life. But with God all things are poffible. There is no undertaking, whatever be its difficulty, which to His power is not easy. There is no corruption, be it ever so closely interwoven with the human heart, which His grace cannot extirpate. Direct your earnest fupplication to the Father of mercies for ability to restrain your lips from evil: for a difpofition uniformly to endeavour to follow the fteps of your Lord in word no less than in deed. Offer up your prayer in fincerity and truth; offer it in the name and through the mediation of Jesus Christ, who ever liveth at the right hand of God to make interceffion for you; and you shall receive the affiftanse needful to falvation.

But think not that God will shower down His grace to abolish the neceffity of your own exertions, or to justify you in fluggish unconcern. Though except the Lord build the house, their labour is but loft that build it; he expects that the builders fhould perform their office. Though except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain: he requires that the watchman fhould be faithful in circumfpection. From you, if you would obtain from Him over your tongue, he demands vigilance,

power

caution,

caution, forbearance, forethought, perfe vering ftruggles against fin. He demands that, through the grace which He has already fupplied, you exercise your tongue in the employments and language of devotion; that in the business of your station, in the hour of leifure, you converse as befits thofe who know that they speak in the hearing of God: that amidst allurements and provocations, amidst unhallowed principles and corrupt example, you daily confefs Chrift in the government of your lips: that you redouble your efforts and your prayers, when the preffure of temptation increases that you faint not under difcou ragements, nor be weary in well-doing: that, if betrayed into tranfgreffion with your lips, you labour the more strenuously againft tranfgreffion for the future: that you depend not on yourself, but exclufively upon Him that, when you have been enabled to preserve your tongue void of offence, you afcribe not to yourself but to Him the praise. Shun then, my brethren, as you value prefent peace and eternal happiness, every offence of the tongue. Avoid vain babblings and foolish and unlearned questions. Be not hafty with words; nor fret against the Lord.

T 2

your

Abhor

Arife,

ftrife, railings, perverse difputings of men of corrupt minds and deftitute of the truth. Be not defirous of vain-glory. Let all bitterness and clamour and evil-speaking be put away from you. Putting away lying, Speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Lay afide all guile and hypocrify. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth; but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. Give unto the Lord the honour due unto His name. The God of patience and confolation grant that, according to Chrift Jefus, ye may with one mouth glorify God.

SERMON

XIV.

On the Identity of Wisdom and Religion.

PSALM CXIX. 34.

Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law, yea, I fhall obferve it with my whole

heart.

IN

'N the book of Proverbs, and in other parts of Scripture, men are earnestly exhorted to purfue wifdom. It is evident that by wisdom the facred writers intended religion. They were in fact fo steadfastly convinced that religion is real wisdom, and the greatest wisdom, and the only true wifdom; that the term wifdom continually presented itself to their minds as peculiarly adapted to defignate a life of faith and holinefs and folly appeared to them the appropriate denomination of fin. In com

mon with many other pofitions of Holy Writ, the identity of wisdom and religion is by no means univerfally recognised as a faithful faying, and worthy of all acceptation. The infidel fneers at the doctrine as fanatical. The licentious encounter it with broad dérifion as refuted by daily experience. And among those who are untainted by fcepticism and decent in their characters, numbers, efpecially of the young, while they acquiefce in it as a fcriptural declaration, regard it as a strange and myfterious truth: and though not prepared to affirm with the unbeliever and the profligate that the fervants of religion are in this life of all men the most miferable, rest inwardly of opinion that the sphere of their own happiness would be confiderably enlarged if, without forfeiting the future recompenfe of holiness, they were at liberty to expatiate in the prefent gratifications of the finner. Let us then furvey, one by one, the characteristic marks of wifdom: and examine whether they are not fingly and collectively exemplified in the conduct of the man, who fixes his heart upon God through Jesus Christ.

I. Wisdom,