the children of this world are wise in their generation. They grudge not the attention that is necessary to form their schemes, to balance interfering interests, and to choose the means that seem best adapted to accomplish the object of their wishes. This prudent foresight is generally rewarded with success in life, and with the applause of the world; for men shall praise thee when thou doest well for thyself." Whereas the imprudent thoughtless man, who pays no attention to his affairs, but allows them through his own negligence, to run into confusion, is regarded as a contemptible character, and suters, unpitied, the consequences of his folly. Why then should not the same principle induce men to attend to the everlasting gospel; and to attend to it with an earnestness, suited to the incomparable value of the blessings which it brings? Is it consistent with prudence to regard only inferior interests, and to neglect those of superior importance? Are the objects which the generality of men pursue with so much ardor, at all to be compared with those which the gospel presents. Is it wise, to care only for the body, which is soon to return to its kindred dust; to seek the enjoyments of this world, the fashion whereof passeth quickly away; or to provide for the flesh in order to fulfil its baser lusts; and at the same time to despise altogether the welfare of the soul;-the soul which was originally formed after the image of God, which is still capable of alliance with him, and which is destined to live for ever? Can this conduct be justified on the principles of

rational self-love, and of that prudence, which leads a man to choose, according to their rela tive importance, the objects of his pursuit.

But what are the specific advantages which christianity sets be. fore us? To men, guilty and condemned, it holds out the promise of forgiveness of sins and peace with God? To men, depraved, polluted, and enslaved by sin, it tenders that renewing grace, by which they may be raised to all the purity, and dignity, and liberty of his children. To men whose connexion with the world is soon to be dissolved, and who are advancing apace to an eter. nal state, it gives the assurance of deliverance from the wrath to come, and opens to them the hope of heavenly blessedness and glory. Are benefits such as these, to be despised? Are they so obviously insignificant, that it is not worth while to employ one hour in seriously weighing their value and importance? Or is it possible to conceive bless. ings more adapted to the situation and necessities of those to whom they are proposed? Pretend not any more, inconsider. ate sinner, to wisdom and pru. dence. Thy way is folly in the sight of God. It is folly altogether unparalleled. The apa. thy of brutes, unqualified by na. ture to apprehend religious truth bears no resemblance to it. The case of the maniac is pitiable indeed; but it is unaccompanied with moral blame. Criminal and absurd, it undoubtedly is in a high degree, to reject christianity without inquiry; but it is a gradation of guilt and absurd ity beyond this, to admit its truth and yet to undervalue its bless

ings; to profess the faith of the gospel, and yet never to reflect on its design; to call Christ Lord, and yet neither to do the things which he says, nor even to desire to share in his great salvation.

Inconsideration can scarcely continue to the end of life; or, if it should, it will certainly terminate in the loss of the soul.Were it possible for men to avoid reflection through every period of their existence, and to suffer no loss from doing so, the necessity or propriety of pressing on their attention the truths of religion, it must be admitted, would be greatly dimin. ished. But experience shews, that, though the habit of incon. sideration may have been long indulged, it is not always possible for men to persevere in it to the end of life. Conscience, though overborne, is not destroyed.

It only sleeps for a while; but many circumstances may yet rouse it from its slumber; and then it will speak to the sinner with an authority which he will be able to disregard no more. Seasons of leisure and retirement, in which unwelcome recollec. tions and prospects may obtrude upon the mind, frequently occur to the busiest and gayest of men. The prosperous, but especially the adverse vicissitudes of life; the counsels of pious friends; the occasional perusal of the Scriptures, or other serious writings; the earnest expostula. tions of the ministers of the gos, pel; the exemplary life, and the comfortable death of sincere and lively Christians; the death of wicked men, and the visible judgments of God; advancing years, and the anticipations

