I.

SERM. have heard this day, that my repentance will signify very little, if I do not bring forth fruits answerable to amendment of life. Is it not a great mercy, that God will accept of a sinner's repentance, after he has done so many ill things ? Is it not great condescension in the Son of God to give us even His oath, that ALL SINS SHALL BE FORGIVEN UNTO THE SONS OF MEN; and that none ought to despair of mercy, but such only as will not be persuaded to forsake their evil ways? What a mercy is it that I have time to REPENT, and to bring forth fruits meet for repentance! And what a foolish, what a wretched creature should I be, if I should neglect such a mercy, and go on in my sins, and to my destruction? I will therefore, through the Grace of God, not defer my repentance for one moment, lest I be overtaken in sin, and be for ever undone.'

Some such (one would hope) would be the thoughts and the resolutions of any one who with attention had heard a sermon concerning the necessity of repentance and a new life.

A christian that reasons thus, and thus resolves, and acts accordingly, is in the way of Salvation. But that he may continue in that way, he will want to be often put in mind of the danger of backsliding; of the duties required of him, of every man, in that state of life in which the providence of God has placed him; of the sins he is chiefly to watch against; and of the means of grace which God has appointed to bring us to heaven. .

For instance: you will hear THE DUTY OF PRAYER pressed upon all christians, as necessary to their salvation as their daily bread is to preserve their lives.

Will you return home without laying this to heart? You may, indeed, do so; but if you have any concern for your own soul, you will think better of it, and reason with yourself after some such manner as this:

'I now see the great sin of neglecting so necessary a duty as is this of Prayer. I see plainly, that I must renounce all pretence to religion, all hopes of salvation, if I neglect it any longer. I am convinced, that all the sins I ever committed, and which I have not confessed and begged pardon for, do stand in judgment against me. me, if I die in this condition?

And what will become of And I have all the reason in

the world to believe, that God will withhold His blessings from me, if I do not give Him thanks for those I have already received. I have no reason to hope for God's protection and blessing upon myself, upon my children, or upon my labours, when I never pray for them. I am as subject to afflictions, to troubles, to calamities, as other people: how shall I bear them with patience, without the assistance of God's grace? How shall I escape the many temptations to wickedness, which I meet with daily, without praying for God's help and direction? In short, if I neglect this duty, how shall I escape eternal misery?

'I am resolved what to do. I will, by the grace of Almighty God, omit this duty of prayer no longer, lest I come short of heaven, and be for ever undone. I will, as I have been instructed, take all occasions of praying to God. When I set about any business of moment, I will pray Him to prosper my honest endeavours. Whenever I shall perceive that I have done any thing amiss, I will forthwith pray God to forgive me, and to give me grace to do so no more. If I am in trouble, or in distress, I will apply to the Father of mercies, and God of all comfort. If I am in any danger, I will pray Him to deliver me. If I am tempted to any sin, I will beseech Him to succour me. And I will not fail to give Him thanks, whenever He bestows any blessing upon me. 'By doing this, I shall be entitled to the favour and protection of God, and be always afraid of offending Him.

'But this is not all; for I am resolved, by the grace of God, to pray with my family, and for my family, every day, as ever I expect God's blessing to be with them, and myself. By this means, I shall put them under God's protection every morning and evening; I shall set them a good example of piety; and this is the only way to make my children and servants serious, holy, honest, and diligent. And I will, by God's help, do this faithfully, though I should be so unlearned as to be able to say no other prayer but the Lord's Prayer: I will hope God will hear me according to the full meaning of that prayer, if I say it devoutly upon my knees, and with my family.

'This will not hinder my worldly business; and I will trust in God, that He will doubly pay me for the loss of any time I spend in His service.'

SERM.

I.

Every serious christian, who wishes well to his own soul, will, I say, think and resolve, when he has heard a sermon concerning the Duty of Prayer, after some such manner as this we have been speaking of.

Let us again suppose, that the sermon which you have heard has been concerning the Meaning, and Benefit, and Duty, of receiving THE LORD'S SUPPER. A serious person can hardly choose but make some such observations and resolutions as these :

'I have this day been invited to partake of the Lord's Supper;-an ordinance appointed by Christ Himself, and for this reason, that christians being often called upon to remember the love of their dying Saviour, and the occasion of His death, which was to make their peace with God, they might love Him with all their soul, and remember to observe the commands He has given them, in order to fit them for heaven. I am assured, that this is the only way to render our persons and our prayers acceptable to God; of obtaining the pardon of our sins, the grace of God, and everlasting life after death.

