would his power and grace be displayed! They are all upon record, and will all be known in the great day of his appearing. Some of them are occafionally published, and

may be read in our own tongue. And though they are not all related with equal judgment, nor attended with circumftances equally striking, yet there is a fufficiency, in this way, to leave the world without excufe. Not to mention modern accounts of this kind, (though many might be mentioned which are indifputably. true, and fuperior to the cavils of gainfayers) the Confeffions of Auftin may be appealed to, as a proof that the gospel is not a fyftem of notions only, but has a mighty power to enlighten the bewildered mind, to fubdue the obftinate will, to weaken the force of long-. confirmed habits of evil, to relieve from diftreffing fears, and to effect a real, univerfal, permanent, and beneficial change of fentiment and conduct, fuch as no fimilar inftance, can be found, in the history of mankind, to have been produced by any other principles. But if you are a true Chriftian, in the circle of your connections, you will, fometimes, have a fair opportunity of giving a reason of the hope that is in you. Pray for grace and wisdom

A a 2

wisdom to improve fuch feafons; and if you fpeak the truth in fimplicity and love, you know not but the Lord may give his bleffing to your testimony, and honour you as an inftrument of good. And to convert one finner from the error of his way, is an event of greater importance, than the deliverance of a whole kingdom from temporal evil.

Yet, remember, if you efpouse this cause, a certain confistency of character will be expected from you, without which, you had better be filent, than speak in its defence, or profefs yourself a sharer in the privileges of the gospel. There are too many perfons who treat the great truths, we profess, as mere opinions, points of fpeculation, which form the fhibboleth of a party. There are others, who think an attachment to them, the fure fign of an enthusiastic, deluded imagination. And there are others, again, who mifrepresent them as unfavourable to morality, and affording a cloke and an encouragement to licentioufnefs. Beware, left, by an improper conduct, you lay stumbling-blocks in the way of the blind, ftrengthen the prejudices of the ignorant, and give weight to the

calum

calumnies of the malicious. The people of the world are quick-fighted to the faults of religious profeffors, and though they affect to despise their principles, they are tolerable judges what that conversation is, which only these principles can produce, and always expect it from those who avow them. They will make allowances for others, and admit human infirmity as a plea for their faults, but they will not extend their candour to you. If your zeal for the truth, and your regular attendance upon the minifters who preach it, are not accompanied with a spirit of humility, integrity, and benevolence; if you are paffionate, peevish, discontented, cenforious, or proud; if they observe that you are greedy of gain, penurious, close-fifted, or hardhearted; or even if you comply with their customs and spirit, mingle with them in their amusements, and do not maintain a noble fingularity by avoiding every appearance of evil; they will not only despise you in their hearts, but they will take the occafion of defpifing and speaking evil of the truth itself, on your account. But if you are all of a piece, and are truly folicitous to adorn your profeffion, by walking agreeable

to the rules of the gofpel, and filling up your relations in life to the glory of God, and the good of your fellow-creatures; by thus welldoing, you will put to filence the ignorance of foolish men*, and in a great measure, stop their mouths, if you cannot change their hearts. And though they may affect to rail at you, or to ridicule you, they will be conftrained to feel a fecret reverence for you in their confciences.

us,

But are there any hearts of ftone amongst

who are ftill unaffected by the love and fufferings of the Son of God; who are still

crucifying him afresh, and living in fin, though they hear and know what it cost him. to make an atonement for fin? Yet now hear now look-Behold the Lamb of God!

The Lord in mercy open the eyes of your mind. I addrefs you once more. I once more conjure you by his agony and bloody fweat, by his paffion, crofs, and death, to feek to him that your fouls may live. Can you be proof against thefe arguments? Nay, then, fhould you live and die thus obftinate, you must perish indeed!

SERMON XX.

SIN CHARGED UPON THE SURETY.

ISAIAH liii. 6.

All we like sheep have gone aftray: we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all.

COMPARISONS, in the scripture, are frequently to be understood with great limitation perhaps, out of many circumstances, one only is justly applicable to the cafe. Thus, when our Lord says, Behold, I come as a thief *-common fense will fix the resemblance to a single point, that he will come fuddenly, and unexpected. So when wandering finners are compared to wandering sheep, we have a ftriking image of the danger of their state, and of their inability to recover themselves. Sheep, wandering without a shepherd, are expofed, a defenceless and easy