his brethren. And it is therefore that 
 we profefs, 1 fay profefs at leaft, to meet 
 upon one common bottom, both minifters 
 and thofe in a private flation, to wait, iit 
 all fmglenefs of heart, upon that Being, 
 who regardeth the crying of the poor and 
 e . the 
 
i ^79 ) 
 
 the fiipplications of the needy ; who in a 
 peculiar manner will look unto that man 
 who is poor and of a contrite fpirit, and 
 that trembleth at his word. And, though 
 the youth may faint ^ and the young men utter- 
 ly fally yet thofe^ who wait upon the Lord, 
 JJjall renew their ftrength -, they Jljall tnoiint 
 upwards with wings as eagles ; they Jh all ruUy 
 and not be weaj^y 3 they jhall walk, and not 
 faint, 
 
 it might perhaps be a little profitable for 
 us to enquire what we are to underitand by 
 the renewing of our ftrength : they^ that 
 wait upon the Lord^ Jloall renew their frength, 
 I conceive this to., be intended purely in a 
 fpiritual fenfej for, if natural ftrength 
 be exhaufted by labour or fatigue, it is to 
 be recovered, in the ordinary courfe of 
 God's providence, only by reft and the ap- 
 plication of fuitable nutritious foodj but 
 thofe, who wait upon the Lord, fhall re- 
 new their ftrength. Such are the nature 
 and conftitution of the human foul, that, 
 in order to be preferved and live to God, 
 N 2 with 
 
( i8o ) 
 
 with a holy zeal for his name and for his 
 caufe, to be endowed with ftrength vir- 
 tuouflyto refolve, and virtuonfly topurfue 
 the jufl man's way, it muft be renewed by 
 food that is of a fpiritual nature j that, as 
 bread is a term for natural food, which is 
 adapted to the fupport and well-being of 
 our bodies, fo this fpiritual food, renewed 
 unto us by the renewings of the Holy 
 Ghofl, is that bread which indeed the 
 world knoweth not of. The world that 
 lieth in wickednefs, the fenfualifl, has no 
 tafte norrelifli for that bread which cometh 
 down from God out of heaven, and nou- 
 rifheth the foul up unto eternal life. 
 
 Though, in the application which the 
 difciples were inftrudled to make to the 
 common Father of us all, outward bleflings 
 might be included with fpiritual ones, yet 
 doubtlefs, as the welfare of the foul is of 
 infinitely more importance than the health 
 and welfare of the body, in that part of 
 the prayer, in which we are inftrudled to 
 fay —• Give us this day our daily bread, is 
 
 principally 
 
( i8i ) 
 
 principally intended that fpiritual commu- 
 nication with the God of the fpirits of all 
 fiefti, which imparts ftrength and vigour to 
 the foul, animating it with a fpirit of real 
 devotion, that it can afcend above this low- 
 er and terreftrial fphere, — afcend as upon 
 the wings of an eagle ^ a bird which is faid to 
 approach the neareft to that glorious natu- 
 ral luminary, the fun, in its flights. So, 
 that foul, which pofTeiTes not only the fpirit 
 of real religion, butalfo feels its beft affec- 
 tions animated towards God, will have this 
 privilege over the mere profeffor of religion, 
 that he will afcend as upon the wings of an 
 eagle, afcend in an awful contemplation of 
 the divine attributes, in a meditation upon 
 fpiritual fubjecls, in a ftrain of holy and 
 fervent devotion j he will afcend the mount 
 of the Lord's holinefs, encompafs his altar 
 in the multitude of his mercies, and lift up 
 his heart with his hands to that Being who 
 inhabits the heavens. 
 
 Impreffed with the importance of thefe 
 
 truths^ which we, as a religious fociety, 
 
 N 3 peculiarly 
 
( r82 y 
 
 peculiarly profefs, let us, friends, hot' 
 come to theie meetings merely with an ex- 
 peftation of receiving benefit, edification, 
 or comfort, one from another. Let us 
 not look one upon another w'lXh."^ Me ji and 
 brethren, 'what fiall we do to befanjedf or,' 
 v/ho fhall (hew us any good ? But, fenfible 
 of our own refpeclive wants, and imprefTed 
 with a juO: idea of the folemnity of that 
 bulinefs which we are profelfedly met about, 
 let us, in the nothingnefs of felf, in the 
 filence ofallflefh, reverently wait upon the 
 Minifter of the fanftuary j and to him let 
 us look with all finglenefs of heart, and 
 fay, Lord, lift thou up the light of thy 
 countenance upon us. Thus, pofTeffing 
 that affeftion of mind which is analogous 
 to the affed ion of corporal hunger, as per- 
 fons fenfible of our wants, and alfo where 
 thofe wants can be effectually fupplied, we 
 fhall become the obje61:s of that moil defi- 
 rable blefling, bleJled are thofe who hunger 
 and thirjl after righteoufnefs, for they floall be 
 Med, It fcems to me, beyond the leafl de- 
 gree 
 
( ih ) 
 
 gree of doubt, that the royal pfalmifl felt 
 this fpiritual hunger j he felt this feiife of 
 want, and the need that he flood in of a 
 fupply from the divine prefence, when he 
 ipeaks to this purport : ^s the hart panteth 
 after the water-brooks, fo panteth my foul after 
 thee, O God; and again, My foul thirjieth 
 for God, yea, for the living God. This paf- 
 fage of the royal pfalmift feems to convey 
 an idea to me of the foul which feels the 
 weight of its own infirmities, the prelTure 
 and the importunity of furrounding temp- 
 tations 5 clofely preffed, hunted as it were, 
 purfued by its enemies, as the hart, when 
 its flrength is nearly exhaufled, and almoft 
 ready to faint and drop with thirfl, to 
 whom nothing could be more precious than 
 a fpring of water : therefore, as the hunted 
 hart panteth after the water-brooks, fo 
 that foul, which is fenfible of its infirmi- 
 ties, and feels the preiTure of furrounding 
 temptations, longs after that immortal 
 fpring of goodnefs, where it may be refrefhed 
 and llrengthened,. and efcape from its ene- 
 N 4 mies, 
 
( iH ) 
 
 mies, to purfue its courfe fuccefsfully, 
 and ultimately to iinifli it with joy. 
 
 I wifli we were more and more impreiTed 
 with a juft fenfe of what we are, that the 
 pride of human nature were more efF€6lual- 
 iy humbled j — that we might look up to 
 him who is the fource of all that is excel- 
 lent and good, and, to ufe the language of 
 the holy penman, feel after the Lord^ if 
 haply ice might find him. And he, whom 
 the fervent foul is in fearch after, is not afar 
 off J he, whom thou longeft for, will fud- 
 denly come unto his temple 5 but, nvhofiall 
 abide the day of his coming"^ who fialJ Jiand 
 when he appear eth ? When the foul is thus 
 favoured with a fpiritual communion and 
 intelle6lual fenfe of the fupreme Being, it is 
 then that every thing that is exalted be- 
 comes nbafed j the loftinefs of man is 
 brought down j he fees himfelf as a worm, 
 and no man j as unworthy the leaft of his 
 mercies and truth ; and therefore, in this 
 view of himfelf and of the fupreme Being, 
 he will break forth, in the language of 
 
 Job, 
 
( i85 ) 
 
 Job, I have heard of thee by the hearing of the 
 ear ; — fo far the fpeculatift may go, fo far 
 the theorill may colle6i: a fyilem of faith; 
 but, he not only heard of him .by the hear- 
 ing of the ear, but, fays he, ?2ow mine eye 
 feeth thee. He had formed jufl notions of 
 the fupreme Being ; he was enlightened to 
 have juft ideas of himfelf. 1 have heard of 
 thee, fays he, by the hearing of the ear ; but 
 now mine eye feeth thee j wherefore I repent and 
 abhor 7nyfef in duft ^nd afies. This is that 
 humbling fenfe which we all of us fhould 
 pofiefs of ourlelves, if, in the fenfe which 
 our Saviour intended, we were favoured to 
 fee God: Blejfed ifdi^s he) ar€ the pure in 
 hearty for they jhall fee God\ which certain- 
 ly mufi: be intended in a peculiar and fpiri- 
 tuabfenfe, for he is not the obje6l of our fen- 
 fes. To be fure, in one refpe6l, it may be 
 faid, the pure and the impure fee God; 
 they have a fenlible demon ftration of his 
 being in the works of creation, and of the 
 attributes of power, wifdom, and goodnefs j 
 but they have not that animating, that in- 
 
 tclleftual, 
 
( i86 ) 
 
 telleclual, vlfion, which is the blefling of 
 the pure in heart : Blejfed are the pure in 
 hearty for they jhall fee God. Let none be 
 io weak as to imagine this is to be under- 
 ftood in the fuliefl fenfe of the word j for, 
 in the fupreme Being we live^ and movey 
 qnd have otir being-, he comprehends all 
 things, and is comprehended by nothing. 
 If thou afcend up to heaven, he is there ; if thou 
 go down to the depth of the fea, he is there. 
 The darknefs and the light are both alike to 
 him ; he is infinite in all his attributes -, he 
 is omniprefent 3 he pervadeth every part of 
 his vaft extended empire ; there are no 
 bounds to Omnipotence ; he remains the 
 fame from generation to generation 5 with 
 him, the perfe6l King, there is no varia- 
 blenefs, neither any fhadow of turning. 
 When we contemplate with propriety the 
 attributes of this Being through the fan6li- 
 fication of the Spirit, then we experience 
 what it is to have a pure heart, a heart pof- 
 feffing purity of intention, whofe faculties 
 and powers are placed on a pure obje(5t, 
 
 and 
 
( j87 ) 
 
 and all under the influence of the Holy 
 Spirit, and under the government of thofe 
 laws which the infinitely- wife Legiflator 
 hath adapted to promote the happinefs of all 
 his ^creatures, and to prepare them for 
 the glory, and the dignity, that is the pecu- 
 liar privilege of the pure in heart ; the en- 
 joyment of that pure ftate of being, which 
 v^^e fee now but darkly, through a glafs, 
 where the wicked ceafe from troubling, 
 and the weary are at refl 5 where the fociety 
 of the jufl are employed in contemplating 
 the attributes of the eternal King, andjoin 
 in Xh^folemnfong of Mofes, the fervant of God ^ 
 and of the Lamby faying, Great and marvel- 
 lous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty y 
 jufl and true are thy ways, thou King of 
 faints ! 
 
 PRAYER 
 
( i88 ) 
 
 PRAYER 
 
 AT THE 
 
 CONCLUSION OF THE MEETING. 
 
 MOST gracious God, as of ourfelves 
 we can do nothing, be pleafed, we 
 humbly befeech thee, to look down from 
 the heavens, the habitation of thy holinefs, 
 favourably upon us at this feafon. Do 
 thou lift up the light of thy glorious coun- 
 tenance upon us, that in thy light, O Lord, 
 we may fee light, and that our underftand- 
 ings may be efFe6lually informed refpe<^ing 
 thofe things which belong to our peace and 
 
 to 
 
( i89 ) 
 
 to thy glory; that our underftandings may 
 not only be enlightened to fee, but alfo our 
 hearts ftrengthened and animated to engage 
 in the work of righteoufnefs, which is peace, 
 and the effect of it quietnefs and afTurance 
 for ever. 
 
 O mofl merciful Father, look down upon 
 us, vile unworthy creatures ; inflame our 
 hearts with a fenfe of gratitude to thee, the 
 Author and Fountain of every good and 
 perfe6l gift, of all thofe bleflings which we 
 have received", and have fo much mifapplied, 
 in the courfe of our fhort pilgrimage j that, 
 imder a juft fenfe of thy majefty, of thy 
 mercy and goodnefs, and of our own weak- 
 nefs, we may be induced to approach thy 
 holy altar, and put up our fupplications 
 unto thee, that thou wouldefl be pleafed to 
 fend us health out of thy fan6luary, and 
 ftrengthen us as out of Zion. 
 
 Thou, that hall been a rock and a place 
 of refuge for the righteous in all genera- 
 tions, look down, we befeech thee, upon 
 thofe that are under the prefTure of any fpe- 
 
 cies 
 
( 190 ) 
 
 cies of affli6lion and probation, thofd 
 whofe hearts are right towards thee, who 
 are going to Mount Sion, and have had 
 their feet dire6led thither. Oh ! be pleafed 
 to afford thefe the aid of thy Spirit in the 
 moments of human weaknefs, and in their 
 folemn adverfe feafon. Lift up the light of 
 thy countenance upon them. O Lord, 
 preferve us all in the courfe of our pil- 
 grimage through this vale of tears ; guide 
 us, by the light of thy counfel, and after- 
 wards receive us into the realms of celeflial 
 glory, where, having been previoufly effec^ 
 tually purged, fanclified, and juftiiied, in 
 and through thy Son, our Lord and Sa- 
 viour, Jefus Chrift, we may join the hea-. 
 venly fociety, and for ever be with the 
 faints and angels, and fpirits of juft men 
 made perfe6l, to laud and praife thy great 
 and excellent name j to whom, for all thy 
 mercies, be the dominion, thankfgiving, 
 bleffing, and praife, not only now, but 
 henceforth and for evermore. Amen. 
 
