think of nothing that more truly expresses the feelings of my heart than these words of the apostle. "And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified." A christian pastor leaving his people, ought certainly to leave them with God and with the word of his grace; earnestly to pray to God for them, and to recommend them to go to God for every needed good. And this, brethren, I most cordially and solemnly do for you,

It is an agreeable circumstance that our separation has been attended with so much calmness and moderation. To have separated in any other manner would have been very unsuitable to the character of christians which, before God and men, we have assumed. Let us still observe the same line of conduct and persevere in it. This church have unanimously voted me "their thanks for all the good they have experienced by my ministry; the assurance of their brotherly love and high respect for me, and of their prayers for the success of my future ministry." And on my part, I have "thanked them for all their expressions of kindness to me during my ministry among them, and have assured them of my brotherly love and respect for them, and of my prayers for their future prosperity." This is truly commending each other to God and the word of his grace. May his blessing and his grace ever be with us.

As it has been my duty for so many years to give you such instruction and advice as appeared to be founded in truth and profitable to you, so it is now highly proper that I should continue to give similar advice in this my farewell discourse.

You, brethren of this church and society, have from the beginning professed to believe the great distinguishing doctrines of free grace. This has been your glory. Let me beseech you to persevere in the same faith and profession, and to hold fast the form of sound words once delivered to the saints. These are times of degeneracy. Corrupt principles and practices amazingly prevail in our land. Even gross infidelity lifts up its head among us, and much more other loose and most dangerous principles. I entreat you to be on your guard against them. The church is the pillar and ground of the truth. Let this church ever be, and ever appear to be a firm pillar and ground of the truth in this place. For this end let it guard against the first encroachments of error and false doctrine. It is much easier to withstand the entrance of these, than to eradicate them after they have once taken root. And consider how dishonorable as well as ruinous it will be, for you to give up these essential evangelical truths,

on which you have hitherto been established.

Be faithful, too,

as a church to the obedience of the faith. Live yourselves so as to be lights in the world, so as to be epistles of Christ known and read of all men. Let your light so shine before men, that they shall be led to glorify your Father which is in heaven. As individual professors be holy; and as a church keep yourselves pure, by being careful in the admission of members, and if need be by wholesome discipline.

Another advice proper to this occasion, is, that which Joseph gave to his brethren after he had made himself known to them. "See that ye fall not out by the way." Divisions in chaches and societies are exceedingly common in these days. How many congregations have been by division broken up and destroyed! Diversity of sentiments concerning doctrine and discipline is the common cause of ecclesiastical divisions. But if you, brethren, hold fast to the sound doctrines of your fathers, you will not be divided by this cause. Private views, ambitious projects, resentment of real or supposed injuries or abuses, are the sources of division. I hope, brethren, you will diligently guard yourselves against them, and against everything tending to mar the peace and prosperity of the church.

Let me further exhort you, not only to hold the truth, but to hold it in the love and in active obedience of it. To love and to obey the truth are as necessary as to believe it. Indeed that be

lief of it which implies love and a disposition to obey, is the only belief to which all the promises of the gospel are made. Therefore cultivate this faith in your own souls with all diligence and prayer to God. Enjoin it too upon your children and the rising generation, that when you shall have gone to your rest, they may be prepared to fill your places in this as well as in other respects. The rising generation is the hope of the flock. If they be suffered to grow up in loose principles and practices, it will be no wonder if religion both in practice and profession decline among you. If on the other hand you that are parents do what in you lies to teach and inculcate on your children good principles, good affections and good practices, exhibiting yourselves proper examples, and attending all with your fervent prayers to the father of mercies that he would crown your exertions with his blessing and grace, you have many and great encouragements that it shall not be in vain. Having thus addressed you all as a church in general, I would now conclude with an application to several classes of persons in particular.

1. To the church of Christ in this place. This church is a city set on a hill. It stands in a conspicuous place, easily seen VOL. II.

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and actually observed. Your professed attachment to the doctrines of grace, has rendered you more abundantly the objects of observation. It concerns you therefore on this account to act a consistent and uniform part. If you, brethren, should betray your principles and renounce your former purity in doctrine and discipline, what a wound would you give to the cause of truth; what a dishonor to yourselves; what an occasion of grief to all the friends of Jesus, and of exultation and triumph to the enemies of the cross! Wherefore take heed to yourselves and your whole christian conduct, both as a church and as individuals. In so doing you will adorn the doctrine of God your Savior, and after my departure from you I shall still have the joy of hearing that you are walking in the truth.

