them. The sensual man not only receives them not, but they are foolishness unto him compared with present delights. The worldly man cannot receive them, his heart is gone after its covetousness, the idol fills the temple, and there is no room for them. While the actual unbeliever, not only does not receive them, but rejects them with loathing, and, at the same time, with a strange mixture of fear and dread.

Whence, then, cometh the honest and good heart, which both receives, and retains, and improves divine truth? My answer is, that it is the fruit of sound instruction, wise restraint, serious consideration, earnest prayer, and diligent endeavour, made effectual by the SPIRIT OF GOD, to this happy end. So far, then, it is put within the reach of every one of us, and we are without excuse, if we have not attained it, or are not seriously striving for it.

Hence we learn how the neglect of these essential duties operates to increase this corruption of our nature, even to the hatred of GoD and religion-in other words, how we become hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. And hence opens upon us the wide and binding obligation of parental duty, in the nurture and admonition of families. With parents it rests, to give to the natural disposition, while tender and pliant, a direction towards God; to train it heaven-ward; to cultivate and prune it, that it may bear good fruit; to apply the counteracting influence of early instruction, watchful restraint, and good example. These GoD enjoins, and has promised to bless, and without these the hope is wild and unwarranted, that there will be any fear of GOD, or conformity to his holy will.

It may, indeed, be otherwise in the sovereignty of divine grace, but this cannot be counted upon; and where it does take place, it releases not from guilt those who have neglected the more ordinary, rational, and scriptural means, in the right use of which the end would have been more surely attained.

O Christian parents! yes, and parents who are not Christians; what a weight is upon you, from which you cannot escape! What an obligation, for which you must answer with your souls! and what precious promises and blessed hopes are yours, if you fulfil your duty! Have you ever realized them?

Have you ever thought of them beyond the little minute I was pressing them upon you? O that I could engrave them upon your hearts! O that God would give me wherewithal to move you-a tongue of fire, or a lip of persuation! For it is not a vain thing for you, but it is your life. And wo to that pestilent doctrine, which, in its perhaps unintended but necessary effect, hath paralyzed this duty, and spread the double murder of growing infidelity over the land! Alas! when I look around me, and see so many young persons, for whose worldly condition every pains hath been taken, but who manifest no concern for their souls, what am I to think? That their parents have been faithful in this duty? Alas! no. For then God must be unrighteous to forget his promise to this work and labour of love. O let us humble ourselves before him, and confess our sin, and implore his grace to counteract our past neglect, and form in these young persons the honest and good heart, which shall receive the truth in the love of it, and to bless our earnest endeavours to amend this great defect, for the time to come. Thus shall repentance bring forth fruits meet for it, and a visitation of mercy add to the Church such as shall be saved,

II. Secondly, I am to consider how far external conduct is to be relied upon as a proof of religion.

That the inward or governing principle of the mind will, in some shape or another, be manifested by the outward behaviour of the man, is just as certain, my brethren and hearers, as that the tree is known by its fruit. Where we see a continued course of thoughtlessness, and levity, and sin, and folly in the behaviour of any individual, there is no difficulty in determining that there is nothing of the religious principle in the heart the tree is not made good. But it will not, therefore, follow-as at first sight it would appear to do-that external conduct is what we are alone or chiefly to look to as the proof of the religious principle being formed and active in our hearts. From the nature of things, the root is before the branches: principle, therefore, must precede practice. It is undoubtedly true, however, that every man, whatever his condition may be, can give the negative proof that the religious principle is formed in his heart, by abstaining from sin. But it may not be equally in his

power to give the positive proof of it by actions directly good. These must depend upon ability and opportunity-neither of which may be present, though the principle from which good works flow may be enjoyed. And this necessarily follows from the great variety of circumstances in which men are placed, and to which their outward behaviour is subjected. Outward conduct, therefore, though good evidence of the want of the religious principle, is not always to be relied upon as the only safe and just evidence for it.

This will be confirmed by a case which is too common, and in which outward conduct is no measure of religious principle; and that is, when the conduct springs from motives and reasons which have no reference to religion at all.

