ter of a true Chriftian. He is one who, by the grace of God, hath obtained the victory over his corrupt appetites and inclinations. He is in a great measure refcued from the ruins of the fall, and is no longer a fervant of fin, that he should obey it in the lufts thereof. “He hath put off, concerning the former "converfation, the old man, which is corrupt "according to the deceitful lufts; and being ❝ renewed in the spirit of his mind, hath put

on the new man, which after God is crea“ted in righteousness and true holiness. "The law of the Spirit of life, which is in “ Christ Jesus, hath made him free from the "law of fin and death." Confcience, long "dethroned by imperious paffions, hath reaffumed its authority; and all the faculties of his mind purified and exalted, unite in the pursuit of spiritual enjoyments.

And now, my brethren, let me entreat you to ftop your ears for a little against the fuggeftions of felf-love, and let confcience bear testimony, whether you have indeed a claim to this character. Alas! if you have no claim to it, this can be no day of thanksgiving to you. If you have adventured to approach

the

the table of the Lord with all your unmortified lufts about you, ye have been guilty of the body and blood of Chrift; ye have fealed the fentence of your own condemnation; and lamentation becomes you better than the voice You may, perhaps, complain of this as a fevere and heavy meffage; but dare

of praise.

any of you say that it is a message without a warrant? Shall I speak peace to thofe to whom God hath not spoken peace? Shall I foothe 'you with falfe comforts, which might lead you down to the grave with a lie in your right hand? No; I remember too well the "who wo pronounced against the prophet "dealeth falfely, and healeth the wound of "the daughter of God's people flightly." I fhould not wish to be an eternal subject of imprecation to hopeless fouls, which I fhould well deferve to be, if I fpoke any other language to you than what I now speak.

But you have as yet no caufe to complain : I have indeed fet before you the danger, but I have not faid you must despair. On the contrary, my only object is to prevent your everlafting defpair, by awakening your fears ere it be too late, and the door of mercy be shut a

VOL. III.

A a

gainst

gainst you. That door is ftill open, and the call is yet," To-day hear his voice." O then. harden not your hearts againft conviction. Decline not an impartial fcrutiny into your real ftate. Let this paffage of Scripture inform you, whether you indeed belong to Chrift. If If you do poffefs the marks of those who are his, take the comfort of your fincerity, and give God the glory. But if the ifflue of the inquiry should turn out otherwife, O beware of refting in this dreadful condition. Give no fleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eye-lids, till you have fecured an intereft in that blood of fprinkling which cleanseth from all fin.

Need I enter on a detail of those lufts and affections which flow from a corrupt and depraved principle within?" The works of the" "flesh," faith the Apostle, at the 19th verfe of this chapter, " are manifeft; which are "thefe, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lafciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, ftrife, fedi"tions, herefies, envyings, murders, drune kenness, revellings, and fuch like; of the "which I tell you before, as I have also told

86

you

you in time paft, that they which do fuch things fhall not inherit the kingdom of "God."

I am fenfible, that, after the recital of fo black a catalogue of crimes, the most of you will already have acquitted yourselves of such enormous degrees of guilt. And I am afraid, that this general acquittal from the charge of heinous tranfgreffions, lulls the confciences of many into a fatal fecurity. I will not go fo far as to fay, that it were better for the unconverted finner, that his confcience could charge him with fome of thefe glaring iniquities, although our Saviour's faying feems to imply as much, viz. That the publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of heaven before the scribes and pharifees. All that I affert is, that you ought not too haftily to conclude that the flesh is crucified with its affections and lufts, merely because your lives have not been spotted with any of those grofs and scandalous fins. In these days of light and knowledge, Satan doth not find it for his interest to push men to the extremities of vice. He rather endeavours to keep the garrifon in peace,

1

by blunting the edge of conviction with the fair shows of outward decency and formality.

Be perfuaded, then, to go deeper in your inquiry. Search the very inmoft corners of your hearts. Put the authority of God in one fcale, and the interefts of the flesh in another, and fee which of the two weighs heavier in your affections. You frequent the church, you attend on ordinances, and perform the external parts of religion with an apparent relish and alacrity. All this is good; but beware of building too much on it. Confider that these obfervances do not in any great degree.thwart the interefts of the flesh. The laws and cuftoms of the land favour you; your estates are not thereby impaired, nor your lives endangered; nor is your reputation hurt, but rather advanced. But fuppofe the cafe to be otherwife, and let your hearts give the answer-Would you perfift in the fame course at all risks, though your eftates were exposed to confifcation, though your names were to be branded with every term of reproach that malice could devise; yea, though all the engines of torture lay in the road of duty? Would no profpect of gain, however

fecure