in the fympathy and the prayers of their friends and of the faints.

THIS is a reviving and comfortable truth: The faithful form one body: all Chriftians are intimately connected together: their difpofitions and interefts, their pursuits and pleasures, and profpects, are the fame. None of the human race are excluded from their good will, but their delights are with the excellent. In danger and in war, they are relieved and comforted in remembering that, the pious everywhere, efpecially their pious friends, fympathife with them, and carry them, with themselves, to the throne of grace. The effectual fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much.

PART III.

III. ATTEND, in conclufion, to the character and duty of Chriftians in relation to the peace and compofure, recommended by our LORD, in feafons of alarm and danger, and fuffering.

WE have addreffed you as Chriftians, as

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true penitents: Chriftians, the apostles of our LORD, the eminent in the attainments of the religious life themfelves, are not out of the reach of fear and alarm; and need to be reminded of the character and duty of those who experience the foothing and reviving influence of the confiderations we have laid before you.

WE have obferved, the general and allcomprehenfive direction, for being faved from trouble of heart, is Faith in GOD, faith in the LORD JESUS CHRIST. Faith knows and perceives abundant fources of confolation and tranquillity: but faith must be cherished and exercised. Be exhorted, then, in the first place, to cherish and exercise a lively faith in GOD, in CHRIST, in the government of GOD, in the eternal world.

MELANCHOLY and dejection of mind, agitation and distraction, irreligion and immorality, are nearly allied to each other; and fometimes their effects are very fimilar, fometimes indeed they are the fame.. Melancholy neglects the present enjoyment and duty: agitation perverts and confounds every thing:

irreligion

irreligion is not reftrained from yielding to the impulfe and paffion of the moment. Be ye on your guard against whatever leads to fuch diforder and ruin: be on your guard against every thing that fhakes or tends to fhake your faith; and fo deliver you up to a gloomy mind, to confufion, to every evil work. Confider and review the many fatisfying evidences of your faith: confider the days that are paft: confult the history, and attend to the experience, of the faints: attend to your own,-fo you will remain ftedfaft in the faith: you will not be moved away from the Gospel, and the hope of the Gospel of JESUS; you will remain tranquil and happy: when there are wars and rumours of wars, your hearts will not be troubled.

FREQUENT and fervent devotion, we recommend, 2dly, that your hearts be not troubled.

WHERE there is a lively faith and a juft perception of divine truth, and therefore a due concern of mind awakened, respecting the great things of GOD, prayer will be poured forth. Prayer is the language of faith:

to be employed in prayer and devotion cherishes and exercifes faith, the divine principle of universal holinefs, and of genuine tranquillity and enjoyment. Every good and perfect gift is of GOD, and must be asked of GoD: afk and ye fhall receive: ye fhall behold these glories, attain these graces, engage in these exercises, and tafte these confolations that footh and animate the mind, in the day of danger, of alarm, and of war.

3. WHEN there are wars and rumours of wars, it is our duty, Chriftians, to remember the bleffings we have enjoyed, and with which we are still favoured. By danger and alarm, and the horrors of war, fafety and peace and enjoyment, are enhanced, and our gratitude to heaven is increased. Notwithstanding the continuance of war, and war carried on with peculiar inveteracy and barbarity; a war general, bloody and portentous, perhaps, without example; we, in this part of the country, have enjoyed uninterrupted tranquillity. Some months ago, a confiderable force was on the coast of Ireland: the ftorms arofe, and the enemy was difperfed. Troops did land in Wales, but they were furrounded

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by the inhabitants, and laid down their arms. Fifteen British fhips of war have lately attacked and defeated twenty-feven of the enemy, and captured four! Events like thefe, while they difpel anxiety and inspire hope, are gratefully to be acknowledged. Give praise to God for our bleffings, the mitigations of our fufferings, the good hopes he inspires, but so as by no means to render us inactive or secure. Therefore,

PERMIT me to exhort you, in the last place, with prayer and praife, to join watchfulness and exertion.

OUR LORD joins prayer and watching : they are naturally united, or rather indeed they are infeparable: for we are not fincere in prayer, that is properly fpeaking, we do not pray to a heart fearchg GoD at all, to be preserved when in danger, or to be delivered from danger, if we do not avail ourselves of the powers and advantages already bestowed upon us if he has already given you the means of safety, and you do not use them; in praying that GOD may protect and fave you, you in effect are guilty of the profana