 DISCOURSE 
 
( J9I ) 
 
 DISCOURSE IX. 
 
 rHIS do^ and thou Jhalt live. Thefe words 
 of our Lord revived in my remembrance 
 at this meeting, and I have been led to advert 
 to the occafion of their being delivered. It 
 is, I think, written in one of the evangelifts : 
 Behold^ a certain lawyer Jlood up, afid tempt- 
 ed him, faying, Majier, what /hall I do to in- 
 herit everlafting life ? It is written, that 
 he meant to tempt him ; it follows of 
 courfe, that his motive, in propofmg this 
 queflion, was not of the beft kind 5 that it 
 was not with a view of gaining informa- 
 tion, but, if pofTible, to enfnare him, and 
 
 take 
 
( ^92 ) 
 take an occafion againft him. But, oiif 
 Lord, upon this as well as upon every other 
 occafion, manifefted that wifdom which he 
 poiTefled above all other men, that wifdom 
 which directed all that he did and ail that 
 he faid ; he /poke as never man fpoke j he 
 fpoke with peculiar authority, and not as 
 the 'fcribes. Inllead of making an imme- 
 diate and dire6l anfwer to this queftion, he 
 previoufly propofed one to him. What, 
 fays he, is written in the law ? how readejl 
 thou f To which the lawyer replied, 'Thou 
 Jhalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 
 and with all thy /only and with all thy Jirength^ 
 and with all thy mind, and thy neighbour as 
 thyfelf. To which Jefus faid, 'T'hou hafi an- 
 fwer ed right ; this do^ and thou Jhalt live. It 
 feemeth to me, that this lawyer might ap- 
 prehend, as fome others did who had a 
 prejudice againfl Jefus, and the worthy 
 caufe which he promoted upon the earth, 
 that he came to deftroy the law and the 
 prophets, and to preach another law effen-^ 
 tially different from that which had been 
 
 delivered 
 
{ ^93 ) 
 delivered to them; or that he difpenfed 
 with the obhgation of that, which, by 
 way of diflindion, is called the moral law. 
 But our Saviour evinced that he came not 
 to deflroy the law, but to fulfil it ; he told 
 them, that heaven'and earth fhould fooner 
 pafs away than one jot or tittle of the law 
 fhould fail. Now the law which our Sa- 
 viour intended, when he fays. What is 
 written in the law ? how readejl thou f could 
 not be any part of the new Teilament, be- 
 caufe none of that had been written ; he 
 therefore intended that law of command- 
 ments which is of univerfal and indifpenfa- 
 ble obligation, and is immutable : "Ite 
 Jhalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart , 
 and with all thy foul^ and with all thy Jlrengtb, 
 and with all thy mind -, and thy neighbour as 
 thyjelf. Now we are inlirucSed that love is 
 the fulfilling of the law ; but in what fenfe 
 is it the fulfilling of the law ? why, who- 
 ever polTefTes the love of God will be indu- 
 ced, by the beil motives, to fludy his will, 
 and to difcharge the obhgation of his feve^ 
 , O ral 
 
( 194 ) 
 ral religious duties to him. — If he loves his 
 neighbour, he will be induced to defire his 
 welfare on all occafions. He will feek the 
 interell and good of his neighbour ; he will 
 not only be juft, but merciful, kind, and 
 loving. And this definition perfe6tly 
 agrees with that paflage where it is faid, 
 Lonje worketh no ill to his neighbour. 
 
 Now I conceive that there is no other 
 way for us to obtain that mofl defirable 
 obje6t of being accepted of our Creator, 
 who is the Judge of the whole earth, than 
 to obferve thofe facred commandments on 
 which hang all the law and the prophets. 
 And it feems to me, that there is much 
 more of the love of God and the love of 
 our neighbour alTumed, or profefled, than 
 isreally pofTeffed at heart by mankind. The 
 pride, the haughtinefs, the irreverence, 
 with which they appear in the prefence of 
 the omnifcient Being, befpeak that they 
 poffefs not the love of him in their hearts. 
 Ambition, avarice, and the various fpecies of 
 vanity which have invaded the feveral clafles of 
 
 mankind. 
 
( ^9d ) 
 mankind, bcfpeak that they are void of the 
 love of the God of heaven and of the 
 whole earth. They, who rife up early, 
 and go to bed late, in order to add houfe to 
 houfe, and barn to barn, and bag to bag, 
 and land to land, till there is nothing left 
 for the poor of the earth ; who improve 
 every opportunity to monopolize as much 
 as poffible the blefiings of heaven, and 
 whofe thirft feems to be inexhauftible ; who 
 are prompted by avarice, which is a paflion 
 that increafes with the increafe of years, 
 and increafes with the increafe of riches i 
 rnanifeft that the love of God is not in 
 them : for, the apoflle faith, Ifafiy man love 
 the woj'-ldi the love of the Father is not in him', 
 by which I underftand, if a man is pofrefTcd 
 of an inordinate love of the things of this 
 world ', if they fo take hold of his afFec^ 
 tions, and ingrofs his attention, as to fleal 
 from him that awe of God which ever 
 ought to pervade his foul -, if it prevents 
 his attention to the flatutes and the com- 
 mandments of heaven, and prevents his 
 O 2 walking 
 
( 196 ) 
 
 walking humbly and reverently through 
 this fliort fcene of his pilgrimage ; it is, 
 and may be juftly called, that kind of love 
 of the world which excludes the love of the 
 fupreme Being. 
 
 But, while it is fo little, I fear, poflefTed 
 at heart, much is profelTed by all the feveral 
 denominations of religion ; however they 
 may differ with refpe6l to fpeculative te- 
 nets, certain rituals, and modes of devo- 
 tion, and articles of faith, they all profefs 
 to love God, all acknowledge the obligation 
 of that and of the fubfequent command- 
 ment ; but it is to be feared that we often 
 treat the fupreme Being in a manner fimi- 
 lar to that which we ufe one towards ano- 
 ther. Among mankind, there are great 
 and fpecious pretences of friendfliip, when 
 perhaps there is but little really pofTefTed at 
 hearty and indeed fome, under the fem- 
 biance of love and friendfhip, have only 
 waited for an opportunity to flab the repu- 
 tation,or injure their neighbour in hisproper- 
 ty or perfon, with fecurity from the lafh of the 
 
 law. 
 
( ^97 ) 
 law. There are, who have made this pro- 
 fefiion as a cloak of malicioufnefs ; and, 
 while they have faid. Art thou in health, 
 brother ? have had a dagger concealed be- 
 neath the black difguife. Now we are 
 abundantly inftrucled, that, though we 
 may, and too frequently do, deceive one 
 another, and pafs off bafe metal for fVer- 
 ling coin, yet it is impoflible we fliould de- 
 ceive that awful Being with whom we have 
 to do ; he fees not as man fees ; he looks 
 beyond the veil of every covering j he be- 
 holds the latent recelTes of the human 
 heart. Let us therefore not be deceived, 
 for God is not mocked ; that which every 
 man fows, that fhall he reap ; if he fows 
 unto the flefli, he fhall of the flefh reap 
 corruption ; but, if he fows unto the Spi- 
 rit, of the Spirit he fliall reap life ever- 
 lafting. 
 
 In vain fhall we call upon the name of 
 
 the Lord, in vain fliall we facrifice upon his 
 
 altar, in vain fhall we make many prayers, 
 
 and fpread our hands towards the habita- 
 
 O 2 tion 
 
( 198 ) 
 tion of his holinefs, unlefs we pofTefs the 
 love of him in the highefl: ; and which, 
 whoever poiTefTes, he will manifeft in the 
 various branches of life, his converfation, 
 and commerce among mankind. He will 
 confcientioufly difcharge his rehgions, his 
 focial, his relative,- duties j and, in the 
 Iphere of his movement, he will manifeft 
 the love of God by keeping his command- 
 ments. Jf y^ love me^ (fays our Lord,) 
 keep wy comma?2d?ne?its ; and, if we would 
 really become objects of his complacency, 
 if we would be loved and honoured of that 
 Being who made us for the purpofe of his 
 own glory, let us attend to the folemn in- 
 junftion of the Author of the Chriilian 
 religion : Keep you therefore my command- 
 ments and abide in my love^ even as 1 have 
 kept my Father s commandments and abide i?t 
 his love. 
 
 Let us not therefore apprehend, that any 
 articles of faith, that any rituals of devo- 
 tion, or any form of prayer that can pofli- 
 bly be uttered, can be a fubftitute for this 
 
 affe6lion 
 
( 199 ) 
 
 afFe61:ion of heart towards God, and which 
 the confideration of his attributes will the 
 moft powerfully engage us to pofFefs. We 
 have nothing that we have not received ; 
 he, the Ancient of days, is the fole proprie- 
 tor of the univerfe, the Lord of hofts j he 
 is one, and his name is one. We, the in- 
 habitants of his footftool, are but tenants 
 at will. The earth is the Lord's, and the 
 fulnefs thereof, and the cattle of a thou- 
 fand hills are his. And, feeing we poflefs 
 nothing but what we have derived from 
 him, that all the bleffings which we have 
 received are owing to his bounty and good- 
 nefs, we ought not to boaft as if we had 
 not received them, but with all humility 
 acknowledge his manifold goodnefs, and to 
 offer unto him the facrifice of an undivided 
 heart. It is the language of Wifdom to 
 the fons of men. My fon, give me thy heart. 
 Our bell affe6lions will be engaged ; then, 
 indeed, we fliall poflefs the very fpirit of 
 devotion ; for, whoever polTefles not the 
 love of God poflefles not the fpirit of devo- 
 O 4 tion; 
 
( 200 ) 
 
 t'lon ; his hands may be lifted up tov/ards 
 the habitation of his hoUnefs, but his heart 
 lies groveling on the earth ; he is worfhip- 
 ping the gods of this world, filver and 
 gold, and therefore the lifting up of his 
 hands and the verbal oblation of his mouth 
 will not be acceptable incenfe upon that fa- 
 cred altar, whereof thofe who ferve the ta- 
 bernacle have no right to partake. 
 
 I wifh that we might improve fuch fea- 
 fons as this in a particular manner, to con- 
 template the divine attributes, to reflect and 
 think upon his name, to recoiled!: the in- 
 flances of his goodnefs, of his power, and 
 of his wifdom, that fo we may feel our af- 
 fe6lions more and more fet upon things 
 that are above, lefs and lefs upon things 
 which are beneath, which are but of a tran- 
 fitory nature, and which perifh with the 
 ufmg. This was the injundlion of the 
 apoflle : Set your affeBion on things above^ 
 and not on things on the earth. This indeed 
 is to be fpiritually minded, as it is written, 
 
 ta 
 
( 201 ) 
 
 to be carnally minded is death y but to befpiri-' 
 tually minded is life and peace. 
 
 If we were really concerned to pofTefs this 
 love of God, it would not only manifeft it- 
 felf in the various branches of our religious 
 duty, but alfo thofe of a focial and relative 
 kind. I think we are foraewhere told, that, 
 for a man to fee his fellow-creature in 
 diftrefs, and fliut up his bowels againfl 
 him, how dwelleth the love of God in. 
 him ? and the apoftle reafons very aptly : 
 If, fays he, we love not our brother^ whom 
 'Wehavefeen^ how fall we love God, whom we 
 have not feen, who is not an object of fenfe, 
 who is inapproachable ? no man hath feen 
 him, nor can fee him i and, as we are inca-* 
 pable of rendering any thing unto God, 
 who is abfolutely perfe6l, it feems that he 
 accepts of the good offices we do for one 
 another as if they had been done unto him, 
 and ho was capable of being benefited by 
 them. This is illuftrated by our Lord with 
 refpefl to thofe who had negle6led him : I 
 iivas an-hwigeredi and ye fed me not ; naked, 
 
 and 
 
( 202 ) 
 
 mtd ye clothed me not j fick and in pr'tfon^ 
 and ye vifited me not ; to which they made 
 this reply : When Jaw we thee an-hungered, or 
 naked, trjick, or in prifon, and did not minifler 
 unto thee f — Inafmuchy fays he, as ye did it 
 not to one of the leaji of thefe my brethren, ye 
 did it not unto me ; and again, to thofe who 
 received him, it is faid, I was an-hungered, 
 arid ye fed me ; Jiakedy and ye clothed me, or 
 words to the fame import j I wasfck and in 
 frifon, and ye 'uifted me. Now thefe pof- 
 fefled that modefty which is pecuHar to 
 good men -, they anfwered : When faw we 
 thee an-hiingered, or naked, orfick, orinpri" 
 fony and minifler ed unto thee? Inafmuch, 
 fays he, as ye have done it to one of the leafl 
 of thefe little ones, you have doite it to me. — 
 Who are thefe little ones ? I conceive that 
 we are all, by creation, God's little ones ; 
 he ftands in the relation of a father to all 
 ranks and clafTss of human beings j he of 
 one blood has made all nations to dwell on 
 all the face of the earth, and hath deter- 
 mined the times before appointed, and the 
 
