common, and ordinary course of God's operation, thus to display his grace toward old sinners, who have long abused his mercy. But a few such instances, comparatively, have been seen in any age of the church. Some instances of this kind have occurred in times of great revivals of religion, when sinners have more evidence, at least more sensible, affecting evidence, of the importance of religion, than at other times. Such seasons, though greatly desirable, are not common. Many aged persons live and die, without ever seeing such seasons of revival in the place where they have lived. Here and there an instance of an old sinner, waking up, has occurred in seasons of great revival. And this leaves a bare—who can tell—but God may add efficacy to his word, and make his gospel like the fire and the hammer, which breaketh the rock in pieces. This is your only hope; and yet when we consider how seldom this power is displayed, this gleam of hope seems to die away almost into total despair. My aged hearers, how affecting is your situation, unless you are real christians? Jesus, in the days of his flesh, wept over sinners, whose ruin was fast approaching, and who might have known, in the day of their gra cious visitation, the things which belonged to their peace. And how well does the tear of compassion become the eye of a christian minister, when addressing his aged hearers, who are yet without God and without hope? I will only add, that there is hope in your case-if to-day-this day, you will hear his voice, and no longer harden your hearts.

SERMON III.

ON HYPOCRISY.

JOB, Xxvii. 10.

Will he always call upon God?

THE calamities of Job, recorded in the introductory parts of this book, were peculiarly distressing when contrasted with his former prosperity. In the former part of life, God had remarkably blessed him, both in his basket and store. This tide of prosperity was considered by his friends, as a sure evidence of his piety in the sight of God. That God prospered the righteous, and visited the wicked in this world with want and misery, was the false principle on which the reasonings and criminations of his friends were grounded. Had this principle been just, their suspicions and charges against Job would have been correct. They laid it down as a first principle in all their discussions, that good men, under the government of God, were secure from temporal evils. Were this sentiment true, their charges of hypocrisy would have been sub

stantiated. On this principle, his former prosperity was an evidence of his piety, and was so considered by his mistaken friends, whose conclusions were all drawn on this principle. But when they saw their friend, suddenly thrown from the summit of earthly glory, to the depths of human wo; they considered this, as a full refutation of his pretensions to piety and a convincing evidence of his dissimulation in his former professions of friendship to God.

Till I die, I will not My righteousness will my heart shall not Job here vindicates

"For

In this chapter, Job avows his sincerity, and vindicates his religious character, upon the principle of his constancy and sincerity in the service of God. "All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit. remove my integrity from me. I hold fast, and will not let it go; reproach me as long as I live." his character upon the same principle, on which the Apostle believed himself the friend of Christ. our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world." This was the evidence, on which Job concluded himself a pious man; and this evidence of piety, he plainly intimates, no hypocrite ever had. "Will he always call upon God?" The mode of expression implies a strong negative; and is fully equivalent to an explicit declaration, that the hypocrite differs from the truly godly in this respect, that he does not always call upon God-that he does

not comply with the spirit of the command "Pray without ceasing ;" while it is the character of every truly godly man to comply with the spirit of this, and every other divine requirement; or to "have respect to all God's, commands." I shall show

I. What is here intended by calling upon God. II. In what sense it is true, that hypocrites do not always call upon God.

III. Give the reasons why, they do not always call upon God.

1. We are to show what is here to be understood by calling upon God. Calling upon God, is only another phrase for prayer. Prayer is often expressed in the sacred oracles, by calling upon God; and persons are often directed to call upon God, when prayer is the duty intended to be enforced. In this language the shipmaster addressed Jonah, “What meanest thou, O sleeper, arise and call upon thy God." In the same style, God says to his church, “Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will answer thee." The direction in both cases, is to pray to God for help and deliverance. So the prophet directing to the duty of "Seek prayer, says, ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near." But calling upon God, is so common a phrase to denote prayer, that it is thought unnecessary to multiply instances.

I would observe, that the prayer of which Job speaks in the text, is not the effectual, fervent prayer of which the apostle speaks, as availing much with God. For this is a kind of prayer peculiar to righteous men. It is a kind of prayer, which hypocrites never