guage of encouragement to the true Chrif tian, and enlarges on the bleffed promifes fecured to him; all this encouragement, all these promises, they inftantly apply to themselves. But to themselves they did

not apply other paffages of the difcourfe, in which the marks of a true chriftian were defcribed; marks by which if they had examined their principles and conduct, they would perhaps have difeerned themfelves not to be true Chriftians, and of course not entitled to the benefit of any encouragement or promise. Or if the minifter displays fome fcriptural example of the mercy of God to a grievous offender; they fail not to affure themselves that mercy will be equally extended to them. But they paid little regard to the proofs of true re pentance which the minifter had alfo de tailed as manifefted by that offender: proofs which on due investigation they would have difcovered to be wanting in themfelves, and would confequently have been constrained to perceive that in their exifting ftate of heart they could have no reasonable hope of mercy. To apply fermons thus partially, thus unwarrantably, is but to blind your confcience and to harden yourself in fin.

Fourthly

Fourthly; Reflect that circumftances apparently small and cafual seem not seldom to be selected by Him, who can crush the globe with an atom, to accomplish momentous ends. To how many finners has an individual fermon been made, as it were, the hinge of converfion, the turning point between life and death! Did you withhold your attention from the laft fermon at which you were prefent? How know you but in that sermon was contained an elucidation of fome important doctrine which you mifconceive; a fcriptural example of virtue most needful for your inftruction; a fcriptural denunciation of vengeance against your own befetting fin? How know you but that to the abfence of the chriftian armour which that difcourfe would have fupplied, your fall under recent temptations is to be attributed? How know you but from the absence of that armour, temptations ever now impending over your head will derive their principal ftrength? But you have not merely precluded yourself from the advantage which you might have acquired. The neglect of that advantage is a fin for which you must render an account to God. Every opportunity which he affords you of imbibing inftruction in his holy temple, is a bleffing, for the improvement of which you

VOL. II.

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ment.

will ftand refponfible at the day of judge Beware left the preaching of his word, ordained by Him for your eternal good, prove, through your wilful difregard, the cause of an increase of your condemna

tion.

Fifthly; Let your attention during the delivery of fermons, and your fubfequent meditations on their import, be accompa-v nied with a fervent defire that the Spirit of grace may incline your foul unto knowledge. Whoever may plant, whoever may water, it is God who giveth the increase. To him raife your heart in prayer through the mediation of his Son Jefus. So fhall He enlighten you by his Holy Spirit to understand his law. So fhall he cause the good feed to take root in your bofom. So fhall he preferve you from the doom of the unfruitful hearer. So fhall he render you a doer of the law, bringing forth. fruit unto perfection.

To conclude. Take heed, my brethren, bow ye bear. Look well to your hearts. Let the motives which bring you to this place be fuch as befit those who profess to be athirst for inftruction and edification. Lep your diligence in yielding faithful attention, and your fincerity in applying to yourselves the truths which you hear, be fuch as become

become those who listen to the word of life. Whe, cried the prophet Isaiah, anticipating the rejection of the preachers of the Gospel by his countrymen; Who hath believed our report (n)? When Jesus Christ appeared, and preached in their fynagogues; how few in comparison with the multitudes of his hearers were impreffed with durable conviction! If the Jews could fail of being converted by the preaching of the Son of God; how eafily may you fail to profit by the preaching of his minifters! Why did the Jews fail of converfion? The word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith, with genuine operative faith, in them that heard it (o). Be not ye like unto them.

If any doctrine declared to you from the pulpit appear hard and strange, do not haftily pronounce it erroneous and unworthy of God. Have you never detected yourself in ignorance? Have you never known yourself blinded by mifsapprehenfion and prejudice? May it not be ignorance, or misapprehenfion, or prejudice, which prevents you from perceiving the doctrine to be true? Sufpend your judgement, until you fhall have confidered the fubject maturely and with impartiality. (n) Haiah, liii. 1.

C 2

(e) Hebr. iv. 2. Confult

Confult your Bible deliberately at home. Compare one part of of Scripture with another. Why are the inhabitants of Berea honoured with a record of perpetual praise? Because when new doctrines were proposed to them, they fearched the Scriptures diligently to learn whether thofe things were fo. The fearch was not in vain. They dif covered that the doctrines were undeniably the doctrines of the Word of God. Imitate thefe wife men in their zeal: follow them in the track which they purfued in queft of truth. If the refult of your examination leaves your doubts unrefolved; have you not friends equally intelligent and pious, with whom you may difcufs them? Have you not ministers of religion impelled, let us truft, by inclination no less than by duty, privately to confirm your faith by fpiritual inftruction and counfel? Finally; fupplicate day by day your Almighty Father for grace habitually to exemplify in the bufy scenes of life the efficacy of the inftruction to which you liftened on the Sabbath. In your prayers forget not your minifters. Intercede for them, and in that interceffion you intercede for yourselves, that utterance may be given unto them that they may open their mouth boldly to make known

the