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• Befides thefe, Satan has his agents in every

place, tempting us to fin of one kind or other. Some to whoredom; fome to drunk'enness; some to fwearing, curfing, lying, or flandering; others to fraud, injuftice, or op'preffion: any one of which will fhut me out of heaven, and fend me to hell, if I am not 'careful to avoid them.

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What have I then to do? Why, as I hope for heaven and happiness, I must be ferious, and watch against all temptations to evil, and pray to God daily to keep me 'from fin 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 know, that SELF-DENIAL is a means of grace without which no man must hope to be faved. If any man will come after me, faith our Lord and Saviour, let him deny himfelf. If thy right-hand offend thee, cut it off; that is, part with any thing, though as dear to you as a right-hand or a right eye, rather than offend God.

It was not the preacher only that said this, but they are the words of Jefus Chrift himfelf; who faid befides, that it is better to go into life with one hand or one eye, than with two hands or two eyes to be caft into hell, where the worm dieth not, and where the fire is not quenched.

It is hardly poffible for any serious Chriftian to hear this duty explained, and not to think • Matth. xvi. 24.

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of it even after he leaves the church, and to think thus with himself:

I fee plainly, that I must resolve to deny myfelf, to ftand against all my corrupt in'clinations, or be content to perish eternally. 'Whatever evil ways or cuftoms I have hi'therto been fond of, I muft renounce and 'forfake them, or I fee what muft follow. If an idle or a carelefs life have been my great fin, though the world fees no great 'harm in fuch a life, yet I fee I muft reform, let it coft me never so much pain and trouble, or I fhall infallibly, one day or other, 'hear that dreadful fentence:-Bind the unprofitable fervant hand and foot, and caft him "into outer darkness.

If riches and the love of the world have hi'therto poffeffed my heart, renounce them I 'muft, let it be never fo uneafy to me, or my intereft in heaven-for God and mammon I

cannot ferve. If any finful luft or pleasure 'have got the power over me, and though it 'is become a fecond nature, yet I fee plainly 'it must be renounced and forfaken, or I must 'never hope for heaven. If profane talk, if fwearing, lying, or flandering, be the fins 'that are become habitual to me, and that I cannot without great pains leave them off; yet this pains I must take, or fuffer the pains of eternal death. If tipling, if fquandering away my time or eftate, if gluttony or drunkenness, have been the fins I have lived in, these must be repented of, and utterly for

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'faken,

faken, let it be be never fo uneasy to flesh and blood, or I fhall have no part in the kingdom of heaven.

In fhort, I have been plainly told, and I plainly fee, that men need not take pains to be ruined, fince our own corrupt nature, if 'not denied, restrained, and kept under, will ' ruin us without remedy. I fee too, that all ' the commands of God, all the duties which he has prescribed us, are all intended in mercy to keep us from ruining ourselves: and that if we had been fuffered to follow our own wills, or the evil customs we contract, or the bad examples we meet with, we could "not escape bringing upon ourselves destruc'tion. I am left, therefore, without excuse, ' and I shall dearly pay for it, if I do not deny myself every thing which God has forbidden 'me; and if I do not look upon his commands as the only way to life and happiness everlasting.'

Thus every ferious Christian will argue with himself, whenever he hears any other duty of christianity explained or recommended to his practice.

If time would permit, I would fhew you how this might be done, to your great advantage, in many other inftances of duty and religion.

All that I fhall now add is, to put you in mind of what a bleffing it is, that you have churches to go to, and that you can hear the word of God, and know his will, and what

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you must do to be faved.You see the great bleffing of a STANDING MINISTRY, and how happy it is that there are perfons appointed by the Holy Ghost, who, at the peril of their own fouls, are to read, and faithfully to explain, the truths of the gospel to you.-You may indeed fhut your ears, or carelessly think of other matters. You may refuse to hear with attention your duty, and the dangers you are liable to. You may return home without laying these things to heart; but then, be affured of it, you return home without God's bleffing. You may refuse to come to church, (as the manner of fome is) and think yourselves too good to be taught, reproved, or put in mind of your duty; but what will this end in? Why, you will in time forget God, his commands, and all that is good; you will come at laft to fay, with those wicked people whom Job fpeaks of," who faid unto God, Depart from us, for we defire not the knowledge of thy ways.

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I need not tell you, that fuch people are in way of damnation.

I pray God keep all you from following their steps. And give us his grace, that we may bear, understand, remember, confider, love, and practise, what is read and preached to us according to God's holy word and will, thro' Jefus Christ our Lord; to whom, with the Father, &c.

d Job. xxi. 14.

SERMON