 bounds 
 
( 203 ) 
 
 bounds of their habitation ; and, as he has 
 made them of one blood, fo he looks upon 
 them with an everlafling love, which dif- 
 criminates not the perfons of men ; for, he 
 is no refpe6ler of perfons j but, in every 
 nation, he, that feareth God and v^orketh 
 righteoufnefs, is accepted of him. And, 
 that the little ones, in this place, intend 
 not any peculiar clafs, to me is very evi- 
 dent J becaufe, we are under an obligation 
 to do good to the unrighteous as well as 
 the righteous, to the unjufi: as well as the 
 juflr; not only to be loving to our friends, 
 but to love our enemies, to do good to all ; 
 to put up our prayers, not for this or that 
 peculiar clafs of perfons, but to addrefs our 
 prayers for the vaft community of crea- 
 tures : — I exhort, fays the apoflle, that 
 prayers and fuppli cations be made for all men 5 
 for kings ^ and for all that are in authority ; 
 that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, in 
 (ill godlinefs and honefly. We are to pray for 
 the righteous, that they may be confirmed 
 in their ways 5 — for the wicked, that they 
 
 may 
 
( 204 ) 
 
 may be reformed. We are to pray not only 
 for our fdends, for, if we love them that 
 love us, wh.2Lt do we more than others ? it 
 is natural to have an affedion for them 
 who have an afFe6tion for us ; but we muft 
 go farther than this, we muft love them 
 that hate us, and pray for them that perfe- 
 cute us. If we pofTefs this fpirit of mind, 
 if love prevails to all, then we fhall ever 
 have occalion, as our Lord faid, rather to 
 rejoice than to be forrowful if we fhall be 
 mal-treated by thofe whofe intereft we have 
 endeavoured to promote : — Blejfed are ye 
 (fays our Lord) when men fiall fay all man- 
 ner of evil againfl yoii^ falfciy^ for my fake j 
 rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your 
 reward in heaven. Now I wifh that this af- 
 fe(5lion of love, the love of God and of our 
 neighbour, v/ere more really felt at heart 
 than it appears to be. 
 
 The love of our neighbour means not, 
 in the common acceptation of the term, 
 the people whofe local habitation is near 
 ours, and who lend us fome affiftance, as 
 
 we 
 
( 205 ) 
 
 we are infl:ru6led in the cafe of the Samari- 
 tan and the poor Jew, when it was afked 
 our Lord, who is my neighbour ? It feem- 
 ed good fometimes to him to anfwer the 
 queftions propofed to him by a parable. It 
 was peculiar to thofe times and that part 
 of the world j and, fo frequent was it, that 
 it is faid of our Lord, that without a para- 
 ble fpake he not unto them. A certain 
 man, fays he, went down from Jerufalem 
 to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who 
 ftripped him, and wounded him, and de- 
 parted, leaving him half dead. Here was 
 an obje6l for Chriftian benevolence to exer- 
 cife itfelf upon ; here v/as an inftance in 
 which the love of our neighbour fliould 
 have been exercifed; but it feems that 
 thofe, who ought to have pofiefled the 
 greateft (hare of friendly afte6lions, thofe 
 who waited upon the fervice of the altar, 
 wanted this afFe6lion. The prieft paffed 
 by, the Levite followed his example; thofe, 
 who ought to have been the firft to fet an 
 example of mercy, loving-kindnefs, and 
 
 charity,. 
 
' ( 206 ) 
 
 chanty, pofl^eiTed not that afFeclion, which 
 would engage us, by every means in our 
 power, to, reUeve the diftrefied and wipe 
 away the tears of the afflicted. In fhort, 
 fo much (Irefs is laid upon the polTelTion of 
 this afFe6licn, and exercifmg it in charity 
 and kindnefs one towards another, that it 
 is faid to be the religion which is pure and 
 undefiied, not a religion of fpeculation arid 
 theory : Pure religion, and undefiied before 
 God a?id the Father^ is this : to vijtt the fa^ 
 thertejs and uidows iii their affiiBion^ and to 
 keep Gitrfelves wifpcttedff^om the world. 
 
 The prieft paffed by ; the Levite alfo 
 paii'cd by. At length, it feems, a Samari^ 
 tan came that way j and, though there had 
 long fubfifted an enmity between the Jewg 
 and the Samaritans, yet he pofleiied fo 
 much of the love of God and his neigh- 
 bour, that it overcame the prejudice of his 
 education ; though the object that claimed 
 this attention was a Jew, he took compaf- 
 fion on him in this ftate, and did not, as 
 we often do to one another, pour in a mix- 
 ture 
 
{ 207 ) 
 
 ture of wormwood and gall, to aggravate 
 the wounds, rather than the oil of love, to 
 alleviate and afluage them. He poured in 
 oil and wine j and not only fo, but he 
 looked forwards, and provided for his fu- 
 ture fubfiftence j he fent him to an inn, 
 and, when he departed, dire6led the hoft to 
 take care of him, faying, Whatfoever thou 
 fpendefl, when I come again, I will repay 
 thee. 
 
 This is fet forth as an example to us, 
 which we fliould by all means attempt to 
 imitate. We fliould be diverted of every 
 fpecies of prejudice, and endeavour to have 
 our hearts more enlarged in the love of 
 God ; and, the more we are enlarged in the 
 love of God, the more fhall we pofTefs the 
 love of our neighbour, and more promote 
 the intereft of the vafl community of man- 
 kind, and be more difpofed to imitate the 
 example of the Saviour of mankind amon^ 
 the poor and defpifed, who was, on that ac- 
 count, in reproach, called the friend of pub- 
 licans and fmners,. We fliould exercife our 
 
 gifts 
 
( 208 ) 
 
 gifts for the promotion of righteoufnefs on 
 the earth, to prevent every calamity, and 
 promote the intereft of fociety. It fhould 
 be the fludy of our lives, and our delight, 
 to go about doing good. I am thankful I 
 pofTefs that fpirit of charity that forgets all 
 the difcin^lions of names, of rank, and of 
 dignity. As men are ftripped of thefe dif- 
 tin6lions, and remember that they ftand 
 in the relation of children to the Father of 
 mankind, fo will their love and benevo- 
 lence be 5 if we pofTefTed this affeftion, we 
 ihould endeavour to promote concord 
 among the feveral ranks of fociety. 
 
 I wifh we may fee the reftoration of thofe 
 primaeval days, when the morning-ftars 
 fang together, and all the fons of God 
 fliouted for joy. — God is love 5 that is a 
 term which is mod aptly applied, and mofl 
 glorioufly illuflrates the attributes of the 
 fupreme Being. We are the offspring of 
 his benevolence j it was to communicate 
 happinefs, it was from the fource of his in- 
 finite benevolence, that he created us, and 
 
 endued 
 
( 209 ) 
 
 endued us with capacities of partaking of 
 the happinefs of immortality. He has 
 called us to keep his flatutes, that we may 
 poflefs a fpecies of happinefs inconceivable 
 to us at prefent, and which, in its dura* 
 tion, will run parallel with the endlefs ages 
 of eternity. 
 
 Seeing we have received every thing we 
 pofTefs from him, let us be prodrate at his 
 footftool J let us, in all the emotions of 
 filial piety, approach his altar, in the mul- 
 ' titudeof his mercies, and lift up our hands 
 to the habitation of his holinefs ; — not on- 
 ly our hands, but alfo our hearts. Lift up 
 your hands ajtd hearts to God, I think tjie 
 Pfalmift fays, who inhabits the heaveiis, — 
 Thefe will be feafons of folemnity. We 
 ihall enter into the clofets of our hearts, 
 and fhut the door j we fliall be lifted up, as 
 on the wings of an eagle, in the contempla- 
 tion of his attributes, agreeable to the de- 
 claration of the prophet, who fpoke in the 
 name of the Lord : 'Though the youth may 
 faifjty and the young men utterly fall, yet they 
 
 P who 
 
{ 210 ) 
 
 who waif upon the Lord jhall renew their 
 Jirejigth 5 they Jhall mount up with wings as 
 eagles -, they fiall run^ and not be weary ; they 
 JJjall walki and not faint. In holy fervour 
 of fpirit, wefhall be able to enter into that 
 within the vail, and in the depth of humi- 
 liation we fliall worfhip the Lord in the 
 beauty of holinefs. Thus fhall we be qua- 
 lified to join the celeftial fong : Glory to 
 God in the higheji j on earthy peace j and good 
 will towards men. 
 
 Under the fenfe of thefe things, the ma- 
 nifeftation of his prefence, and a participa- 
 tion of that food which is of a fpiritual na- 
 ture, the bread that cometh down from 
 God out of heaven, we fliall be qualified 
 to approach him, not in a formal manner, 
 but the language of our hearts will be : 
 
 Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed 
 he thy name ; thy kingdom come ; thy will be 
 done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us, this 
 day, our daily bread-, and forgive us our 
 trefpajjes as we forgive them that trefpafs 
 againjl us', and, lead us not into temptation, but 
 ^ ' deliver 
 
( 211 ) 
 
 deliver us from evil ; /or, thijie is the kingdom^ 
 and the power y and the glory, for ever and 
 ever. Amen, 
 
 P 2 PRAYER 
 
( 212 ) 
 
 PRAYER 
 
 AT THE 
 
 CONCLUSION of the MEETING. 
 
 MOST gracious God, infpire us more 
 and more with fuitableafFeclions to- 
 wards thee, that we may find accefs to thy 
 prefence, and offer up the acceptable in- 
 cenfe of thankfgiving and of praife. O 
 thou omnifcient Being, who knowefl us 
 altogether as we are, grant, we befeech 
 thee, that, under the influence of the 
 light of the Gofpel of thy Son, we may 
 fee ourfelves as we are feen of thee ; that, 
 
 in 
 
( 213 ) 
 
 in the depth of reverence, we may abhor 
 ourfelves in duft and afhes -, that the re- 
 membrance of our pafl tranfgrefTions, 
 which have loudly befpoken our ingratitude 
 to thee, thou moft adorable Being, may be 
 blotted out ; and that we may feel that 
 contrition of foul, which becomes every 
 penitent who is the proper obje6l of thy 
 mercy. O let the confideration of thine 
 attributes and of our own unworthinefs 
 humble us yet more and more in thy pre- 
 fence j that, polTefied with a filial fear of 
 thee, we may in future be more circum- 
 fpecl in our goings s and that v/e may feek, 
 and be able to difcriminate, thejuft man's 
 way, and to walk in it, which, as the 
 bright and fhining light, fliineth more and 
 more unto the perfe6l day. O grant that 
 we may be more and more enamoured with 
 the love of virtue j that we may more and 
 more prefer the narrow and the flrait gate, 
 which leads to life, rather than the broad 
 way of fenfual indulgence, that leads to 
 the gates of death, and ultimately will in- 
 P 3 volve 
 
( 214 ) 
 
 volve fnch as perfevere therein in the pit of 
 perdition. 
 
 O moft adorable Jefus, increafe our 
 faith and love, and increafe the friendly af- 
 fections of our fouls one towards another, 
 that we may be difpofed, inflead of bur- 
 dening others, to bear each others bur- 
 dens 5 inftead of calling about to enfnare 
 and deceive, we may look upon our neigh- 
 bours intereft as our own 3 that we may- 
 promote the intereft of righteoufnefs in the 
 world 3 that, under the influence of the 
 Holy Spirit, through grace, we may walk 
 before thee fo, in this world, as to have an 
 ample hope of being received into the af- 
 fembly of the juft in the life to come. 
 
 O thou, who art the preferver of men, 
 influence us more and more by thy Spirit, 
 that we may lay afide every weight and eve- 
 ry burden, and the fm which doth fo eaflly 
 befet us j and run with patience the race 
 which is fet before us j and fo to run, as 
 that we may obtain the crown immortal, 
 that fhall never fade away. W hile we are 
 
 fojourners 
 
( 215 ) 
 
 fojourners in this world, and in the land of 
 the fhadow of death, open to us the brighter 
 profpeft of a fairer day j that, whatfoever 
 may be our lot in this pilgrimage, whether 
 perfecution or diftrefs, we may have an in- 
 terefl in thy Son, as a hope firm and ftead- 
 fati, as an anchor in this tempefluous 
 ocean. Grant that, when the days of our 
 pilgrimage are concluded, we may receive 
 the end of our faith, even the falvation of 
 our fouls, where the righteous fhall fhine 
 as the brightnefs of the firmament, and as 
 the ftars, for ever and ever. 
 
 O thou moil righteous Being, in a fenfe 
 of thy goodnefs we would approach thy 
 altar, and afcribe to thee might, majefty, 
 and dominion, with every other excellent 
 and adorable attribute, now, henceforth, 
 and for evermore. Amen. 
 
