cometh to me I will in nowise cast out." Christ formed in the heart of a true believer, resembles, in some measure, Christ incarnate in the world. The divine nature may be obscured for a season; it may, and probably will, have its season of humiliation; but though it may seem to die, yet it shall have its resurrection likewise, and afterwards its ascension into glory. This it was that enabled Paul to say, therefore run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air." Perseverance is not only the duty, but the privilege also, of all who set themselves in good earnest to travel for heaven. And though the law of God obliges them, and their new nature inclines them, to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, yet they have a far better security for their success than any efforts of their own. Omnipotence is their guardian: "the eternal God is their refuge, and underneath them his everlasting arms." present we come from scenes of anxiety and vexation to keep our solemn feasts; and our wedding garments are stained with the pollution, or torn by the briers through which we travel. Even amidst our most sublime delights, we are conscious of a certain blank in our feelings, which reminds us that this is not our rest; but in the presence of God there is fulIness of joy, and at his right hand are pleasures for evermore. The poor afflicted broken spirit, which now breathes in trouble as in its daily air, and scarcely knows any other rule for computing the periods of time, than by the revolutions of sorrows and disappointments, shall then be tuned to the high praises of God; and its love to him, who is the Lord of love, shall feel no bounds, and fear no end. O how the unveiled glory of God will then brighten many a face which is now darkened with grief, and stained with tears, and daily wears the hue of melancholy! There is not a sorrowful countenance in all the courts of Zion's King; their doubts and fears have dropped off with the veil of mortality, and sorrow and sighing have fled far away. Lift up your heads, then, ye that travel towards the heavenly Zion, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. It is not more certain that the sun doth shine in the firmament, than that ye shall live for ever in the heavenly Jerusalem, and join in the innumerable company about the throne, in the everlasting praise of your God and Redeemer. Then shall you understand the happiness of believers, and know better than I can tell you, what God did for your souls, when he called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. My brethren, time and strength would fail me, were I to attempt enumerating all the sources of joy which belong to the redeemed of the Lord. I trust, that in your own frequent meditation you revolve them, and that in your frequent addresses to the throne of grace, you commemorate them with thankful hearts before the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you not then express the joy and gratitude of your souls, for the benefit of your Redeemer's example, for the promised aids of his Spirit, for the assurance of his intercession, for the gracious appointment of him as the Judge of the world, for the access you now have by him to the throne of grace, for the means of communion with the Father of your spirits, and the pleasing fellowship of those who are travelling with you in the same road to the Zion above? Leaving these, then, to be revolved in your own minds, I will now only exhort you, in the 5th and last place, To rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. "Fear not, little flock," said the blessed Jesus, "for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Ere long your trials and sufferings shall come to an end, and your light afflictions, which are but for a moment, shall be followed by an exceeding great and eternal weight of glory. At Rejoice then in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice. Let it appear, by the serenity of your countenance, and the alacrity of your steps, that your salvation is already begun, and that, though the fulness of your joys be reserved for another world, yet even in this you can remark, with a satisfaction unknown to the mere sons of earth, how sweet is the face of nature, how delicious are the fruits of the field. "Go your way, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God now accepteth your work." Amen. SERMON LXXI. ADVANTAGES UNIMPROVED. HEBREWS V. 12.—"For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat." without being supposed to aim at any peculiar censure, my sole design being to stir you up to further improvements, even to aspire to the wisdom of the perfect, and of those who, by reason of use, have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. The text naturally gives rise to the three following observations: The case of the Hebrews, as represented in these words, is by no means singular. The neglect, at least the slow improvement of the means of knowledge, has not ceased to be a reproach in these latter days. Although blessed with the most abundant means of becoming wise unto salvation, how trifling are our attainments, how ill arranged are our religious ideas, how little established are we in the faith, and how ill qualified to give a good reason THE apostle having, at the 10th verse, of the hope that is in us! Amidst all compared, in general terms, the priesthood these infirmities, how disdainful are we of Jesus with that of Melchisedek, finds often of common truths! how desirous to himself obliged to break off the argu- be gratified with novel speculations! how ment, not from any defect of his own fantastical in our taste for religious inknowledge, but from the dulness of those struction! I hope I may be allowed to to whom he wrote. Their minds were not offer some observations on these topics, as yet prepared for such sublime instruction, and that not owing to any natural infirmity, but merely to their neglect or misimprovement of the best advantages. "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat." Accordingly, he tells them very plainly how disgracefully deficient they were in the improvement which might have been expected, from the time that they had been in the school of Christ. Instead of being in a capacity of teaching others, they were themselves in the lowest class of learners. Instead of making progress in the knowledge of divine truth, they had forgotten what they once possessed. Instead of growing to the stature of perfect men in Christ Jesus, they had shrunk again to the condition of babes, whose weak and tender organs must be nourished with the simplest food. Instead of expanding with a regular and solid growth, opening and enlarging their faculties, through disuse, had become so contracted as to refuse admittance to the plainest truths, much more to doctrines