formance of acceptable worship toward their God, and the means of being reconciled to Him after the commiffion of trespasses and fins. Now thefe are fully made known to us in the gospel of his Son; who is himfelf the way, and the truth, and the life; without whom none cometh unto the Father; but by virtue of whofe doctrine and merits we may boldly prefent ourselves before the throne of Divine Grace. He hath revealed unto us the nature and perfections of the Deity, laid open the mifery and impotence of our own degenerate ftate, taught us certain methods of obtaining pardon and peace here, and abundant happiness in a future and better world. How prepofterous then is it, how ungrateful and impious, for any to stop their ears against fuch glad tidings, and refuse to hear the voice of Him who fo clearly fpeaks to us from Heaven? Surely the first notice of a Meffenger from God fhould 04 should excite the attention of every person that has any regard for himself, any love of truth, any defire of being saved. Common fenfe dictates the reasonableness of giving a fair hearing to so gracious a message. It is both the duty and privilege of every one in this cafe to examine into the credentials of the Teacher; the reality of his miracles, the purity of his precepts, the validity of his promises: But this, let me add, with ingenuity and candor. Otherwife, they may hear, and yet, like the infidel Jews, thereby bring down a curfe upon themselves rather than a bleffing. The charmer cannot influence thofe who have no ears to hear, charm he never fo wifely: No more can he affect those who have ears but hear not; whofe understanding is fo clouded with prejudice, and their will vitiated by evil habits, as not to admit of any religious improvement how well foever administered. Hence that repeated ad monition monition of our Bleffed Lord to his DifTake heed how ye hear;" i. e. ; ciples, fee that you bring with you unprejudiced and teachable difpofitions to my preaching; for whofoever hath, i.e. whosoever receives the word with proper attention and fincerity, to him shall be given; but whofoever hath not, i. e. who through inattention or dishonesty, will not fuffer the word to take root in his heart from him fhall be taken even that which he feemeth to have. The former shall be bleft with more abundant grace and understanding; whilft the latter shall be hardened in his ignorance and error. In allufion to which we are told, that the feed of the fower in the parable proved fruitful or unfruitful according to the good or bad quality of the foil whereon it fell; and that feed was the word of God: Excellently reprefented under the emblem of feed, as being in it's own nature productive of all virtue, and never failing failing of a plentiful increafe, when received into an honest and good heart ; in which fenfe too we are taught to interpret the good ground. But neither is a rectitude of difpofition to know the will of God, the only neceffary qualification toward entitling us to the bleffing annexed. There must be likewife a fincerity of refolution to act conformably to it when known.And this is emphatically specified in the text-" Blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it." Or, as it is elsewhere expreffed, "who having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with "patience," i. e. who after due examination, and full conviction of it's truth and importance, both make it the standard of their belief, and the rule of their practice. Faith, faith the Apostle, cometh by hearing: This is the first good effect of an an honest attention to God's word; and is too a neceffary means of it's becoming more fruitful; feeing the morals must needs be in proportion to the impreffions of a reasonable faith. Hence, St. Paul, speaking of the difobedient Jews, faith, "The word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." Whereas He telleth the Theffalonians, that the fame word worketh effectually in them that believe, in an exemplary production of patience, charity, and holinefs. - And indeed without these good fruits all our pretenfions to faith are hypocritical and abfurd. For how is the reality of a man's faith to be proved but by his works? Both hearing and believing being only the means, but the end virtue and a good conversation. So that to be hearers only and not doers of the word, is, as the Apoftle speaks, to deceive our own felves: And for this reason; because |