 P A DISCOURSE 
 
( 217 ) 
 
 BVrrMl' rmrrM - t irf •■ «-^j^.^'-:-« t«~°^'™" 
 
 DISCOURSE X. 
 
 UNDER an apprehenfion of duty, I 
 have frequently laboure i am^mgyou, 
 in word and do6lrine, for a f-ries of years. 
 What effecl it has had on thofe who have 
 heard me, I cannot prefume to dc'termine ; 
 if I were, indeed, to judge by appearances, 
 I fhould conclude the obvious effe6ls to be 
 but little. But, there is a matter on which 
 I am fully competent to deternnne : my mo- 
 tives have been of the bed kind, the love of 
 God and the love of my fc)low-creatures3 
 that love which worketh no ill, but would, 
 by all poffible methods, promote the eifen- 
 
 tial 
 
( 2l8 ) 
 
 tial intereft of its neighbours ; and, having 
 from time to time difcharged what I appre- 
 hended to be my religious duty, I have, 
 therein found great peace. This, to my- 
 felf at leail, has been the effecl of my 
 public labours -, and, though it is proba- 
 ble, that what I have fometimes delivered 
 may have been more or lefs fimilar to that 
 which I have aforetime delivered, yet I 
 hope, that even a repetition of do6lrines 
 and advices, which we are urged to deliver 
 from a fenfe of duty, may not be as water 
 fpilt upon a flone, but may have a tendency 
 (if not to convey any material information 
 to the underftanding) to flir up at lead the 
 pure mind by way of remenabrance. 
 
 We have heard much ; we have had line 
 upon line, and precept upon precept ; and 
 there have been fent among us, who, as 
 good fcribes, out of their treafury have 
 brought forth things new and old. But, 
 the elTential and important doflrines, which 
 refpe6l in particular our practical duties, 
 make, it is to be feared, but a flight im- 
 
 prelfion 
 
( 219 ) 
 
 prefTion on the minds of men, even upon 
 thofe who are very fond of hearing, and 
 have perhaps much to fay concerning the 
 myfteries of faith ; who, whilft they lay 
 much flrefs upon fpcculative opinions, have 
 poflefred too little of that real Chriftian 
 love and zeal, which manifcfts itfelf by a 
 condu6l confident with the commandments 
 of the Author of the Chriilian difpenfa- 
 tion. We want to be ftirred up, to be 
 excited, to do that, which we want not to 
 be inftruded it is our duty to do. But, if 
 there be any, in this auditory, whofe under- 
 flandings may have been bewildered in a 
 long and tedious purfuit of fpeculative no- 
 tions ; or who have attempted, though but 
 with little fuccefs, to inveftigate abftrufe 
 points, and to comprehend myfteries which 
 the wifdom of the Holy Ghoil may fee meet 
 to conceal from the fooliflinefs of men, 
 (the prying curiofity of the creature, who is 
 more apt to inquire than to obeyj) if there 
 be any fuch, who are yet unfatisfied with 
 regard to thofe grand and eflential points, 
 
 upon 
 
( 220 ) 
 
 upon which their acceptance with the com- 
 mon Father of the human race depends : if 
 there be any who are under the prefTure of 
 manifold fms and tranfgreffions, are in 
 doubt with refpe6t to thofe means which 
 are ncceffary to be purfued, in order that 
 their tranfgreflions may be forgiven of God, 
 and that they may be accepted of him ; if 
 there be any, who, in the anguifh of their 
 fouls, have their hands upon their loins, 
 with what fiall I do to be faved? it feems to 
 me to be my duty to flate to them a cafe, 
 nearly perhaps as we have it reprefented in 
 the holy Scriptures, refpefling one, for- 
 merly, who propofed a queftion of this 
 fort. 
 
 How JJjaU I come before the Lord? or 
 wherewithal Jhall I bow myfelf before the moji 
 high God? Shall I come before him with 
 burnt offerings and calves of a year old? fiall 
 I prejent him with ten thonfands of rivers of 
 oil ? fiall I give him my frji-born for my 
 tranfgrefjion^ the fruit of my body for thefn 
 of my foul? — Now it feems to me, beyond 
 
 all 
 
( 221 ) 
 
 all controverfy, that, by ccmtng before the 
 Lord, bowing before the moft high God, was 
 meant, the bowing before him, or coming 
 before him, acceptably. What fhall I do 
 to recommend myfelf to the divine notice, 
 to have the load of my fins taken off ? my 
 tranfgreflions cancelled from the book of 
 his remembrance ? In anfwer to this, he 
 was fhewn that that which God required 
 of man, as elTential to his acceptance with 
 him, was eafily to be apprehended, and 
 within the compafs of his power to per- 
 form ', that is to fay, of man, favoured 
 with the manlfeftation of the Spirit of 
 God, and ftrengtheaed by his grace. 
 
 He hath fieived thee y O man! what is good', 
 and what doth the Lord require of thee^ but to 
 dojujily, and to love mercy ^ and to walk humbly 
 with thy God? Here our eflential duties are 
 fummed up under three heads, which in- 
 deed comprehend much. — The firft isjuf- 
 tice. A man muft be morally jull before 
 he can be religioufly good 3 whereas we oft- 
 times fee the divine order perverted, and 
 
 that 
 
( 222 ) 
 
 that men are more zealous to be connected 
 with parties, and more zealous for the in- 
 tereft of a feft, than to maintain even the 
 character of common honefty. 
 
 Do jufily, — Now the obligation of juftice 
 is void of any kind of perplexity. We no 
 fooner refle6l upon the relation man flands 
 in to man, but the propriety of juftice is 
 clear. We are without excufe if we negle6t 
 to do juftice; and, though this perhaps 
 may come under the appellation of what is 
 called a moral duty, let us not think mean- 
 ly of moral duties ; for, notwithftanding 
 the variety of fpeculative do(5lrines publifli- 
 ed here and there, and curious diftin6lions 
 made upon points of religion, what is the 
 ftate of moral juftice among us ? Let us 
 look abroad among mankind ; ftiall we not 
 have caufe to apprehend, of many, that 
 their wits are employed, and time laid out, 
 in planning fchemes to take advantage of 
 their neighbours ? in laying a foundation 
 to raife themfelves on the fpoils of others ? 
 to make themfelves rich, and thereby fall 
 
 into 
 
( 223 ) 
 
 into many foolifli and hurtful lufts, which 
 drown men in fin and perdition ? — — 
 It feems to be the fludy of a great part of 
 mankind to outwit and deceive the other ; 
 inftances of notorious breaches of juftice 
 ftrike us on every hand, and every where, 
 and which people are the more prompted to 
 commit from a defire of a luxurious and 
 pompous mode of life, which is too gene- 
 rally prevalent among mankind. The dif- 
 eafe of luxury is almofl epidemical ; — 
 through all clafTes there feems to be an 
 emulation to excel, and many burft in the 
 attempt. 
 
 I am concerned at heart, friends, to re- 
 vive in your remembrance the obligation of 
 juflice. We mufl be jufl and righteous be- 
 fore we {hall be good ; and it feems that our 
 Lord laid a peculiar ftrefs on what are called 
 moral do(5lrines, that of juftice and that of 
 mercy; infomuch that he fays, If ye forgive 
 not men their trefpajjesy jieither will your Fa- 
 ther forgive your trefpajfes 5 and again he 
 fays, (which is worthy of note 5 it is called 
 
 the 
 
( 224 ) 
 
 the golden rule ; it is a law, a general law, 
 of aftion, worthy of the Moft High to 
 give, and of his Son to promulgate among 
 the- inhabitants of the earth,) TVhatfoever 
 ye wowd that men Jhculd do to youj do ye even 
 fo to them. Here is the efTence of all the 
 beft human laws or ftatutes that ever were 
 compofed in the world. All human laws, 
 fo far as they are confiflent with propriety, 
 are founded in, and confident with, this 
 general law, which comprehends all rela- 
 tions and conne6lions among mankind : — 
 Whatfoever ye would that men jhould do to youy 
 do ye even fo to them. If we would wifh to 
 appear with honefty to our neighbours, let 
 us a6l in the manner we would wifh them 
 to ad to us. If we would wifli them not 
 to take advantage of us, let us not take ad- 
 vantage of them. As, in a time of dillrefs, 
 we would wi(h to have the fympathy of 
 our neighbours and the hand of relief ex- 
 tended to us, let us not forget the needy in 
 the time of our profperity, but do to them 
 as we would they fhould do to us. If we 
 
 wifh. 
 
( 225 ) 
 
 wiili, being in danger, to be apprifed of 
 that danger, that we might not fall into de** 
 flrudtion, let us warn and admonifh o- 
 thers. There is a mutual dependence runs 
 through fociety, and it is our duty to ad- 
 vertife one another in hours of peril 5 and, 
 where we can do no pofitive good, we 
 fhould endeavour to prevent all polTible e- 
 vil. Thefe are duties which we want not 
 fo much to be convinced of, as to be effec- 
 tually incited to perform. But, fuch is 
 the weaknefs of human nature, that peo- 
 ple are more fond of taking up with fub- 
 fcriptions to articles of faith, and of atten-^ 
 dance to ordinances, and wifh to get rid of 
 their fins in that way, and herein fhew a 
 great zeal -, but that falls fhort of the rec- 
 titude which the gofpel enjoins, and is the 
 end of the law, and the end of the coming 
 of Chrift, and of offering himfelf a facri- 
 fice for fin to produce order and righteouf- 
 nefs among all ranks of men. This was 
 one of the ends of his coming ; and, how- 
 ever fpscious our profefTions may be, how- 
 Q^ ever 
 
( 226 ) 
 
 ever deeply we may enter into the myfteries 
 of the kingdom of heaven, yet, if we pof- 
 fefs riot the fpirit of charity, and motives 
 to juftice and benevolence, what is it ? If 
 I /peak, fays the apoftle, with the tongues of 
 me?i and of angels^ and have not charity^ I 
 am become as founding brafs or a tinkliiig cym- 
 bal 'j and, though I have the gift of prophecy, 
 and underfond all myfteries, and all knowledge, 
 and though I have all faith, fo that I could re- 
 move mount aim, -and have not charity, I am 
 nothing. By chanty, I conceive, is not 
 meant a gull of paffionthat would prompt 
 a man occafionally to do a good aft, but a 
 fettled principle of goodnefs and benevo- 
 lence, that would prompt a man to general 
 juftice, and not to be juft only, but alfo 
 good. If Ifpeak with the tongues of men and 
 of angels, and have not charity, it will profit 
 me nothing ; if I have all faith, and un- 
 derftandall my fieri es, yet, fays he, if I have 
 not charity, it profit eth me nothing ; to fhew, 
 that, in order to our actions being denomi- 
 nated good, they muft proceed from a good 
 
 motive 
 
( ^^7 ) 
 
 motive and princip.lei He fliews that the 
 femblanceof chanty is nothing: Jf I gh^ 
 my body to be burned, and my goods to the poo?', 
 a?id ha'ue not charify^ it profitctb me nothing* 
 Therefore, let us endeayour to be really 
 that we feem to be. Let us not. content 
 ourfelves with the femblance of holin2fs, 
 and charity, but let us hold the myftery of 
 the faith in a pure confcience: for, it is 
 poffible people may conceive right notions 
 of things, and yetj for want of receiving 
 them as a principle influencing their ac- 
 tions, they may hold the truth, but hold it 
 in unrighteoufnefs ; but he, who holds the 
 my fiery of faith as he ought to hold it, 
 holds it in a pure confcience. 
 
 Our Saviour, in his miniflry, was gentle 
 in his addrefs, and perfuafive in his lan^ 
 guage. When he addrefled the publicans 
 and finners, he found more opennefs to re- 
 ceive the gofpel among this rank of peo- 
 ple, than thofe who had the form of godli- 
 nefs, but denied the power thereof j info- 
 much, that it became a proverb, that he 
 0^2 was 
 
( 228 ) 
 
 was the friend of publicans and fmners ; 
 for which condu6l he gave this efiential rea- 
 fon, that he came not to call the righteous, 
 but fmners, to repentance. Where the car-- 
 cafe is^ there will the eagles he gathered toge^ 
 ther. Among thefe people there was a dif- 
 pofition to receive him ; and, among other 
 things which the meffengers of John were re- 
 quired to teftify that they had feen, was, 
 that the poor had the gofpel preached to 
 them. How did this friend of publicans 
 and finners, who fpoke with fo much gen- 
 tlenefs, behave when he came to addrefs the 
 fuperior characters, in all the pomp of 
 their fan6lity, who made broad the phylac- 
 teries, who were zealous for the written 
 and oral traditions of their fathers ? Oye 
 generation of 'vipers, how can ye efcape tJx 
 damnation of hell I Te are like whited fepul- 
 chres, which, indeed, appear beautiful out^ 
 ward, but are within full of dead mens bones. 
 And he takes occafion to inftru6l his fol- 
 lowers, unlefs, fays he, your righteoufnefs ex^ 
 ceedthe righteoufnefs of the Scribes and Fhari^ 
 
 f^es. 
 
