the matter, than that the one had a right to make the grant, and the other to receive it: my affections would be intirely unmoved. If I heard that the fame grant was made to a good man whom I had never feen, I fhould rejoice in proportion as my affections were attached to goodness: if to a good man and a neighbour, I should rejoice more, as my affections had ftronger hold to work upon: if to a particular friend and relation, my joy would rife ftill higher, as I felt myself still nearer concerned; I fhould inquire more particularly concerning it: if to myself, my joy would then be perfect in its kind; it would engage not only my thoughts, but my care and attention.

Now, this is juft the cafe in religion. When a diffipated man of the world reads in the new Teftament, that " Jefus Chrift died for all men, for that all are finners;" " in whom we have redemption by faith in his blood;" (the nobleft grant that was ever made to mortal man!) these sentences make little or no impreffion upon him, though perhaps he does not doubt their authority; but his affections are engaged with worldly objects; neither his hopes nor fears are alarmed;

alarmed; and, by a power we have of excluding at pleasure all ideas that depend upon reasoning, he recollects not his particular vices; he puts away from him all thoughts of the day of judgment; he does not feel his own unworthiness, or the neceffity of a redeemer. Nay, we will even fuppofe that this fame poor creature, intoxicated with the love of the world and himself, fhall hear the plainest denunciation of fcripture against his vices, and yet be never the better for it; because his affections are untouched, or fo gently brushed by it, as not to feel any particular uneafiness. This could not happen to any man whose reafon was unclouded by his paffions; but thus, fome little excufe, or fome latitude of interpretation, fuggefted by vice, shall serve to invalidate the plaineft declaration of the word of God. That there are fuch declarations, no one, I fuppofe, will doubt: that they have been often heard heard by chriftian profeffors is as certain; and, it is as certain, that they have continued in the vices they heard thus plainly condemned. "Be not deceived,

Is

fays the apostle; neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." May we fuppofe now, that any one who hears me, lives in the free indulgence of luft, or drunkenness, or fraud, or covetoufnefs, or extortion, or evil-speaking, but why do I confine myself to these? not every wilful finner folemnly declared by our faviour and his apoftles to be incapable of inheriting the kingdom of Chrift and of God? Every page of the new Testament confirms this leading truth; that "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness of man; that no habitual practifer of one vice, or a despiser of one virtue, can poffibly be included within the promises of the gospel.

I am now come to a point, upon which I greatly defire to engage your earnest attention. Elijah faid unto the people, when they halted between two opinions, if the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal,

follow

follow him." I also, a minifter of Jefus Chrift, though not "in the power of Elijah," yet in the fame fpirit of earnestness and fincerity, do folemnly adjure you, by all your hopes of heaven, to make the fame trial of your religious opinions..

There are two notions which divide the world. The first and most common is, that there is no abfolute neceffity of practising all the precepts of the new Teftament, especially in their full extent; that some allowances are to be made for the times; that if we are but decent in our behaviour, not scandalously immoral or profane, there is no occafion to go to the extremity of virtue, and affert the laws of God with fuch unfocial warmth, as to endanger our advancement or connections with the world, and to be called precife and foolish, and illnatured, by the greater part of our neighbours in fhort, that feveral virtues will excufe or atone for the occafional intermiffion of others, or even the indulgence of fome vices.'

The fecond opinion of religion is, that we act and live under the conftant eye

of

of God: that we are not at liberty to quit his laws at one time, and to abide by them at another, but must uniformly endeavour to do what he requires: that we

are his, body and foul, bought with a price," obliged to labour in his fervice, and promote his glory by every means in our power, whether suitable to our worldly interefts and connections or not; that, with the converted apoftle, we must fay, "Lord! what wouldst thou have me to do?"

These are, as I faid, the two opinions that divide the world: an outward profeffion, refting in a careless, cold, ununiform practice; and a warm vigorous fenfe of the love of God, intertwisted with the affections, and evermore at work to promote his glory, in a pure and holy converfation, both in others and ourfelves. Under which of these

will you be ranked? "Chufe ye this day whom ye will ferve:"" halt no longer between two opinions." It is the highest folly to ftand between both; to be neither a fincere follower of Jefus Chrift, nor a follower of the customs of the world; for by this means you gain the advantages of neither.

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