many blemishes and imperfections cleave to thofe very duties which you endeavour to perform in obedience to his will?

1. then, How many duties have you omitted, which you must be fenfible you ought to have performed? In charging you with neglect of duty, I muft begin with unthankfulness and forgetfulnefs of God. Let the confcience be ever fo much biaffed by partiality, or perverted by wrong principles, is it poffible to deny the obligation of every creature to acknowledge his dependence upon the author of his being, the preferver of his life, and the fource of his mercies? But have you, my brethren, been fenfible of this? How unmindful have you been of the rock that begat you, and the God that formed you? This is the first of all fins, and the fruitful parent of every particular tranfgreffion. It was a heavy charge brought against a great prince by the prophet Daniel, ch. v. 23. laft claufe," And the God in whose "hand thy breath is, and whofe are all thy "ways, haft thou not glorified." Say, ye men of the world, have you indeed acknowledged God, on whom you depend for every breath that you draw, for every moment that you continue in existence?

I have often

thought, that it was one of the greatest evidences of the depravity of human nature, that an abundant and opulent state on earth

fhould

fhould fo generally lead to neglect of God. What is this, when interpreted, if I may speak fo, but that the greater our maker's goodness is to us, commonly the lefs is our gratitude to him?

But I would speak to those whofe confciences are more enlightened, and who have not wholly for-. gotten the Lord. Are not you also chargeable with manifold omiffions? What sense of gratitude have you retained, and expreffed, for innumerable mercies, fpiritual and temporal, to yourfelves, and to your families? How unequal the payment of gratitude to the debt of obligation! What ufe have you made of them in God's fervice? What advantage have you reaped, for your own fanctification, from the bounty of Providence, from the ftrokes of Providence, from the ordinances of divine inftitution, from the truths of the everlafting gofpel, from feafons of inftruction, and opportunities of worship, from edifying examples, from faithful admonitions? What have you done for the good of others? How often have you relieved the neceffitous, comforted the diftreffed, inftructed the ignorant, admonished the negligent, punished or restrained the profane? I hope I fpeak to many who have not been wholly negligent in improving their time and talents; yet furely there is juft ground of humiliation to the best, that, even under a conviction of duty, they have fo imperfectly difcharged it; and probably the very perfons who have done moft, will VOL. I. D

be

be moft fincerely grieved that they have not done

more.

Alas! my brethren, it is a great mistake to think light of fins of omiffion. How much do I pity the condition of those thoughtless perfons, who, forgetting that they were made to ferve God, feem to live for no other purpose than to enjoy themfelves! And oh the miferable delufion of thofe finners who fet their minds at eafe by the filly excufe, harm to none but themselves ! and tremble at the tenor of the

That they do Let them hear

fentence in the "Cast ye the un

great day, Matth. xxv. 30. profitable fervant into outer darkness: there "fhall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." It is the first duty of natural religion, "Give un"to the Lord the glory due unto his name;" and it is the fum of all the duties of the gospel, 1 Cor. vi. 19. 20. "Ye are not your own; for ye are bought with a price: therefore glori"fy God in your body, and in your fpirit, "which are God's."

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2. Confider in how many inftances you have been guilty of exprefs tranfgreffions of the law of God, his law written upon your hearts, and repeated in his own word. If you know any thing at all of the law of God in its fpirituality and extent, you must be deeply convinced of your innumerable tranfgreffions, in thought, in word, and in deed. (1.) How many are the fins of your thoughts? Sin is feated in the heart it hath its throne and dominion there. Every enormity in the life takes its rife from the

impurity

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impurity of the heart. None will think light of fins of the heart, who have any acquaintance with the word of God. Let them but reflect upon the account given of the guilt of the old world, Gen. vi. 5. And God faw that the "wickedness of man was great in the earth, " and that every imagination of the thoughts "of his heart was only evil continually." Let them reflect upon the faying of the wife man,' Prov. iv. 23. Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the iflues of life;" or on the distinguishing character of God, Jer. xvii. 10. "I the Lord fearch the heart, I 66 try the reins, even to give every man accor ding to his ways, and according to the fruit " of his doings."

How many thoughts are there in your hearts admitted and entertained, difhonourable to God, unthankful for his mercies, impatient under his providence? How many thoughts, envious, malicious, fpiteful, towards your neighbour? How many wanton lafcivious thoughts, and irregular defires? How many covetous, worldly, vain, ambitious thoughts? Let me befeech you also to confider, that these are not fins that we fall into feldom, or by occafional temptation, but multitudes break in upon us every day, and ́ in a manner every hour. What an infinite number, then, muft we be chargeable with in twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty years! If fo many are the fins of a fingle day, what must be the guilt of a whole life? What reafon to D. 2

cry

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- cry out, with the prophet to Jerufalem, "How long fhall vain thoughts lodge within us ?” (2.) Let me befeech you to confider the fins of the tongue. Here I fhall not insist much on the groffer fins of the tongue, lying, flandering, backbiting; of thefe, though few will be fenfible they are guilty themfelves, all are abundantly ready to complain, as reigning in the world in general. Neither fhall I infist on impure converfation, filthy and lafcivious expreffions, or allufions to obfcenity; though I am afraid many here prefent are far from being innocent of the charge. But befides thefe, the fins of the tongue are fo many, that the most watchful Chriftian cannot fay he is guiltless. Even the meck Mofes was provoked to fpeak

unadvisedly with his lips." The apostle James has given us a very ftrong description, both of the general prevalence, and mischievous influence, of the fins of the tongue, James iii. 2.-8. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the fame is a

perfect man, and able alfo to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses "mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn "about their whole body. Behold alfo the

fhips, which though they be fo great, and "are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turn"ed about with a very small helm, whitherfoe

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ver the governor lifteth. Even fo the tongue "is a little member, and boafteth great things. "Behold how great a matter a little fire kind"leth. And the tongue is a fire, a world of

iniquity: