render it. You daily perceive them in private cultivating an intercourfe with God in prayer and by devout ftudy and fubfequent reflection, gaining more and more knowledge of the divine will, and of the method of falvation. In the common dealings of life, you see them bringing religion into practice; confcientioufly making it their object to be upright, pun&ual, moderate, and benevolent in all their tranfactions; pursuing their worldly cailings with diligence, but purfuing them on Chriftian principles, and with Chriftian compofure; not flothful in business, yet in their bufinefs, and by their business, ferving the Lord; not elated by fuccefs, not repining under disappointment; not grafping, not avaricious, not envious, not full of care, but ftriving calmly and fteadily to perform their duty, and cheerfully leaving the event in the hands of God. In their families you behold them, quiet, confiderate, affectionate, patterns of kind tempers, abounding in kind actions; fetting their faces against folly, against vanity, against the appearance of evil; against pernicious cuftoms, however popular, however widely diffused; and taking pains day by day to train their household in the nurture and admonition admonition of the Lord. Univerfally you difcern that their defire is to do all to the glory of God, that God may in all things be glorified through Jefus Chrift; to crucify the flesh with its affections and lufts; to feck not their own things, but the things which are Jefus Chrift's; to live not unto themselves, but unto Chrift who died for them; to adorn the doctrine of God their Saviour in all things; and to omit no means and opportunities which can difcreetly be embraced for the purpose of attracting others to the knowledge and love of genuine religion. When they converfe in the retired circle of their friends on facred fubjects; you read in their countenances the intereft which pervades the heart. You behold them labouring to grow in grace: not ftationary in religion, but making a progrefs; laying up more and more treasure in heaven; preffing forward towards the mark; advancing onward towards perfection. For thefe men are not perfect: they are ftill frail and finful. You behold among them many humbling inftances of infirmity, many fins of surprise, manyproofs ofthe power of temptation,many tokens and effects of inherent corruption. But they do not allow themselves in fin. They They abhor it; they fight against it; they fuffer it not to obtain the dominion over them; they oppofe it in the armour of God, in the strength of his grace: they bitterly repent when they have fallen into tranfgreffion: they fervently fue for pardon through the great atonement: they derive from their fall additional motives to felf-abasement, watchfulness, and prayer. Why is it that this class of professed Chriftians exemplify the picture which has been drawn? Why is it that they are real Chriftians? Because they have believed. Why is it that they have believed? Because they have inclined their ear unto the things which were fpoken. They have not refifted the Holy Ghost. They have bowed to the influence of divine grace. Therefore God hath taken away the heart of ftone, and given to them a heart of flesh; a heart foftened, purified, and fanctified; a heart replete with fpiritual understanding, and fpiritual defires. Therefore they are converted from darkness to light. Therefore God hath healed them. 1 II. Let us turn our thoughts to those who believe not. VOL. II. Ꭰ I mean I mean not now to direct your attention to avowed infidels. I fpeak of perfons who profefs to know Chrift, to believe in Christ, but by their works deny him. Even of these men a minute defcription is not neceffary. They are in all points the reverfe of those who believe. Their attendance on the public fervice of God, and on the other outward ordinances of Christianity is uncertain, languid, and formal. The Sabbath is a burden to them; and they are happy when the close of it releases them from their constrained abstinence, if indeed they have practifed abftinence, from worldly occupations. The Bible rests on their shelves: or the perufal of it is regarded as a tafk, and is performed heavily, mechanically, fuperficially. Private prayer, if not neglected, is wearifome and lifeless. Follow them through the daily occurrences of active employment, and you difcern no traces of a religious fpirit. You see them selfish, overbearing, fenfual, contentious, worldly-minded. God is not in their thoughts. His name may supply the tongue with unhallowed exclamations: but his fear is foreign to the heart. They think not of their baptifmal vow. They renounce not the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the finful lufts of the flesh. They leave not all to follow Chrift: in fact, they leave little for the fake of following him. Each individual referves the indulgence of his favourite propenfity. One is profane, another unchafte, a third envious, a fourth dishonest, a fifth intemperate, a fixth covetous. Some unite feveral of these habits of wickednefs. In their domeftic relations they are harsh, capricious, uninftructive; eager in every scheme or purpose connected with intereft, or with pleasure; lukewarm or indifferent in all the concerns of religion. Sin they reprefent as venial, because natural; or as of little moment, becaufe God is merciful; or as fufficiently compenfated by feme attendant good actions or amiable qualities; or as certain of forgiveness, if not extremely heinous, becaufe Chrift has made an atonement. comprehenfive outlines of a general picture cannot in every point follow the variety of individual countenances. But in prominent features all the individuals of the clafs in view justify this reprefentation. Why is it that they justify it? Because they believe not. Why is it that they do not believe? Because D 2 The |