and this fire itself is moved by the almighty Spirit, the source of all the motion in the universe. But my soul has from him an inward principle of motion, whereby it governs at pleasure every part of the body. 9. It governs every motion of the body; only with this exception, which is a marvellous instance of the wise and gracious providence of the great Creator: there are some motions of the body which are absolutely needful for the continuance of life; such as the dilation and contraction of the lungs, the systole and diastole of the heart, the pulsation of the arteries, and the circulation of the blood. These are not governed by me at pleasure they do not wait the direction of my will. And it is well they do not. It is highly proper, that all the vital motions should be involuntary; going on, whether we advert to them or not. Were it otherwise, grievous inconveniences might follow. A man might put an end to his own life whenever he pleased, by suspending the motion of his heart, or of his lungs; or he might lose his life by mere inattention,-by not remembering, not adverting to, the circulation of his blood. But these vital motions being excepted, I direct the motion of my whole body. By a single act of my will, I put my head, eyes, hands, or any part of my body, into motion although I no more comprehend how I do this, than I can comprehend how the "THREE that bear record in heaven are ONE." 10. But what am I? Unquestionably I am something distinct from my body. It seems evident that my body is not necessarily included therein. For when my body dies, I shall not die: I shall exist as really as I did before. And I cannot but believe, this self-moving, thinking principle, with all it passions and affections, will continue to exist, although the body be mouldered into dust. Indeed, at present, this body is so intimately connected with the soul, that I seem to consist of both. In my present state of existence, I undoubtedly consist both of soul and body and so I shall again, after the resurrection, to all eternity. IV. U 5 11. I am conscious to myself of one more property, commonly called "liberty." This is very frequently confounded with the will, but is of a very different nature. Neither is it a property of the will, but a distinct property of the soul; capable of being exerted with regard to all the faculties of the soul, as well as all the motions of the body. It is a power of self-determination; which, although it does not extend to all our thoughts and imaginations, yet extends to our words and actions in general, and not with many exceptions. I am full as certain of this, that I am free, with respect to these, to speak or not to speak, to act or nor to act, to do this or the contrary, as I am of my own existence. I have not only what is termed, a "liberty of contradiction," —a power to do or not to do: but what is termed a "liberty of contrariety," a power to act one way or the contrary. To deny this would be to deny the constant experience of all human kind. Every one feels that he has an inherent power to move this or that part of his body, to move it or not, and to move this way or the contrary, just as he pleases. I can, as I choose, (and so can every one that is born of a woman,) open or shut my eyes; speak or be silent; rise or sit down; stretch out my hand, or draw it in; and use any of my limbs according to my pleasure, as well as my whole body. And although I have not an absolute power over my own mind, because of the corruption of my own nature; yet, through the grace of God assisting me, I have a power to choose and do good, as well as evil. I am free to choose whom I will serve; and, if I choose the better part, to continue therein even unto death. 12. "But tell me, frighted nature, what is death? And end of motion, which with life began?" Death is properly the separation of the soul from the body. Of this we are certain. But we are not certain (at least in many cases) of the time when this separation is made. Is it when respiration ceases? according to the well-known maxim, Nullus spiritus, nulla vita: "Where there is no breath, there is no life." Nay, we cannot absolutely affirm this: for many instances have been known, of those whose breath was totally lost, and yet their lives have been recovered. Is it when the heart no longer beats, or when the circulation of the blood ceases? Not so. For the heart may beat anew; and the circulation of the blood, after it is quite interrupted, may begin again. Is the soul separated from the body, when the whole body is stiff and cold as a piece of ice? But there have been several instances lately of persons who were thus cold and stiff, and had no symptoms of life remaining, who, neverthless, upon proper application, recovered both life and health. Therefore we can say no more, than that death is the separation of the soul and body; but in many cases, God only can tell the moment of that separation. -to 13. But what we are much more concerned to know, and deeply to consider is, the end of life. For what end is life bestowed upon the children of men? Why were we sent into the world? For one sole end, and for no other, prepare for eternity. For this alone we live. For this, and no other purpose, is our life either given or continued. It pleased the all-wise God, at the season which he saw best, to arise in the greatness of his strength, and create the heavens and the earth, and all things that are therein. Having prepared all things, for him, He "created man in his own image, after his own likeness." And what was the end of his creation? It was one and no other, that he might know, and love, and enjoy, and serve his great Creator to all eternity. 14. But "man, being in honour, continued not," but become lower than even the beasts that perish. He wilfully and openly rebelled against God, and cast off his allegiance to the Majesty of heaven. Hereby he instantly lost both the favour of God, and the image of God, wherein he was created. As he was then incapable of obtaining happiness by the old, God established a new covenant with man; the terms of which were no longer, "Do this and live," but "Believe and thou shalt be saved." But still the end of man is one and the same; only it stands on another foundation. For the plain tenor of it is, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, whom God hath given to be the propitiation for thy sins, and thou shalt be saved;" first from the guilt of sin, having redemption through his blood; then from the power, which shall have no more dominion over thee; and then from the root of it, into the whole image of God. And being restored both to the favour and image of God, thou shalt know, love, and serve him to all eternity. So that still the end of his life, the life of every man born into the world, is to know, love, and serve his great Creator. 15. And let it be observed, as this is the end, so it is the whole and sole end, for which every man upon the face of the earth, for which every one of you, were brought into the world and endued with a living soul. Remember! You were born for nothing else. You live for nothing else. Your life is continued to you upon earth, for no other purpose than this, that you may know, love, and serve God on earth, and enjoy him to all eternity. Consider! You were not created to please your senses, to gratify your imagination, to gain money, or the praise of men; to seek happiness in any created good, in any thing under the sun. All this is "walking in a vain shadow;" it is leading a restless, miserable life in order to a miserable eternity. On the contrary, you were created for this, and for no other purpose, by seeking and finding happiness in God on earth, to secure the glory of God in heaven. Therefore let your heart continually say, "This one thing I do,"-having one thing in view, remembering why I was born and why I am continued in life,-"I press on to the mark." I aim at the one end of my being, God; even at "God in Christ, reconciling the world to himself." He shall be my God for ever and ever, and my guide even unto death! BRADFORD, May 2, 1788. SERMON CIX. ON THE DISCOVERIES OF FAITH. Now faith is the evidence of things not seen.”—HEB. xi. 1. 1. FOR many ages it has been allowed by sensible men, Nihil est in intellectu quod non fuit prius in sensu : that is, "There is nothing in the understanding which was not first perceived by some of the senses.' All the knowledge which we naturally have is originally derived from our senses. And therefore those who want any sense, cannot have the least knowledge or idea of the objects of that sense; as they that never had sight, have not the least knowledge or conception of light or colours. Some indeed have, of late years, endeavoured to prove that we have innate ideas, not derived from any of the senses, but coeval with the understanding. But this point has been now thoroughly discussed by men of the most eminent sense and learning; and it is agreed by all impartial persons, that although some things are so plain and obvious, that we can very hardly avoid knowing them as soon as we come to the use of our understanding; yet the knowledge even of those is not. innate, but derived from some of our senses. 2. But there is a great difference between our senses, considered as the avenues of our knowledge. Some of them have a very narrow sphere of action; some a more extensive one. By feeling we discern only those objects that touch some part of our body; and consequently, this sense extends only to a small number of objects, Our senses of taste and smell (which some count species of feeling) extend to fewer still. But, on the other hand, |