mory favoury when you die; many, alas, are fo unprofitable in their lives, that when they come to die, neighbours fcarce think their life worth a prayer, or their death worth a tear; but public fpirited and ufeful perfons are much lamented. Let every one in their ftations be active, and occupy their talents for God. Be affured the more you do for God in this world, the more God will do for you in the world to come. If the faints were capable of grief in heaven, it would be for their doing fo little for God on earth. Direct. XXX. Let all believers be thankful to God for bis diflinguifbing favours and mercies to them, Pfal. cxvi. 8. 12. A life of praife doth highly become the proofs of God's love to you. Fall down humbly before God, and afcribe all to his free undeferved grace! For who is it • that maketh thee to differ from another? What haft thou, 'but what thou haft received in a way of free gift?' O wonder at his free love, that has diftinguished you from others! has done that for you, that he has not done for thoufands, for myriads, for millions! nor for thofe who fit in the fame affembly, or dwell in the fame house with you! O blefs God who fent his dear Son to ranfom you, and bring you out of prifon, when others are left in bondage! Who fent his Holy Spirit to open your eyes, when others are left blind; to open your ears, when others are left deaf; to open your hearts, when others are left fhut; to open your mouths to praise free distinguishing love, when others are left dumb. Employ your tongues then to commend his love, and fing bis praife.

Direct. XXXI. Since God diftinguifbes you from others, in his mercies to you, fee that you diftinguish yourfelves from others, in your fervice to him, Matth. v. 47. Are you Criftians indeed? You are under ftronger obligations to live and act for Chrift than others: Why? you have both your new name and new nature from Chrift, which others have not; you are more nearly related to Chrift than others; you are engaged to act for him, by more frequent and folemn vows than others; you have greater mercies bestowed on you than others; others have but common mercies, but you have covenant mercies, mercies that accompany falvation. You have spiritual life within you, and divine influ ences, which others want; not only the world, but Christ himfelf expects more from you than other's; all which are prwerful engagements on you, to do more for God than others, You know more of the things of God than others; you

talk more of them, you profefs more, you promise and engage to do more than others: yea, God has done unfpeakably more for you than others, and he may justly expect more from you than others, and put that question to you,' What do ye for me more than others? Matth. v. 47.

Quest. Wherein hould believers diftinguish themfelves, and do more for God than others? Anfw. You should be witneffes for God, and testify against what is dishonouring to him, by abstaining from all known fin, and from those fins which are common and fashionable, and little thought of by others. By reproving fin in others, and endeavouring to pluck them out of the fire. By keeping up family religion even in the midst of business, and banishing all known vice from your dwellings, even minced oaths, rafh using of God's name, idle walking or talking on the Lord's day, backbitings, evil withes, revengeful actions, unneceffary drinking or tippling, lottery games and pastimes of bad report, &c-Be zealous for Sabbath holiness. Be meek and lowly in your carriage; commend Chrift to other; fpeak for the honour of religion before thofe who difre gard it; fhew fpecial regard to those who are flamped with God's image, though mean or defpifed; be ready to forgive wrongs, and render good for evil; deal honeftly and justly with all men, be fober and temperate in eating, drinking, fleep, apparel, &c. Guard againit pride, paffion, halty and unguarded words; put great refpect upon God's word and ordinances; be concerned for the enlarging of Chrift's kingdom; never venture upon any known in for the fake of worldly gain; make confcience of relative and stational duties, as to be good hufbands, good wives, good parents, good children, good matters, good fervants, good neighbours, &c. In fuch things as these you are to do no more fo God than others.

Direct. XXXII. Be not content with a fair profession of religion, or with a form of godliness, and a name to live a mong men, Tit. i. 16. 2 Tim. iii. 5. But endeavour to know and feel the power of godlinefs in your hearts, and to have your practice in all refpects correfponding to your profeflion. If your practice be not aniwerable to what you profefs, you fin against great light, you difcredit religion, and tempt men to think it all hypocrify. If a man live and die a mere profeffor, it had been better for him the had lived and died a mere heathen.

Direct. XXXIII. Keep always a watch on the door of your lips, Pfal. cxli. 3. Seeing the tongue hath a world of iniquity in it, Jam. iii. 6. keep it as with a bridle. Pfal. xxxix. 1. and beg the Lord's help to keep it, and that he himfelf may fet a watch upon your mouths, as the Pfalmift prays, Pfal. cxli. as knowing that no watchfulness or refolution of our own is fufficient for the governing of our tongues, without God's fpecial grace, without this the most wakerife watchmen watcheth in vain. Earneftly feek, for Chrift's fake, God's fpecial grace to govern this unruly member, that it may not be fuffered to utter words which may tend to the dishonour of God, or to the hurt of men. ftudy to govern your tongues by using God's name with reverence, fpeaking always what is truth and what is feafnable, ufeful, and edifying, guarding carefully against lying, evil fpeaking, paffionate, proud, and felf exalting words, and against all raih cenfures. You have need of great caution in fpeaking, and to take heed either how ye commend yourfelves or condemn others.

