SERMON haft left out all the inward Graces of it, Behold! here is not a Word of Faith, Hope, and that Charity which is the Love of God and Man; not a Word of thy being a Sinner, nor of the Way of thy Recovery. Thou fayeft thou doft fo and fo; but doft thou hope to be juftified by thy Doings? Know of aTruth, that if thou fetteft up thy self for thy Saviour, Chrift will profit thee nothing. Haft thou not feen that thou art by Nature a Child of Wrath, born into the World under the Curfe of Sin, and that unless thou be born again thou canst not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven? Haft thou not feen the Pride and Naughtinefs of thy Heart, and its Enmity to God in thy unrenewed State, teaching thee that Evil is in thy best Actions, and that thy very Duties ftand in need of being repented of, and confequently that, being by Nature a wild Olive, thou must be graffed into Christ the trueOlive by Faith before thou canft bring forth good Fruit? And haft thou not feen, and doft thou not know that thou art become a fallen Spirit, and muft therefore be quickened again to Newness of Life by the Holy Ghoft? That all that Sin hath done in thee must be undone, thy falfe Confidence and Sufficiency

III.

in thy felf flain, thy Lufts mortified, and SERMO the World crucified to thee and thou unto the World, that fo Chrift, who is the Power of God, may be exalted above every Creature, and live, and dwell and reign in thee; if thou haft not feen all this; and if the Sight thereof has not led thee in Repentance and Self-abafement to the Lord Jefus as thy only Saviour, however thou mayft say, I am rich, and increafed with Goods, and have need of nothing, yet thou art in very deed poor, and miferable, and blind, and naked.

Again Thou calleft thy felf a Chriftian; if fo, thou art a Warrior, for thou haft engaged to fight under Chrift's Banner against the World, the Flesh and the Devil : But doft thou fight fuccefsfully, or only as one that beateth the Air? Is thine Armour of a heavenly Temper, fuch as the Shield of of Faith, the Breaft-plate of Righteousness, and the Sword of the Spirit; or, are the Weapons of thy Warfare only carnal, fuch as human Prudence, 'conftitutional Courage, and thy natural Reafon? Look well to it! for the Philistines are upon thee, and will foon prove what Metal both Thou and thy Weapons are made of.

Once more: Doft thou ftrive lawfully,

III.

SERMON that is, according to the Law of Arms and the Rules of Difcipline to be observed in the Christian Warfare? Doft thou keep under thy Body and bring it into Subjection, and by the Grace given thee fight manfully against those worst of Enemies the Corrup tions of thy Nature and the Sins that most eafily befet thee, that having fubdued the Foes that are of thine own House, thou mayft the more fafely engage those that are without? Doft thou, upon gaining any Advantage over thine Enemy, fit, ftill in Repofe and fancied Security, or keep a watchful Eye both on the Right Hand and on the Left to guard against a Surprize? For know, O Chriftian, that there is no Time of laying down of Arms for thee here, and that if thine Enemy flacken his Efforts or withdraw his Forces, 'tis only a Feint, that he may attack thee to more advantage at fome unguarded Hour: For we are not ignorant of his Devices.

Laftly, Doft thou refolve, the Lord being thy Helper, to perfevere unto the End, under whatever Difficulties or Difadvantages may happen, and tho' thou fometimes lofeft Ground, and the Adverfary chance to get the upper Hand, canft thou

fay

1

fay with a full Confidence in the Lord thy SERMON Strength Rejoyce not against me, O mine Enemy; "when I fall I fhall rise again, "when I fit in Darkness the Lord will be a "Light unto me?" If thou canst answer to these Questions aright, happy art thou, for thou art a faithful Soldier and beloved Servant of thy Lord, and shalt go on conquering and to conquer till thou haft trodden down all thine Enemies under thy Feet. But how few of us, my dear Brethren, can fay thus much! How do we entangle ourselves with the Affairs of this Life, and, instead of laying afide every Weight that may hinder us in the Chriftian Race, go on to load ourselves with the Cares and Incumbrances of the World fo that we move at best but heavily and flowly, How many Martha's are there in this Congregation, who mind the Business of the Kitchen more than the one thing needful! How many Demas's who thro' Love of this prefent World have left their first Love for Chrift, his Ways, and his People! How many, like Dives, are intent only upon enjoying their Temporal good things! And how many prodigal Sons and Daughters who spend all their Time and Substance

III..

SERMON in Pleasure and riotous Living! fo do the Profits or Diverfions, the Vanities and Follies of the World run away with us, and leave us neither Leifure nor Inclination for Serioufness. Nay, among the best of us, how much Reafon is there for Complaint! What Backwardness in Religious Duties! What Dullness and Drynefs in the Performance of them! How little Devotion in our Clofets! How little of Godlinefs in our Converfation! How unmortified in our Lives! How unfpiritualized in our Affections! Infomuch that I fear, that the Precept in the Text comes home rather as a Word of Reprehenfion than Caution to every one of us.

But if the former Part of the Text carries in it a Rebuke to the Lazy and the Loiterer, the latter Part of it holds forth Encouragement to the Faint-hearted Be Followers of them who thro' Faith and Patience inherit the Promifes. We are here not only told our Duty, but, to animate us in the Discharge of it, have proposed to our Imitation the Examples of those who have gone before us in the Way, have fought the good Fight, and finished their Course, and are now in Poffeffion of that Crown of Life which is laid up for all that

endure