into it, and by all means give current coin: God feath me. "It is but little, that I can give." Let me give it the more heartily, from love to Jefus Chrift, who loved me, and gave himself for me. "This poor fervant cafts in more than his rich master, "who will cheerfully lavish away confiderable fums 66 at a licentious ball, or a riotous club :-here one, coarfely attired, cafts in pretty largely; while another, apparelled in filks and gay clothing, gives "almost nothing." How void of conscience are the moft! how many will rather GIVE a pound to the king of the children of pride, than LEND a penny to the Father of mercies, who made and preferves them! "Here a perfon rich and gayly attired gives nothing at all." Surprising hath God freely given him fo much? and will he publicly refufe that he oweth, or will lend him one farthing?-Let me never rob God, or his poor factors. Better my liberality fhould caufe me drefs in a meaner attire and take a fcantier meal, than that Jefus fhould publicly condemn me to hell for with-holding more than is meet. Mean while, let me never give to be seen of

men.

"Now I approach the church-door; but for the "greed of my penny, the keeper refufeth me en"trance.' "" How unlike to the Lord Jefus, who faith, Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wife caft out!" The pfalm is raised." Let me fing with understanding, and make melody in my heart to the Lord. "O! how my foul melts while I fing this "line! Already my fweet frame is fled. I fearce "attend the fenfe of what my lips utter:-standing "in this crowd, I am weary of finging." Bafe heart, hath a few minutes of heavenly mufic fatigued thy powers, and exhaufted thy patience? Lord, pity me, for "I am carnal, fold under fin. The good that

I

I would, I do not; but the evil that I would not, that do I."

"I HAVE got preffed in." Rejoice, my foul, thy entrance into heaven shall be much more abundant: and now that I am in the house of God, let me defire nothing but God himself. "What mean this people to gaze on a poor ftranger!" Is there no awe, no fear of God in their heart, that so insignificant a fpectacle draws off their mind and eyes from their facred work? hath Satan power to wind about thefe gazers necks, and lift up their eyes at his pleasure? =Alas! how often do the most common and trifling. incidents, the cry of a child, the barking of a dog, or the braying of an afs, decoy multitudes from attendance to the voice of the eternal JEHOVAH ?— and, times without number, have the verieft trifles decoyed my heart from Jefus and his word. "Around me there is room enough, and to spare; "yet I and other firangers meanly apparelled, must. "stand, perhaps till we faint, in the entries." Will the people here, who have feats, before God, avow their respect of per fons, and hazard his vengeance, by giving place to the great, not to the poort? With many, wealth is the all-comprehending excellency; poverty, the great defect, and the worst crime. But rejoice, my foul; when I enter the temple above, none fhall queftion my fitting down with Jefus on his throne: With God there is no respect of perfons. "In the time of praife, why obferved I fome gayly "attired prefs up to the most honourable feat?" Is it not criminal ceremony, and finful prefumption, thus to disturb the worship of God, for the fake of imaginary honour?

"PRAYER begins." Let my foul be lifted up

† James ii. III,

to

to God therein. Stand aloof, every wandering thought, every carnal care, while I worship my God. Bafe adulterers, will ye force me to vanity, to vilenefs, in the prefence of Jefus Chrift my hufband?

"SERMON begins." How fuitable this fubject! how it pierceth my confcience, melts my heart, and drops into it as honey from the honey.comb! Surprifing! how knows this preacher my cafe, that he fpeaks fo pointed, and reprefents it more exactly than I could! Every fentence is directed to me, as if none else where prefent. Surely, it is the voice of God, and not of a man."-Lord, thou haft ravished and captivated my heart. "Yonder people yawn, "flumber and fleep." O the fovereignity of God, who now breathes on my foul, not on theirs! O his patience, to bear fuch open affronts, and not dispatch the criminals quick to hell! Our ftupidity, our wickedness, to lumber when God fpeaks, when he offers falvation to us in the most engaging manner! I dread Jefus, at last, speak a word to fome of these fleepers, that will for ever keep them awake in hell. "Here the preacher hits my neighbour's cafe and "fault: here his periods are ill turned; his language "coarfe; his voice grating; his expreffion ungen"teel." Deceitful heart, who taught thee to hear for my neigbour? is any crime with him which is not in thee? Came I hear, to judge how men affect mine ear ? or to hear what God the Lord fhall speak? What fpiritual leannefs fhall fueh trifling in holy things bring on my foul? how fhall I anfwer for it at Jefus' bar?-Rate not the preacher by the ear, his phrafe or accent; To truth thy reverence pay; not to her drefs. NICE tafte of drefs is but the childish judgment of ill-humoured pride. Bleffed Jefus, to me let never the preacher talk alone; else I am at best but tempted to admire the worm, extol

