kind under the gofpel, arises the strongeft obligation to moral obedience. " If I had not come and spoken unto them, (faid our Lord of the Jews) they had not had fin; but now have they no cloak for their fin." i. e. Before the Revelation of the Gospel there was such an apology for fin in the world, as did much leffen and excuse the guilt of the finner: But fince this Revelation of the Divine Will, the guilt of fin is aggravated, and there remains no excufe or pretence for it. He with whom there is no respect of perfons, will undoubtedly judge every man according to that degree of knowledge, or opportunity of acquiring it, which hath been graciously dispensed to him. It is the voice of reason and equity, confirmed by the determination of our great Mafter, that the Servant who knew his Lord's will, and did not according thereto, fhould be beaten with many ftripes; but that he "who knew not, not, and did commit things worthy of ftripes, fhould be beaten with few stripes." Much then is required of us, unto whom much is given: We have the clearest light to direct us in the way of truth, and the most powerful motives to encourage us in the pursuit of it, Wherefore it behoves us to walk as Children of the Light; knowing that the times of ignorance are past, which God in his long-suffering winked at ; but that he now commandeth all men every where to repent, in full affurance of pardon and falvation through the alone merits of his Son Jefus Chrift, our Lord. SERMON IV. II. KINGS, V. 13, 14. And his Servants came near, and Spake unto him, and faid, My Father, if the Prophet had bid thee do fome great thing, wouldeft thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he faith to thee, Wash and be clean ? Then went be down, and dipped himself feven times in Jordan, according to the faying of the Man of God: And his flefh came again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. THE interesting as well as edifying ftory, whereof my text is a part, is that delivered to us of Naaman, Captain Captain of the Host of the King of Syria. This man, we are told, was in great favour with his master, and in high esteem among all the people; because he was a man of valour; had been victorious in battle, and had given deliverance to his country: But he had the misfortune to be afflicted with the Leprofy; a disease, it seems, very common in those parts, and for which they had no cure. Now it happened that fome parties of the Syrians having made excurfions into the enemy's country, to get booty, had brought captive out of the land of Ifrael a little Maid, and he waited on Naaman's Wife. The fame, knowing the many wonderful cures that had been performed by the hands of Elisha, expressed an impatient defire that her Lord might experience the virtue of that healing Prophet. Whose words coming to Naaman's ears, he ftraitway petitioned his master for leave to go upon this er rand : rand: Which having obtained, as also a letter of compliments to the King of Ifrael, he departed. The letter, we find, had no better effect than to raise the jealousy and choler of him to whom it was directed. He rent his cloaths, and faid, "Am I a God to kill and to make alive, that he fends to me to cure a man of his leprofy? Wherefore confider, I pray you, and fee, how he feeketh a quarrel against me." But Elisha hearing of the matter, and willing to convince this ftranger of what the King's reply had given him but too much reafon to doubt, viz. that there was indeed a Prophet in Ifrael, he required that he might come to him. So Naaman came with his horfes and chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a meffenger unto him, faying, Go and wash in Jordan feven times, and thou shalt be clean. A cheap and easy remedy-but fuch as in no wife favoured the |