literal translation of the Hebrew. The words vroeg of the Septua gint are omitted; and was is inserted, which has nothing to answer for it in the Hebrew.

iv. 27. This is exactly from the Septuagint (Is. liv. 1) which properly translates the Hebrew.

30. This agrees with the Septuagint, except as the pronouns ταυ1, and raulys, are omitted in the quotation; and rys eλeußepas is substituted for, us Ioaax. In both these respects the quotation varies from the The apostle's arHebrew likewise. gument required the latter alteration. (Gen. xxi. 10.)

(To be continued.)

FAMILY SERMONS. No. XXIX. Philippians iii. 12.—Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect.

(Fourth Sermon on this Text.) In my last discourse, I gave six directions to assist the Christian in

growing in holiness. I considered the importance of our being established in the great truths of Christianity; of our embracing them with holy affections; of our being scriptural in our views of what growth in grace really is; of our being diligent in the use of the means of grace; of our attending to those doctrines and duties which best suit our circumstances; of our avoiding what we find to hinder us in our course.

I am now to finish these directions, and to close the whole by, suitable addresses.

VII. Guard against the first beginnings of sin. If we should avoid, as I shewed under my last head, what we find to hinder us in our way to heaven, though it be a matter indifferent in itself; of course, we must watch much more against the beginnings of positive sin. And in order to do this effectually, we must attend to the following points.

1. We must dread the least de

parture from the faith of the Gospel. Every truth there taught is of in

finite importance. If we give up any one, we shall lower and weaken the rest. We must above all hold fast that grand doctrine of revelation, that "Jesus Christ and him crucified," is our only hope.

2. We must watch against any decays in spiritual affections. Such decays always begin in the heart. Men first become cold, and then dead in their souls. The foulest apostacy was at first no more, perhaps, than a slight abatement of our love to God.

3. We must obey the voice of conscience even in the smallest things. To disobey conscience is a sure way of quenching the holy light of the Spirit of God in our hearts.

4. We must beware of justifying or palliating any sin. Many do this, by calling things by soft and unscriptural names, by speaking of their natural depravity as a sort of excuse for sin, and by talking of the necessity of divine grace in a way which lessens, instead of increasing our sense of accountableness and guilt.

5. We must dread every approach to impurity. There is no sin to which the young are so much exposed, or which in its nature is so deceitful and insidious; and, generally, we must shun all temptation, for it is this which opens the door to iniquity. Such is our weakness, that if we venture on occasions of evil, we cannot expect to be safe. We are therefore daily and hourly to pray lead us not into temptation," and we must act in the spirit

"

of this prayer.

6. We must consider that there are sins to which our particular employment, or the circle in which we move, exposes us. We are insensibly influenced by surrounding objects, and we insensibly catch more or less of the spirit of those with whom we live. And if we do not anxiously guard against this tendency, we shall be drawn in by the current before we are aware.

7. With still more anxiety must We watch against what may be

called constitutional sins," the sin which doth most easily beset us." Here sin will work with most subtilty. Our natural temperament, our disposition, our age, and other circumstances, will lay us more open to some sins than to others. We must find out what these are, and pray and strive against them with more than usual earnestness.

Lastly, The formation of bad habits is to be opposed with all our might. We are the creatures of habit; and when a habit is once formed, men act under its influence, almost without knowing it; and conscience, after, perhaps, many fruitless struggles, becomes silent with respect to it. It is important then for Christians, and especially young Christians, to guard against the formation of sinful habits; and even of habits, which, though not absolutely sinful, are yet unfavourable to tenderness of conscience and growth in grace. It is lamentable to think how much evil, in a thousand ways, is forgotten, merely because it has become habitual. It is greatly to be feared that many are satisfied with their state, notwithstanding unholy tempers, occasional violations of the Sabbath, minor frauds on the re venue, a tendency to disloyalty, unnoticed falsehoods in their dealings, an increasing love of wealth, a growing conformity to the world, a scanty benevolence to the poor, a low standard of piety, and little, if any, real growth in holiness; merely because their early uncorrected ha bits, or the ordinary practice of their trade or profession, or the manners of their associates, have "accustomed them to do evil;" while their contracted views of duty, and the unfavourable cast of their religious instruction, have not tended to remedy, but rather to increase the evil. In this way, immense mischief is done.

VIII. If we would advance in religion, we must improve the dispensations of Providence. Afflictions are sent "for our profit;" and whether they affect our own persons, our fa

milies, our friends, the church, the nation, or the world at large, it is our duty not to “ despise the chastening of the Lord," although the nearer they come to us, the stronger is our obligation to improve by them. They are designed to wean us from the world, to shew us what is in our heart, to quicken us in prayer, to teach us the hardest of all lessons, humility of soul, and resignation to God's sovereign will; and it would be criminal to lose the benefit of such instruction. The blessings of Providence are likewise to be improved. In prosperity, we are in danger of forgetting God. We must pray, therefore, for double watchfulness and simplicity; for increased gratitude, love, and praise; for greater activity in duty, and a conscientious use of the mercies we have received. And this habit of noting events as they occur, should be extended to the return of particular seasons. A new year; a birth-day, the anniversary of any important occurrence in life, the proach of the holy Sacrament, the religious Fasts and Festivals of the Church are proper occasions for self-examination, and for the renewed dedication of ourselves to God, according to the Covenant of Grace in Christ Jesus.

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IX. After all the directions that can be given, you will feel that you do not run the race to heaven so swiftly or so steadily as you most ardently wish to do. Although, through Divine grace, you walk outwardly as a Christian, yet in the state of your affections, in your love to Christ, in your faith and hope, in your motives and thoughts, in your desires and pursuits, in your tempers, in your domestic and secret devotions, you see the most painful and humiliating traces of evil. Even when you have prospered for a time in your spiritual pursuit, and Have hoped you should never lose the fervour and simplicity of your mind, something has come in to hinder you and draw you back, and your prospect of constant

peace and obedience has been greatly clouded; so that at times you are ready to despond. But be not swallowed up with over-much sorrow. These feelings of disappointment should, indeed, lead you to daily repentance and humiliation, to fresh applications to the merits of Christ, to more earnest prayer and watchfulness; but they should by no means produce discouragement or despondency. The fact may be, that your abhorrence of sin has become greater, and your perception of it more acute, and that, therefore, your remaining imperfection has become a more grievous burden to you. And thus it will be till we lay down this mortal flesh. Till then our life will be a warfare, a race, race, a struggle; nor shall ever, in this world, be able fully to do the things that we would." Gal. v. 17.

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Lastly, Avail yourself of the privi leges and promises of the Gospel to encourage you in your course. man can be active under great difficulties, unless hope animate his exertions. The Christian who is habitually cast down will have little heart for duty. Let us then cultivate a lively recollection of the pe culiar privileges of a believer in Jesus Christ. Unbelief saps the very foundation of holiness. It is only as we see, or hope to see, God reconciled to us by the death of his Son, that we can exercise love to him, oppose corruption, and be active in good works. It is only by receiving the promises" of God, that we can be made partakers of a divine nature.'

The belief of the doctrines of grace is necessary not only to our being at first brought back to God, regenerated and pardoned, but to our daily progress in the way of holiness. And if, deriving our hope of heaven not in any respect from our obedience, but only from the merits and righteousness of Christ, we continue to dread all sin, to abhor ourselves on account of it, to labour against it as our greatest