burden, which he fustained, when God laid on him the iniquities of us all. View him in all the trying fcenes of his life; especially view him bleeding and dying on the accurfed tree. Recollect,

that our fins were the caufe, and deliverance from thein was the end of all his fufferings; and then fay, whether every fin ought not to be your abhorrence? Will you choose that which he abhorred? Will you indulge that which caufed his death? Will you retain that, from which he died to deliver you? Is there in man fuch perverfenefs of foul, fuch ingratitude to a benefactor, and fuch disregard to himself? One would abhor the fight of an enemy, who had flain a child, a brother or a friend. He would never choose for his companion the truculent ruffian, who had thus wounded and diftreffed him. Much rather should we abhor our own fins. These have shed the Redeemer's blood-Thefe, if embraced in our bofom, will deftroy our fouls.

Remember farther,

5. All evil is oppofite to the holy Spirit. God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He calls them to turn and live. To the calls of his word he adds the secret motions of his own Spirit. The Spirit of God is holy in his nature and in his operations. His nature is opposite to evil, and his operations are to recover us from it.

His awakening and convincing influences on the minds of finners, are called ftriving with them. Their continuance in fin, is called refifting him. And will you not abhor that which is contrary to the Spirit of God-that which opposes his friendly operations-that which is fo hateful to him, and fatal to you, that he is ftriving to deliver you from it? Will you refift fuch kindly motions and grieve this heavenly visitant?

VOL. V.

M m

your

Contemplate evil in any point of view, as contrary to the nature of God-to the deign of revelation to the end of creation to the pur. pofe of Chrift's death, and to the influence of the holy Spirit, and you will fee, that it ought to be your abhorrence. And when you find that these views of fin bring you to a real, habitual, univerfal abhorrence of it; and that this abhorrence, while it extends to all fin, is more immediately pointed at your own, you may then conclude, that religion has place in your hearts.

We proceed now to illuftrate,

Secondly, The other branch of our subject. Cleave to that which is good.

Religion begins in the renovation of the inward man; but it ends not there: it discovers itself in the works of righteousness. The pure in heart will be holy in all manner of converfation. It is not now and then a good action, or a temporary appearance of goodness, which will prove the heart to be fincere: there must be an adherence to that which is good.

1. We must cleave to all that is good, without exception.

In the new man," old things are paft away, and all things are become new." He glorifies God in body and spirit. He yields himself a fervant to God, and his members inftruments of righteoufnefs to him.

We must be ready to every good work. If, in our refolutions of obedience, we make exceptions and refervations, it is not the will of God, but our own will, which governs us. The question with us must be, not fo much what will serve our worldly defigns, as what will be acceptable in the fight of God.

2. We must cleave to that which is good with conftancy.

A variable goodness will not meet the divine approbation. Religion is " a patient continuance in well-doing." Of Judah and Ephraim God complains, "What fhall I do unto you? Your goodness is a morning cloud; as the early dew it goeth away." Tranfient refolutions and temporary reformations are not cleaving to, but trifling with, that which is good. There is a peculiar guilt attending the cafe of thefe fhort-lived converfions. The man, who forms a refolution in favour of religion, is convinced of its truth and importance; otherwise there would be no ground for the refolution. Now if, after this, he abandon the ferious purpose which he had made, and return to his finful course, he discovers greater ftrength of luft, greater oppofition of heart to goodness, greater contempt of God, than if he never had been the fubject of these convictions. Hence the apostle to the Hebrews reprefents it as peculiarly difficult" to renew those again to repentance, who fall away, after they have been once enlightened, and have tafted the good word of God." The apoftle Peter alfo fays, "If after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of Chrift, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the latter end is worfe with them than the beginning."

There are fome doubleminded men, who are unftable in all their ways. They have fo much fenfe of the obligations of religion, that they dare not wholly difregard them. They form good refolutions, but never pursue them to effect. They feel inward convictions of fin, but never carry them to a real repentance. Their lufts prevail, and fmother their half-conceived purposes of vir

tue. Their purposes again revive, and are again fuppreffed. Let not fuch a man think, that he fhall receive any thing of God. For though he fhould never run to the fame excess in vice as many others have done, being at times under stronger restraints from his own conviction, yet he goes more abreaft againft light, does greater violence to his confcience, and more directly oppofes the Spirit of grace, and confequently may be more criminal in the fight of God, than fome who seem to fin with a higher hand.

This thought deferves the attention of those, who have had frequent convictions and awakenings from the providence and Spirit of God, and yet never have really cleaved to that which is good. They ought to remember, that "for all these things God will bring them into judgment;" for in proportion as they have been favoured with more powerful excitements to religion, they are, while they neglect it, involving themfelves in more awful guilt, and filling up the measure of their fins with more awful rapidity. If oppofition to an awakened confcience, and refiftance of a ftriving Spirit, are aggravations of guilt, then we muit conclude, that as finners have experienced thefe more frequently, and more powerfully, their guilt is on this account more dreadfully increafing, as long as they continue impenitent and unreformed. Nor can they know how foon these favourable motions will ceafe, and be fucceeded by unfeeling hardness of heart.

3. We must cleave to that which is good, even when it is attended with difficulty and danger.

Though wifdom's paths are paths of peace, yet we fhall find many rough places, in which we muft tread with caution, and walk with circumfpection, left we ftumble, or be turned out of the

way. Our Saviour has warned us, that narrow is the way which leads to life, and ftrait the gate by which we enter; and he directs us to ftrive with earnestnefs-to prefs on with resolution.

Difficulties and oppofitions will arife from the corruptions of the heart, the examples of the ungodly, the temptations of evil fpirits, and the objects of the world. But we must go on our way, and, “laying afide every weight, run with patience the race fet before us."

4. We must choose that which is good, though we be fingular in our choice.

The man, who cleaves to God with purpose of heart, rifes fuperior to the examples and entice-ments of the world. He walks, not as pleafing men, but God who fearcheth the heart. He defires, indeed, the concurrence and affiftance of others; he wishes that all around him were zealoufly engaged in religion: thus his hands would be ftrengthened, his refolution animated, and his temptations weakened. But ftill he refolves, whatever choice others make, and whatever course they purfue, he will walk with God. Though he does not affect fingularity, he had rather be fingular, than wicked. He had rather ftand alone in virtue, than join a multitude in vice. Though others think it ftrange that he runs not with them to the fame excefs of riot, fpeaking evil of him, yet he knows how to justify his own conduct. He will not be ridiculed out of his virtue, nor bring on himself the wrath of God, to escape the fcoffs of men. He is gentle toward all men, but a fervant to none in matters of religion. He is eafy to be intreated in a reasonable cafe, but he will not be perfuaded to violate his confcience. "He will have no fellow