What Duty doth this Precept or Pattern point out to me? of what Sin doth it convince me ? against what Dangers doth it warn me? Is my Character and Behaviour fuitable to this Command or Exhortation, this Description or good Example? or do I fee myself here, under another Name, reproved, condemned, ftigmatized? Have I acquired that Sense of my own Sinfulnefs and Weakness, of God's Holiness and Justice, of my Need of the Merits of Chrift and the Grace of the Divine Spirit, which the whole Tenour of Scripture inculcates or am I ftill inclined to stand or fall by my own Righteoufnefs? Faithful Pains taken for fome Time in fuch home Questions, without forcing unnatural Uses out of any Text, but only dwelling on those that fairly prefent themselves, will make us experience a divine Virtue in the facred Writings, piercing first and healing afterwards; which, provided we are not satisfied with being pioufly moved at the Time, and then relapling into what we were before, but continue the Inquiry fteadily, and carry on every Feeling into Practice, will affuredly tranfform us into what we ought to be. Poffibly indeed we may not all receive a very fenfible Benefit very foon. Alterative Medicines often 16 produce produce their Effect but flowly: and the most perfect Regimen of Diet sweetens and nourishes by unperceived Degrees. We have furely no Title to be impatient under the Hands of our heavenly Physician: perfect Recovery will at Length be the certain Confequence of his Treatment of us; and every fingle Ingredient in the great Remedy, his holy Word, and every Direction for the Use of it, will contribute its Share to our Cure. Let us therefore confcientiously obferve all his Orders, each in their due Place; and as the only one, for which there is Room left at present, let us intreat his Bleffing on our humble Endeavours, that receiving the Seed of the Word into a good and boneft Heart, we may bring forth Fruit with Patience': ufing for that Purpose the Petitions of his Servant David. Teach me, O Lord, the Way of thy Statutes, and I fhall keep it unto the End. Give me Understanding, and I shall keep thy Law: yea, I shall keep it with my whole Heart. Make me to go in the Path of thy Commandments: for therein is my Defire". 1 Luke viii. 15. Pf. cxix. 33, 34, 35- ́ را SER SERMON VI. - I COR. xiv. 15. I will pray with the Spirit, and I will pray with the Understanding alfo: I will fing with the Spirit, and I will fing with the Underfanding alfo. T HESE Words, in their firft and ftrictest Senfe, relate to thofe Gifts of Inspiration, which the primitive Church enjoyed: the holy Ghoft then frequently enabling many Members of it, befides the Apostles, to Speak in Tongues, which they had never learned, the wonderful Works of God; and dictating to them Petitions and Praises fitted to their Circumstances. But, as the ordinary Gifts of Heaven to Mankind are left to be managed according to the Discretion of those, who enjoy • Acts ii. 11. them : them: fo the divine Wisdom preserved an Uniformity of Conduct, and kept to the same Rule, in Respect of thefe extraordinary ones. The Spirits of the Prophets,, as the Apostle tells us, ver. 32. were fubject to the Prophets. It was in their Choice, when they would use the Power of speaking with divers Tongues: and on what Occafions they would produce the Prayers and Hymns, with which they were infpired. In this, (and no Wonder,) they did not all of them judge always prudently: their thankful Zeal to publifh thefe miraculous Favours, and perhaps a too great, but very natural, Self-Complacency in being poffeffed of such remarkable Privileges, prompting fome of them fometimes to give Demonftrations of it in their Affemblies, when few or none were prefent, who understood the Language they spoke: in which Cafe the Exercife of their Endowments was only a Hindrance to the stated, and though lefs admired, yet more ufeful Devotions and Inftructions of the Congregation in their native Dialect. And therefore St. Paul, in the true Spirit of Christianity, reproves this Oftentation: reminds them, that the Gift of Tongues was defigned to convince Unbelievers by a seasonable Ufe of it, not to provoke their Scorn, or bring |