prayer, that

seek the Lord, morning and evening in his wrath might be poured out upon such prayerless families; our towns would be as places overthrown by the plague; the people being dead within and the mark of judgment without. I fear when one house would escape, ten would be marked out for death, and then they might teach their doors to pray, "Lord have mercy upon us," because the people would not pray for themselves. But especially if we could see what men do in their secret chambers, how few should we find, in a whole town that spend one quarter of an hour, morning and evening, in earnest supplication to God for their souls. Oh! how little value do these men set upon eternal rest. Thus do they slothfully neglect all endeavours for their own welfare; except some public duty in the congregation, which custom or credit engages them to. Persuade them to read good books; to learn the grounds of religion in their catechism; and to sanctify the Lord's day, in prayer, in meditation, and in hearing the word; forbearing all worldly thoughts and conversation; and what a tedious life do they take this to be, as if they thought heaven was not worth doing so much for.

Another sort are formal professors, who will be brought to an outward duty, but to the inward work of religion, they will never be persuaded. They will preach, or hear, or read, or talk of heaven; they will pray in their families, and take part with persons or causes that are good, and desire to be es

teemed among the godly; but you can never bring. them to the more spiritual duties, as to be constant and fervent in secret prayer and meditation; to watch over their hearts, words, and actions; to mortify the flesh, and "not to make provision to fulfil the lusts thereof;" to love and heartily forgive an enemy, and to prefer their brethren before themselves; to lay all they have, or do, at the feet of Christ, and to prize his service and favor before all; and to prepare to die, willingly leaving all to Christ. Hypocrites will never be persuaded to any of these. If a hypocrite entertain the Gospel with joy, it is only on the surface of his soul. He never gives the seed any depth of earth: it changes his opinion but never melts or new moulds his heart, nor sets up Christ there, in full power and authority.

As his religion lies mostly in opinion, so does his chief business and conversation. He is usually an ignorant, bold, conceited dealer in controversies, rather than an humble follower of simple truth, with fear and obedience. By slighting the judgment and persons of others, and seldom talking with seriousness and humility of the great things of Christ, he shews that his religion dwells only in his brain, and not in his heart. The wind of temptation carries it away as a feather, because his heart is not established with Christ and grace. He never in private conversation humbly bewails his soul's imperfection, or tenderly acknowledges his unkindness to Christ, but gathers his greatest comfort from his

being of such a creed or party. The like may be said of the worldly hypocrite, who chokes the Gospel with the thorns of worldly cares and desires. He is convinced that he must be religious, or he cannot be saved; and therefore he hears, and reads, and prays, and forsakes his former companions and courses; but he resolves to keep his hold of present things. His judgment may say, God is the chief good, but his heart and affections never said so. The world hath more of his affections than God, therefore it is his God. Though he does not run after opinions and novelties like the former, yet he will be of that opinion which will best serve his worldly interests: and as one whose spirit is enfeebled by some pestilential disease, so this man's spirit being possessed by the plague of a worldly disposition, how feeble he is in secret prayer: how superficial in examination and meditation: how poor in heart-watchings: how nothing-at-all in loving, and working with God, rejoicing in him, or desiring him so that both these, and many other sorts of hypocrites, though they will go with you in the easy outside of religion, yet will never be at the pains of inward and spiritual duty.

And even the godly themselves are too lazy in seeking their everlasting rest. Alas! what a want of proportion is there between our light and our heat; our professions and our actions. Who makes that haste which he ought to do for heaven? How still we stand, how idly we work, how we talk

and jest, and trifle away our time,-how deceitfully we perform the work of God,-how we hear, as if we heard not; and pray as if we prayed not; and examine and meditate and reprove sin, as if we did it not; and enjoy Christ, as if we enjoyed Him not; as if we had learned to use the things of heaven, as the Apostle teaches us to use the things of the world. What a frozen stupidity has benumbed us. We are dying, and we know it, and yet we stir not, we perceive it not. Death knocks, and we hear it not. God in Christ calls and cries to us," to day, if ye will hear my voice, harden not your hearts,” "work while it is called to-day, the night cometh when no man can work." Now ply your business; labour for yourselves; lay out all your strength and time; now or never; and yet you stir no more, than if you were half asleep. What haste do death and judgment make,-how fast do they come, they are almost at us, and yet what little haste we make. Lord what a senseless, earthly, hellish thing is a hard heart. Where is the man, that is in earnest a Christian? Methinks nien, everywhere make but a trifle of their eternal state; they look after it but a little, by the bye. They do not make it the business of their lives. If I were not sick myself of the same disease, with what tears should I mix this ink: with what groans should I express these complaints; and with what heart-grief should I mourn over this universal deadness!

Do magistrates and ther officers among us, seri

ously perform their work? Are the public houses clear on a Saturday night and sabbath day? Are they zealous for God? Do they build up his house? Are they tender of their honour? Do they second the word, and fly in the face of sin and sinners, as the disturbers of our peace, and the only cause of all our miseries? Do they improve all their power, wealth, honour, and influence, for the advantage of the kingdom of Christ, as men that must shortly give an account of their stewardship?

How few are those ministers, who are serious in their work! Nay, how much do the very best, fail in this! Do they cry out of men's disobedience to the Gospel, in the demonstration of the Spirit; and deal with sin, as a destroying fire in our towns, and by force, pull men out of it? Do we persuade people as those should that know the terrors of the Lord? Do we press Christ, and regeneration, and faith, and holiness, believing that without these, men can never have life? Do our bowels yearn over the ignorant, careless, and obstinate multitude, when we look them in the face? Do our hearts melt over them, lest we should never see their faces in rest? Do we, (like St. Paul) tell them weeping, of their fleshly and earthly dispositions; aud teach them publicly, and from house to house, at all seasons, and with many tears? tears? Do we entreat them as for their soul's salvation? Or rather do we not study to gain the approbation of critical hearers? As if a minister's business, were of no more weight than