to the house of GOD, engage in his worship, hoping and trufting that his grace will be fufficient for you, to give you everlasting confolation and good hope, to comfort your hearts, and stablish you, in every good word and work.

THAT they may not be enfnared by wicked and irreligious men, that they may remain stedfast in their profeffion and practice of the Gospel, Chriftians will find it of much use, to review their own experience.

5. WHEN you take a ferious view of what is passed of life, and recollect the scenes you have beheld, the judgments you have formed, the fatisfactions you have experienced; Do not you cordially join with those who are warm in the praise of generofity and friendship, of uprightness and honesty, of diligence and contentment? You have feen, and you know, that his character, and intereft, and health, and enjoyments, are most secure, who is diftinguished by industry, by honour, by moderation, and self-command; and who is delivered from paffion, and is not hurried. into excess and irregularity, into folly and

vice. Afk yourselves, as we ask you, Where are these virtues fo clearly pointed cut, fo warmly recommended, fo ftrikingly and perfectly exhibited, fo well fupported, as by those who believe and obey the Gospel?

CAN they be enfnared and feduced by the errors or arts, or examples of the irreligious, "who have tafted the good word of GOD, "and the powers of the world to come?" What have you known, Christians, equal to the excelling knowledge? The objects you purfued, as Chriftians, the fentiments, the fatisfactions, the confolations, of the religious life; how fuperior, how pure, how lafting, how precious! On this review, I am perfuaded, your faith is confirmed: on this review, you resolve to hold fast the profession and practice of your faith without wavering.

THE laft advice I suggest to you, at this time, to determine you to fave yourselves from the untoward generation of the irreligious, is to be attentive to present duty, to the work of the day; to be diligently employed in those things to which you are more especially called, in the stations you fill, the

circum

circumstances in which you are placed, and which the providence of GoD points out and exacts. The idle and flothful are out of the place of fafety, they are off their guards: confcience is already injured and untender. They are attacked with confidence: they refift with feebleness. By neglecting reafon and reflection, advantage is given to fenfe and paffion, and evil communications, and evil example: fenfual and criminal gratifications fupprefs conviction, lessen abhorrence for the practices and principles of the irreligious: they fall from their ftedfaftnefs, they are led away with the wicked.

WHAT the duty, the prefent duty is, in which we exhort you to be diligently employed, that you may be out of the reach of temptation, and be ready to resist the influence and arts of the irreligious in particular; intimate acquaintance and friendship may point out: be attentive to their fuggestions: be thankful for them: but, efpecially, liften to the word of GOD, to the language of providence, and to the voice of confcience. Of one thing, fuffer me, in conclufion, to remind you. In devotion is your fafety. Be habiL12 tually

tually fenfible of your dependence on the grace and providence of GOD. The name "of the LORD is a strong tower, the righteous runneth into it, and is fafe.GOD is

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near to those who call upon him, who call

upon him in truth:--If God be for us, "who can be against us?" Without GOD, without CHRIST, not holding intercourfe with heaven, we can do nothing aright; we are fallen away. Build on the rock of ages: truft in the LORD: confider the perfections. and government of GOD: confider the precious promises addreffed to his worshippers: confider their fulfilment, and the interpofitions of his providence in behalf of his people: confider their confidence in going unto GOD. "He is the fame yesterday to-day "and for ever He keeps his people with his 86 eye fet upon them. He keeps them by "his mighty power."" Beloved," I use the words of the Apostle Jude, "building up "yourselves on your moft holy faith, pray"ing in the Holy Ghoft, keep yourselves in "the love of GOD, looking for the mercy of "our LORD JESUS CHRIST, unto eternal life." So fhall ye hold on your way rejoicing, turning neither to the right hand nor to the left.

"Giving

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Giving all diligence," fays St. Peter," add faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and "to temperance patience, and to patience "godlinefs, and to godlinefs brotherly kindnefs, and to brotherly kindness charity; "for if these things be in you and abound,

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they make you that ye fhall neither be "barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our LORD JESUS CHRIST: but he that lack"eth these things is blind and cannot fee far "off, and hath forgotten that he was purged "from his old fins: wherefore, the rather,

give diligence to make your calling and "election fure, for fo an entrance fhall be "miniftered unto you abundantly into the "everlasting kingdom of our LORD and Sa"viour JESUS CHRIST.' "Beware," fays he, in the end of that epiftle, "left ye also, be"ing led away by the error of the wicked, "fall from your own stedfastnefs; but grow "in grace, and in the knowledge of our "LORD and Saviour JESUS CHRIST: to him "be glory both now and for ever, Amen!"

To fave yourselves from the untoward generation, we have exhorted you, to ponder

and