“I lived a Pharifee; touching the law, blameless.— "I was alive without the law once :" that is, when I did not know the law in its true fenfe, I thought myself alive, and a faint. The Pharifaical doctrines in which he had been educated, taught him that God required no more than a conformity of the external behaviour to the letter of the law. But when he discovered that the Divine law extended to the heart; when thus in its power, the commandment came; "fin revived and I died;" then I faw myfelf to be a finner, and died to the felf-conceit which I formerly entertained.

Secondly, Let me afk you what is the strength of your attachment to the cause of righteoufncts? As you are fenfible of your faults, and have seen the deformity of fin, are you enamoured with the beauty of holiness? Do you defire nothing more earnestly than to put on the graces of the Gospel, and be conformed to the image of God? Men will never imitate what they do not love; if then you are not lovers of goodness and virtue, you never will be good and virtuous. So long as they keep to generals, men may easily deceive themfelves. Let us then come to particulars, and let me afk you with what regard and estimation you view those patterns of piety which you fee exhibited in life. Are the good and the righteous, to you the excellent ones of the earth? The wife do not proportion their refpec to men according to the rank they hold, or the name they bear in the world. It is the character of the juft man, as drawn in Scripture, that he fcorneth the vile, however exalted, and honoreth them that fear the Lord, however depreffed. Do you then fcorn

the vile man, with all his attributes of rank and wealth and power ? Do you defpife the rich, the noble, the right honorable villain, and choose for your companion the righteous man, although he has not where to lay his head? Could you fit down with virtue in her cell, contented with her homely fare, with her poor abode, and look down with a generous contempt upon the fplendid roof, where luxury and guilt lead on the feftive hours? When you behold the wicked great in power, and flourishing like a green bay-tree, does your heart revolt from giving him that homage which the favours of mammon never fail to extort from the venal multitude, and can you fay, in the fincerity of your heart, "I would "not exchange the peace of my own mind for the "wealth of the world? Whatever thou art pleased to "give, Father Almighty, may I poffefs it with honor: "the world approaches to thine altar, and bends be "fore thy throne for temporal blessings; the prayer heart is, Lord lift up on me the light of thy

"of

my countenance."

Thirdly, Let me ask you, are your resolutions as firm, and your application as vigorous now as when you first set out in the spiritual life? There are times in which all men are ferious; in which the most obdurate minds feel impreffions of religion, and in which perfons of the most abandoned character form refolutions of amendment. With all the zeal of new converts, they fet about a thorough reformation. They wonder how they have been fo long blind to their true intereft; they mourn over the time that they have loft in vain, or in finful pursuits, and now feem fully determined to follow religion as the one

thing needful. With many, this course continues not long; the first new object engages their attention, and turns them afide from the path of the juft, But true religion, my friends, does not confift in fuch fits and starts of devotion; in random refolutions, made in the fervour of zeal; in the wavering, defultory and inconfiftent conduct which marks the character of multitudes in the world. He alone is a good man who perfeveres in goodness. When the vernal year begins, and the fhower of fummer defcends, all nature bursts into vegetable life; the noxious weeds rival the trees among which they grow; but these sudden growths as fuddenly difappear; while favoured by the influences of heaven, the trees arife to their full ftature, and bring forth their fruit in feafon. Are you then as much in earnest now, as when your first love to God began to bring forth the fruits of righteousness? Without this undiminished ardour; without these unremitting efforts, you never will run the race fet before you, fo as to finish your course with joy. At the fame time, I must take notice, that as you advance in years, all the pasfions will gradually cool. When therefore the fervour of youth has fubfided, and mature age hath given a sober caft to the temper, you will not feel that degree of ardour in your devotions which you expe. rienced in your early years. Many serious perfons have been alarmed at this appearance, not confidering that it was the effect of their conftitution, and not a mark of apoftacy from God. But your devotion will continue as fincere, though not fo inflamed, as before, and religion will be as effectual as ever in the regulation of your life; like a mighty river, be

fore it terminates its courfe in the ocean, it rolls with greater calmnefs, but at the fame time with a greater ftrength, than when it arofe from its fource.

Fourthly, Another mark of increafing grace is when you obey the Divine commandments from affection and love. They who, from the fear of hell, put on a form of religion for a time, find it to be a hard and a painful fervice. They are out of their place when they strike into the path of the juft; they confider religion as a heavy burden, which they would not bear but from neceffity, and look upon the duties of the chriftian life as fo many tasks which they have to perform. Whoever entertains fuch notions of religion, will not rife to high attainments in righteoufnefs. The paffions and affections are the powerful springs of action in the foul; and unless these are put in motion, the machine will move heavily along. He alone will make progrefs in the path of the just, who is drawn by the cords of love. Pleasant are the labours of love; and sweet is the precept when the duty pleafes. The yoke is eafy, and the burden light, when the heart goes along. The chriftian is not a flave who obeys from compulfion, or a fervant who works for hire: he is a fon who acts from filial affection, and is happieft when he obeys. The love of Chrift alone constraineth him. The beauty of holinefs allureth him: Though rewards and punishments were fet afide, he would follow religion and virtue for their own fake, and do his duty, because therein he found his happinefs. Do you then, my friends, feel this affection, this paffion for righteoufnefs? Can you fay with the Pfalmift, " How do "I love thy laws, O Lord? They are my meditation

"all the day. More to be defired they are than gold, than much fine gold; fweeter than honey "from the honeycomb."

I now come to the fecond thing propofed, To give fome directions how to make further progrefs in the path of the juft.

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In the first place, then, in order to this, make a ferious business of a holy life. There are many perfons in the world who give a fanction to piety by their example, but who feel very little of its power. They think religion an exceedingly decent thing; they see it patronised by all wife men, and they know it to be neceffary for the purposes of fociety. For these reasons they follow the faith, and conform to the ufages of their fathers; they pay a proper respect to the institutions of the church; and they attend upon the ordinances of Divine worship with all the marks of external reverence. So far their conduct is not only decent, but laudable. But if they go no further than this; if they confine their fanctity to these walls; if they think that they have done their duty, when they have complied with the external ceremonies of the church, and have adopted this as the easiest and most compendious method of being religious; the religion of such persons is rather a kind of good manners, than real devotion. The true christian will not be deficient in his attention to the externals of religion; but he will not rest there; he will attend upon the ordinances of public worship, not because it is the custom of the country, but because it is his duty to God; and he will obferve the institutions of christianity; not from complaifance to established ufages, but from a fincere defire of ma

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