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of religion, and is not this an unpleafurable and mortifying work? This is granted to be true in the opinion of those who have never experienced the grace of repentance. But enquire of the aged faint, over whofe checks fireams of tears have flowed for his fins, whether his feelings at thofe feasons were painful or pleasant? He will immediately anfwer, that his tears were fweet and comfortable. Sin in itself gave him hitternefs of heart, but mourning for it, was his pleasure and fatisfaction. Many a faint has experienced more peace, comfort and fpiritual joy in weeping for his fins, than ever an impenitent finnner did in all the round and noife of jovial mirth. Yea, fome chriftians have had fo much pleafure and happiness in true repentance, that they could not well fee how fuch a bloiling thead be excluded heaven. Hence Solomon declares, "Sorrow's better than laughter, and the heart of the wife "is in the house of mourning." Surely in the blefling of our Ird malt be comprehended fubftantial pleasure and true felicity. Thus he pronounces, Bleffed are they that mourn,

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"for they fhall be comforted."

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"For those who forrow af

ter a godly fort, the Lord hath appointed, beauty for afhes, "the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praife for the "spirit of heavinefs." All the faints teftify that repentance is 2 fweet and pleafant exercife, and thofe who are ignorant of it, and never experienced any of its confolations, muft, to say the leaft, be very incompetent and improper judges.

But it is high time to clofe this fubject with fome improve.

ment.

First, this theme calls for praife and gratitude to the most High, who hath opened ways of pleasure and paths of peace to the land of perl & felicity. The religion in the gofpel, inftituted for the happiness of the children of men, is pleasure, peace and delight in ittelf as well as all glorious in its end. How hard, cruel and inhuman are many of the falle religions in the

world. Some oblige their votaries to turn anchorites, and banish themselves from the fociety of men; others are forced into cells and cloyfters, to spend their folitary days in tormenting penances, to lafh themfelves with bloody cords, to fuffer all the pains of hunger by emaciating failings, to go on diftant and dreary pilgrimages, to wear hats of iron, and fand on pillars of fainting and death. Others must offer in facrifice their tender children to appeafe the anger of their monftroas deities, &c. Thus the greateik bulk of mankind are overwhelmed in barbarous fuperititions, and their religion is cru elty, anguifh and horror.But how humane, rational, fweet and benevolent is the religion of chriftianity? All the ways of our religion are pleafure and all her paths are peace. Let us therefore rejoice in it, and embrace it with our whole hearts imbibe all its graces and praife all its virtues. Let us con tinually offer the facrifices of joy, and fing praits unto the Lord. Let fentiments of gratitude and love ever dwell in our hearts, and fongs of blefing and praife upon our tongues.

Secondly, allow me to fhut up this difcourfe in a fhort addrefs to the younger part of my audience. I turn to you, my amiable young friends, who confider yourfelves in the age of pleasure. You here fee that religion is not that frightful and gloomy thing, which you have often falfely pictured to yourselves in your own deluded fancies. There is nothing forbidding, distant or difagreeable in it. Here alone can you find true pleasure and durable delight. You think, you are in the period of life, wherein you may be allowed to take your fill of pleasure, before the calamitous appendages of old age come on. And, O that you could be perfuaded, to feek it where alone it can be found. Would you rejoice in your youth, and have your hearts cheer you in the days of your youth, enter upon the ways of religion. Relinquish folly, iniquity and youthful lufts, and chufe God for your God, Chrif for your Saviour, and the Holy Ghost for your Sanctifier ;

chufe religion for your courfe of life, her counfels to direct you and her graces to comfort you; then will you have the higheft pleasures in life, the most confoling fupports in death, and coa fumate felicity throuhgout the unwaiting ages of eternity. Wherefore shake off the fhakles of fin, talfely called pleasure, and fay unto laughter, thou art mad, and to carnal mirth, thou art foolishnefs, and make the wife choice of Mofes with whom God converfed face to face, as a man with his friend, "Who chose to fuffer affliction with the people of God, " rather than dwell in the courts of fin for a feafon." treated to come and take Chrift's yoke upon you furely find it easy. Lay it up in your minds, that the pleafures of religion are infinitely preferable to the pleasures of fenfe. "Seek the Lord while he may be found, and call up. "on him while he is near." Let this great truth be inscribed on the palms of your hands, that it may be always before you, and let it never flip from your memories, "That all religion's "ways are pleasantnefs, and all her paths, peace."

Be en

and you will

SERMON XXVIL

Faith Struggling with difficulties.

Matt. xxv. from the 21st to the 28th verfe, inclufive.

Then

Jefus went thence and departed into the coafts of Tyre and Sidon. And behold a woman of Canaan came out of the fame coafts, and cried unto him, faying, have mercy on me, O Lord, thou fon of David, my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he anfwered her not a word. And his difciples came and befought But he anhim, faying, fend her away for fhe crieth after us. fwered and faid, I am not fent but unto the loft fheep of the houfe of Ifrael. Then came fhe and worshipped him, faying, Lord help me. But he anfwered and faid, it is not meet to take the children's bread and caft it unto dogs. And fhe faid, truth Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table. Then Jefus anfwered and faid unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very bour.

WE have often read, my brethren, or often heard, of the mighty deeds and great exploits performed by distinguished

heroes, and renowned worthies, whofe fame has been spreads through the hiftoric page; but there are no atchievements fo glorious, and (hine with fuch brilliant luftre, as those which have been done by the virtue, power and grace of faith. An Alexander, a Cefar, a Hannibal, performed no fuch ftupendousdeeds or obtained fuch remarkable victories, as have been ac complished by the ftrength and wisdom of this wonderful grace. The oracles of truth produce abundant inftances of its wonder working power. "Many thro' faith have fubdued "kingdoms, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the vio"lence of fire, were made ftrong, and waxed valiant in fight, "and turned to flight the armies of the aliens." Were ever any exploits like thefe performed by any or all the nobleft heroes of antiquity? Here in the paffage before us we have an aftonishing deed, a most notable victory obtained by one of the weaker fex, thro' the might and all vanquishing power of her faith. A poor feeble woman dares to enter the lifts with the Son of God, who could fpeak worlds into existence, and comes off with the plaudits of victory. The hiftory we have of this remarkable incident is briefly this:

Jefus Chrift, the Saviour of an apoftate world, being refolved to be as extenfively ufeful from the time he entered upon his public ministry, as poffible, takes a tour into fome more remote corners of the country, into a distant part of the land of Judea, which lay bordering upon Tyre and Sidon. While he was itinerating and doing good, a certain woman of Canaan, of the gentiles, came to him with a most importunate addrefs, that he would adminifter healing to her daughter, who was grievously vexed with a devil. She must furely have had fome true information of his character, that he was the Meffiah, the promifed Saviour of men, the Son of God, and from the evi dence she had, he had committed her foul to him, and believ ed on him before the faw him with her bodily eyes. And from the account the had heard of his miracles, the poffeffed a full

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