willing to engage in the fervice of the Eternal, but are unable. But is it a fact, that you are willing? In one respect it is: For it is agreeably to your will, to

be

put ultimately in poffeffion of eternal felicity, but the way by which it may be obtained, meets not with your approbation. You are acting the part of a perfon who is indeed inclined to purchase a commodity which is expofed for fale, but is not pleased with the price which is demanded: in confequence of which the purchase is not completed. There are alfo fome obstacles in your way: you cannot part with your beloved lufts: mountains rife up in fucceffion before you, which you conceive cannot be furmounted; and fo many bands attach you to the world, that you come to no firm determination to leave all and follow Chrift. Experience frequently teaches us, that men under conviction, even with tears, may confefs that they are willing to ferve God, who, at the fame time, were the fecret receffes of their fouls fcrutinized, would manifeft, that lufts remained to which they ftill adhered. They will indeed ferve God, but with equal diligence, and with like ardour and zeal, they are inclined to ferve the world, and hence continue to be what they always were. Is this your cafe? In faithfulness we muft declare, that whatever you may allert to the contrary, your profeffions of being willing to accept of Jefus are infincere. God demands the whole heart.

And ye who are fenfible that this is your fituation, is it your wifh to be directed to the means which perTons, placed under circumftances like yours, ought to ufe? We are prepared to point them out, whilft we lift up our eyes to the hills from whence help only cometh, that by the humble ufe of them, the Lord would be pleafed to manifeft his grace to your fouls.

There are SOME things which you muft PRACTISE, and OTHERS against which you are to WATCH, and to be careful to avoid.

1. The means which are to be employed, are the following.

A. Diligently attend on thofe places where in faithfulness the word is preached. There ye are not only taught the truth, but conftantly, excited to feek the things which are connected with your everlafting peace. God hath promised to bless the preaching of the word. Language cannot exprefs how much they lofe, who improve not this appointed mean of grace, efpecially when God caufes their hearts to be moved and alarmed at the difcovery of the dreadful nature and effects of fin. As frequently as your circumftances in life will permit, attend on the public ministrations of the word: but be not impreffed with the idea, that a conftant attendance at church is fufficient, even though you were far more exemplary than others in this refpect. For even a practice fo laudable, may lay a foundation for fatal fecurity, and produce the habit of indifferency and unconcern. If ye expect the bleffing to depend on your using this excellent mean, and look not to God in Chrift, whọ is pleased to honor it by working with it, your advantage will not really be promoted, your flate will not be improved. Are you inclined to wait on God in the use of this inftituted mean, with actual profit to yourselves? Then depart not from the places of your abode, previous to your having retired to fome fecret place; though it be but for a few moments, and bowed the knee before your God. Should an opportunity be wanting even for this, let your hearts be raifed to God in fome fuch ejaculations as thefe: "Lord, "according to commandment, I am again about to

#enter thy house of prayer: I have gone thither fo "often without deriving any benefit, grant that the

prefent may be the happy hour for thee to work: "let fome word reach my heart, which fhall prove "to be the feed of regeneration." Being feated in the church, lend a liftening ear to what is spoken; and confider it not to be the word of man, but as it is in truth, the word of God. When the minifter elevates his heart and his voice to the throne, and wreftles with God for the converfion of finners, unite your petitions with those which he puts up, and humbly folicit him for this ineftimable bleffing, who hath promised fo often in his word to difpenfe it, especially to those who enquire of him, to beftow it. Are divine truths explained and applied? Treafure them in your hearts, you will frequently have fuch elucidated as are fuitable to your own cafe. Confi der them not so much to be applicable to others, as to yourself. A conduct of this kind may become inftrumental of producing genuine contrition, and that humility on which the Scriptures fo abundantly infift. Is divine fervice ended, and have you returned to your refpective places of abode? again prefent yourselves before God, and after this manner addrefs his glorious majefty: "Lord, I have already fo long "been lying at the pool of Bethesda, and am equally "miferable, let thy Holy Spirit cause my heart to be "troubled, that I may feek to be made whole of whatsoever I am afflicted. Let this word fenfibly. affect my heart." Who can tell what a fovereign God may do, if you obferve a conduct which is fo reasonable in itself, and for which you have a divine warrant?

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B. Be engaged as much as in you lies, in fearching The feriptures, and in the investigation of those doc

trines which have an immediate refpect to your eternal falvation. Let thofe books next to your bible be read most which treat of the great fubjects of converfion, regeneration and faith, fubjects which not only are the best calculated to bring convictions to the mind, to awaken the confcience and to give the foul a proper bias; but with which we muft be experimentally acquainted if ever we be faved. God alfo works faith in the heart by means of reading his word; an inftance of this is recorded in the 8th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. When Philip ran, at the command of the Spirit, to get an interview with the Eunuch, he faw the writings of Ifaiah in his hand, and heard him reading his Evangelical predictions concerning the fufferings of the Meffias.

C. Affociate as much as you can without neglecting the calling in which God hath placed you, with pious and godly men. In the choice of those, however, great care and circumfpection is required, for many profess piety and exhibit a form of godliness, who are strangers to the power of it; whofe minds dwell at ease, and who lead careless lives; who, indeed, can speak with fluency on chriftian principles, but not from experience. To frequent the company of perfons of this defcription may prove very prejudicial; it may ferve to confirm you in an opinion which is entertained by the world, and ftrengthen a prejudice which many have imbibed, that all profeffions of religion are hypocritical and infincere; or it may have the fatal tendency of inducing a belief, that all that is requifite to conftitute a man pious and godly, is an external profeffion. Therefore, in the choice of companions feek the most enlightened, tender and experienced chriftians. From fuch you may receive advice and direction which will comport with the word

of God; but at the fame time remember, that if even in those you difcern deficiencies, you ought not to be ftruck with amazement, nor fuffer your minds to be overtaken by prejudice; reflect that all, even the beft of God's children have to ftruggle against their inward corruptions, and often to wrestle with princi palities and powers; pafs their failings by, and contemplate rather the graces which they exercise, that thereby an holy jealoufy may be excited.

And by the way, we would remark, CHILDREN OF GOD, how neceffary is it, that in our walk and converfation, we deport ourselves with tenderness, circumfpection and faithfulness, that we give no occafion of offence to natural men. We are a City fet upon a hill; the eyes of all are upon us, and if the world can but difcover any thing in our conduct which comports not with our profeffion, they are confirmed in the prejudices which they have formed againfi vital religion; let us then narrowly watch over all our actions, that we be not an obstacle in the way of any; let us come out boldly for God and his caufe, and by exhibiting in our lives the fervice of the Redeemer in all its charms, feek to engage others to enlift under his banners. And if God in his pro

vidence, bring in our way any of those whom we have just addreffed, let our speech favour of FAITHFULNESS, but not of severity; let us evidence a friendly difpofition towards them, and fatisfy them that our fouls fincerely pity them, and that we are inclined to promote, as far as we can, their prefent and future blifs.

D. But as every mean, without the bleffing of God, will be fruitless, we counfel you to be much exercised in PRAYER. We are aware that you are ready to object, "I cannot poffibly use this mean of grace, for an