that is taught in the word, communicate unto him, that teacheth, in all good things *. But a far more valuable mark of your regard to your minister, and, I dare say, beyond comparison a more agreeable one to him, will be, your attendance on him here. I see no cause to doubt, but you will have every inducement to this, that you ever have had: and you will assuredly have the strongest which you can have; that assembling yourselves for worship and instruction is the ordinance of Christ, from which you may expect such a blessing on your hearts and lives, as you cannot expect without it. And I have taught you all this while, to very little effect, if you have not yet learnt, that neither is he that planteth, any thing; neither he that watereth ; but God, that giveth the increase †. If you have men's persons in admiration, and come only to hear this or that preacher; however you are pleased, however you are moved, no real and lasting good will be at all likely to follow. And if you come to hear the Gospel, not as the word of men, but as the word of God §; let who will dispense it, you will receive benefit. This place indeed doth not afford room for all the inhabitants. But the room, which it doth afford, is most equitably allotted to such as made the earliest application for it: and they, who cannot as yet be accommodated here, may without difficulty at the two chapels. No one therefore needs omit divine service especially, as you have prayers four times every day at the church, twice every day at the chapels, and sermons twice every Lord's day at both. You have also had, for a considerable part of the year, a lecture on the catechism, equivalent to a + 1 Cor. iii. 7. Jude, ver. 16. * Gal. vi. 6. § 1 Thess. ii. 13. sermon, both on the evening of that day, and the morning of another, the latter of which, at least, you will probably continue to have. And surely you may prevail on yourselves, if need be, to alter your usual hour, of eating, or visiting, once or twice a week; in order to come the oftener, and adore your Maker; to hear his word, and give your servants time to do the same thing. Nay, why may not many of you so regulate your affairs, as to frequent daily prayers in the church? Few of you, I fear, have them in your families: I speak this to your shame *. Nor must I fail to remind you, as you know I have often done, of that highly useful, and by no means terrible or difficult duty, of receiving the Lord's supper; enjoined all Christians, and yet absolutely slighted by most. But observe, at the same time, that private prayer and meditation, suited to your inward state, is a duty full as important, as public prayer, or hearing sermons, or partaking of the table of the Lord: and the latter, without the former, will be of small efficacy. You may, if you will, despise either or both: and they are commonly despised, to a degree not known in any other Christian country, nor in this before the present age. But the world is not the better for it: nor will you. Your virtue will become insecure, and grievously imperfect; your sense of piety will wither away; your hopes of futurity will grow faint; your fears of it, when you reflect, will strengthen; till you will be glad to throw off both together, if you can; and live and die like the beasts that perish. Others will learn, and in part from you, to think and act in the same manner; every one's profit, pleasure, anger or caprice, will be the only rule of his conduct and * 1 Cor. vi. 5. xv. 34. 5 what security of any single enjoyment of life can there be, in such a state of things? But then, alas! going through every exercise of devotion, both here and at home, merely to do our share towards keeping society in good order, is policy, not religion: and going through them for the sake of the outward act, without care to improve by them, is superstition; mistaking the means for the end. The grace of God, that bringeth salvation, hath appeared unto all men, not to fix their expectations of future happiness on forms of any sort, but to teach them, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, they should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These are the fundamental doctrines of Christianity: and I appeal to your consciences, whether they are not also the doctrines, which I have perpetually inculcated upon you though with mixtures, no doubt too frequent, of human infirmity and error. Yet notwithstanding these, I trust, through God's mercy, I can safely say with St. Paul, Ye know, from the first day that I came among you, how I have kept back nothing that was profitable to you, but have shewed and taught you; testifying repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And could I say also, that I had done this, in a proper degree, from house to house, as well as publicly; then I might, with him too, take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men †. But, though I hope I have never been backward to embrace oppor Tit. ii. 11-14. VOL. V. † Acts xx. 18. 20, 21. 26. tunities of this sort, when offered me ; yet that I have not more diligently sought them, and laboured to introduce more serious discourse into my ordinary visits to you, I am sensible is a fault, which neither the uncommonness of such conversation, nor the fear of disgusting persons by it, are sufficient to excuse. Allow me therefore to make you such amends, as I can, for this and all my defects, by admonishing you solemnly now, and leaving it on your hearts, that religion is the greatest and most important of truths; that the business of this transitory life, compared with which, profits, pleasures, honours, acquisitions of all sorts, are trifles and follies, is the preparing for an endless one to come; that the true preparation consists in active love to God and man, and virtue; that such love can never be duly excited or maintained within us, but by the methods which Heaven hath directed; and that these are, a deep conviction of our guilt and weakness; an earnest and daily application to our heavenly Father, in faith of the merits of his crucified Son, for the pardon of our transgressions, and the sanctifying influences of his Holy Spirit; a constant attentive use of those ordinances, by which he hath appointed both to be conveyed; a conscientious watchful care of governing our actions, words and thoughts, not by the dictates of inclination or fashion, but the precepts of reason and Scripture. If I have taught any of you these things effectually, God's name be praised: teach them your children, your servants, your friends; for neglecting their instruction is partaking in their sins. If I have not; for His sake, and that of your souls, learn them now: else I have preached, and you have believed, in vain * ; and woe will be to me, or you, or both of us, at the great day. 1 Cor. xv. 2. You have peculiar cause to take heed how you hear*. Persons of high rank every where, and this parish hath many such, are concerned beyond others to be patterns of good works †; and are too commonly beyond others patterns of bad ones. Both they, and the middle part of you, live amongst innumerable incitements to unlawful gratifications, unfit expences; and waste of precious time, even the most precious of all, that of this day, in idle pernicious amusements. And the contagion of this over-grown wicked city tempts the lowest part of you, most dangerously, to all sorts of vices, and all sorts of crimes. Think then, how carefully you ought to preserve yourselves and yours, by the antidote of God's word and worship, from so destructive and deceitful poisons. Great numbers of you have attended here very assiduously: you must have felt something stirred within you, that hath induced you to it: the hopes of your salvation depend on the fruit, which that shall bring forth and surely then you will not let it be blasted, and die away. To many of you I have spoken many years; to some as long as you can remember what benefit have you received? Barely receiving pleasure is nothing. It will rather aggravate your condemnation, if what hath affected you, hath not influenced you. Are you then become real, practical, inward, uniform Christians? If not; you are now going to have another teacher: mind what you are taught in another manner, or you are undone for ever. But beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak‡. Yet still, supposing you are truly religious, a further exceedingly material question is, To what degree * Heb. vi. 9. * Luke viii. 18. + Tit. ii. 7. |