so deep and involved as those which he had begun to state. Such is the spirit of the apostle's reproof contained in the text: "For This is one of those propositions which when for the time ye ought to be teachers, neither needs, nor will admit of much ye have need that one teach you again positive proof. There cannot be a plainer which be the first principles of the ora- dictate of common sense, than what our cles of God; and are become such as Saviour hath taught us in these words: have need of milk, and not of strong meat."" Unto whomsoever much is given, of him I. That all who are favored with the light of the gospel, shall be utterly inexcusable, if their improvements in knowledge do not bear a proportion to the time they have continued to enjoy it. II. That those who are not careful to add to their knowledge, will be in great danger of losing what they have formerly acquired. III. That without a proper acquaintance with the first plain principles of religion, men are unfit to receive doctrines of a higher and more speculative nature. These observations I will confirm by some reasoning, and then make a practical application of the subject. The I. observation was, That all who are favored with the light of the gospel, shall be utterly inexcusable, if their improvements in knowledge do not bear a proportion to the time they have continued to enjoy it. the more shall be required." Every advantage bestowed on us by Providence is a trust, of which we must give an account hereafter. The advantages which tend to our improvement in heavenly wisdom, are a trust of the most important kind; and therefore the guilt of neglecting or abusing these must be of the deepest nature. But let us hear what may be said in opposition to this. Every objection that can be stated, may be resolved into one or other of these two-either that Christianity is not worthy of our study; or that, from its incomprehensible nature, it is impossible to make any considerable progress in the knowledge of it. To maintain the first of these, is in fact to deny the divinity of our holy religion; for certainly a revelation proceeding from infinite wisdom, with this merciful intention, to direct wandering sinners to everlasting and unspeakable felicity, must be allowed to deserve all the time and attention we can possibly bestow on it. As to the second objection, relating to the mysterious nature of Christianity, it must partly be admitted, but in no sense that will apply to the point in question. There are indeed doctrines taught in it far surpassing the extent of our understandings, which must be received with the obedience of faith, resting on this solid principle of reason, that they are revealed by him who cannot But though there are deep and inscrutable mysteries in Christianity, it is far from being mysterious in all its parts. Its discoveries of the moral character of God, and of his gracious purposes toward the human race; its precepts, promises, and sanctions; and its general influence upon human conduct, present the noblest and most improving subject of contemplation, in which the faculties of man can be engaged. In these a well formed mind will taste a pleasure and satisfaction far beyond what all the treasures of science and philosophy can bestow. It is true, that even in this study, certain difficulties will at first be experienced; but shall it form an objection to the pursuit of heavenly wisdom, that it bears an analogy to every improvement of which the human mind is susceptible? Where is the valuable advantage that is to be acquired without patience, method, and application? Shall we expect to become masters of religious truth, with less diligence and application than we bestow on the most trifling science, or the meanest mechanic art? I mean not that it is either necessary or possible for every private Christian to attain a thorough knowledge of theology. The leisure and the capacities of men are so different, that an equal progress in divine knowledge cannot be supposed in every individual. This much, however, may be reasonably required and expected, that persons soliciting the outward privi leges of religion, should know the great truths to which these privileges refershould be able to tell what benefit they expect from them-should be able to show some fruit of all the instructions they receive. Yet how often is even this moderate expectation disappointed? How many are there to be found in this land of gospel light, almost as ignorant of Jesus and his religion, as those who never heard his name? How deep must be their shame, how heavy their condemnation, when at last it shall appear in what manner their time has been employed? This will stop the mouths of all ignorant Christians, and expose their vain apologies, when their consciences, awakened by the dawn of an everlasting day, shall reproach them with the hours, days, and months, in which they fatigued themselves with vice and folly, instead of studying how to become wise unto salvation. The II. observation from the text was, That those who are not careful to add to their knowledge, are in danger of losing what they have already acquired. This was the very case of the Hebrews. They had not been at due pains to increase their knowledge, in consequence of which neglect, they were even decayed in their former attainments. "Ye are become such," says the apostle, "as have need of milk, and not of strong meat." He does not say, Ye are still in the condition of babes; but ye are returned or shrunk back again to that condition, thereby plainly intimating that there had been a time when the case was otherwise with them And as this proposition is well founded in the text, so it is sufficiently supported both by reason and experience. Our own observation, if we have not been extremely inattentive, cannot fail to furnish us with |pecially if this cannot be done without instances similar to what is here recorded. much labor and attention. Accordingly, The truth is, a comprehensive knowledge it is never supposed in Scripture, that we of the whole, in all its connections, is the only security for the distinct knowledge, or remembrance of any one part. Nothing is so difficult as to retain the rudiments of any science, unless we pursue them to their proper use, and discover their subserviency to the general scheme to which they belong. Let a man be introduced to the view of a complete piece of machinery, without being acquainted with the general purpose it is intended to accomplish; let him survey every part of it with the most minute attention, and labor to imprint the idea of each as deeply as possible in his mind; yet if he fall short of comprehending the intention of the whole, all that he has seen will be equally useless to himself and to mankind. His observations, unconnected with any leading principle, will