earth. And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: be that gathered least gathered ten ho- mers; and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people; and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague. And be called the name of that place Kibroth-Hattaaavah : And hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is What think ye? A certain man had two fons ; and he came to the first, and faid, Son, go work to-day in my vineyard. He answered and faid, I will not; but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the fecond, and faid likewise. And he answered, and faid, I go, Sir; and went not. Whether of them temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to pa- THE ABUSE OF DIVINE FORBEARANCE. Because fentence against an evil work is not executed In this the children of God are manifeft, and the children of of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, Nebu- chadrezzar, king of Babylon, caused his army to ferve a great fervice against Tyrus : every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled, yet had he no wages, nor his army for Tyrus, for the fervice that he had ferved against it: therefore thus faith the Lord God, Behold I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebu- chadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army. I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour wherewith he served againft it, because they wrought for me, faith the Lord God.-EZEKIEL xxix. 17-20. NEUTRALITY IN RELIGION EXPOSED. No man can serve two masters ; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot ferve God and SERMON I. MISTAKES CONCERNING THE NUMBER OF THE RIGHTEOUS. Rom. xi. 2-4. Wot ye not what the fcripture faith of Elias? How he maketh interceffion to God against Ifrael, faying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what faith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not, bowed the knee to the image of Baal. "WHO can understand his errors?" How numerous, how various, how oppofite to each other, are the mistakes of mankind! The lives and the language of many seem to imply a full perfuafion, that there is very little evil in fin; that the difficulties of religion are by no means great; that it is an easy thing to be a christian; that if there be a hell, few are wicked enough to be turned into it; and that the generality of our fellow creatures are in a fair way for heaven. This perfuafion is as false as it is fatal. "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, " and broad is the way which leadeth to deftruction, B "and many there be which go in thereat: because "strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth " unto life, and few there be that find it." It is poffible, however, to fall into another extreme, and to draw an unwarrantable conclufion respecting the state of religion, and the number of its adherents ; and even wife men, and good men, are liable to this. "Wot ye not what the fcripture faith of Elias? how " he maketh interceffion to God against Ifrael, saying, "Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged " down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they "seek my life. But what faith the answer of God " unto him ? I have reserved to myself seven thousand " men, who have not bowed the knee to the image " of Baal." We are going then to examine the opinion that reduces the number of the righteous. We shall lay open the various fources from which it proceeds, and by difcovering the cause, we shall prescribe the cure. Sometimes we draw the conclufion from THE PECULIAR STATE OF OUR OWN MINDS. By the indifpofition of the body, or the depression of the animal spirits, our minds are foon affected; we become fad, gloomy, peevish, fufpicious. In this situation our minds are unhinged, and easily receive a falling motion; we are more alive to the influence of fear than hope; the darker the intelligence, the more credible; one direction is given to every occurrence, and the invariable inference is, "all these things are against " me." And fuch feems to have been the condition of Elijah. His language betrays acrimony, petulancy, and defpair. |