his order, or his mode: but thy voice, when heard, fires all my foul with love to thee; arms all my powers with rage against my inward lufts. "Treacher66 ous heart, where art thou now! haft thou left me as a corple before God? and are gone home to my houfe, my fhop, my field, my flock, &c. " Lord, rebuke the evil, the carnal spirit which hath taken poffeffion of my foul. Ah! how long shall vain thoughts lodge within me? "Now with pleafure I "think on fpiritual things, but fuch as do not belong to the prefent purpose." Into how many shapes will a heart deceitful above all things, and defperately wicked, turn herfelf, to fhun that which is good! Lord, feize and bind her, with thy almighty love! "My heart again begins to glow.' O kindle her into a vehement flame. Let this fweet, this feasonable promise, fink to her centre: let it be engraven on her as with a pen of iron, and point of a diamond. "Sermon is finished." May God fignally blefs it to the hearers: what of it touched my heart, let it ever abide there; let the Holy Ghoft bring to my remembrance whatever Jefus hath faid unto me.

"BAPTISM is administered." Attend, my foul, with care. Here God difplays our dreadful filth; our damning guilt: to wafh from that, and rescue from this, nought avails but blood divine. Here, how fhines the Saviour's love! For us he shed his blood he died! At the door of the womb, he, with his bleeding laver, waits to wash our foul, as fhe enters the world. "Is this infant, and was I bap"tized in the name of Father, Son, and Holy "Ghoft?" How fweet the view! all the divine THREE equally concerned for; interested in; working out; and honoured by, our falvation.-Let therefore this infant; let me and mine, be washed

in the blood, renewed by the Spirit, and devoted to the fervice of Chrift. Let what I am, and have, be equally devoted to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost : let JEHOVAH be my Father; Jefus my Saviour; the Holy Spirit my fanctifier: all in one, my God and portion. Let me examine myself. Have I received the baptifm of the Holy Ghost in my inner man? Am I ingrafted into, and united with Chrift? Am I fharer of the benefits of the new-covenant! Am I born again, juftified, adopted, fanctified, and intitled to eternal life? Doth my heart even now confent to accept thefe privileges? But let me remember my faults to-day: In baptifm was not I folemnly fworn to be wholly and only the Lord's? but, alas! how have "other Lords had dominion over me!"

-Ah! what room, they have had in my heart! what fervice they have obtained in my life! With what millions unnumbered of vain and vile thoughts, words and deeds, am I chargeable! How highly are all aggravated, as done against a folemn oath, and a God of love!

2

"Now we are to be feared with the fupper of (6 our Lord; feafted on his filcfl and blood." Let a knife be put to my throat, if I be not a man given to appetite after Jefus Chrift, and nothing befide. "Now the pa or debars the unworthy "from the facred banquet." Liften, my confcience, if thy name be found in this black roll: ponder, how far in heart, or in practice, I am chargeable with thefe bloody crimes: faithfully charge home my guilt.-Ah! how each of thefe characters fting me to the quick! not one of thefe abominations, but I find lurking in myself.-Lord, iniquities prevail againft me; but as for my tranfgreffions, thou fhalt purge them away In thy all-cleanfing blood, O eleanfe the blood which thou haft not cleanfed. "Now "follows