2. Let me address those who are not professors of religion. There are many such in this society. You have not yet seen fit to come forward and confess Christ before men by an explicit confession of the gospel, and by publicly entering into covenant with him. Some of you may stand thus at a distance from mere scruples as to your preparation, and others from an apprehension but to well founded that you are not at all prepared. As to the former of these classes, it becomes them to endeavor to have their scruples removed by the evidence of the truth, and then openly to confess Christ agreeably to his own positive directions. As to those who are really unprepared for the seals of the covenant, they ought to remember that their want of preparation is their own sin, and therefore will never justify them in the sight of God. It is the indispensable duty of all to become prepared, and then to make an open confession to the world that they have chosen the Lord as their God and Christ as their Savior. And till they do this they are inexcusable in the sight of God. And now that I am about to close my ministry here and to leave you who are of this class, it is affecting to think that I leave you in this state, unprepared for the Lord's supper, and therefore unfitted for death and heaven. May God, of his infinite mercy, have pity on you, and awake and convert you, and thus prepare you for his ordinances here, and for heaven hereafter.

3. I would also address myself to all who are careless sinners. Of these there are several descriptions. Some are grossly immoral; others are moral. Some neglect the means of grace and ordinances of worship; others attend on these ordinances. But all are careless and secure in their Christless state. And now that I am about to leave this people, so long under my charge, it is melancholy and affecting to leave any of you still without God and without hope; to leave you in a world that is full of temptations and snares that may entangle and destroy your souls.

But to leave so many of you careless and unaffected with your situation, with your deep guilt and exposure to God's wrath, is still more sad and grievous. O! let me beseech you in all the earnestness and tenderness of this our parting hour, as I have often done in time past, to awake from these your dangerous slumbers lest soon it be forever too late. By the value of your souls and the alarming danger of their eternal loss, awake ye who are thus sleeping and arise from the dead that Christ may give you life.

4. I would address those of you who are thoughtful and anxiously inquiring the way of salvation. It is a token for good that there are some such among us. It shows that God has not entirely forsaken us. May he greatly increase the number of such, and bring their awakenings to a saving issue. In the mean time let me beseech those of you who are the subjects of such awakenings to take heed that you resist not and quench not the Holy Spirit of God which is striving with you. Encourage his influences, and comply with his dictates. Hear, that your souls may live. Do this, and God will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. But if you draw back, God shall have no pleasure in you, and you will make your perdition sure.

5. In the last place I would address in a few words this whole society. As already observed, we have been connected as minister and people for more than six and twenty years. How I have discharged my duty in this important relation, and how you have improved under my ministry, it does not become me to declare. But God is our common judge. Before him we are all soon to stand, and render our account. I must answer whether I have faithfully delivered the truth as it is in Jesus, and declared the whole counsel of God; and you must answer whether you have received and loved and obeyed the truth which has been delivered to you. May those of you who have profited by the truth, profit still more and more. May those who have not, yet profit by it in future. And may God provide for your future instruction and spiritual good, such means as may have the most direct and powerful tendency to lead you all to himself. Particularly may he provide for you a pastor after his own heart, who shall be abundantly qualified for the duties of the ministry among you, and who by the influence of the Holy Spirit co-operating with his labors, shall be abundantly successful in winning souls to Christ.

"Finally, brethren, farewell! Be perfect; be of good comfort; be of one mind; live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. Amen!"

SERMON XXII.

GOD THE AUTHOR OF ALL GOOD VOLITIONS AND ACTIONS.*

PHILIPPIANS 2: 13.—It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

THE gospel is a scheme of salvation on certain conditions. These are reconciliation to God, repentance of sin, and cordial faith in Christ as an atoning Redeemer. But how are we to attain to these christian graces? Our text informs us. "It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

From these words I propose to show, 1. That God is the author of all our good dispositions; "he worketh in us to will;" 2. That he is the author of all our good actions; "he worketh in us to do;" and 3. That both these are the effects of his sovereign grace; "of his good pleasure."

I. God works in us "to will," and is the author of all good dispositions.

This is abundantly taught in the sacred scriptures. 2 Cor. 3: 5, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God." Heb. 13: 20, 21, "Now the God of grace make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight," etc. 1 Pet. 5: 10, "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Jesus Christ, after that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you.' John 15: 5, "He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." James 1: 17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." 1 Cor. 15: 10, "By the grace of God, I am what I am and his grace which was bestowed upon me, was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all; yet not I, but the grace of God, which was with me."

Again, all morally good dispositions are implanted in the heart *First preached before the General Association of Connecticut, 1794.