one fin will be forgiven us, but we shall return home under the difpleasure of an offended God, and fall into all the diforders of a finful life.

We come here to make an open confeffion of our faith; and it is our duty to do fo.

We profess our belief in God, the Father and Creator of all things. Now if as fuch we fear, love, honour, and obey him, our faith is right. Only let us not forget, that there are people, who profefs to know God, but in works deny him; and that fuch are reprobates.

We profess our belief in Jefus Chrift, the Son of God, and our Lord and Saviour; but then we must know, and remember, that he is the author of eternal falvation to them, and to them only, that obey him.

We profefs our belief in the Holy Ghost, as the author of all our graces, who helps our infirmities, enlightens our minds with faving truths, and is the fole principle of a Christian life, and for that end given us at our baptifm. But then we must know, that if we grieve him by our evil lives, he will leave us to ourselves, and then what will our faith profit us?

your

You come to church to hear God's holy Word read and explained, to be put in mind of duty; to awaken you, if you have forgot it, into a sense of your danger, and of the happinefs you may lofe. Now, all this is loft upon you, with the lofs of your fouls, if you do not return home with a full purpose of leading a

life answerable to what you have heard: For not the bearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law fhall be justified.

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Lastly; you return home with a folemn blefsing upon you from God by his own minifter, appointed to blefs the people in his name. Now, that it may be an effectual bleffing to you, let it be your fincere defire and endeavour that you may grow in grace, that you may live to God's glory by leading an holy life; and you may depend upon it, God the Father will be your preferver, God the Son will be your redeemer, God the Holy Ghoft your fanctifier, unto your lives' end.

In fhort; if the fervice of the church doth not create in us holy affections, fincere purpofes of amending our ways where we have done amifs, and of honouring God, not only with our lips, but in our lives; all our outward devotions and prayers will stand us in no ftead, neither now, nor at the hour of death, nor in the day of judgment.

Our bleffed Lord warned his followers against two then reigning evils, and the fame reign at this day. Take heed and beware of the doctrine of the Pharifees and Sadducees; that is, of atheism and hypocrify,-of a mere formal religion, or none at all.

Self-love, indeed, will be apt to be pleased, and place confidence in the outward duties of religion. The reason is plain: there is not one of these outward duties, whether it be obferving

• Rom. ii. 13.

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obferving the fabbath, or attending the church, or giving of alms, or fafting, or praying; any or all of these are easier to be performedthan taking care of and changing the heart and life; which will require both prayer, and pains, and felf-denial, and watching, to do it effectually.

Nay; let me tell you, that Satan himself will be well pleased that you fhould obferve all the outward duties of religion, can he but prevail upon you to neglect that holiness of life, without which, he knows, no man must fee the Lord. This, affure yourselves, Chriftians, is one of the most fubtile fnares of the devil, to tempt men to be fatisfied with a shadow of religion without the power.

But then, as we ought not to place religion in a strict obfervance of thefe outward duties, and lay too great a stress upon them; fo ought we to be very careful not to despise them, as too many do, as if we might be good Chriftians without obferving them. This is another fnare of the devil, by which millions of fouls have been ruined.

The publick worthip is most certainly a duty, and acceptable to God; and when our hearts go along with our bodies, all the outward ordinances are steps to lead us to what is abfolutely neceffary in religion; that is, a good life, a devout temper, and fuch as is neceffary to fit us for a better world than this we live in.

Jefus

Jefus Chrift has appointed thefe ordinances, and his minifters to take care of them, in order to preserve his elect, whom he hath redeemed with his moft precious blood. And dreadful, very dreadful, will be the judgment of all those who enjoy these means of grace and salvation, and are not bettered by them. In one word; men may perish in the use of thofe very ordinances which are appointed for their falvation.

I will therefore conclude what I have already faid with a few neceffary truths, which I would hope you will remember, and carry home with you.

Remember then, that the end of coming to church ought to be, a continual advance in piety, growing in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Outward duties are a proper means of leading to converfion itself; therefore, let us fee what effects these have upon our lives, otherwife we may go on in a round of outward duties all our life long, and be no nearer heaven when we come to die.

You hear the Commands of God read to you;-you beg him to write them in your hearts, to pardon you when you have been fo unhappy as to break any of them. Now, if all this be forgotten as foon as you leave the church, what can you expect, but that God will leave you to yourselves?

If

you have confeffed your fins with a true penitent heart, it will be feen by your life afterwards that you did fo.

You have given God thanks for his mercies and bleffings; take heed that you do not use any of them to his difhonour.

We bless ourselves, and we blefs God, that we have the liberty of hearing his word, and our duty, one day in feven. But pray take the words of Chrift along with you; Blessed are they that bear the word of God, and keep it." Every tree (faith our Lord') is known by its fruit; and every Christian by the manner of his life.

Every Christian may know, whether he is in the way of falvation, by fuch proofs as thefe following:-He will carefully observe the outward duties of religion; he will, at the fame time, take care that his heart go along with his outward actions: for by these he is known, by his heart and by his life. In this the children of God are manifeft, and the children of the devil: whofoever doeth not righteousness, is not of God; that is, if we are not upright, we are not of God..

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And now, to conclude what I have to say upon this fubject:

I have been obliged to mention very often the neceffity of good purposes, of a good life, of good works, of good refolutions. Let me not lead you into a mistake, as if these were

Luke xi. 28.

VOL. II.

Luke vi. 44. * John iii. 10.

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