finds his ways to be pleasantness and his paths peace. But, if he make a crooked path, (and all the ways of fin are crooked, because they are counter to the will and word of God), he that goes therein shall not peace. But

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2. There is a fowing to the Spirit externally. And the apostle's explanation of this sowing to the Spirit is given by himself.-Let us not be weary in well-doing; for in due feafon we shall reap if we faint not. And then tells us what he means by welldoing.-As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, efpecially unto them who are of the boufebold of faith. Gal. vi. 9, 10. To do good to them that are not as yet in the faith, is to labour to recommend Chrift and his gofpel to them by a becoming life and conversation, to drop a word of reproof or inftruction to them when opportunity offers, or to use our endeavours to bring them under the word.--And the Spirit and the bride fay, Come. And let him that heareth fay, Come. And let bim that is athirst come. And whofoever will, let him take the water of life freely. Rev. xxii. 17. After our Lord had called two or three of his firft followers, he made use of these to bring others. Andrew, hearing and feeing John point to Chrift, followed him; he then finds his brother Peter, and brings him to Jefus; the next day Jefus found Philip; and then Philip finds Nathanael and brings him: and, blessed be God, this work is going on ftill Moreover,

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Moreover, by doing good unto all men the apostle means liberality. Poor people have more exalted notions of alms-deeds than they have of any other good-work whatsoever. You may talk to them about faith, and about love to the brotherhood, and the patience of hope, and of fuffering afflictions, of bearing the crofs, and of felf-denial; but these are all out of their fight and out of their reach; but circumfpection in life and a liberal heart are obvious to all, and stop the mouths of all, unless it be the devil himself. And in this the child of God has a double advantage. The world loves its own; finners love finners, and will give and lend to finners; but finners cannot love faints as faints, and because they belong to Chrift; nor can they relieve them, or be charitable to them, because of God's love to them in Chrift Jefus. When faw we thee an bungered, or athirst, or a firanger, or naked, or fick, or in prison, and did not minifter unto thee? The anfwer is, Inafmuch as ye did it not to these my brethren, ye did it not to me. Not one of all thefe ever relieved a child of God as fuch; whereas there are. thousands of finners, perfecutors, and even enemies both to God and to his church, who do partake largely of the liberality of the people of God; and this is acceptable to God, as may be seen in the prayers and alms of Cornelius the centurion, Acts x; and in the nobleness of mind which Abraham fhewed to the king of Sodom. By thefe means fome are drawn or won to hear the word of God, and that

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to profit. The mouths of others are stopped, while the believer makes it manifeft that the kingdom (of which he is a subject) is not of this world. And in all these things God is glorified; and the children of God are a fweet favour unto him, both in them. that perish and in them that are faved.-Let your light fo fhine before men that they may fee your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matt. v. 16.

But the apoftle adds, Efpecially to the household of faith. The ties of nature give us a feeling for those who are in the flesh, and fill us with wonder at difcriminating grace, when the bond of all perfectness binds us more strongly to the excellent of the earth; for we can only pity the other, but we can delight ourselves in thefe. To the household of faith, if we fow fparingly we fhall reap fparingly, and if we fow bountifully we shall reap bountifully. To receive a prophet in the name of a prophet, has the promise of a prophet's reward. To receive a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, has the promise of a righteous man's reward. And he that receives one of the little ones that belong to Chrift, fhall in nowife lofe his reward. A morfel of bread, or a cup of cold water only, given to any in the name of a difciple, fhall moft furely be rewarded at the refurrection of the juft; for he that foweth to the Spirit fhall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. We must fow prayers in their behalf; we may fow the feeds of inftruction in their ears, bread and water to their

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bellies, apparel to their backs, and relief in their neceffities; and reap fourfold in this life, and in the world to come life everlasting. To all this the word of God directs, and to all this the Holy Spirit leads-For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth. Eph. v. 9.

Once more, my dear fon. The best of men have no more than their own appointed time on the earth; the strength, the natural and spiritual abilities, the grace, and fuch worldly fubftance as it pleases God to give them. Now, as all these come of God through Chrift, fo from all these things Chrift expects fome returns; for, when he comes, it will be to know what every one has gained by trading. Some redeem the time while the days are evil. Paul was willing to spend and be spent for the church; he spent his property and his ftrength in the fervice of Chrift; with the grace that he had received by the Spirit he seasoned many; and by his natural and spiritual abilities he became all things to all men; he inftructed many, he filenced many gainfayers, and left a glorious teftimony behind of his fruitfulness in the church, of the goodness of God to him, of the blessedness of his state, and of his glorious and triumphant end: and in all these things he fowed to the Spirit; and they that do fo fhall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And this reaping respects this prefent life as well as the future. God's bleffing upon mount Zion is life for evermore. And it has pleased God to put the bleffing of life

into every fpiritual thing that the believer deals in. Upon his believing he paffes from death to life; his repentance is unto life; the promises he obtains are the words of life; his juftification is unto life; God circumcifes his heart to love God that he may live; his hope is a lively hope; and the very way in which he walks is the new and living way. In fbort, the love and eternal purpose of God, the voice of the Son, and the operations of the Spirit, are all life to the believer; and the more we fow the more we reap; the more we love God and the brethren, the more lively we are; the ftronger our faith and the firmer our hope are, the more abundant is our life. In all these things lie our fowing and reaping. And let us, my dear brother, be constant, unmoveable, and always abounding in this work of the Lord, knowing that our labour is not, fhall not, be in vain in the Lord. To get weary and to faint in well-doing, is fad work. Look to yourselves (says John) that we lofe not thofe things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 2 John 8.

And now, my beloved fon, feeing we are not ignorant of Satan's devices, and knowing his desperate and inveterate enmity both to Chrift and his church, fuffer him not to baffle and confuse thee, by setting up any imaginary refemblances of the divine perfons in your mind when you are approaching to God, infinity and immenfity cannot be circumfcribed! God filleth all space. Nor fuffer the devil to confound thee, by fuggesting that you will displease the

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