or

thereby naturally suggested; and finally, the Holy Spirit, concurring with any of these circumstances, separately combined, or without any such medium, may bring to remem brance the word of truth, and by his gentle, or awful applications to the conscience, lead the most obdurate sinner to serious reflection, and anxious concern about the welfare of his soul. On a bed of sickness, especially, the ear is open to discipline. And a bed of sickness may soon become a dying bed. The language, the looks, and solicitude of surrounding friends betray their apprehensions; and the sensible decline of all the vital powers, compels the man, how ever unwilling, to admit the probability of approaching dissolution. Wilt thou then, O. man, who now livest despising the gospel and neglecting so great salvation, wilt thou be able to shut out those recollections, which shall, like a mighty torrent, rush upon thy soul; recollections of multiplied transgressions, unpardoned and unforsaken; of precious opportu nities misimproved; of days of salvation past, never to return? Wilt thou still be fascinated by a world, whose vanity thou must now feel, and which is receding swiftly from thy view? Wilt thou be able to repress all alarm, when the throne of judg. ment, before which thou art about to stand, is opening to thy sight?-Yes: All this may happen. The man, forsaken of God, given over to a reprobate mind, blinded by Satan, and hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, may die as he lived; may go down to the grave with a lie in

But no farther

his right hand. than this can the refuge of lies avail him. His soul quits the body, and is alive at once to all the realities and horrors of his condition. He feels how "fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God." He looks with dismay to the once compassionate, neglected Savior, but now the righteous and inexorable Judge. The period of inconsideration is for ever past. But reflection has come too late. The gnawings are already felt, of the worm that never dies; and that remorse has commenced, which is to last throughout eternity.

Let no one say, that this is the language of enthusiasm and rant, that these scenes are the mere creature of fancy, the overcolored picture of a heated imagination. Many, who at the commencement of the preceding year, would have laughed to scorn the officious monitor, who presumed to interrupt their pleasure, by drawing their at tention to prospects so gloomy and terrific, have, before its conclusion, found them awfully realized. This year also is doubtless pregnant with the fate of thousands. To the humble, watchful, diligent Christian, the intimation will give no alarm. "Amen," will he say, even so come Lord Jesus." But there are some, perhaps many, who have indulged without restraint in the festivities of the season, who before its return, shall be numbered with the dead. that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end." Some individual, who has been led to look over these pages, may be included in the number. And

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what is the result? Wilt thou throw them aside with disdain, and return with greater ardor to the accustomed round of busi. ness or pleasure? No;' let some hitherto thoughtless soul be induced to say; 'I have been too long inconsiderate and foolish; I will be so no more. What must I do to be saved? The salvation of my soul shall henceforth be the great concern of my life. I will take no rest till I find it in Him who is able to save to the uttermost; who has declared that he will cast out none who come to him; and who will keep what I now commit to Him, till that great decisive day.' Rel. Mon.

INCONSISTENCIES OF PROFESSED

CHRISTIANS.

VERY frequently have the vi olent and ungovernable tempers manifested by some professors of religion been made the subjects of animadversion, and their inconsistency with the meek, lowly, and peaceable spirit of the gospel been ably pointed out. The frequency of such complaints, however, only proves the wide extent of the evil: and indeed this is pretty apparent. No one who looks with any gree of attention upon the body of those who aspire to be thought religious, can deny that the majority of its members are much more taken up with the speculative part of religion, than in bringing their tempers to a con. formity with the standard of the gospel, or aiming at that exalted degree of holiness which the gos. pel requires.

de.