( 229 ) 
 
 feesy you Jhall not enter into the kingdom of 
 heaven. Now, what was the righteoufnefs 
 of the Scribes and Pharifees ? It feems 
 they appeared more than a little zealous 
 for the rituals of the Mofaic difpenfation, 
 were pun6lual to the time of prayer, fpe- 
 cious in their addrefs to the Majefty of 
 heaven, and performed all the fervice of 
 the Jewifh tabernacle ; but, though they 
 pofTefled the righteoufnefs of the law, they 
 were ft rangers to moral righteoufnefs. Te 
 pay tithe of minty and annife, and cummin^ 
 fays he, but iiohat have you negle5ied to do f 
 OTe have omitted the weightier matters of the 
 iaWy judgement^ mercy^ atid truth : thefe 
 ought ye to have done^ and not to leave the o- 
 ther undone : by which, he does not repre- 
 hend them for their performance of the ri- 
 tuals of that difpenfation, which were ob- 
 ligatory until the facrifice of Chrift, yet 
 he (hews the fuperiority of moral and prac- 
 tical truths, mercy and judgement. Thefe 
 ought ye to have done; and, therefore, in 
 point of order, when the prophet anfwers 
 0.3 the 
 
'( 230 ) 
 
 the quciilon propofed to him, the firft is, 
 dojuftice: which I conceive not only com- 
 prehends the obligation we owe to one ano- 
 ther^ but the obligation we owe to the Su- 
 preme Being. While I am zealous to plead 
 for the obligation of juflice amorig men, 
 and the difchar^ie of the duties of focial 
 relations, I would by no means forget that 
 there is ajuftice due to the glorious father 
 of all we pofTefs. He has made us, not 
 we ourfelves ; we are his offspring ; he has 
 communicated to us a variety of tempo- 
 ral and fpiritual blellings, and we ought, 
 in point of gratitude, in point of juflice, 
 to make a proper application of thofe.blef- 
 fings, to render to him the duty that arifes 
 from the relation that we iland in to him ^s 
 his children, the offspring of the everkft- 
 ing Father ; and, therefore, he calls upon 
 VIS, my fon^ give me thy heart. He would 
 not require that of us which is not in 
 point of juftice our duty to comply with ; 
 give me thy heart j give me the beft of thy 
 ^fFeftions 3 manifeil thy love to me by keep^ 
 
 ing 
 
( 231 ) 
 
 ing my commandments, as a good fleward; 
 for, we are all, all ranks and clafTes of be- 
 ings are, ftewards of the manifold grace of 
 God J and it is required of ftewards that 
 they be found faithful. The time is ap- 
 proaching, when it will be faid, give an ac- 
 count of thy JiewardJJoip 3 for, thou may ft be no 
 longer flew ard. Let us, therefore, afk our- 
 felves this queftion, — what have we recei- 
 ved ? v;hat improved ? and what mifap- 
 plied ? and then afk, what oweft thou to 
 my Lord ? The debt is immenfe. We 
 have received much : our improvements 
 have been little j but wherewith fliall we 
 Qome before the.Moft High ? In what way 
 will the Father of mercies be propitious to 
 us ? Let us firft confefs our faults , let us 
 not cover our fnis, or feek to, hide them j 
 for, he that hides his fins flialLjiQt.profper : 
 let us acknowledge our fms' y Jet us 
 encompafs his altar in the multitude 
 of his mercies J let us pofTefs the peniten- 
 tial afFe6lion of the poor publican, while 
 the Pharifee could boaft of his failing twice 
 in the week, giving alms of all he poflefTed, 
 Q. 4 and 
 
( 232 ) 
 
 and not being as other men, evefi as the 
 poor publican, Notwithflanding thefe pom- 
 pous words, he was not accepted. The 
 poor publican had nothing to plead, no me- 
 rit to recommend him ^ and, therefore, 
 under the contemplation of the infinite Ma- 
 jefly he was about to approach, he had not 
 courage to lift up his hands towards the 
 habitation of his hoiinefs ; but, iighing, 
 faid, Lord^ bemercijul to me^ afinnerl If 
 we pofTefs thefe penitential affe6tions, we 
 fhall become the objefts of that mercy 
 which our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift 
 exemplified in his miniftry, in his chara6ler, 
 in his crucifixion, in his refurre6lion, and 
 afcenfion into glory. It is a faithful fay- 
 ing, and worthy of all acceptation, that Je- 
 fus Chrifl came into the world to fave lin* 
 ners ; and we have all fmned, and fallen 
 fhort of the glory of God ; we have done 
 the things we ought not to have done, and 
 left undone the things we ought to have . 
 done. And, fuch is the marvellous conde- 
 fcenfion of him who inhabits eternity, that 
 
 he 
 
C 233 ) 
 
 he fent forth his Son, not with a meflage 
 of unrelenting vengeance, not to adign to 
 fallen fpirits a habitation in thofe realms 
 where the worm Ihall never die, and the 
 fire {hall never be quenched, but with the 
 glorious and interefling melTage, that, who- 
 foever forfakes his fins fhall be forgiven of 
 his Father who is in heaven, and whofoe- 
 ver frames his life and manners, in confe- 
 quence of it, with this penitential affec- 
 tion, he fhall pofTefs that inheritance which 
 is unfpeakably glorious j his fins fhall be 
 cancelled from the book of the divine re- 
 membrance, and fhall not f|-and againffc 
 him in the judgement of the laftday. If 
 we confefs our fins, God is merciful and 
 jufl to forgive us our fins. I diflinguifh 
 between the forgivenefs offinsandthe con- 
 verfiort of our fouls. The forgivenefs of 
 fins is purely owing to the mediation and 
 the intefceffion of Jefus Chriftj but the 
 work of converfion requires and calls upon 
 the obje6lto be a co-worker with the influ- 
 ence of grace to purify the foul, and turn 
 
 its 
 
( 234 ) 
 its feet into the jull: man's path, which is 
 as the fhuiing light, that fhineth more and 
 more unto the perfe6t day. Therefore, 
 faith our Lord, 7ny Father workethy and I 
 work : work ye aljo. 
 
 He came to his ow?i, and his own received 
 him not j but, to as many as received him, 
 to them gave he power to become the fons 
 of God, even to as many as beheved on 
 his name. Therefore, we experience the 
 remiffion of fms through the forbearance 
 of God 3 but the work of fan61:ification is 
 not yet completed ; the office of the Me- 
 diator is not only to procure for us the re- 
 miffion of fins pafl, but it is to corre6l 
 thofe vices in our very fouls which thegof- 
 pel-axe is laid to the root of, the corrupt 
 tree in us, the root of our corrupt affec- 
 tions ; and, . till this has effe6lually done 
 its office, we fhall not be cleanfed from all 
 unrighteoufnefs. God Almighty grant, of 
 his infinite mercy, that we may not be 
 content under any fpecious pretences of re-, 
 ligion, but that we may feek to attain that 
 
 purity 
 
( 235 ) 
 purity of heart without which we cannot 
 enter the habitation of thofe glorious re- 
 gions, where nothing that defiles, or that 
 worketh abomination, or maketh a lie, can 
 enter. It is the pure in heart who Ihall fee 
 God : it is thofe that have been reformed 
 from the errors of their ways, and whofe 
 afFedions are raifed from earth to heaven, 
 from natural to fpiritual obje6ls j thefe 
 are of the number of the Lord's redeemed, 
 who, when the tirhe of their confli-fl fhall 
 be ended on earth, fliall fland upon Mount 
 Sion to celebrate the praifes of the great 
 King for ever and ever ! I feel my heart 
 enlarged with the love of the gofpel, with 
 the benevolent fpirit which ufhered the Sa- 
 viour into the world : Glory to God in the 
 highefi^ on earth peace^ and good-will to 
 men ! 
 
 We all ftand in the relation of brethren 
 to one another. We all fland in the rela- 
 tion of children to the univerfal Parent. 
 We are his by creation. The Lord grant 
 we may be his by adoption : that we may 
 
 be 
 
( 236 ) 
 
 be fealed by him to the day of complete re-i 
 demption : that we may be cleanfed from 
 all filthinefs of the flefh and fpirit : that 
 we may be influenced by the moft pure 
 motives to condu6l ourfelves by his com- 
 mandments here, and have a well-grounded 
 hope of living with him hereafter ! I 
 commend us to the proteflion of our Al- 
 mighty Father; and, finally, wifh us to 
 retain, in our remembrance, thefe impor^ 
 tant articles, that they may be written, as 
 with the point of a diamond, upon the ta- 
 blet of our hearts. He hath Jhewed thee, O 
 man, what is good ! Confult the facred o- 
 racles : thou wilt be inftru6led in that 
 which thou art to know, qualified to per- 
 form that which thou art to do, be enlar- 
 ged in thy befl faculties and powers to enter 
 into thofe regions where the inhabitants 
 fhall not fay I am fick ; for, the people who 
 dwell therein are forgiven their iniquity. 
 
 I commend you to God, and to the word 
 of his grace, which is able to build us up in 
 the mofl: holy faith, and to give us an in- 
 heritance 
 
{ 237 ) 
 
 heritance among all them who are fan6ti- 
 fied. He hath fiewn unto thee^ O many what 
 is goody and what the Lord requires of thee ; to do 
 jujiice, to love mercy ^ and to walk humbly with 
 thy God. Add, to your faith, virtue ; to virtue, 
 knowledge; to knowledge, temperance j to 
 temperance, patience j to patience, godli- 
 nefs ; to godlinefs, brotherly-kindnefs ; 
 and, to brotherly-kindnefs, charity : and, 
 if thefe things be in you, and abound a- 
 xnong you, they fliall make you that you 
 (hall be neither barren, nor unfruitful, in 
 the faving knowledge of our Lord Jefus 
 Chrift 1 
 
 DISCOURSE 
 
( 239 ) 
 
 DISCOURSE XL 
 
 Jl' is appointed unto men once to die. This 
 is one of thofe propofitions which no 
 man is fo weak as to deny. But the facred 
 penman proceeds farther, — and^ after deaths 
 Cometh the judgement. This, alfo, is a pro- 
 pofition which is of courfe admitted, in 
 terms, by every one who profefTes to be a 
 Chriftian, or a difciple of Chrifl j and, in- 
 deed, this proportion is of the moft awful 
 and affe6ling nature. We mufl all iland 
 before thejudgement-featof Chrift, and re- 
 ceive a recompence of reward according as 
 
 our 
 
(240) 
 
 our works have been. A Judge, who is in- 
 fallible, who will not deceive, nor can pof- 
 fibly be deceived ; he taketh cognizance not 
 only of our outward a6llons, but he pene- 
 trates the very thoughts and intents of all 
 our hearts j and, feeing that he will not 
 condemn the innocent, nor acquit the guil- 
 ty, — on this refledion, methinks, it would 
 be well for us, as it were, to lay our hands 
 upon our hearts, and alk ourfelves this 
 queflion, — What manner of creatures 
 ought we to be ? The Author of our be- 
 ing is a God of infinite purity and holi- 
 nefs ; nothing can be .united unto him, no 
 being admitted to dwell in his prefence, (in 
 which there is fulnefs of joy,) who is in a 
 ftate of impurity : there nothing that work^ 
 eth an abomination or that loveth and 
 maketh a lie, can have an entrance : for, 
 it is pofitively afferted by the higheft au- 
 thority, that, without holinefs, no man 
 fhall fee the Lord. On the contrary, it is 
 declared, Blejfed are the pure in heart, for 
 they Jhall fee God :,'-^\\\2it .they fliall.haye thart 
 
 union 
 
( 241 ) 
 
 union and communion with him, in which 
 the happinefs of all ranks and claffes of in- 
 telligent beings moft certainly depends. 
 But there is another proportion that it will 
 be well for us alfo ferioufly to confider, // 
 any man fay that J^e hath no Jin^ or that he 
 has not finned, (as fomehave rendered this 
 pafTage, ) he deceiveth himfelfy and the truth is 
 not in him. We have alU fays the prophet, 
 asjheepgone ajiray, — ilrayed from the paths 
 of the juft into the wildernefs of this world. 
 We have all fmned : wc have all fallen fliort 
 of the glory of God. In this ftate, there- 
 fore, whatever vain expectations any may 
 entertain, they are not fit fubjedls of the 
 kingdom of heaven : they are under the 
 power and government of the prince of the 
 power of the air, which ruleth in the hearts 
 of the children of difobedience. Thofe, 
 therefore, who are in this ftate, have no 
 ground of hope of being admitted into the 
 kingdom of the juflj there is no commu- 
 nion between light and darknefs, there is 
 no fellowlhip between Chrifl and Belial ; 
 R and, 
 
