who will fay, I wish I could be as ferious as I should be, would but fay, I will often think of what will become of me when I die; such a man would foon be ferious, there is no doubt of it. It is true, to be able to fay, and to do this, will require a lively faith, fuch as will awaken the confcience, work upon the will, call back the affections from clofing with the world: and to preserve such a degree of faith, a man must watch, and pray, and deny himself, and ftrive to keep a pure heart; all which are very contrary to flesh and blood. But then it is for our life. Let that be seriously confidered, and no difficulties will difcourage us. And let us, in the next place, endeavour to poffefs our hearts with a just sense of the corruption of our nature. He must be very blind who does not fee, and very perverse who does not own this, when it is with fo great difficulty that we are brought to comply with the will of God; when we can hear of heaven and hell, and be indifferent; when we can see our intereft, and neglect it; when we can refift fo many motives of loving God, and make all his designs for our converfion ineffectual. All these are fad proofs of a state of deep corruption. The knowledge of which is most proper to awaken us, and fill our fouls with concern: that we may not flatter ourselves with being fecure, when we are prone to evil continually; that we may flee to God for help, and cheerfully comply with the methods he has has ordained for our recovery; that we may admire the goodness of God, who had pity upon us in our diftrefs, and make this a lafting reafon of loving him with all our hearts; always remembering, that to lament our condition, without defiring to be reformed, will not excufe but increase our guilt, fince all our ailments may be cured, if we are not wanting to ourselves. But then, we must not depend upon ourfelves; that, indeed, would be the way to mifcarry. Happy is the man that feareth_always; that diftrufteth his own wisdom and strength, and looks up to, and depends upon God. And we shall be apt to do fo, if we call to mind, how often our beft purposes have been forgotten, our most folemn vows broken, and very hopeful beginnings come to nothing. Thus it always has been, and thus it always will be, until, out of a deep fenfe of our own weakness, we give up ourselves into the hands of our Creator, who has a right to govern his creatures, and who never defigned us for felfgovernment and independance. And therefore, as we hope for fecurity, we muft make use of thofe means which he has appointed for confirming us in his grace. And here let us not delude ourselves, and depend upon what will not profit us: fuch are, a good faith without a fuitable life; confeffing our fins, without avoiding temptations; fruitless purposes, without taking care to to amend; formal devotions, which never affect the heart; imploring God's affistance, without using our own endeavours; pretending to love God, when we love the world above all things; hearing his word, without thinking of obeying his laws: these may ferve to harden our hearts, but can never confirm us in the grace of God. But if we would set about the work of our falvation with the seriousness of people who hope to go to heaven, we must fuffer our faith to fet before us the happiness and the miseries of the world to come; we must strive with all our might, that nothing may divert us from thinking often upon these important subjects, which are the foundation of Chriftian conftancy. For having these before our eyes, we shall not so easily return to the fins we have repented of; for we know who has told us, what a fad ftate that man is in, to whom an evil spirit returns, after he has been turned out, with feven other fpirits worse than himself. We fhall therefore watch against fuch backfliding; we fhall pray with the concern of people that are in the midst of dangers; and we fhall lofe no opportunity of gaining or improving those graces which are fo neceffary for our fecurity: and above all, we shall commit ourselves and our caufe to God every day of our lives, befeeching him, that as often as we forget ourselves, (which we are but too apt to do) that he would awaken us into a lively concern for our falvation. To conclude: Let us ufe all diligence to make our calling and election fure. And fince we know by faith that our fouls are to live for ever, let us put on refolutions worthy of the faith we profess; a faith which undertakes to enable us to break our bonds, though never fo ftrong; which will deliver us from the powers of darkness, fet us free from the bondage of corruption, and put an end at last to that struggle betwixt nature and grace, which every Christian, who has any knowledge of himself, is fadly fenfible of. If the Spirit of God gives us good defires, let us heartily close with them, and remember, that he is not bound to strive with us for ever: that whatever we think now, if ever we grieve and drive him from us, all our good designs and defires will vanish, and leave us most pitiable subjects of mifery. а The good God keep it ever in the hearts of all his fervants, that it is an evil thing and bitter to forfake the Lord; keep us from prefumptuous fins, preferve us always in a ferious temper; that being ever mindful of our infirmities and backflidings, we may be more watchful, more diligent, and more importunate for grace; continually mortifying our corrupt affections, and daily proceeding in virtue and true holiness; through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. d 2 Peter i. 10. SERMON SERMON XXXIV. THE CREED PUT INTO PRACTICE. O Lord, increase my Faith! Let me firmly believe myself what I teach others. Let my Faith be truly practical. Pity and awaken all that hold the Truth in Unrighteoufnefs; have compaffion upon the Infidel World; for Chrift's fake, the Author and Finisher of our Faith. Amen. TIT. i. 16. THEY PROFESS THAT THEY KNOW GOD; BUT IN WORKS THEY DENY HIM, BEING ABOMINABLE, AND DISOBEDIENT, AND UNTO EVERY GOOD WORK REPROBATE ;a [THAT IS, VOID OF JUDGMENT.] IF F one should say to any Chriftian-Deny your God, or your Saviour, or your faith; he would tremble, he would abhor the proposal and him that made it. He would anfwer, What! would you have me go directly to hell? And yet, you hear, there are those who profefs to know God, but in their works deny him; and the apostle affures us, that fuch are as abominable, as hated of God, as if they denied him with their mouths. St. Peter alfo speaks of fome who are fo deplorably fallen a See Luke xiii. 26. v. 17. 2 Tim. iii. 5. Acts viii. 13. Rom. i. 18, 21; v. I. 2 Cor. from |