Now for an effect so generally prevalent, there must be an adeaquate cause; and I am afraid Is that this is to be found in the conduct of some popular preach ers. The principal object of their fear seems to be self-rightcousness, and therefore their principal aim is to guard against it. For this purpose they are continually bringing forward the great doctrines of the gospel; and upon these they perpetually enlarge almost to the utter exclu. sion of practical topics. By this conduct, I fear, that they have, in a considerable degree, been at least accessary to that decline in practical religion which we must acknowledge to have taken place. Here I would not be misunderstood. I am so far from wishing to exclude doctrinal subjects from the pulpit, that I think a clear and luminous display of them of the most indispensable importance. Without it the heart will for ev. er remain unaffected and un

changed, and consequently there can be no radical reform in the character. But however essentially necessary the doctrines of christianity may be, they should by no means be dwelt upon to the exclusion of other topics. Would any sober builder content himself with only laying a foundation? Having finished this, will he not proceed to the superstructure? In like manner doctrines should be urged to their proper improvement, and the practical lessons which flow from them should be properly deduced. Scripture is profitable, not only for doctrine, but for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. But of these, doctrine seems the

only one which by some is at all attended to. The great duties of self-examination, watchfulness over our own hearts, jealousy of ourselves, &c. &c. are seldom made the prominent features of a sermon. Practical subjects are rarely brought forward, and when they are it is often in such a manner as prevents, in a great measure, their good effect.

The bad consequences flowing from all this are evident. The hearers of sermons not being sufficiently warned of the dangers to which they are exposed, nor sufficiently stirred up to diligence and exertion, grow careless and lax in their walk and conversation. They are led to think that right doctrinal sentiments are every thing in religion, and that, these once obtained, sanctification must fol. low of course. They seem entirely to forget that the truth is often received in unrighteousness, and that we never can assuredly know that we are interested in the benefits which the gospel conveys, but as we are conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, and as we endeavor, under the influence of the Holy Spirit to adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things, and to live worthy of God, who has called us to his kingdom and glory. Heaven is not for those who sit still. It suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. It is a prize worthy of all our endeavors, and which demands and must have them. "If any man will come after me," says our Lord and Savior, "let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me." We are to cut off a right hand, to pluck out a right eye, yea, to

hate our own lives also, or we cannot be his disciples. But to all this the attention of professing Christians of the present day is little directed.

From that mode of instruction, which I have ventured to condemn, there results a course of conduct perfectly analogous. Let any one look round upon professed Christians in general, and say what tokens he perceives among them of separation from the present evil world. Is their's the spirit and temper of those who feel themselves strangers and pilgrims here; who are seeking a better country, that is an heavenly and do they act and live as those who have here no continuing city? Are their affections chiefly set upon their heavenly inheritance? Are they temperate in all things? Are they striving to keep under the body and to bring it into subjection? Are they employed in repressing and subduing every improper temper ? And is it their aim to attain conformity to him who was meek and lowly in heart; who when he was reviled, revil. ed not again; and who, when he suffered, threatened not? Is it their chief concern to glorify him who has bought them with his blood? And are they therefore endeavoring, by the consistency of their lives with their professed belief, to recommend religion to all around them, and to convince and silence the gainsayers? Let their conduct an

swer.

But it is of very little use to point out evils without proposing an adequate remedy. And undoubtedly this must be sought in the removal of the source from whence they flow. Let minis.

ters fix the attention of their hearers more upon those practi. cal subjects which have been so much neglected. While they do not cease to testify repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, let them likewise carefully exhort their hearers to bring forth fruits meet for repentance, and to walk worthy of the vocation where with they are called. Let them call their attention more to the enemies of whom they are in dan. ger.

Let them point out the necessary and certain fruits of the doctrines of the gospel, where received in the love of them, and declare that, when unaccompa. nied by such conduct, they are only a savor of death unto death. Let them not so much show how far a man may go in sin and yet be a saint, as how far he way go in profession and yet be a sinner. Let them not be so much em ployed in searching out and dwelling upon the lowest attain. ments of grace, as in exhorting their hearers to press forward to the highest.

When this conduct is general ly adopted, we may hope that amendment will take place; and that hearers, instead of disputing upon the mysteries of religion, will turn their attention more ta what it requires of them. And finding how short their practic falls of the requisitions of the gospel, they will a to bring up their lives to i standard. By a course of life suited to their high profession. they will obviate the scandal as reproach which they have curred, and convince the world that there is a reality in religio Ch. 08.