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souls as lost for they are not so. God is our physician; and no disease is too inveterate for him. We have only to study and follow his directions faithfully, and the final event is infallible. If we fail in our duty; we may, if we will, from that very failure, get more strength and skill for the future: by observing, through what wrongness or weakness in our temper, what rashness or negligence in our conduct, the advantage against us was gained and thinking what precautions will be most effectual against another trial. A moderate share of time and pains, honestly spent thus, would give us happy earnests of obtaining at length an entire conquest: which however, though always possible, will be much the easier and surer, the earlier we prepare for and engage in the conflict; before we give the enemy leisure to strengthen himself, by further weakening and corrupting us. My son, gather instruction from thy youth up: so shalt thou find wisdom till thine old age. Come unto her as one that plougheth and soweth, and wait for her good fruits: for thou shalt not toil much in labouring about her, but shalt eat of her fruits right soon.My son, if thou wilt, thou shalt be taught: and if thou apply thy mind, thou shalt be prudent.— Let thy mind be upon the ordinances of the Lord, and meditate continually in his commandments: He shall establish thine heart, and give thee wisdom at thine own desire*.

But supposing the worst, that we have been negligent or even grossly sinful in time past; yet not only reason and the promises of Scripture, but experience proves the possibility of our recovery. Did not David recover from adultery and murder, Manasseh from idolatry, Zaccheus the publican from covetousness and injustice, Peter from denying Christ, Paul from

* Ecclus. vi. 18, 19. 32. 37.

blaspheming and persecuting? Have not multitudes in all ages, many in our own, some perhaps known to us, recovered from the vilest acts, from the longest habits of sin? Why then cannot we do what they have done?

It must be confessed indeed, that some have naturally dispositions much more favourable both to innocence and repentance, than others. But God hath made none of his creatures incapable of what he made them for. And since he condescends to help us, we may be sure he will help us as much as we really want. The weakness of man, the force of temptation, the difficulty of duty, are of small account, where the Almighty is ready to interpose. Our own strength indeed cannot increase, in proportion as our trials do: but that, which proceeds from him, can. And this is the great felicity of our dependance upon him, that while our sense of continually needing his aid is fitted, beyond all things, to keep us humble: our assurance of having it, if we will ask and use it, gives us a comfort and a spirit that nothing else can equal.

God will certainly enable us to do every thing, which is necessary to be done. And though he may possibly suffer us to strive against some of our smaller faults, much longer and more ineffectually, than we could wish; yet we may be assured, he hath wise and good reasons for exercising us with such difficulties: and provided we continue the good fight with patience and courage, whatever labour and pain it may cause us now, it shall not hinder, but increase our reward hereafter: and the prospect of that is abundantly sufficient to make us happy in the mean while. Not that we can ever fit ourselves to appear before God, and be justified in his sight, on the footing of a covenant of works. Far be from us the haughty ima

gination. We desire to be accepted, not for what we have done, but for what our blessed Redeemer hath done on our account: and to be found in him, not having our own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. After this we are to hunger and thirst both as the means of personal righteousness, and the ground of God's accepting it. In this alone we are to hope first, and rejoice afterwards.

Yet still, if in this life only we had hope in Christ, we might sometimes be of all men most miserable †. Not but that, even then, a steady course of virtue and religion would in general be evidently for the interest of mankind, and almost of every individual. But after all, there would be cases too often happening, in which the trouble of combating evil inclinations and habits would be so great, the progress in goodness so imperfect, and the enjoyment of it so precarious and short-lived; that human resolution must be supposed likely to stagger and faint, under such trials. But since we are assured of enjoying to eternity in perfection, whatever graces we have cultivated here with sincerity; the toilsomeness of the work, and the slowness of the success, ought not to deter us in the least. Let the watchfulness over our conduct, the restraint of our passions, and wrong desires, be ever so uneasy; let this uneasiness last ever so long; let our advancement, after doing our best, be mixed with ever such mortifying failures and frailties: yet, if we be faithful unto the end, every one of these seemingly discouraging circumstances will have full allowance made for it, and be most equitably considered to our advantage. We have only to take care of our duty; * Phil, iii. 9. + 1 Cor. xv. 19.

and the goodness of our Maker will be sure to take care of our happiness. Nor is it indeed, could we but think aright, of very great consequence, whether we begin to taste that happiness, in any considerable degree, during our momentary life on earth: which however truly good persons, almost if not absolutely without exceptions, do; or whether it be reserved for that approaching time, when all they, that have hungered and thirsted after righteousness here, shall be abundantly filled with the plenteousness of God's house, and made to drink of the river of his pleasures*. For with him is fulness of joy, and at his right hand there are pleasures for evermore +. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord: forasmuch as ye know, that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. ↑ 1 Cor. xv. 58,

* Ps. xxxvi. 8, 9.

† Ps. xvi. 11.

SERMON XXIII.

JAMES i. 27.

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

To understand the meaning of these words fully, it must be observed, that St. James wrote his Epistle to the Jewish believers in Christ; many of whom were not yet sufficiently apprised, how grievously the traditions of their elders had corrupted religion. For long-received errors are seldom entirely cast off, till some time after the truths, which, by evident consequence, prove them to be errors, are embraced. These new converts therefore, being accustomed from their infancy to think very highly of that purity of faith and worship, which was their principal distinction from the Heathen world, continued even after they were Christians, to give it an undue preference to the weightiest duties of common life. Their opinion of ceremonial worship indeed the Gospel had probably lowered: but it must have increased their esteem of faith. And though it was easy to understand that no faith could be valuable, unless it brought forth the good fruit of universal obedience; yet wrong inclinations led many to mistake the matter: who accordingly contenting themselves with a speculative belief, and formal devotion, thought and spoke ill of those,

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