the most universally natural to all mankind. They discover it as to bodily exercife; ftill more with regard to mental application; but it appears most of all in religious pursuits. Upon this principle many are influenced in their choice of preachers, and in their adoption of fentiments. This makes them fonder of fpeculations, which bear very foftly upon the heart and life, than of thofe truths which inculcate a holy practice. They find it easier to hear weekly a number of fermons, than to teach their children the duties of the gofpel, and to maintain ferious devotion in their families, and and in their clofets. Man loves indulgence; he needs a stimulus to make him arise from the bed of floth, to exert his faculties, and to employ the means of which he is poffeffed. And one would naturally conclude that in religion he would find it. As he fits at ease, revelation draws back the vail, and fhews him the most astonishing realities; an eternal world; whatever can fting with motive, whatever can alarm with fear, whatever can animate with hope; what a Being to please, on whom it depends to fave or to destroy! what a state of mifery is there to escape! what an infinite happiness to fecure! Survey the prize. In feeking honour, men facrifice their peace, submit to mortifications, climb afcents the most flippery and hazardous. To gain wealth, they rife up early, fit up eat the bread of carefulness; and what beggarly, unfatisfying advantages are all earthly things! The rich man, "in the midft of his fufficiency may be in ftraits." The conqueror may be wrung with forrow even on the day of his triumph. Now " they run for a cor"ruptible crown, but we for an incorruptible." Shall

late,

they be zealous in trifles, and we remain cold and motionless in matters of endless importance? Or do you imagine diligence is unneceffary? But does not every thing valuable require labour? Do we ever highly efteem that which cofts us nothing? Indolence never ploughs or fows, and therefore never reaps. It never plants or pru...es, and therefore never gathers the clufters of the grapes; nothing great was ever performed by it; nothing great was ever poffeffed by it. "The foul "of the diligent" only "fhall be made fat." "Win “and wear it,” says Bishop Latimer, "is inscribed on "the crown of glory which fadeth not away." Be affured, "your ftrength is not to fit ftill:"" be not "flothful, but followers of them who through faith "and patience inherit the promises.”

Secondly, Beware of DIVERSION. Discharge yourself as much as poffible from fuperfluous cares. Diftinguish between diligence in lawful business, and

entangling yourselves in the affairs of this life." This fometimes arifes from a multiplicity of concerns, and more frequently from the want of order and skill in the management of them. Thus you are robbed of the temper, and the attention, and the opportunities which devotion requires. The good old men who are gone before us, lived as long again as you do in the fame number of years; they redeemed their time ; they rofe early; they moved by rule; they planned every thing; they would have leifure for religion; and if time fell short, the body and the world suffered the lofs; they never robbed the foul, and trifled with eternity. To avoid diverfion, you would do well to remember that religion is the grand business of life;

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that to this you must render every thing else SUBORDINATE and SUBSERVIENT; that you are not to confine your pious regards and attentions to the fabbath, or the temple; you are to "walk in the fear of "the Lord all the day long ;" and "whether ye eat "or drink, or whatever ye do," you are to do "all to "the glory of God." In his journey the traveller may pause for a moment to behold the beauty of the scenery around him; or in the evening he may turn "afide to tarry for a night," but in the morning he goes on his way; nothing diverts him; he thinks only of the object for which he fet out. If however a man goes forth without an end in view, or does not feel the neceffity of purfuing it; if he travels extemand leaves the determination of his course to accident, he is liable to be caught with any pleasing profpect; he will be ready to comply with any flattering invitation; he will be driven back, or turned afide by every appearance of difficulty. Fix your aim, my brethren, and establish in your minds a conviction of the importance of it; then you will no longer live at random; then you will have a principle which will fimplify all your concerns, by giving them one common tendency; then you will have a director to guide you in every perplexing uncertainty; then you will have a standard, by which to decide what you are to fhun, and what you are to purfue; it will induce you to examine all with a reference to this, and to make all contribute to this; every occurrence will furnish leffons and helps; in relation to this we fhall judge of what is good or evil; this will keep us from murmuring when we feel things which, though painful, urge

us forward, and from fighing for things which, though pleafing, will prove an incumbrance.

I would remark further, that there are not only diverfions FROM religion, but diverfions IN it; and of these also you are to beware. Here, finding you are unfufpicious of danger, the enemy often fucceeds; for his end is frequently answered by things good in themfelves; he is fatisfied if he can draw off your attention from great things, and engrofs it with little ones; if he can make you prefer opinions to practice, and controversy to devotion; if by consuming your zeal on the circumftantials of religion, he can render your minds cold to the effence; if he can bring you to lay more stress upon those peculiarities in which you differ, than upon those all important points in which you agree.

Thirdly, Guard against DESPONDENCY. There are indeed many things which, when viewed alone, have a tendency to difcourage the mind. We know your weakness, and we know the difficulties and dangers to which you are expofed. Your progrefs will prove warlike; your poffeffion, like the inheritance of the Jews, is to be conquered-but "be courageous;" nothing will fo much animate you as holy confidence. To strengthen this principle, you have the promise of a faithful God. It encouragss you with an affurance of eventual fuccefs, and of immediate affiftance. The advantages are as certain as they are great. The labour and the hope of the husbandman may be destroyed-but here are no cafualties; "he that goeth forth "and weepeth, bearing precious feed, fhall doubtlefs "come again with rejoicing, bringing his fheaves with "him." The foldier fights uncertainly-but there

is no peradventure in this warfare; "yea, in all these "things we are more than conquerors through Him "that loved us." How enlivening is the perfuafion that we cannot be defeated in our enterprife, or difappointed in our hope! But you want immediate help; and God has engaged that you fhall not advance alone; his presence fhall be with you, and his grace fhall be fufficient for you. "So that you may boldly say, the "Lord is my Helper. I will not fear." "I will go "forth in the strength of the Lord." See however that your confidence be fcriptural, and your reliance properly placed. And,

"Even

Fourthly, Be afraid of PRESUMPTION. "the youths fhall faint and be weary, and the young "men fhall utterly fall; but they that wait upon the "Lord fhall renew their strength, they fhall mount up "with wings as eagles, they fhall run and not be wea"ry, and they fhall walk and not faint." Our dependence upon God is abfolute and univerfal. "In him: "we live, and move, and have our being." His agen

cy

is more indispensable in spiritual things than in natural; fin has rendered us peculiarly weak, helpless, and difaffected. Without Him we can do nothing; our progrefs in religion will be in proportion to his influences. We are "led by the Spirit of God;" "we "live in the Spirit; we walk in the Spirit." Be fenfible of this, and as the proof of it, be much in prayer. Prayer is the language of dependence; by this we call for fuccour, and by this we obtain it. Thus "when "we are weak, then are we strong," because this sense of our infufficiency leads us to implore the power God; and "if we feek we fhall find." Hence it fol

of