( 242 ) 
 
 and, indeed, our Lord pofitively afTerts, 
 If ye die ifi your fins ^ where I go ye Jhall not 
 not come -, therefore, though he came (the 
 meflenger from the Father was the Son of 
 God, the eternal Word) with the glad ti- 
 dings of the gofpelto all the inhabitants of 
 the earth, yet his coming became effectual 
 only to thofe who received him. I came, 
 fays he, to my own, but my own received me 
 not ; but, to as many as received me, gave I 
 power to become the Sons of God; as much as 
 to fay, Be ye not deceived, and imagine, 
 that, in confequence of my coming, you 
 are to be faved in your Uns, or to have a li- 
 cence from heaven to indulge your appe- 
 tites. No : the purpofe of my coming is 
 not to fave you in, but to fave you from, 
 your fms ; and it is a faying that is worthy 
 of all acceptation, that Jefus Chrifi came in- 
 to the world to fave /inner s. The Scriptures 
 propofe to us, and in a very explicit and 
 comprehenfive manner, what we muft be 
 before we can be accepted of his Father, 
 who is in heaven. Repent, fays he, and 
 
 be 
 
( 243 ) 
 he converted^ that your fins may he foj'given 
 you : fo that it feems we muft, in the 
 lirft inllance, repent of thofe fnis which we 
 have committed. We muft really feel thofe 
 penitential afFe6lions of foul that would 
 prompt us, if poffible, to undo all the evil 
 a6lionswe have done j that would humble us 
 moft effe6lually under a fenfe of our ingra- 
 titude to the Authorof our being, and that 
 would prompt us, in the depth of our humi- 
 liation, to fay, a Saviour , or I die \ a Re^ 
 deemer, or Iperifo ! We muft not only re- 
 pent of our fms paft, but we muft alfo be 
 converted; not repent of thofe that are paft, 
 and ftill purfue a courfe of iniquity, but 
 we muft turn from unrighteoufnefs to righ- 
 teoufnefsi our afreclions muft no longer be 
 fet upon things that are upon the earth, but 
 upon things that are above; we muft be 
 no longer carnally, but fpiritually, minded ; 
 for, under the moft fpecious profeffion, to 
 be carnally minded is death, but to be fpi- 
 ritually minded is life and peace j and, fuch 
 is the infinite mercy and goodnefs of God, 
 R 2 throuo^h 
 
( H^ ) 
 
 through Jefas Chrift, towards us, that he wills 
 not the death of fmners, that is, to fee the e- 
 ternal mifery, or infelicity, of a (inner, but 
 rather that all fhould return, fhould repent, 
 and live a life of righteoufnefs here, and, 
 of courfe, be glorified with him hereafter 
 in the kingdom of thejuft j and the terms 
 which he propofes are worthy of the Su- 
 preme Being to give, and would become us 
 to accept with all penitence of foul and gra- 
 titude of heart. If^ fays he, ye confefs your 
 fins, God is merciful', he is juji to forgive us 
 our fins ;— - not only to forgive the fins that 
 are paft, but, by the operation of his 
 grace, to fan6lify us throughout, to forgive 
 us our fms, and to cleanfe us from all un- 
 righteoufnefs J and, of courfe, if we become 
 cleanfed from all un righteoufnefs, we fhall 
 be made meet for a habitation in the king- 
 dom of heaven. Let us, therefore, be awa- 
 kened to righteoufnefs -, awakened to righ- 
 teoufnefs from the nature of the difpenfa- 
 tion we are under, that leads into every kind 
 ofpurityand holinefs,thatfo we may repent, 
 
 and 
 
( 245 ) 
 
 and alfo be converted, — converted at heart, 
 and experience redemption through his 
 blood, which was Ihed for the fins of all 
 mankind. 
 
 If we were thus to contemplate the 
 nature of the gofpel-difpenfation, we, in- 
 deed, fliould become circumfpe6l, we fhould 
 be ferious, 'we fliould be inquidtive j and 
 this prayer would become as it were habi- 
 tual, Ci'eate in me a clean hearty O God, and 
 rcjiew a right fpirit within me 5 for, as it is 
 the heart that is the objefl of converfion, 
 by the power of an endlefs life, fo it is the 
 feat of fin. It is there the prince of dark- 
 nefs has ufurped dominion ; and he, being 
 cafl out, or the old man with his deeds 
 put off, the peaceable kingdom of Imma- 
 nuel is fubftituted ; that kingdom which 
 cannot be removed. If this became the fe- 
 rious engagement of our hearts, we fhould 
 not only be induced to profefs the Chriflian 
 faith, but alfo to exemplify the love of its 
 Author, of our Father who is in heaven, 
 by obferving thofe commandments which 
 R 3 are 
 
( 246 ) 
 
 are of nnlverfal obligation, and obedience to 
 which is the rock which is immutable, a- 
 gainft which the gates of hell fhall never 
 prevail. It is not merely holding forth the 
 truths of the gofpel that will render us ac- 
 ceptable ; thefe^ may be held forth in theo- 
 ry, and yet held in unrighteoufnefs, and 
 will never avail us in the folema feafon of 
 the great day. Let us therefore advert to 
 the clofe of that mod excellent fermon, 
 preached upon the mount. After many 
 pradical doctrines concerning the kingdom 
 of heaven had been opened to the hearers, 
 our Lord took occafion to di/tinguifh be- 
 tween the mere hearer of the word, the 
 formal profefTor, and one that was a true 
 difciple. Ifa?2y man hear my words y and do 
 them not^ I will liken him unto a foolijh man 
 who built his houfe upon the fand j ajid the 
 rains defcended, and the floods came, and the 
 winds blew, and the houfe fell] and great was 
 the fall thereof. So will it be with the hope 
 of the hypocrite, for it fhall perifli. The 
 hope of the hypocrite may buoy him up 
 
 in 
 
 i 
 
( 247 ) 
 
 in the feafon of profperity ; but, in the 
 feafon of adverfity, it will fail him. 
 When the rains fliall defcend, and the 
 winds of adverfity blow, he will not be a- 
 ble to ftand the fliock. When he pafletli 
 through the valley of the fhadow of death, 
 this hope will be like the lamps of the fool- 
 ifli virghis. Jf any maiz hear thefe fayings 
 of mine, a?id doeth them^ — (from which I in- 
 fer they are prafticable, and might be done, 
 the contrary pofition implying the mod da- 
 ring refle6lion on the attributes of the di- 
 vine being : — does he command us to make 
 brick witliout ftraw ? command us to do 
 that which we have no power to perform ? 
 far be it from the Father of mankind :) — Jf 
 any man hear thefe fayings of mine^ and doeth 
 them, I will liken him unto a wife man, who 
 built his houfe upon a rock j and, when the 
 rains defended, and the floods came, and the 
 winds blew, it fell not, becaife (not of any 
 intrinlic merit of his own, but becaufe) it 
 was founded upon a rock, the revelation of 
 Jefus Chiiftj the foundation of the apof- 
 R 4 ties 
 
( 248 ) 
 ties and prophets, Jefus Chiift himfelf be- 
 ing the chief corner-ilone, difallowed in- 
 deed of men, who would wifh to build a 
 fpecious edifice on an unliable foundation, 
 who follow lying vanities in oppofition. 
 to every thing fuited to an immortal fpi- 
 rit. 
 
 Let us, my friends, on this occafion, 
 (a folemn occafion it is to me ; we have be- 
 fore us the remains of a friend, taken ofF 
 in the midft of her days, taken from the 
 fociety of the living j but nothing has hap- 
 pened to her that is uncommon :>— in the 
 midft of life we are all in death, we have no 
 dependence on to-morrow,) let us, I fay, 
 improve the prefent opportunity. Some, 
 indeed, fall off as fruit which drops when 
 it is come to full age, but others are, as it 
 were, cut off with a noxious blaft by the 
 hand of him whofe ways are all in wifdom. 
 It is ours, therefore, to fubmit ; and, fee- 
 ing death is not afligned to any particular 
 age, (as the arrows thereof enter into the 
 habitations of the rich as well as the cot- 
 tage 
 
( 249 ) 
 
 tage of the poor ; it feparates the father 
 from his children, the hufband from his 
 wife, the neareil: and dearefl conne6lions 
 in Ufe j) let us, feeing we have no continu- 
 ing city here, feek one above, whofe foun- 
 dations are laid in Zion, and are immuta- 
 ble as the throne of God. 
 
 I feel my heart enlarged, I trufl, in the 
 gofpel of our Lord Jefus Chrifl, whofe 
 love conilrains me to addrefs you, my fel- 
 low-pilgrims, in this way. Let not the 
 flrong man glory in his ftrength, the rich 
 man in his riches, nor the wife man in his 
 wifdom J but, if any man glories, let him 
 glory in this, that his Redeemer ftands in 
 the relation to him of one that is full of 
 mercy and truth. Let him glory in me, 
 that 1 am the Lord ^ ivhd exercife loving-kind- 
 nefii judgement^ and righteoiifnefs^ in the 
 earth : let us be folicitous that we may be 
 accepted of the Father of the human race, 
 when we fhall have done with thefe tran- 
 fitory things. Every thing around us will 
 ferve to inilrud an attentive mind. It is 
 
 an 
 
( 250 ) 
 
 an awful truth, Man that is Born of a wo- 
 man is of few days, and full of trouble : he co- 
 meth up like a flower, and is cut down : like 
 a Jljadow he fleet h, and continueth not. With 
 refpecr to many within the audience of my 
 voice, the houfes you pofTefs were not long 
 fmce pofTeiTed by your anceftors ; they are 
 gone ; your children will foon have the fame 
 to fay of you. 
 
 Let us therefore improve the prefent op-» 
 portunity, according to that meafure of 
 grace which we have received, that we may 
 be fan6lified in body, foul, and fpirit ; that 
 we may have nothing to fear from that 
 ftroke which we cannot poffibly fhun ; then, 
 to us, to live will be Chrift, and to die will 
 be gain. Let us fo condu6l ourfelves in 
 this world, that, when the end of the 
 world fliail come upon us, (for, with ref- 
 pecl to individuals, their difTolution is the 
 end of the world with them,) we may not 
 be furprifed. Let us, before we go hence 
 to be feen no more of men, endeavour to 
 lay up a good foundation againft the tim© 
 
 to 
 
( 2SI ) 
 
 to come i and then, when it fhallpleafe the 
 great Difpofer of all things to fend the mef- ~ 
 fage, whether in the early part of life, or 
 in more advanced age, there will be hope 
 in the death of the righteous. Their hope 
 is full of immortality. 
 
 I commend thefe obfervations to you, and 
 I commend you to God, and to the word 
 of his grace, which is able to build you up, 
 and give you an inheritance among all them 
 who are fan6lified by faith in the name of 
 Jefus Chrift, 
 
 PRAYER 
 
( 252 ) 
 
 PRAYER 
 
 AT THE 
 
 CONCLUSION OF THE MEETING. 
 
 MOST gracious God, imprefs all our 
 hearts at this feafon, we humbly 
 befeech thee, with a fuitable folemnity to 
 approach thy awful prefence ; that, infpi- 
 red by the fpirit of grace, we may make an 
 offering that fhall be acceptable with thee. 
 We have, indeed, abundant caufe to ac- 
 knowledge that we have not the leaft de- 
 gree of merit to plead. Whatever any of 
 us pofTefs, that is good, is of thee, from 
 
 thee. 
 
( 253 ) 
 
 thee, and through theoperatlonof thy grace.^ 
 Be pieafed yet more and more to imprefs 
 us in a manner fimilar to the poor publi- 
 can ; that, under a fenfe of our own un- 
 worthinefs, v/e may call upon thy great 
 and excellent name, with Loj-d, he merci- 
 fill to me ajinner ! That, through efFe6lual 
 humiliation and penitence of foul, thou 
 mayft be pieafed to cancel our tranfgref- 
 fions from the book of thy remembrance, 
 be merciful to our unrighteoufnefs, and 
 our iniquities remember no more : that, by 
 the fand:ifying influences of thy Spirit, our 
 hearts may be alfo converted unto thee, that 
 we may be cleanfed from all unrighteouf- 
 nefs, and enabled by thy grace to fleer our 
 courfe, in future, inthejuft man's path, 
 which, as the bright and fhining light, fhi- 
 neth more and more unto the perfe6l day : 
 that we may pafs the time of our fojourning 
 here in fear, and may conclude our fhort 
 pilgrimage in thy favour, having a well- 
 grounded hope that we fhall be accepted of 
 thee, and admitted into the general aflem- 
 
 bly 
 
( 254 ) 
 
 bly of the juft, the Church of the firft-born, 
 who are already triumphant in glory. O let us 
 more and more feel the prevalence of the love 
 of thy Son, and that it may be fhed abroad 
 more and more in our hearts, and circulate 
 more and more among one another : that 
 we may put away all malice, and wrath, 
 and love one another with a love unfeign- 
 ed in Chrifl : and O merciful Father, en- 
 due us more and more with that fpirit of 
 charity that thinketh no evil, that is not ea- 
 fily provoked, that extends not to our 
 friends only, but alfo to our enemies, that 
 we may lead one another to the beautiful 
 mountain, the mountain of thy hohnefs, 
 where the lion and the lamb fliall lie down 
 together, and a little child fhall lead them : 
 that the kingdoms of the earth may become 
 the kingdoms of the Lord and of thy Son: 
 that thy name may be great, among all the 
 tribes of the Gentiles, from the rifmg of 
 the fun to the fetting of the fame : that, 
 O everlafting Father, thy creatures may be 
 faved of thee with an everlafting falvation, 
 
 )rmg 
 
, ( 255 ) 
 
 bring thy fons and daughters from afar, to 
 fit down in thy kingdom with Abraham, 
 Ifaac, and Jacob, and praife and laud thy 
 excellent name, who art worthy to receive 
 the kingdom, power, and glory, both now 
 and for evermore. Amen. 
 
