follow on to know the Lord? Then we may learn,

(1.) That those who have not yet begun to look and feek after the Lord, they are neither profpering in their fouls, nor are they in the way to it. Hearken, Oye ftupid fouls, whose hearts within you are this day dead as ftones, moving still towards. the earth, but having no motion in them towards God. Your cafe is fad, and there is no appearance yet of its growing better; it is dark night with you, and there is no appearance of the morning-light. Your hearts are fhut against Christ, and there is no putting in of his hand at the hole of the door; you have not the fmalleft profpect of happiness. We may fee,

(2.) That it is no wonder though backfliders have lean fouls. How many are there this day, who, comparing their own cafe with what it has been formerly, may cry out, as in Ifa. xxiv. 16. "But I faid, my leannefs, My leannefs, woe unto me." They have loft the delight they fometimes had in God; there is now little or no communication between heaven and them. Whence does this take place? Why, they did not follow on, when they were once fet fair off, but went backward. When the wind was fair for Immanuel's land, they trifled away their time, and were busy here and there about other things; and their fair occafions were loft. We may fee,

(3.) That they are in no profpering cafe, who are at a stand in religion. There is a generation who think they have got as much grace as will carry them to heaven, and therefore they are not preffing forward. Paul had more than ever they could pretend to, yet says he, Phil. iii. 12. "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after, if that I may VOL. II. apprehend

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apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jefus." Truly, if you continue thus, it will be an evidence that you have no grace at all; for, Prov. iv. 18. "The path of the just is as the fhining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day."

(4.) You may fee how the smallest spark which you now have, may be brought to a great flame. Do but follow on to know the Lord, and then you shall know, you shall make progrefs; and though your stock be but fmall, you may come to make that bleffed account of it, which is in Luke, xix. 16. "Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds." Hold your hands to what you have got here, when you are gone from this place, and you will find it will grow in your hands; it will increafe in the ufing. But here fome may propose an

OBJECTION: "I am a fearful backflider, who have wafted my stock which fome time increased with me in that way, and can I think ever to recover it again? Anf. Return, O prodigal! there is yet room for thee in thy Father's houfe. The promise in the text concerns you as well as others. See alfo Hof. v. 15. and chapter vi. 1. and downwards, where there is great encouragement to returning backfliders. Are you convinced of your folly? are you touched at the heart with your backfliding? are your fouls moving for a return? as in Jer. xxxi. 18. " I have furely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus, Thou haft chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God." Then it may yet be as well with you as ever it was, Joel, ii. 23.-27.

Laftly, We may hence fee what is the ruin of many communicants, and others who attend upon ordinances. It is not fo much that they get no

thing at them, as that they carry nothing away with them; or if they do, they do not hold their hands to it when they are at home. You who

think that your work is over when the communion is over, you will make no good account of what you have been doing. Would you not think him a foolish man, who would employ himself on the meadow fharping his scythe, and then lay it by when he has got it fharped? Wherefore

came you here, but to get a meal for your journey heaven-ward; and if fo, then go in the ftrength of it, go from flrength to ftrength unweariedly, till you appear before God in Zion.---I come,

2.To an use of exhortation.

I would exhort you all to follow on, to hold your hands at religion, however fmall the beginnings of it may be with you; and to prevail with you, I would lay before you the following Mo

TIVES.

Mot. 1. The way to profper in religion is, when we find the least moving, to beftir ourselves, and hold our hands to it, as David, 2 Sam v. 24. 25. We would all take measures for improving our bodies and eftates, why not also for improving our fouls? I am fure, there are fad fymptoms of a fpiritual confumption and decay on the generation in which we live; we have need to use the remedy for ourselves against it. These symptoms are fuch as the following.The ftomach for our fpiritual food is gone; ordinances are not prized; we look generally as if we had got a furfeit of the gofpel; farms and merchandise go much nearer people's hearts than opportunities of communion with God, for which they will be loth to lose a day's work; an evidence this that we may have to faft till we find our stomachs again.-- Another fymptom is, that profeffors have generally loft U 2

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their colour; their former beauty is gone. That heavenlinefs, fpirituality, and tenderness, that favour of godliness which was sometimes about them, is alfo gone; and formality, worldlymindedness, deadness, and lifeleffnefs, have come in their room; fo that we may well fay, 'O our bones are dried! Any growth there is, is in pride and felf-conceit; like rickety children, a large head, but a poor lean body. Indeed, not a few are even turned the colour of the earth, that their profane neighbours may say, Behold, the man is become like one of us. It is a day in which God is drawing the veil from off many faces; and all this is drawing on to a national apoftafy from the Lord. The alarm is founded already to carry back this church into Egypt. Breaches are made to let in a deluge of fuperftition, error, and profanenefs. The ruin of this church, and the covenanted work of refor mation, is threatened. It is high time we were beftirring ourselves to hold our hands to the truths and ways of the Lord, handed down to us from our fore-fathers, that we may tranfmit them alfo to our pofterity, by a faithful adherence to them, over the belly of all oppofition, whether from open enemies or profeffed friends; and for that end, to be following on after the Lord's work in our own fouls.

Mot. 2. Follow on, hold your hands to religion, however small a measure of it you have; for you fhall know, if you follow on to know.

You fhall know that a going foot in religion is always getting: Ifa. xlv. 19. "I faid not unto the feed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain." They who are hanging on about the Lord's hand, will always find fome off-fallings. Though they do not soon get the very thing they would be at, they will al

ways

ways get fomething in the mean time, well worth all the pains. If you be following on for comfort, this may be denied for a while, but you will be ready to get a deeper conviction to prepare the way for it; if, for deliverance from temptation, you may, like Paul, get grace to wrestle againft,, and to overcome it.-Again,

You fhall know that religion is a reward to itself :: Pfal. xix. 11. “In keeping of them, (thy commandments), there is great reward." There is a pleasure in attending the very pofts of Wifdom's door: Pfal. lxxxiv. 10. " For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand: I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness." There is a fweet peace in the Lord's way; the ftricteft ways of religion are a pleasure: Prov. iii. 17. "Her ways are ways of pleasantnefs, and all her paths are peace." There is a great pleasure in feeing the bofom-idol on the cross, fin dying, and grace reviving in the foul.

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follow on,

You shall know, that the more you it fhall be the easier; the more you walk in this way, you will be the more expert: Ifa. xl. 31. "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their ftrength; they fhall mount up with wings as cagles; they fhall run and not be weary, and they fhall walk and not faint." That which makes religion fo difficult to us, is our not holding at it, our taking it but by fits and starts. Is it not always the easier to you to feek the Lord, the oftener you are at his throne? But omit one occafion, you will find yourselves the less fit for the work.

You fhall know, that fome difficulties in religion, which are like mountains afar off, shall turn to mole-hills, when you refolutely come up to. them, God will make iron gates open of their

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