fubjects that fall within the limits of the understanding, there are certain elementary principles, which will not admit of doubt, fo alfo in religion, there are certain introductory truths, which cannot be controverted. The firft is, that this is a life of difcipline, and that we most affuredly fhall die. The fecond is, that nature has taught us we are accountable creatures. A third is, (if we can trust the voice of reason, the fuggeftion of inftinctive affections, and the confent of all ages, on a fubject where no fenfible proofs can be obtained) that the foul is immortal. A fourth is, that God is juft and good, and therefore a state of retribution must and will take place.

THESE are fufficient, of themselves, to engage the ferious attention of every thinking being, and make us "walk by "FAITH," in a conftant and fteady courfe of piety and virtue. But all these have been fo wonderfully confirmed by our bleffed Lord and Saviour; the means of reconciliation and forgiveness have been

pointed

pointed out with fuch divine love; and the whole Duty of Man towards his neighbour and the Deity, hath been illuftrated by an example fo heavenly, and precepts fo beautiful and facred, that we may well exclaim, in the words of the apoftle, How fhall we efcape, if we neglect fo great falvation!”

SER

SERMON XXI.

ON HEARING THE WORD OF GOD.

MARK iv. 23.

If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

T is afferted by the Evangelifts, that

IT

our Lord " taught men as one having authority, and not as the fcribes; that "his ministry was with power, and that "the people wondered at the many graci

ous words, which proceeded out of his "mouth." The text, indeed, is a fufficient proof that he taught with the authority of a master. He had been delivering his beautiful Parable of the Sower,

and though he was furrounded by promifcuous crouds, differing from each other in their religious tenets, their characters as men, and their occupations as citizens of the world; yet he gave the peremptory command to all, that " If any man "have ears to hear, let him hear." He fignified by this, that the precepts of his bleffed Gofpel were not like many of the Laws of Mofes, confined to a particular people, but that they were obligatory on the whole human race. They were coextenfive with the powers of intelligent creatures, and fpoke to every one that could hear, think or feel.

THE authoritative addrefs, with which our Lord clofed this parable, was highly feafonable, and, perhaps, falutary. He knew that the feed of the word would fall on different ground; fome would be fcattered by the way-fide, and fome would be choked in its growth by thorns and briars; much of it would fall on ftony ground, where there was not fufficient earth to