 DISCOURSE 
 
( ^S7 ) 
 
 I S C O U R S E XII. 
 
 f\F CI truth I perceive that God is 720 refpedi" 
 er of perfo?2s, but he that feareth him^ 
 and worketh righteoufnefs, is accepted of him, 
 I prefiime that mod of you are acquainted 
 with the particular caufe of this declara- 
 tion, — that an eminent apoftle of our Lord 
 and Saviour Jefus Chrift feemed to have 
 been of the opinion, that the gofpel-mef- 
 fao-c vv^as not to extend unto the Gentiles. 
 This was, perhaps, founded upon Jewifh 
 prejudice ; and we areinftrufted, in this in- 
 ftance, of the power of prejudice to flop 
 the ears and blind the eyes of a wife man. 
 
 S The 
 
( 2S8 ) 
 The moft worthy and mofl: exalted charac- 
 ters have, more or lefs, manifefted in their 
 conduct the power ofprejadice,'— the preju- 
 dice of education j and, indeed, the wrong 
 impreffions, which mankind receive in their 
 minority, generally are lading, or with 
 difficulty erafed. They feem to be like cha- 
 racters which are cut out upon a tree, 
 which grow wider and frequently deeper in 
 proportion to the growth of the tree. 
 Thus many prejudices, which mankind 
 have received at an early time of life, are 
 fuch, that they have not been capable of 
 clearly diftinguifhing one obje6l from ano- 
 ther. They, as it were, grow with their 
 growth, and are flrengthened v^ith their 
 ftrength. I conceive thefe are thofe fecret 
 faults V(^hich the Pfalmift intended when he 
 faid, who tan underjiand his errors ? Cieanfe 
 thou me from fecret faults. It feems that an 
 extraordinary difpenfation of divine provi- 
 dence effectually removed this prejudice 
 from the mind of the holy apoftle. He 
 was favoured with a vifion, in which he 
 
 favv. 
 
( 259 ) 
 
 faw, as it were, a fheet let down from hea- 
 ven, containing various fpecies of animals; 
 and he was commanded to arife, to (lay, and 
 to eat ; but he endeavoured to excufe him- 
 felf by faying, that he had not eaten any 
 thing that is common or unclean ; upon 
 which he was taught not to call that com- 
 mon or unclean which God had cleanfed. 
 The man to whom he was fent was a 
 man of a fmcere heart 5 his heart was right 
 towards God ; to him the glad tidings of 
 the gofpel were publiflied, though he was 
 a heathen. The mercy of God, through 
 Jefus Chrifc, makes not that difl:in6lion, 
 perfonal diftin6lion, betv/een the human 
 fpecies which the law of Mofes made a- 
 mong the inferior animals, fome of which 
 wxre forbidden as unclean. The apoille 
 faw the defign of this vilion, and there is no 
 doubt that he felt his^ heart enlarged in a 
 manner which, till then, he had been a 
 ftranger to. He now faw that the light of 
 the gofpel was freely to be preached to all 
 nations, kindreds, tongues, and people. 
 S 2 Ke 
 
( 26o ) . 
 
 He favv that Immanuel was a light to en- 
 lighten the Gentiles as well as to be the 
 glory of the people of Ifrael. / Joave fet 
 him to be a^ light to the Ge^ttiks, to be for fal~ 
 vatioji unto the ends of the earth ; not within 
 the narrow circle of any party of human 
 beings, not within the limits of any fpot 
 upon the face of the globe, but to be for 
 falvation to the very ends of the earth. 
 He, in the enlargement of his heart, breaks 
 forth in this manner, Of a truths fays he, I 
 perceive. From which I infer that he 
 had feen, as it were, darkly through a glafs; 
 for, though, perhaps, friendly admonitions 
 may not efFe61ually remove our prejudices, 
 yet, fometimes at lead, they are conducive 
 to this end. We begin to fufpe6l we err, 
 and a man who begins to fufpe6l he errs is 
 in the v/ay to underftand his errors ; where- 
 as the obflinate may be compared to a man 
 who fliuts his eyes, and, of courfe, will not 
 be enabled to difcriminate obje6ls even at 
 noon-day ; but the man, who begins to fuf- 
 pe<5l" that he errs, or tliat he may err, be- 
 gins 
 
 to' 
 
 i 
 
( 26i ) 
 
 gins to open the door of his heart to convic- 
 tion, and the apoftle feemed to have had 
 fome ghmmering of this glorious truth ; 
 but now the fcales of prejudice fell from 
 his eyes : his mental fight was clear. Of 
 a truths fays he, I perceive that God is no re^ 
 fpeBer of perfons^ but he that fear eth God^ and 
 worketh righteoiifnefs^ is accepted of him ; 
 and, I muil confefs, though it very unex- 
 pe6ledly appears to be my duty to confefs it 
 now, that, of all thofe do6lrines which I 
 conceive to be errors, of all thofe things 
 which I conceive are not agreeable either to 
 reafon, to the nature of things, or to the 
 Scriptures of truth, there is not one which 
 to me is fo palpable as the do6lrine of par- 
 tial eleftion and reprobation j that is to 
 fay, that God, by virtue of his fovereignty, 
 did, of his own good will and pleafure, cre- 
 ate a certain number of intelligent beings, 
 not only forefeeing that they would fin, and 
 be laflingly miferable, but for that very 
 purpofe ; that their mifery is in confe- 
 quence of his eternal decree j that the other 
 
 S 3 part. 
 
( 262 ) 
 
 part, whether few or more, are ordained to 
 everlafting hfe ; not in confideration of a- 
 ny merit which they pofTefs, (for, it is ac- 
 knowledged that tlie ele6l polTefs no more 
 merit than the reprobate -, that the righ- 
 teoufnefs with which they are clothed is 
 the righteoufnefs of Chrift ; that they are 
 faved by virtue of the propitiatory facrifice 
 of the Son of God ; that, by nature, they 
 are black, they are vile, as the reprobate, 
 but that they are comely with grace, as 
 they ftand related to Chrift Jefiis, who is 
 the head of his Church;) not in confidera- 
 tion therefore of any thing they can merit, 
 but of God's fovereign pleafure. But I 
 would wifh every one prefent ferioufly to 
 confider, whether a greater reflection could 
 be cad upon the divine attributes, unlefs 
 it were to fay that he created all mankind to 
 be eternally miferable. That God, the Fa- 
 ther of the fpirits of all fleih, to whorn we 
 are indebted for our exiftence, and who of 
 his pleafure did create us, fhould do it with 
 a view of making us, or any part of his 
 
 creatureSj, 
 
( 263 ) 
 
 creatures, everlaftingly miferable, is fuch 
 an idea that I confefs lliocks me. I fay it 
 fhocks me. Shall fiot the judge of all the 
 earth do right ? He is not only a God of 
 juflice, but he is a God of goodnefs ; but 
 how can this be reconciled with goodnefs, 
 that a Being (liould purpofely bring others 
 into being in order to make them miferable ? 
 It is repugnant to every idea that I can form 
 of the Deity- It is a difpofition, indeed, 
 that appears to me to befpeak the nature of 
 a tyrant, the nature of that being who is 
 faid to go about like a roaring lion, feeking 
 whom he may devour ; but this, as well as 
 other erroneous doftrines, is faid to be 
 founded upon the Scriptures. Thus the 
 Scriptures are made to contradict them- 
 felves, the literal fenfe is adopted where 
 that fenfe coincides with the pre-conceived 
 opinion. J but, where the literal {Qn{<^ ac- 
 cords not with that opinion, it is tortured 
 a thoufand ways to exprefs what the Holy 
 Ghoft never intended, — whatever the par- 
 ties wifh it to fpeak. Thus paffages, ob- 
 S 4 vioufly 
 
( 264 ) 
 
 vioufly figurative, have been confidered as 
 literal J and others, appearing plain, even 
 to common fenfe^ to experience, to our 
 common feelings, and to the nature of 
 things, fuch have been rendered myflerious 
 by various comments, in which truth has 
 been obfcured by the multitude of words 
 without knowledge^ But, I conceive, if 
 we confider the holy Scriptures, from the 
 firft chapter of Gencfis to the laft in Reve- 
 lations i if we are capable of laying afide 
 our prejudices ; we lliall fee that they do af- 
 fert the unity of God, his felf-fufficiency, 
 his omnipotence, his omnifcience. The u- 
 niverfality of his love to his creatures is the 
 fcope and tendency of the facred pages, 
 and thatt\\Q motive of all the difpenfations 
 of his providence to mankind. His views 
 (if I may ufe that expreflion of the Ancient 
 of days) terminated not upon himfelf, v/ho 
 is incapable of an acceflion of happinefs, 
 neither upon the mifery of his creatures, 
 to which he could have no motive, but they 
 terminated in the creature who is capable 
 
 of 
 
( 265 ) 
 
 of immortality and eternal life. The Su- 
 preme Being, I conceive, to be the only 
 perfe6lly diftinterefted being in the uni- 
 verfe: perhaps, a parent, for inilance, (if 
 the comparifon may at all be allowed,) a 
 wife, an afFe6lionate, parent, may bear 
 fome humble refemblance of the univerfal 
 Father. He is often fet forth to us under 
 the endearing chara6ler of our Father : as 
 c father pitieth his children^ fo the Lord pitieth 
 them that fear him. He knows our frame, 
 he remembers that we are but dull: -, but 
 the parent, who poffefles the moft delicate 
 parental feelings, difcovers the utmofl foli- 
 citude for the'^happinefs of his offspring, 
 and will find his happinefs intimately con- 
 ne6led therewith. Such is the nature of 
 that affection, flrengthened by moral ties, 
 that a parent and his offspring may be fald 
 to be conne6led by fo many fibres of the 
 lieart : his happinefs is bound up in his 
 offspring : he mufl rejoice when they re- 
 joice, and fuffer when they are afHifted. 
 In alleviating their afHidions, he alleviates 
 
 his 
 
( 266 ) 
 
 his own : in promoting the happinefs of 
 his children, he promotes his own feUcity ; 
 but, refpe£ling the divine Being, the ana- 
 logy will not flridly hold. Thy righteoiif- 
 nefs^ as the text faith, may profit the fin of 
 man, and thy wickednefs may hurt a man as 
 thou art. The obfervance of the laws of 
 virtue, of righteoufnefs, and truth, would 
 promote the effential interefts of fociety. 
 It would produce that harmony through- 
 out all the clafTes of focial life, in which the 
 greateil degree of happinefs is to be experien- 
 ced. Vice, on the contrary, is not only 
 prejudicial to the interefts of the individual, 
 but its evil influence extends, far and 
 wide, within the circumference of fociety. 
 Therefore, our righteoufnefs may profit 
 men as we are, our wickednefs may hurt 
 the children of men, but our righteoufnefs 
 cannot profit him who is perfe6l, abfolute- 
 ly perfed, abfolutely good, felf-fufficient, 
 the fame yefterday, to day, and for ever, 
 with whom there is no variablenefs, neither 
 fhadow of turning. It is not the united 
 
( 26; ) 
 
 fupplicatlons of all the fouls within the li- 
 mits of his vaftly- extended empire that can 
 add to his eflential glory, that can add to his fe- 
 licity ; neither is it the negle6l of the wor- 
 fhip of all ranks and orders of intelligent 
 creatures that can diminifh his glory, that 
 can decreafe his felicity -, therefore, his mo- 
 tive, in creating and communicating good 
 to his creatures, muft be a motive perfect- 
 ly difmterefted : it is love without the leaft 
 fpecies of alloy. God's love was the ado- 
 rable motive of his making beings capable 
 of contemplating his attributes, and of that 
 felicity which is derived from him : this 
 v/as the glorious motive (if 1 may be indul- 
 ged to fpeak of the divine Being by attri- 
 buting to him motives) that induced him to 
 create the various orders and clalfes of in- 
 telligent beings, in this and every other 
 fphere, from the feraph above, that attends 
 upon the facred throne, to the lowefl link 
 in the fcale of rational intelligent creatures. 
 And, in thus contemplating the Deity, I 
 find the beft afFedions of my heart excited 
 
 towards 
 
( 268 ) 
 
 towards him, my parent, in a fenfe infinite- 
 ly fuperlor to that natural relation which 
 fub fills among the human fpecies and crea- 
 tures : and, under this chara6ler, are we 
 inflrudled to approach the Supreme Being,- 
 Otir Father:^ which art in heaven, hallowed be 
 thy name-, in which there is fomething that 
 ftrikes me with peculiar force, that indivi- 
 duals, when they approach the facred altar 
 of the Lord Almighty, and prefer their pe- 
 titions to him who fees in fecret, are not to 
 confider themfelves as detached from focie- 
 ty ; they are not to implore the bleffing 
 for themfelves alone. It is not my Father, 
 but our Father, which art in heaven, hal- 
 lowed by thy name -, by which we are in- 
 ftru6led, that God is no refpe6ler of per- 
 fons, that we all ftand in the fame relation 
 to him, who is the God and Father of the 
 fpirits of all flefh. Remember that the 
 Scripture declares, that he is good to all. 
 Can he be good to them, whom, by an eter- 
 nal irrevocable decree, he has conligned to 
 everlafting mifery ? But God is good tq 
 
 alU 
 
( 269 ) ■ 
 
 all ; therefore he has not predeffinated to 
 everlaftin": miferv the creature he has form- 
 ed, which would be, in the mod obvious 
 fenfe of the words, to be arefpecler of per- 
 fons, and muft arife from a motive of par- 
 tiality. We are inflrufted to refpe(5l no 
 man's perfon ; but this do61rine fuppofes 
 that the divine Being refpefts perfons him- 
 -felf. 
 
