1

received from the Lord (for all that is good is from him) and to the Lord they offered it. And by this, as well as by the whole word of God, we are taught that love, faith, and obedience, must ever be infeparably united, to make either of them valuable. By obedience, I mean a confcientious regard to the laws of God, as they respect piery, religion, and morality: for where there is a true love to God, and a found faith in him, there will be charity towards mankind. The outward life will correfpond to thofe inward principles; we fhall love our neighbour as we love ourfelves, and not only be honeft, juft, and upright in our commerce with men, but also kind, charitable, benevolent, and tender. And in vain do we pretend to love the Lord, or believe on him, if our conduct and conversation through life be not of this quality.

To love our neighbour is a facrifice as acceptable to God as loving him; yea, we cannot love God if we do not love our neighbour-for John fays, 1ft Epift. iv. 20, "If a man fay, I love God, " and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he who "loveth not his brother whom he hath feen, how "can he love God whom he hath not feen? And "this commandment have we from him, that he "who loveth God love his brother alfo."

Thus every wife man, every man who is taught of God (for fuch only are wife) will offer unto the Lord, gold, frankincense, and myrrh; or love, faith, and charity; or goodness, truth, and obedience.

Now

4

Now these are faid to be the treafures which thefe wife men brought with them to Jerufalem, and offered unto the Lord. May I not afk you, my good friends, Is there any treasure in heaven or earth equal to this? What is all the wealth of kingdoms, the gold of the Indies, or the honors of the world, in comparison with these? Why they are lefs than nothing, and vanity. If you poffefs this treasure, you are rich indeed! though you earned your bread by the fweat of your brow, and flept on beds of straw. But, without this, if you called kingdoms your own, and had a thousand vaffals în your train, you would be poor, wretched, and miferable.

.

Now be it obferved, that these treasures were brought with the wife men to Jerufalem, and offered to the Lord :-and what doth this circumstance teach us? Why a very important and pleafing leffon! If we are real chriftians, poffeffed of this divine treasure, where are we travelling? What journey are we taking? Why we are going to Jerusalem, the city and kingdom of the Lord our God. And what will recommend us to the divine favor, or give us admittance into the holy city, when the journey of life is over? Not a mere profeffion of religion, or faying, Lord! Lord! have not we prophefied in thy name; and in thy name done many wonderful works? but rather, the poffeffion of this gold, frankincense, and myrrh; or that we have lived in true love to God, faith in his holy word, and fincere obedience to his heavenly commandments.

Let

Let us but appear before the Lord, and lay this treasure at his feet, and we fhall find a hearty welcome into his bleffed kingdom; with a "Well "done, thou good and faithful fervant, thou haft "been faithful over a few things; I will make "thee ruler over many enter thou into the joy "of thy Lord!"

I now appeal to you, my fellow chriftians; can any thing less than this conftitute us real christians, the difciples of Jefus Chrift? You know nothing lefs can! Can it be truly faid, that we are wise men, or women, if we have not this treasure ?— Is it any proof of true wisdom, to acquire the pleafures, riches, and honors of this present life; and at the fame time remain ignorant of these true riches, this heavenly treasure?—Our reafon convinces us which are to be preferred; which will do us the moft good, and be the most lasting.

What remains, then, but that we apply to the Lord, give up all the powers of our fouls to him, that we may be filled with his love, directed by his truth, and thus be enabled to love him, believe on his name, love our neighbour as ourfelves, and faithfully keep his commandments.Then our journey through life will be pleasant, ufeful, and happy. We fhall be preparing for, and ready to enter into, the eternal kingdom above. When we are called away by death, and appear before the Lord in judgment, we shall be enabled to prefent unto him this invaluable and acceptable

offering;

offering; namely, a life of love, faith, and obedience the gold, the frankincenfe, and the myrrh. And, with inexpreffible joy and rapture, we shall be admitted into the New Jerufalem above, with a "Well done! thou good and faithful fervant ; "enter thou into the joy of thy Lord!"

SERMON

SERMON II.

HUMILITY RECOMMENDED;

OR,

THE PROUD ABASED, AND THE HUMBLE EXALTED.

MATT. xxiii. 12.

And whofoever shall exalt himself, shall be abafed; and he that shall humble himself, shall be exalted.

SELF-EXALTATION is the child of SELF-LOVE it is a difpofition oppofite to the good of mankind, the glory of God, and the happiness of our own fouls; but fuch is the depravity of human nature, that every man inherits fuch a principle is prone to the indulgence of it; it does not easily receive its death wound, and even then it lingers long before it dies. There is a strong propensity in every man to be great and honored; we naturally think highly of ourselves, over-rate our own qualifications, and judge too meanly of