I understand what duties are required to make me a worthy guest at that holy table. I must resolve to forsake those sins which cost Jesus Christ His life and I must forgive, and love, and do good to others, since He has been so good and so kind to me, as to lay down His life for me. I dare not, therefore, I will not, turn my back upon an ordinance upon which my salvation depends. If I am not fit to go to this sacrament, I am sure that I am not in the way of life: I must be under God's displeasure. I have nothing, therefore, to do, but what, through God's grace, I will endeavour to do: and this is, to prepare myself as well as I am able; and for the rest, to trust in the mercy and goodness of my Saviour, to supply, by His grace, what is wanting on my part. And I shall easily know whether I have been a worthy.communicant or not, by the life I lead afterwards.'

If at any time the minister of God is pressing upon you the necessity of AN HOLY LIFE, of walking worthy of your christian name and calling, do not forget it as soon as you go out of the church, but think thus with yourself:

'My punishment will surely be very great, if I, who call myself a christian, do lead a careless and an unchristian life. I see how blind those people are, who hope to go to heaven, without endeavouring to please God, and to keep His commandments. I hope I shall never forget a truth I have heard this day; that religion, and the way to please God, does not consist so much in observing the outward duties of Christianity, as in leading an holy life. I see plainly, that a man may go to the church, and to the sacrament, without being just, or humble, or devout, or temperate, or charitable. And that the reason why we go to church, and pray to God, and hear His Word, is this; that we may obtain His grace to enable us to lead a sober, a righteous, and a godly life. This therefore, through the grace of God, shall be my great endeavour for the time to come, to walk worthy of the religion I profess, and of the hopes I have of being happy when I die.'

'I have this day,' saith another, 'been put in mind of a truth which is too little considered by christians, and this is, that this life is a state of trial; and that we shall be happy or miserable when we die, just as we have behaved ourselves well or ill in this world. I see then that I may be happy, if it is not my own fault: and I see too, that I shall certainly be miserable, if I am not careful to lead such a life as may recommend me to the mercy and favour of God. In short, I see plainly, that now is the time in which I am to choose what I am to be for ever and ever. I will therefore beg of God, to keep this thought ever in my heart, and to enable me to make such a choice as that I may be happy for ever.'

And you will be better disposed to make such a choice, if you have at any time attended to a sermon of the great advantage of being RELIGIOUS. For then you will be convinced, that a firm resolution to be governed, at all times, by the laws of God, is the only sure way to have peace of mind here, and happiness hereafter; for as much as all the commands of God are good, and intended to keep us from ruining ourselves, which we should certainly do if we were left to our own choices: and that the ordinances of the Gospel are necessary to restore us to the favour of God, and serve

I.

SERM. either to cure us of some sad disorder we labour under; or to communicate the divine graces; or to seal to us God's gracious pardon; to direct us in the way we should go; or to keep us from backsliding.

And if to this you add what you can remember to have heard concerning THE REWARD OF SIN, and GOD'S JUDGMENT UPON SINNERS, you will have motives sufficient to determine you what to do; that is, you will conclude, 'I have but one great business in this world, and that is, TO SAVE MY SOUL. [Luke 10. This is that one thing needful which our Saviour speaks of. 42.] If I do not mind this, it is no matter what else I mind; for he that loses his soul, loses more than the whole world. This, by the grace of God, I will charge my memory and my heart with, as long as I live.'

[Matt. 16.

26.]

Now, as ever you hope to do so, you must attend to another duty, which you will very often hear pressed upon christians, both in the Holy Scripture and in sermons; and this is, the duty of being ALWAYS WATCHFUL, and upon your guard; 1 Pet. 5. 8. "because our adversary the devil, like a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour," finding them careless, or from under God's protection.

Upon hearing this, you will do well to make such reflec

tions as these:

'I see that we are beset on all sides with dangers and temptations to sin. We are in danger, from the corruption of our nature, which is prone to evil continually; we are in danger of setting our hearts upon this world, and of forgeting that this is not the world we were made for.

'Besides these, Satan has his agents in every place, tempting us to sin of one kind or other. Some to whoredom; some to drunkenness; some to swearing, cursing, lying, or slandering; others to fraud, injustice, or oppression: any one of which will shut me out of heaven, and send me to hell, if I am not careful to avoid them.

'What have I then to do? Why, as I hope for heaven and happiness, I must be serious, and watch against all temptations to evil, and pray to God daily to keep me from sin and wickedness of every kind. And this, by the grace of God, shall be the great business of my life.'

Whoever knows any thing of the Christian Religion, must