the duties of the church and the closet, those of the social relations, the care of children and of families, and kind offices towards the indigent and the afflicted, postponed for the sake of low indulgences; an immoderate pursuit of which tends, even when it is least hurtful, to produce a disinclination to serious thought, and to impair the re-, lish for every thing truly excellent and improving?

But too often, alas! what are called diversions' lay snares for innocence, and open the way to scenes of dissoluteness and debauchery! Too often what is termed 'play' is carried to such an excess as to squander fortunes, which might be employed to the most valuable purposes! To which may be added, its natural tendency to excite unworthy passions, and to produce the habits of fraud and falsehood and an illiberal thirst of gain.

Without actual observation one would scarcely think there could be persons, who profess to acknowledge the divine authority of the Gospel, and yet live in an habitual neglect of its public worship. There never was, assuredly, an institution more wisely calculated for advancing the interests of virtue, than that of setting apart one day in a week for the express purpose of instructing the people in the knowledge of their duty, and exhorting them to the practice of it; and yet many, who still however call themselves Christians, seem to affect an open disregard or even contempt of it. But it is not easy to conceive, what reasonable pretence can be alleged for such a conduct. Will they aver, that they deem it a reflexion upon their sense, to pay their public homage to their Creator and Redeemer; and to make an open profession

of their regard for that religion, which yet they would be thought to believe? Or, have they such an aversion from the exercises of religion, that the spending of an hour or two in solemn acts of adoration, in prayer and thanksgiving, is a weariness which they cannot endure? What is this, but to avow the great degeneracy of their minds, and their want of a proper disposition for the employment which best deserves the attention of reasonable beings? Or, do they affect a high regard for moral virtue, as an excuse for neglecting positive institutions? And will any man, who knows the true state of things among us, take upon himself to declare that the growing neglect of the ordinances of religion has helped to promote the practice of virtue; or that men's morals are generally improv, ed, since they became more indifferent to those sacred solemnities? Nothing is more evident to any one, who impartially considers the nature of those ordinances and solemnities, than that a due observance of them (beside being a public avowal of our faith in God, and in the Lord Jesus Christ) has a manifest tendency to exercise and strengthen in us those good affections, which naturally lead to a holy life.

But there are also Christians, on the other hand, who seem to flatter themselves that a mere outward attendance on these ordinances will be alone sufficient, though they at the same time indulge themselves in habits contrary to the rules of virtue and morality. All expedients, however, for reconciling the practice of dissoluteness or dishonesty with the faith and hope of the Gospel are obviously absurd. The most inconsistent of all characters is, a wicked Christian; which to any one

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acquainted with the true nature of Christianity, must appear to be a contradiction in terms. nothing can be more evident, than that a vicious life is the most manifest contradiction to the whole design of the Gospel. To profess to hope for salvation from the Redeemer, and yet to neglect the necessary terms, without which (we are assured) salvation is not to be obtained! To believe that he came to destroy the works of the Devil, and yet to allow themselves in those very works! What an unamiable representation would such persons afford of the Gospel, if a judgement were to be formed of it from their conduct! You would perhaps conceive a horror at the thought of blaspheming Christ, and openly renouncing all hope of salvation from him and yet the plain tendency of your practice is, to harden the hearts of infidels, and give occasion to the enemies of Christianity to blaspheme. And should not you tremble to think of being charged, as accessary to the indignities cast upon that dread name into which you were baptized, and on that excellent system, the divine origin of which you profess to believe? Surely it highly concerns you, for your own sakes and that of the Gospel, instantly to set about reforming a conduct irreconcileable at once to all the rules of reason, and to your own most evident interests. Implore the mercy of God through Jesus Christ, and the assistances of his grace, which shall not be wanting to the truly penitent; and show yourselves to be Christians, by endeavouring to get your souls effectually brought under the influence of that religion, the natural tendency of which is to inspire ingenuous hope and confidence and joy.

I shall conclude, with laying a few advices be

fore those who take upon them the name of Christians, and who profess to receive the Gospel as of divine authority.

1. And, first, let us be thankful to God for our glorious privileges. It is our unspeakable advantage, that we are not left to the uncertain light of our own unassisted reason in a matter of such importance. We have God himself instructing us by his word concerning his perfections and his providence, displaying all the riches of his grace toward perishing sinners, setting our duty before us in its just extent, animating us to the practice of it by exceeding great and precious promises, and assuring us of the aids of his Holy Spirit to assist our weak endeavours. A happiness is provided for us, as the result of our patient continuance in well-doing, transcending all that we are now able to express, or even to conceive. These things certainly call for every return of love and gratitude within our power. Our civil liberties are justly to be valued; but our privileges, as Christians, are of a far loftier and nobler character.

2. A natural consequence of this is, that we should treasure the faith which we profess, and endeavour to make ourselves well acquainted with it, as it is contained in the Holy Scriptures. There are to be found those discoveries, which God was pleased to make of his will at sundry times and in divers manners by the mouth of his holy prophets; and there is that last and most perfect Revelation, which he gave by his well-beloved Son. The very discourses of that Son are there transmitted to us, with an account of his wonderful works, his pure life, and his most perfect example. Let us, therefore, search the Scriptures, which are able to make

us wise unto salvation. And if we meet with difficulties in them, as may justly be expected in ancient writings relating to a great variety of matters, some of them of a most extraordinary nature, let not this discourage us. For beside that by care fully examining the Holy Volume, and making a proper use of the helps afforded us, we may have many of those difficulties cleared up, it must be observed, that the things most necessary to be known are most plainly revealed; and those are the things, which we should especially labour to get impressed upon our consciences and our hearts.

But it should be our principal concern, that our whole conversation be such as becometh the Gospel of Christ. He must be an utter stranger to Christianity, who is not sensible that it both injoins, and in the highest degree encourages, a virtuous prac→ tice. Let us therefore, as we would secure our own salvation, and advance the glory of our Blessed Redeemer, endeavour to adorn its doctrines by a

godly, righteous, and sober life." A mere form of godliness will not be sufficient: the energy and beauty of religion must appear in our whole temper and demeanour. Truly amiable is the idea of a Christian acting up to the obligations of Christianity.

Consider him in the exercise of piety and devotion toward God, diligent in attending on the ordinances of religion, filled with a profound reverence and devout admiration of the Supreme Excellence, his soul at one time rising in grateful emotions to his sovereign Benefactor, at another exercising an unrepining submission to his will and a steady dependence on his providence, and always rejoicing in Christ Jesus as his Saviour, in the