'me-that pleasure will not hurt you,-that revenge is fweet,-that gain, thofe riches, 'will make you happy.' It is the fame spirit that would make you believe, that there is no hurt in an idle, uselefs life; that there is no harm in spending your eftate or your time; that they are your own, and you may do what you please with them. It is the fame Satan, that tempts you to neglect the worship of God, and to think it a burthen; that perfuades you to believe, that you have time enough to repent in, and to lead a new life; and that in the mean time you may follow the defires of your own heart. Laftly, it is the fame evil fpirit, who when you purpose to lead a new life, and forget your good purpofes; it is the fame spirit that takes with him feven other Spirits more wicked than himself, in order to make your condition more defperate. You will confider, therefore, what you lofe by not attending to, and profiting by, God's word; by not pondering it in your heart; and by not refolving to be governed by it: that is, you are like to lofe your foul. God deliver us all from fuch negligence and blindness; and give us grace to hear, and attend to, and remember, and profit by, his holy word; through Jefus Chrift our Lord. To whom, &c. SERMON SERMON IV. THE TRUE WAY OF PROFITING BY SERMONS. LUKE VIII. 18. TAKE HEED HOW YE HEAR: FOR WHOSOEVER HATH, TO HIM SHALL BE GIVEN; AND WHOSOEVER HATH NOT, FROM HIM SHALL BE TAKEN EVEN THAT WHICH HE SEEMETH TO HAVE.a Have already confidered these words, and this warning, of our Lord; as also the great hazard Chriftians run, who live under the ordinances of the gofpel, and do not profit by them. If it be a great misfortune not to know the gofpel, (as moft fure it is) it is a much greater, to hear and to know the truths of the gofpel, and not to mind them. It was this great fin with which the prophet Ezekiel charged the people of Ifrael: This people have eyes to fee, and fee not; they have ears to hear, and bear not. And it was the fame crime with which our Saviour fo often charged the Jews, their pofterity; and which was at 'laft the cause of their deftruction: Hearing, ye hear, and will not understand. a See Ezek. xii. 2. vi. 47. John xii. 48. Hof. viii. 12. Matth. xiii. 14. Luke James i, 21, 22. And And to fuch as had ears to hear, that is, the ears of the heart, he gave the charge fet down in the text, Take heed how ye hear: for according to the measure of your attention, and your fincere defire to profit by what you hear, will be the meafure of the grace and knowledge which God will give you. Pursuant to this ftrict charge of our Lord and Saviour, I fhall continue to fhew you the true way of profiting by what you hear, of PROFITING BY SERMONS. And be affured of it, Christians, that your falvation in a great measure depends upon your doing fo. Blessed are they, faith our Lord, that hear the word of God, and keep it. And he affures us in another place, that the not profiting by the word of God will be punished more feverely than the greatest crimes. C I fhall use no more words to perfuade you, now, and at all times, carefully to mind what you hear from God's word, and from his minifters: but I fhall proceed (as I have done before) to fhew you how you may profit by fome of the most important fubjects which you will hear very often preffed upon you. For inftance: There are no fubjects which Chriftians are more concerned to undertand and lay to heart, than those which are called THE FOUR LAST THINGS, namely, Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. Death is not to be avoided-the time uncertain; the judgment which must follow, will be without ap b Luke xi. 28. • Luke x. 14. peal; peal; and the sentence will send us either to heaven or hell. Will you, good Chriftians, hear these subjects at any time explained, and preffed upon you, without laying them to heart? God forbid. Every man that wishes well to his own foul, will (when he hears these things) argue and refolve with himself after fome fuch way as this: 'I have this day been put in mind of some truths, which I have not confidered fo well. ' as I fhould have done,-that the fentence of death is already passed upon me, and that God only knows when that fentence will be put in execution. That whenever it is put in execution, the moment I die, my fate is deter'mined for ever. That I muft not fay, when I die there will be an end of me; fo far from that, that then will begin my happiness or mifery. And lastly, that God may be pro'voked to shorten my days, when he fees that I am like to make no good ufe of them: it was fo done by the unfruitful tree: Cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? How very serious fhould this make me, and all ⚫ that hear and believe these things! For my own part,' (will every serious 'Chriftian fay to himfelf) I will, by the grace of God, be no longer deaf to this call, ' nor flatter myself, that my time, my repentance, my falvation, will be always in my own power. I will confider, as I have been ex'horted to do, what I was fent into the world • for: J for:-that I am upon my trial; and that as 'I behave myself well or ill here, I fhall be happy or miserable when I die. That if my 'corrupt nature be not changed for the better before I leave this world, I must never hope 'to go to heaven. I will not forget what I have been put in mind of: what a dreadful thing it will be, if I should be surprised by death, while I am leading a careless, a useless, or a finful life; before I have done any good ⚫ in my generation; and when I have nothing to look back on, but what must render me altogether unworthy of mercy. That this may not be my fad case when I ' come to die, I will no longer defer making my peace with God by a speedy repentance, < left my cafe grow every day more defperate, as moft furely it will; and that I may have time to bring forth fruits meet for repentance, -the only fure fign that my repentance was ' fincere! In the next place, that I may not be dif'tracted with the cares of this world, when my thoughts should be upon another, I will fettle my worldly concerns while I am in health, and after fuch a manner as no curfe may cleave to any thing I fhall leave behind me. In the mean time, I will endeavour to mortify all my evil and corrupt affections, ' and to wean my heart from the love of a ' world which I must leave so very foon. I 'will strive to live in peace with all the world, ' and every night lie down to fleep with the • fame ་ |