ADVERTISEMENT. The Author of these Sermons, by a codicil to his will, declares as follows:-" If my life had been continued, it was my intention to have printed at Sunderland a Volume of Sermons-about 500 copies; to be distributed gratis in the parish; and I had proceeded so far in the design as to have transcribed several Sermons for that purpose, which are in a parcel by themselves. There is also a parcel from which I intended to make other transcripts; but the business is in an imperfect unfinished state; the arrangement is not settled further than that I thought the Sermon on Seriousness in Religion should come first, and then the doctrinal Sermons: there are also many repetitions in them, and some that might be omitted or consolidated with others." The codicil then to direct, that, after such disposition should have been made respecting the Manuscripts as might be deemed necessary, they should be printed by the Rev. Mr. Stephenson, at the expense of the testator's executors, and distributed in the neighbourhood, first to those who frequented church, then to farmers' families in the country, then to such as had a person in the family who could read, and were likely to read them: and, finally, it is added, "I would not have the said Sermons published for sale." In compliance with this direction, the following Sermons were selected, printed, and distributed by the Rev. Mr. Stephenson, in and about the parish of Bishop Wearmouth, in the year 1806. goes on These Discourses were not originally composed for publication, but were written for, and, as appears by the Manuscripts, had most of them been preached at the parish Churches of which, in different parts of the Author's life, he had the care. It was undoubtedly the Author's intention that they should not be published, but the circulation of such a number as he had directed by his will to be distributed, rendered it impossible to adhere to that intention; and it was found necessary to publish them, as the only means of preventing a surreptitious sale. SERMONS ON SEVERAL SUBJECTS. SERMON I. SERIOUSNESS IN RELIGION INDISPENSABLE ABOVE ALL OTHER DISPOSITIONS Be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. 1 PET. iv. 7. In a thoughtless, a careless, a sensual world, many are always found who can resist. and who do resist, the force and importance of all these reflections, that is to say, they suffer nothing of the kind to enter into their thoughts. There are grown men and women, nay, even middle aged persons, who have not thought seriously about religion an hour, nor a quarter of an hour, in the whole course of their lives. This great object of human solicitude affects not them in any manner whatever. THE first requisite in religion is serious-so. business. One might have expected that events so awful and tremendous, as death and judgment; that a question so deeply interesting, as whether we shall go to heaven or to hell, could in no possible case, and in no constitution of mind whatever, fail of exciting the most serious apprehension and concern. But this is not It cannot be without its use to inquire into the causes of a levity of temper, which so effectually obstructs the admission of every religious influence, and which I should almost call unnatural. Now there is a numerous class of mankind, who are wrought upon by nothing but what applies immediately to their senses; by what they see, or by what they feel; by pleasures or pains, or by the near prospect of pleasures and pains which they actually experience or actually observe. But it is the characteristic of religion to hold out to our consideration consequences which we do not perceive at the time. That is its very office and province. Therefore if men will restrict and confine all their regards and all their cares to things said that they are contrary to reason and duty, in every condition and at every period of life. Even in youth they are built upon falsehood and folly. Young persons, as well as old, find that things do actually come to pass. Evils and mischiefs, which they regarded as distant, as out of their view, as beyond the line and reach of their preparations or their concern, come, they find, to be actually felt. They find that nothing is done by slighting them beforehand; for, however neglected or despised, perhaps ridiculed and derided, they come not on and the only things, about which their anxiety is employed; become serious things indeed, as being the things which now make them wretched and miserable. Therefore a man must learn to be affected by events which appear to lie at some distance, before he will be seriously affected by religion. which they perceive with their outward sen- | Excusable did I say? I ought rather to have ses; if they will yield up their understandings to their senses, both in what these senses are fitted to apprehend, and in what they are not fitted to apprehend, it is utterly impossible for religion to settle in their hearts, or for them to entertain any serious concern about the matter. But surely this conduct is completely irrational, and can lead to nothing but ruin. It proceeds upon the supposition, that there is nothing above us, about us, or future, by which we can be affected, but the things which we see with our eyes or feel by our touch. All which is untrue. "The invisi-ly to be things present, but the very things, ble things of God from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are seen; even his eternal Power and Godhead;" which means, that the order, contrivance, and design, displayed in the creation, prove with certainty, that there is more in nature than what we really see; and that amongst the invisible things of the Again the general course of education is universe, there is a Being, the author and ori- much against religious seriousness, even withgin of all this contrivance and design, and, by out those who conduct education foreseeing or consequence, a being of stupendous power, intending any such effect. Many of us are and of wisdom and knowledge incomparably brought up with this world set before us, and exalted above any wisdom or knowledge which nothing else. Whatever promotes this world's we see in man; and that he stands in the prosperity is praised; whatever hurts and obsame relation to us as the maker does to the structs and prejudices this world's prosperity thing made. The things which are seen are is blamed: and tcere all praise and censure not made of the things which do appear. This end. We see mankind about us in motion is plain and this argument is independent of and action, but all these motions and actions Scripture and revelation. What further mo- directed to worldly objects. We hear their ral or religious consequences properly follow conversation, but it is all the same way. And from it, is another question; but the proposi- this is what we see and hear from the first. tion itself shows, that they who cannot, and The views which are continually placed before they who will not, raise their minds above the our eyes, regard this life alone and its interests. mere information of their senses, are in a state Can it then be wondered at that an early of gross error as to the real truth of things, and worldly-mindedness is bred in our hearts, so are also in a state to which the faculties of strong as to shut out heavenly-mindedness enman ought not to be degraded. A person of tirely? In the contest which is always carrythis sort may, with respect to religion, remaining on between this world and the next, it s a child all his life. A child naturally has no concern but about the things which directly meet its senses; and the person we