A very bad man may be externally forward in what are called good works; many notorious, outbreaking sinners are yet humane in temper, and liberal to the poor. A man completely irreligious at heart, and owning himself such, may, for the sake of character and respect in the world, for the sake of advantage or from the fear of loss from constitutional temperament, and from a multitude of considerations separate from any religious impression, be both forward and liberal in doing good, and cautious of giving offence by doing evil. Yea, how many amiable and excellent persons do we all know, who, in their outward deportment, are a reproach to professing Christians, yet have no more to do with religion, no more intimacy with its exercises and ordinances, than the seats they sit upon.

In examining ourselves, therefore, with a view of knowing the real condition of our souls-the truth of our spiritual condition in the sight of GOD, and in respect of salvation, it is neither enough, nor is it safe, to take into the account only our external conduct. What comports with religious duty may in good part be found there, and after all prove a most miserable deception. Yet we know by experience, that it is the delusion under which thousands are posting hoodwinked to eternity. They do no harm, they do all the good they can, they see no great difference between their walk in life and that of Christians, and they hope to be saved even as others. But they never inquire into the principle on which that hope rests. They search not the Scrip

tures for the conditions on which salvation is limited to man. They strive not to enter in at the strait gate. There is no conflict even with worldly interest. What they do, they do to be seen of men; and they have their reward in the complacency and self-satisfaction of their own hearts, and in the praise of men. But, my brethren, this is not the master key which opens the gate of eternal life to a sinner. This is not that which renders even good works acceptable to GOD. There is a better way to determine this mighty interest which I now show unto you, by considering, as was proposed,

III. Thirdly, what constitutes the sure test upon which we may safely depend.

Now this consists under every variety of disposition and condition, in THE UNION OF A RIGHT MOTIVE WITH A GOOD ACTION. Where these meet, the fruit is perfect. Where they are separated, the best action, the greatest good that ever was done, has no moral or rewardable quality in the sight of God. As the motive or principle, therefore, alone sanctifies the action, and that can only be seated in the heart, to our hearts we must look in the first and chief place for the marks and tokens of religion, for the evidence that we are in the right way. That on the good ground are they who, in an honest and good heart, bring forth fruit with patience.

If, therefore, we are not conscious of that change of heart which gives a new direction to all our thoughts and to all our actions that secret of the LORD, that hidden man of the heart, that birth from above, as the inspired writers term it-the most splendid series of good actions that can be performed, can have no religious quality: If I give all my goods to feed the poor, and even my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Hence we may learn, my brethren, how it is that actions which to our view are exactly alike, may, nevertheless, both in themselves and in the sight of GOD, be altogether opposite; how the widow's mite, and the ostentatious offering of the wealthy Pharisee, were infinitely removed from each other in His estimation whose judgment is ever according to truth.

And hence also we may learn what is the sure test to which to bring our spiritual state; that if we would enjoy the comfort

and assurance of the gospel, we must not only be rich in good. works, but rich also in that spiritual root from which alone all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed.

It is faith working by love, my brethren, that adorns the doctrine of GoD our Saviour here upon earth; but it is love mighty through faith, to regain a heavenly inheritance, that sits down for ever at the right hand of God. Let us not attempt to separate, then, what God hath joined, but, in their holy union, prove what is that perfect and acceptable will of GOD, in which he hath chosen us to salvation through sanctification of the SPIRIT and belief of the truth.

I will now proceed to apply what has been said by some practical inferences from the subject.

Keep thy heart with all diligence, saith the wise man, for out of it are the issues of life. Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies, saith the Saviour, and these are the things which defile a man. If our heart condemn us, saith the apostle, GoD is greater than our heart and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God.

Connected with my text and with what hath been said, these passages of Scripture may serve to impress us with the duty of looking carefully to the seat of all religion-the heart. My brethren and hearers, religion, the saving religion of JESUS CHRIST, is a vital principle; and whatever of scoff and mockery may be cast upon it, it is only in this character that it is worth seeking or worth having. The state of our hearts, then, on the subject of religion, must be of great importance, as it must also be to have some marks by which to determine whether at all, and to what extent, it has any influence upon us.

Now one of these marks, and that a very conclusive one, is seriousness; seriousness of the heart, not occasionally excited, but abiding. The man or the woman, who does not find him or herself serious on the subject of religion, can draw but one conclusion, and that is, that as yet they have neither part nor lot in the matter. If the judgment of Almighty GoD at the last day, which we must all meet-if the difference between being saved and being lost, being accepted in the beloved or cast off