"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord! Lord! shall ter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the ll of my Father who is in heaven." Verse 21. It is not our profession that will give us admittance o heaven, nor a name of religion, nor religious permances, if we love sin and unrighteousness, nor our aying, preaching, hearing, reading, or discoursing of, arguing for Christ, if we do the works of satan; for ere are many who may go farther than this, and yet not ve admittance into the kingdom of God... our blessed ord Jesus, as is plainly manifest in the next verse.

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Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have st out devils, and in thy name have done many wonrful works." Verse 22.

"And then I will profess to them, I know ye not; part from me, ye workers of iniquity." Verse 23.

So that professing Christ's own name, and prophesy. therein, without working the works of God, will not Nay, though they may cast out devils, which indeed a great work, and here is not only one devil in the sinlar number, but devils in the plural. They say they ve cast out devils, and truly there are many devils in or mortals sometimes, as was said by them to Christ; Our name is Legion, for we are many." There are the vils of pride, covetousness, drunkenness, whoredom, eft, envy, murder, lying, swearing, hypocrisy, cheating, ckbiting, &c. and abundance more, which cannot eay be named; and though it may be said, and that truly, at all these proceed from the devil, who is an evil irit; yet it may also be said, that there are many evil irits; and if all these evil spirits are cast out of man, d others of an evil nature enter him again, his last state worse than his beginning; as Christ speaks about the rong man armed, who kept the house till a stronger han he came, who, when he came, spoiled his goods and spossessed him, but coming again found the house or heart) swept and garnished: swept from many immorities, and garnished with self-righteousness, and carnal ecurity; and the man off his watch and not at home with Christ, who is stronger than satan: he then re-enters, and

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seven worse spirits with him. So that we had need to be on our watch, and keep near to Christ, lest after all our experience, and wondrous works, our last state be worse than our beginning, and we shut out of the king. dom in the end. For these say, that they have done many wonderful works in Christ's name: so that we may work miraculous things, and be sensible of wonderful power and strength from Christ; and yet, without per severing in the way of holiness and self-denial, may fall short of heaven. Wherefore it is bad, and of dangerous consequence, to live in sin and iniquity; or to lean towards it, so as to plead for it, or believe we cannot live without it while in this world. For if we live and die in it, we may justly (according to the above doctrine of Christ) expect that he will say unto us in the great day; Depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock." Verse 24.

"And the rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock." Verse 25.

Oh! what abundance of excellent sayings, and doctrine, what holy precepts has Christ here recommended to the professors of his name, and to them who believe in him and the Almighty Father and Maker of heaven and earth. Surely we are greatly beholden to our Lord Jesus Christ for those plain divine sayings. But to commend them only is but little, or to read them, or hear them the keeping and the doing of them is the main thing; the thing that is needful; and to press the prac tice of them, Jesus has made this apt comparison.

1st. "He who hears them, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man.' And indeed it is great wisdom to keep them (that is, to practise them) and as great folly to live contrary to them, and plead against them.

2d. "Who built his house upon a rock." This rock is Christ, the rock of ages, and his holy spirit, or the Holy Ghost, as Christ said to Peter, when Christ was revealed to him: Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven :" "Thou art

ter," (or a stone or rock): thou art a man, though thy me signifies a rock, and as thy name signifies a rock, "On this rock will I build my church," (that is on the irit of the heavenly Father, who revealed Christ to Pe) and the church of Christ so built, "the gates of hell anot prevail against it." And Peter was one who heard ese sayings, and did them, when he had received the oly Ghost, or spirit; for which every true believer ght to pray continually, until he receive it; through help of which he may, without doubt, keep those holy vings. For of ourselves, without it, we cannot do any il good, either in speaking, thinking, or acting.

3d. "And the rain descended, and the floods came, d the winds blew, and beat upon the house, and it fell t; because it was founded upon a rock."

