4 Spirit to them that ask him (a)? Obferve now that these expreffions defcribe earnest and perfevering prayer. They do not in any refpect accord with lukewarm or short-lived fupplications. They teach you that, if you would obtain the gift of the Holy Spirit, you must first become fenfible how greatly you stand in need of it; for otherwise you will not pray for it with fervency: and how continually you ftand in need of it; for otherwife you will not pray for it with conftancy.. Secondly: ftrive always to act up to the measure of the grace which you have received. To him that bath, to him who has faithfully endeavoured to live, according to the helps with which it has pleafed God to furnish him, more fhall be given, and he shall have abundance. But from him who bath not, even that which be bath shall be taken away (b). Cherish then the good defires which rife in your mind, for it is by the Holy Spirit that they are planted there. Keep ftedfaft to the religious refolutions which you have formed; for it is the Holy Spirit who has inclined you to form them. Carry them promptly and heartily into execution; for it is by the Holy Ghoft that you are enabled not only to (a) John, xvi. 23. Matth. vii. 7. Luke, xi. 13. will will, but to do. Study the Scriptures regu larly and devoutly; for the holy men of old who wrote them, wrote as they were moved by the Holy Ghoft. Be diligent, be fincerely pious, in attendance on all the outward ordinances of religion; for through them the Holy Ghoft difpenfes his grace. Receive with a willing mind the inftructions, public or private, of the ministers of the Gospel; for, at the peril of their own fouls, they are to feed and to watch over the flock, over which the Holy Ghoft has made them overfeers. Lastly: Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God (c), by returning to fins which you have forsaken; or by allowing yourself to proceed in any new course of iniquity. Knowingly to continue in any habit of tranfgreffion is to forfake the Holy Ghoft. It is not only to refufe to obey the influence of the good Spirit of God: it is to follow the guidance of the evil spirit, the adverfary of God, the devil. It is to provoke the Holy Ghoft to depart from you; to caft you off; to abandon you to yourself, and to the dominion of the powers of darknefs. Keep then your heart diligently, that neither wrath, nor envy, nor hatred, nor impurity, nor covetousness, nor deceit, nor difcontent, nor pride, nor worldly (c) Ephef. iv. 30. anxiousness, anxiousness, nor any other unchristian difposition, may harbour there. Review from time to time your outward conduct, that you may discover whether you are indulging any practice unbecoming a fervant of the Lord Jefus. Endeavour day by day to grow in grace; to gain more and more the maftery, through the Holy Spirit, over your remaining corruption. Then will he preserve you under his care. He will advance you in spiritual understanding, in spiritual strength, in faving faith, in moral attainments. He will make you more and more meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the faints in light, and will feal you unto the day of redemption. SER SERMON VI. The LOVE of GOD with the whole HEART an INDUCEMENT to ftrict MORALITY. MATTHEW, Xxii. 37. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart, and with all thy Soul, and with all thy Mind. IN the time of our Saviour's ministry, many of the Jews appear to have imagined that fome of the commandments of God were in their nature of much higher excellence than others: that the obfervance of these was of much greater confequence, was much more acceptable, than the observance of others: nay, fo important, so acceptable, that strict obedience even to one of these principal commandments would excuse the neglect of the remainder, and prove fufficient for the attainment of falvation. A teacher of the Jewish law, whose attention had had been raised by the wisdom of our Lord's discourses, partly from a defire to prove the depth of that wisdom, and partly for his own inftruction, propofed this question: Mafter, which is the great commandment in the law? As though he had faid; "Upon this point, "our eminent Rabbis are not agreed. Some are of opinion, that the commandments "which relate to the offering of facrifices are entitled to the highest rank. Others give this honour to other command"ments. What fayeft thou? Which commandment doft thou confider as the "chief of all the commandments?" Our Saviour, referring him to the words of Mofes, which, if well confidered, might have prevented the enquiry (a), replied; Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy mind. This is the firft and great commandment. If this be the firft and great commandment, to understand it, and to obey it, muft be of the first and greateft confequence. For this purpose then let us humbly enquire into its meaning. I. Confider who it is, whom the commandment requires us to love. It is the |