"that I am! who fhall deliver me from the body of this "death?" What is his prayer?" Create in me a clean "heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." What is his hope?-That he "fhall be like Him, and "fee Him as he is: and having this hope in him, he "purifieth himself, even as He is pure." Holiness is the gospel embodied. The faint exhibits it alive. The gospel is holy; its Author holy; its maxims and its commands holy; its promifes, ordinances, defigns holy; and there is nothing by which it is fo much distinguished and glorified, as the holinefs which pervades it. My brethren, contemplate the fubject in this light more frequently, and do not include every thing else, rather than this in your notion of the gospel. Do not imagine with fome, that it was defigned to furnish a fubftitute for holinefs; and that it will excufe your being holy, provided you are found. The grand thing it is intended to teach you is, "that denying all ungodliness and worldly luft, you should live foberly, "righteously, and godly in this prefent world." And remember this important truth, that chriftians are called by the gospel to be faints; that you are chriftians only in proportion as you are faints; and that you are no further faints than you are "holy in all manner of converfation and godlinefs." We pro ceed to reflect.

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PART II. ON THE

CONNECTION THERE IS BE

TWEEN SAINTS AND PATIENCE. And FIRST, faints "For the Lord feeth not as

ONLY have patience.

"man seeth: for man looketh on the outward appear

ance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." In his

eftimation, principle and motive are effential to the goodness of action. A thing may be materially good, when it is not morally fo. A man may give "all his "goods to feed the poor, and not have charity;" while a poor widow is held up as an example of benevolence, though fhe cafts into the treasury but two mites. If a law were enacted against luxury and extravagance, a covetous man would be very obedient; but let his avarice, and not the law, have the honour of his obedience. Apply this to the cafe before us, A man may endure, and not be patient; there may be no religious principle or motive to influence him; it may be a careless indolence, a ftupid infenfibility; mechanical bravery; conftitutional fortitude; a daring ftoutness of spirit, refulting from fatalism, philofophy, or pride. Chriftian patience is another thing; it is derived from a divine agency, nourished by heavenly truth, and guided by fcriptural rules. Such is the patience of which we are fpeaking; and as this is ONLY to be found in the subjects of true holiness, so we may observe,

Secondly, EVERY faint poffeffes patience; not indeed in equal degrees, " for one ftar differeth from

another star in glory." But all are ftars. All are endued with this virtue. It is one of the fruits of the Spirit; it is an effential part of the divine image reftored in man. The work of God in the foul is not like a piece of ftatuary, where one part is finished while the rest remains in block; but it is a creation, and imperceptible as the beginning may be, there are found all the parts which increased and developed, produce, and display the maturity; all is advanced

E

together, and all is perfect as far as the operation proceeds. A chriftian may be defective in his organs of vifion; but who would draw him without eyes? Who would defcribe a faint without patience? I wish this to be remembered the more, because there are so many evangelical profeffors in our day, awfully deficient in this inftance. Their religion has very little to do with their difpofitions. They think it neceflary for the judgment to be informed, and the practice to be moral; but from one of thefe to the other, religion is to pafs without touching the temper, which lies between. If they are converted, it feems to be from that which is human, to that which is diabolical. They are accufers of the brethren, proud, felf willed, fierce, revengeful. Saints in the house of God, they are demons at home. Every trifle makes them explode. How the religion of the meek and lowly Jefus can live with them, it is impoffible to determine; we know nothing else can.

Thirdly, it HIGHLY becomes faints to CULTIVATE patience "The ornament of a meek and quiet fpirit is in the fight of God of great price." It ennobles the poffeffor. Some have obtained honour by doing mischief. It has been faid by a modern prelate, "one murder makes a villain, a thousand a hero." The chriftian conquerer draws his glory, not from the fufferings of others, but from his own. And nothing renders his character more impreffive and ufeful; it recommends his religion; it carries along with it a peculiar conviction. When a christian has met with an affliction, that has led him in from the duties of his calling, deprived him of opportunities of exertion, and

confined him to the houfe of grief; little has he fuppofed, that he was approaching the most useful period of his life. But this has often been the cafe; and he has rendered more fervice to religion by fuffering, than by doing. O, what a theatre of usefulness is even a "bed of languishing!" "We are a fpectacle to "angels," as well as "to the world, and to men." The fufferer lies open to their infpection; and the view of him, enduring, fuftained, glorying in tribulation, draws forth fresh acclamations of praife to that God, whofe grace can produce fuch wonderful effects: "Here is the patience of the faints." But all his fellow creatures are not excluded; there is generally a circle of relations, friends, neighbours, who are witneffes of the fcene. I appeal to your feelings. When you have seen a chriftian fuffering in character, with all the compofure and majefty of fubmiffion ; when you have heard him foftly saying, "though I mourn, "I do not murmur; why fhould a living man com"plain?" "it is the Lord, let him do what feemeth "him good;" "his ways are judgment;"" he hath "done all things well;" "I fee a little of his perfec"tion, and adore the reft," has not a voice addreffed you

Now see the man immortal; him I mean

Who lives as such; whose heart full bent on heaven

Leans all that way; his bias to the stars.

The world's dark shades in contrast set shall raise

His lustre more; tho bright without a foil:
Observe his awful portrait and admire,
Nor stop at wonder, imitate, and love.-

Have you not turned afide, and exclaimed, What an

efficacy, what an excellency in the religion of Jefus !→→→ "Here is the patience of the faints!" This bring us,

PART III. To fpecify SOME CASES in which the patience of the faints is to be rendered ILLUSTRIOUS and STRIKING. We fhall mention three. The first concerns PROVOCATION; the fecond AFFLICTION; the third DELAY: here patience is neceffary; and here we are to behold its triumphs.

Our

First, it is to be displayed in bearing PROVOCATION. "It muft needs be that offences will come." opinions, reputations, connections, offices, bufineffes, render us widely vulnerable. The characters of men are various; their pursuits and their interefts perpetųally clash. Some try us by their ignorance, fome by their folly, fome by their perverseness, fome by their malice. There are to be found perfons made up of every thing disagreeable and mischievous; born only to vex, a burden to themselves, and a torment to all around them. Here is an opportunity for the triumph of patience; here is a theatre on which a man may exhibit his character, and appear a fretful, waspish reptile, or a placid, pardoning God. We are very fufceptive of irritation; anger is eloquent; revenge is fweet. But to ftand calm and collected; to fufpend the blow, which paffion was urgent to strike; to drive the reasons of clemency as far as they will go; to bring forward fairly in view the circumftances of mitigation; to distinguish between furprise and deliberation, infirmity and crime; or if an infliction be deemed neceffary, to leave God to be both the judge and the executioner-This a christian should labor after.

His peace requires it. People love to fting the paf