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 discourse, 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 difcerned themfelves not to be true Chriftians, and of courfe not entitled to the benefit of any encouragement or promife... Or if the minifter difplays 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 repentance which the minifter had alfo detailed as manifefted by that offender: proofs which on due investigation they would have discovered to be wanting in themfelves, and would confequently have been constrained to perceive that in their existing state 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;

you were

Fourthly; Reflect that circumstances apparently small and casual 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 conversion, the turning point between life and death! Did you withhold your attention from the laft fermon at which prefent? How know you but in that fermon was contained an elucidation of fome important doctrine which you misconceive; a fcriptural example of virtue most needful to your edification; a scriptural denunciation of vengeance against your own befetting fin? How know you but that to the abfence of the Chriftian armour which that discourse would have fupplied, your fall under recent temptations is to be attributed? How know you but from the abfence of that armour, temptations even now impending over your head will derive their principal strength? 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 VOL. II. C bleffing,

bleffing, for the improvement of which you will stand responsible at the day of judgement. 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 condem

nation.

Fifthly; Let your attention during the delivery of fermons, and your fubsequent meditations on their import, be accompanied 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 raise 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 caufe 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 dcer of the law, bringing forth fruit unto perfection.

To conclude. Take heed, my brethren, how ye hear. 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. Let your diligence in yielding faithful attention,

and

and your fincerity in applying to yourselves the truths which you hear, be fuch as become those who listen to the word of life. Who, cried the prophet Ifaiah, anticipating the rejection of the preachers of the Gospel by his countrymen; Who hath believed our report (n)? When Jefus Chrift 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 mifapprehenfion and prejudice? May it not be ignorance, or misapprehenfion, or prejudice, which prevents you from perceiving the doctrine to be true? Sufpend your judge

(n) Isaiah, liii. 1.

C 2

(2) Hebr. iv. 2.

ment,

ment, until you fhall have confidered the fubject maturely and with impartiality. Confult your Bible deliberately at home. Compare one part 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 those things were fo. The fearch was not in vain. They difcovered that the doctrines were undeniably the doctrines of the word of God. Imitate these wife men in their zeal: follow them in the tract which they pursued in quest of truth. If the refult of your examination leaves your doubts unrefolved; have you not friends both intelligent and pious, with whom you may discuss them? Have you not ministers of religion impelled, let us truft, by inclination no less than by duty, privately to confirm your faith by spiritual inftruction and counfel? Finally; fupplicate day by day your Almighty Father for grace habitually to exemplify in the bufy fcenes 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