If rain from above be poured out in wrath on man,

sin and iniquity, and floods of persecution, or the ndy words of men come upon this house, it will stand: sickness and death itself, and many other storms, that e may meet with here, in this low world, should beat ainst our building, we being built upon the Father, on, and Holy Spirit, shall surely stand them all out, and e through all, if we observe to hear or read Christ's yings, and to practise the same; then they are on the ck, and shall not fall for that reason.

"And every one who heareth these sayings of mine; d doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, ' ho built his house upon the sand." Verse 26.

"And the rains descended, and the floods came, and e winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell; nd great was the fall of it." Verse 27.

If we read or hear these sayings, or doctrine of Christ, d do not dwell in the life of it, nor practise the same, were better we knew it not. For as our Saviour saith, He who knoweth his master's will, and doth it not, hall be beaten with many stripes." And doubtless it is reat folly to be sensible of Christ's holy will and docine, and not to do it: if we profess christianity, and to uild our profession on Christ, and yet not observe to eep his sayings, the foundation of our building will be ut very loose and sandy; and when those rains, and

floods, and winds, which Christ speaks of, shall descend and beat against this building, it must needs fall, and the higher the building is, the greater will be the fall of it.

Thus ended the best sermon that ever was preached by man; in which is set forth the great truths of God, and our Lord Jesus Christ, with blessings and rewards to the righteous, and holy believers in him, who put in practice his precepts; and reproof to the disobedient, and unfaithful; with promises of the kingdom of heaven to one, and to the other a being shut out of it. And when he had ended his doctrine, for that time, and finished his divine sayings, the people were smitten with it, to admiration, as well indeed they might.

"And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at his doctrine." Verse 28.

"For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." Verse 29.

They were astonished at his doctrine, and well they might, for it excelled even the law, and went beyond it, as when he tells them, it was said of old time, or in the law, "Thou shalt not kill:" he taught that we must not be angry without a cause. And whereas the law gives liberty to hate our enemies; he charges us to love them, and pray for them, and do good to them; again the law prohibits adultery; Christ prohibits lusts, both in the eye, and in the heart. And whereas the law commanded to perform their oaths to the Lord; Christ com mands not to swear at all. Now those who are not angry, it is not likely they should kill; those who love their enemies cannot hate or destroy them; those who have not lusts in their hearts or eyes, cannot commit adultery; and those who never swear, cannot forswear themselves all which he with divine power and author. ity from above taught. He was not dry and formal like the scribes: so likewise his ministers, and the preachers of his gospel, should wait on him, to be endued with a measure of his divine spirit and holy grace, that the hear ers might be edified, and the Father, Son, and Spirit, might have the glory, who over all is worthy forever.

POSTSCRIPT.

SINCE I wrote the above, (which was written at sea, in my voyage from Barbadoes to London), I have heard that a learned man hath written upon this excellent sermon of Christ, (which far exceds what I have done) at which I rejoice. For the more Christ is glorified, and his faithful followers edified, the greater is our cause of rejoicing; and if it exceeds this, it is no wonder : this being done by one who doth not profess to understand grammar, neither is master of words, nor scarcely of good English. Peradventure through the meanness of the instrument, the glory of God, and praise of Christ, may the more appear: as said Christ, "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained praise," or strength and again, "Thou hast revealed these things unto babes and sucklings." And the Jews marvelled that the apostles of Christ should know the things of God, being unlearned men. But I had a concern working a long time on my mind, and could not be easy, nor satisfied until I had made some little essay towards this work and considering my own weakness, it kept me back a great while; but in giving up to the work, I had peace, and inward satisfaction: for I thought it my duty to publish and promote, as much as I well could, the doctrine and sermon of Christ, my Lord and Master; since the very life and marrow of true christianity is therein to be found, in a very great degree; and, without controversy, those who live up, and according to the doctrine here laid down by Christ, in this sermon, will be blessed in this world, and that which is to come, of whatsoever denomination they may be.

T. CHALKLEY.