nitely imports them with all diligence to feek for cure. In bodily distempers, our natural feelings or the kindness of our friends, will be ever preffing us to apply for fuccour : But distempered minds, though attended with greater pain, and far worfe confequences, are more commonly neglected. Notwithstanding, in such a cafe we ought not only to apply for remedy, but to apply for it instantly. The green wound is fooneft healed; and when the confcience begins to smart, it is then best disposed for the medicine to work upon. And as the application should be timely, fo must it be proper likewise. It is not the drowning the confcience with wine and luxury, nor the foftening its clamours with the voices of finging Men and finging Women," that will prove its cure. Pleasure is in its own nature of too short and precarious a duration for fuch a work; and though it may perhaps afford fome prefent relief, yet it VOL. I. C can can by no means prevent the returns of that mifery, which is infeparable from guilt. The operations of Religion only are effectual to this end: Faith, Repentance, and in fome cafes Satisfaction, are the fovereign medicines which alone can heal the wounded fpirit.-If then our brother hath aught against us, we are taught and commanded to go first to him, and having made reftitution to the utmost of our powers, and felt a proper compunction for what has been done amifs, we may then wait humbly on our God; upon whofe account it is that our confciences torment us, jealous of their master's honour': When, as the Children of Ifrael bitten by fiery ferpents, were healed of their wounds, by only looking on the brazen ferpent that Mofes had lifted up; fo fhall our fouls be healed through Faith in the Son of God, who was himself lifted up, that he might become the Phyfician of our Souls. SERMON II. JOHN, ix. 30. The man answered and faid unto them, why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence He is, and yet He hath opened my eyes. THE Evangelift is relating in this chapter, the circumftances of a miraculous cure performed by Jefus, upon a poor man who had been blind from his birth. An inftance, one would think, unexceptionably demonstrative both of the divine power and goodness of him who did it. But the Jewish Rulers, C 2 Rulers, moved with envy and malice at fo glaring a testimony in his favour, began to revile as well the Patient as the Phyfician. They would not for a while believe that the man had been really blind, and received his fight. And when that could no longer be doubted, they bade him give God the praife; for that the perfon, whom he declared to have opened his eyes, they knew to be a finner and a falfe Prophet; because he kept not the fabbath, working his cures on that day of reft; and because too they had no evidence from whence he was, as they had of Moses, whose disciples alone they profeffed themfelves to be. "We know (fay they) that God fpoke to Mofes ; but as for this fellow we know not whence he is." To which latter objection the poor man made answer as in the text, " why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not whence he is, and yet he hath opened my eyes: Now" (continues he) "we know that God heareth heareth not finners-if this man were not of God he could do nothing." An argument, it must be allowed, obvious and conclufive; and fuch as ought to have had great weight in particular with those to whom it was offered. For how did they know affuredly that God had fpoken to Mofes, but from the evidence of those miraculous powers, which he exerted in God's name? And how then could they be ignorant from whence Jefus was, who addreffed them with the very fame credentials of a divine commiffion? Especially, when it is confidered that this their avowed Lawgiver, to whom they affected to pay fo implicit a reverence, had in the clearest manner foretold and admonished them," that the Lord their God would raise up unto them a Prophet from the midst of them, of their brethren, like unto himself," (doubtless both as a Lawgiver, and a worker of miracles alfo for the ratifica tion of his Laws) "that unto Him |