float without method or application in his mind; or if they have any effect, it will be only to make him rash and petulant in hazarding opinions on a subject which he imperfectly understands. should remit our application to make farther progress, through a lazy satisfaction with our present attainments. No saint ever set such an example of indolent selfcontentment. "I count all things but loss," said the apostle Paul, "for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith; that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead: not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." The III. and last observation from the text was, That without a proper acquaintance with the plain principles of religion, men are utterly unfit for receiving doctrines of a higher and more speculative nature. Our pursuit of religious knowledge, under the disadvantages of our present dark and degenerate state, may be compared to a person swimming against the current, who has no other way to maintain his advantage but by pressing forward. Our faculties, by disuse, contract a rust, a disability either for discerning or pursuing those things that are excellent. Hence the apostle says, at the 14th verse, "Strong meat is for those who, by reason This is the precise argument of the of use, have their senses exercised to dis- text, and needs only to be mentioned to cern between good and evil;" thereby in- force our assent. It is saying nothing timating, that the mind must be kept in more strange, than that a person, in order constant exercise, otherwise we may lose to be able to read, must first know letters; the faculty of distinguishing between a proposition so plain and obvious, that it things the most widely different. But would be ridiculous to attempt a formal this is not all: A person who stops short proof of it. The operations of grace, as in his pursuit of religious truth, plainly well as those of nature, are, for the most discovers that he has lost that relish part, gradual. Miraculous gifts indeed which alone imprints it in deep and last-have been enjoyed, and miraculous proing characters on the mind. It is well gress hath been made in divine knowledge, known how slowly we imbibe, and how beyond what the common use of means quickly we forget, those parts of learning could have produced; but these have been which we study with reluctance. No man will be careful to preserve a matter about which he is become indifferent, es rare instances for special purposes in Providence, and are by no means to be expected in the common course of things. If, therefore, we aspire to eminent know- | much the more miserable for the neglect ledge in religion, we must begin by culti- of the opportunities which you have envating distinct apprehensions of its first joyed. Let me beseech you to bring this principles. Nothing has been of more prejudice to Christianity, than the premature indigested reasonings of novices, about its more speculative doctrines, before they have been well established in its great and fundamental articles. Hence have arisen all those odious names with which particular sects have stigmatized one another, while, in contending for the name of disciples, they have thrown away that badge of charity by which the true disciples of Christ are most effectually distinguished. Justly, then, does the apostle say, that strong meat belongeth only to them who, by reason of use, have their senses exercised to discern between good and evil. The metaphor is highly proper and significant; for as strong meat, administered to a weak stomach, contributes only to increase its infirmity; in like manner the more difficult doctrines of Christianity, meeting with weak presumptuous understandings, have no other effect than to swell the natural vanity of the heart, which afterwards vents itself in words and behavior, equally dishonorable to God and offensive to man. Having thus endeavored to confirm the observations which naturally arise from the text, it remains only to make a practical application of the subject. home to your minds. In all other subjects, you desire to be well informed. You would not prostitute your time to a ceremonial attendance of any other kind, without some solid and useful object. You would not give up four hours in every week, merely to hear words, without intending to derive some instruction from them. "Take heed then how ye hear." Be assured we do not speak in vain. Our defects indeed are many: we do not preach nor live as we ought to do-may God pardon and amend us; but we dispense the ordinances of God; and his word, though dispensed by weak unskilful hands, shall not return void, but shall accomplish the thing whereunto he sent it: it shall either be the savor of life unto life, or death unto death to your souls. have Again, ye have heard that they who are not careful to add to their knowledge are in danger of losing what they had formerly acquired. Beware then of resting satisfied with your present attainments, but follow on to know the Lord. Be assiduous to improve the advantages ye possess, for growing in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that ye may walk worthy of God unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God --Strengthened with all might, according In this application, the hearers of the to his glorious power; continuing in the gospel seem to have the first and principal faith, grounded and settled, and not moved concern. Ye have enjoyed this advantage from the hope of the gospel which ye from your earliest years. For the time, | heard. ye might have been teachers of others. Let us suppose that ye had attended as punctually upon instruction in any other science, would you not be ashamed, after ten or twenty years, to own you were as ignorant as the first month, and much more ashamed to have it thought that you were contented to be so? Let me ask how you would tolerate such carelessness and insensibility in your children, whom you educate at a great expense for the purposes of this world? Yet how do the cases differ? Much indeed in one respect; for a man may be happy without human learning, but without the knowledge of religion, you must be miserable for ever, and so Once more, Ye have heard that, without a proper acquaintance with the plain principles of religion, men are unfit to receive doctrines of a higher and more speculative nature. Expect not, then, that we should study your amusement at the expense of your edification. There are persons, perhaps, who expect us to discuss some nice points in casuistry, or to clear up some controverted points in divinity; in short, who would take it kindly, if, dropping the common topics which have been long and much worn in the service of religion, we provided some fresh ones always for their entertainment. This may be very proper in its season, |