describe is in the same condition. : no difficult thing to see what advantage this world has. One of the greatest of these advantages is, that it pre-occupies the mind: it gets the first hold and the first possession. Again: there is a race of giddy thought- Childhood and youth, left to themselves, are less men and women, of young men and young necessarily guided by sense; and sense is all women more especially, who look no further on the side of this world. Meditation brings than the next day, the next week, the next us to look towards a future life; but then memonth; seldom or ever so far as the next year.ditation comes afterwards: it only comes when Present pleasure is every thing with them. the mind is already filled and engaged and ocThe sports of the day, the amusements of the cupied, nay, often crowded and surcharged with evening, entertainments and diversions, oc-worldly ideas. It is not only, therefore, fair cupy all their concern; and so long as these and right, but it is absolutely necessary, to give can be supplied in succession, so long as they to religion all the advantage we can give it by can go from one diversion to another, their dint of education; for all that can be done is minds remain in a state of perfect indifference too little to set religion upon an equality with to every thing except their pleasures. Now its rival; which rival is the world. A creawhat chance has religion with such disposi-ture which is to pass a small portion of its extions as these? Yet these dispositions, begun .n early life, and favoured by circumstances, that is, by affluence and health, cleave to a man's character much beyond the period of ife in which they might seem to be excusable. istence in one state, and that state to be preparatory to another, ought, no doubt, to have its attention constantly fixed upon its ulterior and permanent destination. And this would be so, if the question between them come fairly before the mind. We should listen to the sets at nought the whole thing; or it brings Scriptures, we should embrace religion, we upon the heart an averseness to the subject, should enter into every thing which had rela- a fixed dislike and reluctance to enter upon its tion to the subject, with a concern and impres- concerns in any way whatever. That a resion, even far more than the pursuits of this solved sinner should set himself against a reworld, eager and ardent as they are, excite. ligion which tolerates no sin, is not to be wonBut the question between religion and the dered at. He is against religion, because reworld does not come fairly before us. What ligion is against the course of life upon which surrounds us is this world; what addresses he has entered, and which he does not feel our senses and our passions is this world; himself willing to give up. But this is not what is at hand, what is in contact with us, the whole, nor is it the bottom of the matter. what acts upon us, what we act upon, is this The effect we allude to is not so reasoning or world. argumentative as this. It is a specific efect Reason, faith, and hope, are the only princi- upon the mind. The heart is rendered unsusples to which religion applies, or possibly can ceptible of religious impressions, incapable of apply and it is reason, faith, and hope, striv- a serious regard to religion. And this effect ing with sense, striving with temptation, stri- belongs to sins of sensuality more than to other ving for things absent against things which sins. It is a consequence which almost uniare present. That religion, therefore, may versally follows from them. not be quite excluded and overborne, may not We measure the importance of things, not quite sink under these powerful causes, every by what, or according to what they are in support ought to be given to it, which can be truth, but by and according to the space and given by education, by instruction, and, above room which they occupy in our minds. Now all, by the example of those, to whom young our business, our trade, our schemes, our purpersons look up, acting with a view to a fu- suits, our gains, our losses, our fortunes, posture life themselves, sessing so much of our minds, whether we reAgain: it is the nature of worldly business gard the hours we expend in meditating upon of all kinds, especially of much hurry or over-them, or the earnestness with which we think employment, or over-anxiety in business, to about them; and religion possessing so little shut out and keep out religion from the mind. share of our thought either in time or earnestThe question is, whether the state of mind ness; the consequence is, that worldly interwhich this cause produces, ought to be called est comes to be the serious thing with us, rea want of seriousness in religion. It becomes ligion comparatively the trifle. Men of busicoldness and indifference towards religion;ness are naturally serious; but all their seri. but is it properly a want of seriousness upon ousness is absorbed by their business. In rethe subject? I think it is; and in this way. ligion they are no more serious than the most We are never serious upon any matter which giddy characters are; than those characters we regard as trifling. This is impossible. are, which betray levity in all things. And we are led to regard a thing as trifling, Again the want of due seriousness in rewhich engages no portion of our habitual ligion is almost sure to be the consequence of thoughts, in comparison with what other things the absence or disuse of religious ordinances do. and exercises. I use two terms; absence and But further the worid, even in its inno-disuse. Some have never attended upon any cent pursuits and pleasures, has a tendency religious ordinance, or practised any religious unfavourable to the religious sentiment. But exercises, since the time they were born; some were these all it had to contend with, the strong very few times in their lives. With these it application which religion makes to the is the absence of religious ordinances and exerthoughts whenever we think of it at all, the cises. There are others (and many we fear strong interest which it presents to us, might of this description,) who, whilst under the enable it to overcome and prevail in the con- guidance of their parents, have frequented retest. But there is another adversary to op-ligious ordinances, and been trained up to re pose, much more formidable; and that is sen- ligious exercises, but who, when they came Suality; an addiction to sensual pleasures. into more public life, and to be their own It is the flesh which lusteth against the spirit; masters, and to mix in the pleasures of the that is the war which is waged within us. So world, or engage themselves in its business it is, no matter what may be the cause, that sen- and pursuits, have forsaken these duties in sual indulgences, over and above their proper whole or in a great degree. With these it is criminality, as sins, as offences against God's the disuse of religious ordinances and exercises. commands, have a specific effect upon the heart But I must also explain what I mean by reliof man in destroying the religious principle gious ordinances and exercises. By religious within him; or still more surely in prevent- ordinances, I mean the being instructed in our ing the formation of that principle. It either catechism in our youth; attending upon pubinduces an open profaneness of conversation lic worship at church; the keeping holy the and behaviour, which scorns and contemns re- Lord's day regularly and most particularly, ligion; a kind of profligacy, which rejects and together with a few other days in the year : |