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will leave a few things with you to be remembered.

Suppose, for example, you should see one of your poor neighbours wronged, or deprived of his just rights or goods, by robbery, by oppreffion, or by fraud. To fee a whole family in trouble; their minds uneafy; their health and reft broken; their neceffary business neglected; tempted to murmur against God; and to curfe fuch as have been the occafion of their trouble. Let, I fay, any body who has the least spark of humanity, grace, or goodness, see this; and fay, whether this will not make him abhor, and refolve against, every inftacne of injustice, violence, and fraud, which must of neceffity give his neighbour so much forrow and grief of heart.

If this does not affect every one that fees or hears of it, (for there may be fome people fo deftitute of humanity and grace, that provided they be easy, and can get or keep what they have gotten, are not much concerned for the fufferings of others.) Let us fuppose we faw fuch a man upon his death-bed; his eyes open, his confcience awake, and calling to mind the evil he has done his neighbour, whether by cunning, power, violence, or fraud; dreading the confequence; not knowing how to make fatisfaction for the injuries he has done; afhamed to own his crimes, and yet not able to bear the thoughts of them; juft going to leave the world under the greatest uncertainties of what is like to be his portion in a

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very few hours perhaps. Can there be a cafe, a condition, more terrible, more miserable, than this? And yet how many are there, who in all human appearance leave the world under these most astonishing circumstances!

Laftly; Suppofe people fhould be fo thoughtless, fo ftupid, fo ignorant, as to die without remorfe, or fear; is their cafe any better than that of those who die under the fear of God's difpleafure? Can it be imagined, that their ignorance or unconcernedness will alter the decrees of God, who has expressly declared, that they that have done evil, and have not repented, fhall go into everlasting fire? This fhould hinder Chriftians from doing to others what they would not have done to themselves.

THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF with fuch a love as worketh no ill to his neighbour. Believe it, Christians, mine and your falvation depends upon the dbfervation of this command of God.

I pray God we may remember it; and pardon us whenever through frailty we are wanting to our duty, for Jefus Christ's fake.

To whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, world without end, Amen,

SERMON

SERMON VI.

THE TRUE WAY OF PROFITING BY THE

PUBLICK WORSHIP.

VOUCHSAFE, O God, to direct me, and to bless this discourse to the benefit of my flock, and to all fuch as fhall hear it; that they may glorify Thee for the truths they fhall learn, and for the bleffings they fhall receive by my miniftry; through Jefus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

I COR. xiv. 15.

I WILL PRAY WITH THE UNDERSTANDING.a

WHEN one fees Chriftians coming con

ftantly to church, without any vifible benefit; without becoming more ferious and devout at their prayers, or more regular in their lives; one cannot but conclude, either that they never afk thofe graces which they want, or that "they afk and have not, be"cause they ask amiss."

This is certain, that there is not any one grace, not one good thing, which either in duty, intereft, or charity, we are bound to pray for, but what our Church has provided

* See Ifaiah i. 15. xxix. 13. Ezek. xxxiii. 31. Matth. xv, 8. Eph. vi. 7, 8, 9. 1 Tim. v. 8.

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us proper prayers by which to ask them: and it is as certain, that God will hear us, and grant our petitions, whenever we ask any thing according to his will."

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There must therefore be fome very great fault, when the generality of Christians (to the great fcandal of the religion they profess) do, all their life long, pray for graces and bleffings which they never obtain. They must have been either ignorantly, or carelessly, or wilfully, wanting to themselves, when they return so often from the house of God without benefit, and without a bleffing; when it is most certain, that God defigned these folemn meetings as the greatest of bleffings, as the best opportunity of fitting ourselves for heaven and happiness.

We will therefore confider, what may be the real cause of fo great unfruitfulness under fuch powerful ordinances, and means of

and falvation.

grace

In the first place, then, it is but too plain, that very many come to church merely out of custom; many only to avoid the reproach of having no religion; and moft of all do not confider what they come to church for, what they want, what they pray for. And so it comes to pafs, that Chriftians confess their fins, without being fenfible of the danger of being finners. They hear the most gracious terms of pardon declared, and the abfolution pronounced, without receiving the comfort b 1 John v. 14.

and

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