see the utmost need of being deeply humbled in the sight of a holy and righteous God, be our attainments what they will, if our superior knowledge or stricter practice tends to inspire us with a good opinion of ourselves, and leads us to judge or despise others as being less holy than we, then we have the greatest reason to conclude that all is false and hollow--that, with all our fine appearances and professions, we are no better than barren cumberers of the ground. This is beautifully illustrated by our Lord in his parable of the pharisee and the publican, recorded in the eighteenth chapter of this same gospel, with the reading of which I shall conclude this part of my discourse: "And he spake this parable unto cer"tain which trusted in themselves that they were " righteous, and despised others: two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a pharisee "and the other a publican. The pharisee stood "and prayed thus with himself; God I thank thee,

that I am not as other men are, extortioners, "unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I "fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that "I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, "would not lift up so much as his eyes unto "heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner*,

* Luke xviii. 9-13.

I now proceed to consider a little the character suggested from the other view of the text; namely, that of the careless, indolent, lifeless hearer of the gospel, upon whom all the means. of grace are as much lost, as the influence of the heavens are upon a tree that is withered and dried up from the root. What multitudes of professing christians, if they can be called even so much as professors, does this class likewise include? How many live under a gospel dispensation, are accustomed from day to day to hear the doctrines of it inculcated, its importance expatiated upon, and the danger of neglecting it set forth by every representation that can rouse attention, or convey terror-but all to no purpose; still they care for none of those things, but hold as impertinent intruders, as troublers of their peace, those who love them so much as to endeavour to make them sensible of their folly and danger; saying unto God, "depart from us, for we de"sire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is "the Almighty, that we should serve him; or what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?"

It is amazing to observe the vast extent of this class of unprofitable hearers, and the wide difference betwixt the primitive times of christianity and the present, in this respect. There, we see

persons of both sexes, of all ages, professions, and degrees, submitting with the utmost cheerfulness to contempt, reproach, hatred, persecution, tortures, and death, in behalf of that very religion which in our days is received by the generality of men with coolness and indifference. To what can this be owing? not, surely, to any change that has taken place in the thing itself; its truth and importance" are the same yesterday, to-day," and will be so " for ever." The encouragement to it, with us, is greater than ever it was in any age or country; religion is so far from being checked and oppressed by worldly power and authority, that on the contrary these are employed to support and defend, nay, to promote and exalt it. Yet even in such happy circumstances, when it might reasonably be expected that, in the psalmist's language," the zeal of God's house" should" devour" his professing people, instead of that we meet with nothing but a stupid inattention to, or at most a very lukewarm reception of, those eternal truths which primitive christians maintained with their blood. Under this character are comprehended not only those who are absolutely and professedly indifferent about religion, whose lives are a downright, open contradiction to the gospel, but likewise all those who,

though free from gross and notorious immoralities, go on in a sluggish and inconsiderate course, who sit down contented to be "without God in the "world"—who feel themselves under the reigning power of " the carnal mind, which is enmity "against God," and, consequently, know themselves to be in the "broad way that leadeth to "destruction;" but have learned the unhappy art of saying to themselves, " peace, peace, when "there is no peace;" who under the stupifying influence of this fatal enemy of souls, despise the Saviour, and overlook the means which God has in infinite mercy provided to conduct them to eternal life. While open profanity kills its thousands, indolence and inconsideration may justly be said to kill their ten thousands. There is more hope of the profane and the profligate, than of the slothful and indolent: the former may be, and frequently are, reclaimed; but the case of the others is truly dangerous, if not desperate, as their very situation renders them incapable of attending to what might prove beneficial to them.The life of a christian is active, laborious, unquiet, is exposed to many hardships and incon veniencies which others are strangers to, and is deprived of many comforts and enjoyments which are agreeable to nature: it is, in a particular man

ner, inconsistent, absolutely inconsistent with carelessness and indolence, however fond some may be of reconciling them together. The most paltry enjoyments of this world are not to be purchased without diligence, without trouble; and accordingly we find, through all the professions and employments of life, that those who design, who desire to prosper, lay their account with toil and unrest, in the prosecution of their several plans, They " rise up early and go late "to rest, they eat the bread of carefulness;" and is it to be supposed, that the kingdom of heaven is attainable by a few faint endeavours or lazy wishes? No; "the kingdom of heaven suffereth ❝ violence, and the violent take it by force;" it is" they that wait upon the Lord," in the diligent and conscientious exercise of their duty, to whom it is promised that "they shall renew their "strength." "_" Strive," says our blessed Lord, ❝ to enter in at the strait gate, for verily I say "unto you, that many shall strive to enter in, " and shall not be able:" and if the righteous hardly are saved, where shall the sinner and the ungodly, the careless and the indolent appear? But it is almost useless to attempt moving persons of this unhappy character by argument. "Like the deaf adder, they have stopped their