 Various are thofe ' pafTages of Scripture 
 which might be educed, that bear a plain 
 and obvious meaning, in oppofition to this < 
 do6lrine. And, though there may be fome 
 figurative paffages of a doubtful tendency, 
 in which the apoftle afTumes a borrowed 
 ftyle in his way of arguing with the Jews, 
 yet I can never agree to explain plain paf- 
 fages by bold figures. We are abundantly 
 inftrudted that he willeth not the death of a 
 fniner, but rather that he fliould be turned, - 
 and live : that he fliould repent, and be fa- 
 yed with an everlafling falvation. We are 
 alfoinftru6led, that, to them who feek for 
 glory, honour, and immortality, God will 
 
 render 
 
( 2/0 ) 
 
 render eternal life ; but, unto them who o- 
 bey not the truth, but obey unrighteouf- 
 nefs, tribulation and anguiJJj, indignation 
 and wrath ^ upon every foul of man that doeth 
 evih fo the Jew frfl, afid alfo of the Gen^ 
 tile ; for, there is no refped of perfons with 
 God. 
 
 Let us, therefore, imprelTed with what 
 I conceive are worthy notions of the Su- 
 preme Being, walk worthy of the vocation 
 wherewith we have been called. The pow- 
 er of the gofpel of Jefus is gone forth from 
 fea to fea, from the rivers to the ends 
 of the earth. The call of infinite mercy 
 and goodnefs is extended to people of all 
 names and all nations, to bring them into 
 a flate of moral re6litude, to qualify them 
 for the fociety of the wife and worthy upon 
 earth, and for the everlafling communion 
 of the fpirits of the juft made perfect in 
 heaven : for this end is the gofpel preached 
 to every creature under heaven. I wifii 
 that it may be remembered with the fo- 
 lemnity with which it ought to be remem- 
 bered. 
 
( 271 ) 
 
 bered, that it is not any fyflem of faith, it 
 is not any profeilion of the purity of the 
 gofpel of Jefus Chrift our Lord, it is not 
 the acknowledgement of his miffion, it is 
 not a fpeaking moil honourably of his a- 
 dorable chara6ler, of his miniftry, of his 
 crucifixion, of his refurreftion, and afcen- 
 fion into glory, nor of the propitiatory fa- 
 crifics which he made for the whole world, 
 that can render us acceptable to the- Father 
 of fpirits : the ground of our acceptance 
 with God is upon the fame univerfal prin- 
 ciple of righteoufnefs delivered by God in 
 liis remonft ranee with Cain : JVhy art thou 
 wroth, .and "why is thy countenance jalkn ? If 
 then doeji ivell^ fialt thou not be accepted i 
 andy ifthcu doejl not well^ Jin lieth at the door. 
 He was overcome by the power of, perhaps, 
 one of the bafell: paffions the human heart 
 is capable of. He was excited to deflroy his 
 brother, becaufe the found that his offer- 
 ing was accepted, that he had tokens of 
 divine approbation. He was excited to 
 flay him. Thepafiion of envy excited him 
 
 to 
 
( 272 ) 
 
 to filed human blood on the earth. With 
 this Cain, this murderer, the Author of 
 the univerfe deigns to expollulate in a very- 
 familiar manner : JVhy is thy counteiiance 
 fallen f If thou doe ft welly fjalt not thou be 
 accepted f but, if thou doeft not well, Jin lieth 
 at the door : fo that, though, with refpe6l 
 to external profeflion, and the external mode 
 of offering their facrifices, they might be 
 alike, yet, as the ftate of the heart of one 
 was wicked, and produ6live of wicked ac- 
 tions, he was not accepted with his gift at 
 thefacred altar ; whereas, righteous Abel, 
 who not only lifted up his hands to the ha- 
 bitation of God's holinefs, and conformed 
 to the outward facrifice, butwasjuflly im- 
 prefTed with a fenfe of his duty, became the 
 obje6l of the divine complacency : becaufe 
 thou haft loved righteoiifiiefs, and hated ini qui- 
 ty^ therefore God, even thy Godj hath a?iointed 
 thee with the oil of gladnefs above thy fellows. 
 Though this, perhaps, may have a peculiar 
 relation, as fome have confidered it, to the 
 Meffiah, yet it feems alfo to have a relation 
 
 to 
 
( 273 ) 
 
 to a difcrimination among creatures, — be-' 
 caufe thou hafi loved right eoufnefi', therefore,-— 
 it is not in confequence of a fpecious pro- 
 feffion, not becaiife of an irrevocable de- 
 cree, — but, becaufe thou haft loved right eouf- 
 nefSf and hated iniquity^ therefore God, even 
 thy God^ hath anointed thee with the oil of 
 gladnefs above thy fellows. Oh ! that there 
 may be a proper emulation in us to excel 
 in doing well. Ceafe, therefore, to do evil, 
 learn to do vi^ell. As doing evil was the 
 means of bringing down judgements upon 
 the people of the Jews, io they were in- 
 flru6led how to avert the divine wrath, and 
 render themfelves acceptable to the Father 
 of the univerfe i not by an attendance to 
 the rituals of that difpenfation, — Britig no 
 more vain oblations : incenfe is an abomina- 
 tion unto me, faith the Lord : your new moons 
 and your appointed feajis my foul hateth : — but 
 they were inftru6led what to do : IFaJh ye, 
 ?nake you clean j put away the evil of your do- 
 ings from before mine eyes j ceafe to do evil, 
 learn to do well ', feek judgement \ relieve the 
 
 T cpprejjed^ 
 
( 274 ) 
 
 otprefed, judge thefatharlefsy plead for the %vU 
 dow. Here is a catalogue of excellent mo- 
 ral duties, here is an explanation of what 
 it is to do well. He hath fjewed thee, O man, 
 what is good; and what doth the Lord require 
 of thee but to dojuftlyy and to love mercy, and 
 to 'walk humbly with thy God I* ISlow, fays he, 
 come, and let us reafon together : though your 
 fms be as fear let, they Jhall be as white as [now : 
 though they be red like crimfon, they f jail be as 
 wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye foall 
 eat the good of the land. Let us therefore 
 conform ourfelves to the terms by which we 
 are to be accepted. Of a truth I perceive 
 that God is no refpe5fer of perfons 5 but, in e- 
 'Very nation^ he that feareth him and worketh 
 righteoufnefs is accepted of him. Let us 
 thejefore cherifh in our breads, in the firft 
 inftancc, the emotions of filial fear, which 
 is didinguifhed from that flaviOi paflion of 
 which man is the obje6l. Such a fear is 
 evidently to be diftinguiflied from that af- 
 leftioii we have to the Ancient of days. I 
 compare that to the fear which an affedion- 
 
 ate 
 
( ^75 ) 
 
 ate child has of its parent, which fprings 
 from love ; which, indeed, is the heft and 
 moft worthy motive of our duties : we, 
 therefore, fear not the Almighty Being 
 merely becaufe he is armed with an uncon- 
 troulable power, and able to confign us to 
 eternal woe, who rides upon a cherub, and 
 the clouds are the duft of his feet, and do- 
 eth whatfoever he pleafeth : — we fear him 
 not only becaufe of the attributes of pow- 
 er, but of goodnefs, the adorable attributes 
 of goodnefs, mercy, and truth. He has 
 dealt with us not in a way of rigid jullice, 
 but according to thecompaflion of a father. 
 He has bowed the heavens, and manifefted 
 himfelf among his creatures : for, he fo 
 loved the world, that he fenr his only be- 
 gotten Son into the world, that whofoever 
 believeth in him might not perifli, but 
 have everlafting life ; therefore, let him be 
 the obje6l of our fear ; and of this fear 
 many excellent things are fpoken as to its 
 etFe»5lsby way of prevention. It is a foun- 
 tain of life to prefer ve from the fnare of 
 T 2 death ; 
 
( 276 ) 
 
 death : the fear of the Lord keepeth the 
 heart clean ; therefore, blejfed is the man that 
 f ear eth always. And, indeed, it is the firjft 
 part of the everlafting gofpel that was 
 preached by an angel flying in the midft 
 of heaven, having the everlafting gpfpel 
 to preach unto them that dwell on the earthy 
 and to every nation, and kindred, and 
 tongue, and people, faying, v^ith a loud 
 voice, Fear God, and give glory to him ; for, 
 the hour of his judgement is co?ne j and wor- 
 Jbip him that made heaven :, and earth, and thefea^ 
 and the fountains of waters : fear ye him I This 
 principle of filial fear will incline our ears 
 to an attention to his law, and we fhall be 
 meditators therein day and night ; and fhall 
 not only be hearers of the word, but doers 
 of it. Under the influence of this fear, we 
 fliall work the work of righteoufnefs, the 
 fruit of which is peace and alfurance for e* 
 ver. 
 
 If we obferve this rule of right, if we 
 conform ourfelves to him, we fhall be uni- 
 ted to the Author of our being in an union 
 
 that 
 
( ^^n ) 
 
 that is indifToluble, and firm as the everlaft- 
 ing hills. Keep my commandments^ (fays 
 Chrift to his difciples,) and abide in my love, 
 even as I have kept my Father s command- 
 ments^ and abide in his love. BlefTed is the 
 man that keeps the commandments of God : 
 he fhali have accefs to the tree of Hfe, and 
 enter through the gates into the city, be- 
 come citizens with the faints, and of the 
 houfehoidof God. God grant, of his infi- 
 nite mercy and goodnefs, that, when the 
 days of our pilgrimage fhall be ended, we 
 may have an admifTion into the afTembly 
 of juft and pure fpirits, to contemplate the 
 attributes of the I AM : that we may ling 
 the fong of Mofes, the fervant of God, and 
 the fong of the lamb, faying, Great and mar- 
 n3eUous are thy works. Lord God Almighty : 
 juji and true are thy ways^ thou King of faints f 
 
 PRAYER 
 
( 278 ) 
 
 PRAYER 
 
 AT THE 
 
 CONCLUSION of the MEETING, 
 
 TV^OST gracious God, and Father of all, 
 lYX YV'e befeech thee, manifeft thy pre- 
 fence, that, imprefled with the emotions of 
 filial fear, we may approach thy holy altar 
 with becoming reverence, pour forth our 
 fouls unto thee, and offer thee a facrifice of 
 thankfgiving and praife : that the contem- 
 plation of thy name may imprefs our hearts 
 with peculiar folemnity. Thou, who llan- 
 deil in the adorable relation to us of a fa- 
 ther. 
 
( 279 ) 
 
 ther, tliy goodnefs hath been extended to 
 us from feafon to feafon, from the firft 
 moment of our exiftence to the prefent 
 moment. It is of thy bounty that we are 
 fupphed with all thofe blejffmgs which we 
 have received. Infpire us, we befeechthee, 
 with thehigheft fenfe of thy merciful good- 
 nefs, that, O moft gracious Father, though 
 heaven be thy throne, and the earth be thy 
 footftool, continue, we befeech thee, to 
 look down upon us with favour, and re- 
 gard the low eftate of thy creatures. Sound 
 an awakening alarm in the ears of the ig- 
 norant, thofe who are reclined upon the 
 beds of eafe, who live in forgetfulnefs of 
 thee, and of the obligations they are under 
 to thee. O Grant that thefe may awake 
 to righteoufnefs, that they fmnotj that, 
 under an awful fenfe of thy goodnefs, we 
 may approach thy altar at this feafon, and 
 offer to thee thankfgiving and praife, afcri- 
 bing to thee glory, might, majefly, and domi- 
 nion, and every other excellent attribute and 
 
 perfedion. 
 
{ 2Bo ) 
 
 perfe6lIon, of which thou art worthy, not 
 only now, but alfo henceforth, and for e- 
 vermore. Amen. 
 
 THE END. 
 
l.f J^J