contentedly in

Such a walk

Direct. XXXIV. Walk chearfully and every condition, A&s viii. 39. Phil. iv. 11. as this doth bring great credit to religion and the service of our Redeemer. What though a believer be fed with the bread and water of affliction the most of his life, he hath other bread and another cup to fweeten both; the 'forgiveness of fin' is a reviving cordial in every cafe. Have no will of your own diftinct from God's will, but be refigned to God's difpofing will in every thing, and let God's will and choice be always yours. If you cannot bring your condition to your mind, then you must labour to bring your mind to your condition, believing that the will of your heavenly father is always beit for you. Still remember that he hath engaged himself to be with you in all states and conditions, and to order all things for your advantage: Be fure then he cannot deny himself, all his words are oaths for their certainty, and all his promifes are the fure mercies of David. Be content in every cafe; for fince Chrift is yours, all things are yours." Well then, let your covenanted God chufe out your lot for you; for you may truft that it fhall be done with more. wisdom, and with more affection, than you can chufe for yourfelf.

Direct. XXXV. If you would manifeft yourselves to be true

ly religious both before God and man, keep always the first and fecond table of the law joined together, and make confcience of both, Matth. xxii. 37. &c. Love both God and your neighbour, be juft and upright in all your dealings with men, acting always under a fenfe of the all-feeing eye of your heavenly Father, who enjoins you to do the fame to others, as ye would have them doing to you. Let a moral man try his religion by the duties of the firft table of the law, and a profeffor his by the duties of the fecond table of the law. See that you love God above all things, and prefer his worship and fervice to every thing. Love God for himfelf, and love men principally for what is God-like in them.

Direct. XXXVI. Carefully guard again! apoftacy and backfliding from God and his ways, Heb. x. 38, 39. Be always jealous of your decietful and treacherous hearts, know. ing that they are bent to backsliding. A holy fear of departing from God, is a good means to keep us from departing from God. Therefore endeavour to preferve always a watchful and teader frame of heart, and be afraid of falling away, according to that word, Heb. iv. 1. If you would preferve yourfelves from total apoftacy, rife fpeedily after every fall by found repentance, and recourfe to the blood of Chrift. Lie not one day in any fin, but rife out of the puddle immediately, and go to the cleanfing fountain, and renew your covenant with God, and beg more ftrength and faith to derive continual fupplies from Chrift your head. Be often calling your fouls to account, and afking your hearts, what is become of the good frames, the melting fense of fin, the hungring defires the delightful taites, the heavenly longings, the warm affections to Christ, that they fometimes had. When you attain to thefe, or to any of them, fee that you commit them to Chrift's keeping. laying with the Pfalmift, Lord be furety for thy fervant for good.' Lafly, confider the dreadful cale of an apolate as defcribed by our Lord and his apofle, Matth. xii. 43, 44. 2 l'et, ii. 20, 21. That man's cafe becomes far more milerable than it was at first. What a lad cafe is it for a foul to fall back into hell, after it had climbed near the gates of heaven? None fall fo deep into hell as thofe who fall backward into it.

Direct, XXXVII. Be watchful against all fin, and par. ticularly your darling or conftitutional fin, the fin that mot caply bejets you, Pial. xviii. 23. Heb. xii. 1. Our adver

may

fary the devil well knows this fin, and on what fide we be attacked with the greatest fuccefs; and to be sure he will bring his strongest temptations thither, and employ his moft fubtile wiles and devices that way to enfnare us. It were happy for us if we were ftill watching against him, and could fay with the apofile, we are not ignorant of his devices.' You are likewife to watch against all fin whatfoever, fins of omiffion as well as of commiffion. Grofs outbreakings make confcience to start at their appearance, but it is not fo alarmed with the neglect of duties. But if confcience be awakened, fins of omiffion will lie heavy as well as fins of commiffion. Some eminent Chriftians who have lived the most circumfpect lives, when they come to die, and reflect upon their bypast time, have been put to cry, Lord in fpecial forgive my fins of omiffion.' Venture not to live in any frame, courfe, or practice, that you would not adventure to die in, fecing you know not but your next step may be into the grave. Guard against all these fins and evils now in the time of your health, that may put thorns in your pillow when fickhefs and the harbingers of death approach; fuch as mifpending of precious time, neglect of prayer, or reading of the fcriptures, formality and luke. warmnefs in religion, earthly mindedness, unthankfulnofs for mercies, and mifcarrying after them, neglect of improving Chrift, quenching the Spirit, neglect of convictions, breaking of vows, falling from your first love, returning to old fins you had mourned over, finning against light, and after afflictions, &c.

Direct. XXXVIII. Be beartily concerned for the coming and enlargement of Chrift's kingdom in the world, Matth. vi. 10. Pfal. lxxii. 19. Bewail it that his flock is fo little, his fubjects fo few, when Satan's are fo numerous. Bewail the unfuccefsfulness of the gofpel, the restraint of the Spirit, the divifions among Chriftians, and the many hindrances of the progrefs of Chriftianity. Lament the wrongs and dif honours done to God by others, cry and wrestle for the outpouring of the Spirit, both at home and abroad; pray for the revival of God's work in thefe lands, amidst these declining years, and in enquiring after public news, have a view to this, be concerned for the intereft and welfare of Chrift's kingdom through the world, for the accomplishment of God's promifes concerning the deftruction of Antichrift, Babylon's downfall, the inbringing of the Jews, and