"The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" Isaiah xxxiii. 14.

Sinners in Zion, I suppose, are they who have possessed religious privileges, and yet made no good use of them; or, if they joined the religious party, yet have not had the "oil of grace" in their hearts.

If this be your case, go and buy this oil, the grace of Christ, before the door is shut. It is to be had without money and without price; but if you do not seek and obtain it now, no price can buy your lost soul out of hell.

"With their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness."

Ezekiel xxxiii. 3.

It is quite evident, that many who are loud in praising particular Preachers, Books, or Doctrines, are yet wedded to this world. Its wealth, its display, its opinion, its enjoyments, choke the word.

The love of money may be felt as strongly about a small sum, as about a thousand pounds.

The Lord usually ordains, that his best servants should have very little of this world-either its wealth or favour. The world is crucified unto them, and they unto the world.

"Every one, that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." Matthew vii. 26, 27. No comment can make these sayings of our Blessed Lord plainer than they are. We had better turn them into prayer.

O our Divine Redeemer, who hast made us to be hearers; make us also doers of thy word! Show us what manner of men we are; guilty, perishing and helpless. Draw us to thyself; and work in us the work of faith and love, with power; that we may be delivered from sin and death; that thy Spirit may abide in us; and that we may be wholly thine, now in this life, and to all eternity!

"And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.'

Luke xii. 47.

Is not this reasonable? But if so, what can an ungodly professor of the Gospel expect? yea, an ungodly hearer of the Gospel? Unless he repents, every word he hears, is one stripe more, for all eternity. Let us fear and tremble: let us avoid a hearing, talking Religion. O Thou, who alone

canst give it, give to us, thou Holy Spirit, the Religion of the heart!

"When once the master of the house is risen up,

and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me all ye workers of iniquity." Luke xiii. 25-27.

The Master of the house will rise but once, to shut to the door: for it is appointed unto men once to die, and after that the Judgment.

Lord, enable us to guard against this dreadful snare-the praise of men; especially the praise of good men; who cannot know our hearts, as Thou knowest them. Visit our souls with the presence of thy sanctifying Spirit, that we may not be contented with mere profession, but may approve ourselves in thy sight, through Jesus Christ!

"Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away." John xv. 2.

So, then, there are branches that seem to be growing on the Vine: perhaps, too, they have green

leaves: but they do not bear fruit. When the pruning-knife comes, such branches will be cast forth, withered and burned.

"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?" 2 Cor. xiii. 5.

The grand point to be inquired, is, "How we stand with regard to Christ." Not, mere examination of Self, separately; nor yet, mere knowledge of Christ, separately. But, "Am I in Christ, and Christ in me? Am I united to Him, by faith? Is that faith a true one, known by the fruits of love and active holiness? Are Christ, and myself, One?" -Nothing but the Holy Spirit, enlightening our eyes, can make this examination a faithful one.

O Spirit of the Living God, search us, and reveal to our inquiring hearts, who, and what we are! If we are not one with Christ, show us what is the evil that keeps us from Christ. Display to us our hateful love of sin and of the world; our ungrateful unbelief; the vanity and deceitfulness of our minds; our alienation from thee, and the idols that are set up in our hearts. If we are thine, let thy Spirit witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God!

"Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." James ii. 17.

So early was Antinomianism found in the Church. That it still remains in the Church, is owing to the subtlety of the Devil, the extreme deceitfulness of the human heart, and our desperate love of sin,

If you did not love sin, would you yield to it? If you do love it, can you be Christ's?

"All the churches shall know that I am He which searcheth the reins and heart." Rev. ii. 23. The persecutions, that fall upon the Church of Christ, prove who are faithful, and who not. Afflictions and severe sicknesses, and the approach of death, show us the same concerning ourselves. Affliction is the furnace, and shows whether our heart be gold and dross mixed together, or dross without any gold.

"I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead." Rev. iii. 1.

Such names, as the following, a man may have"A Christian; a baptized person; an eminent Gospel-professor; a leading character; an invaluable Teacher, Visitor, Speaker, &c."—and yet, either his graces may have been going to decay; or, there may have been, all the while, no real grace at all within him. What has been your state?

Is it "They made me keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept"?