ed in the eleventh chapter of Luke's gospel, the twenty-feventh verse, that a certain woman, ftruck with the divinity of our Saviour's difcourfe, cried out, Bleed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou haft fucked. Our Saviour laid hold of this opportunity to inculcate the principles now under confideration. But he faid, Yea, rather bleffed are they which hear the word of God and keep it. It was upon the occafion of exhibiting an extraordinary instance of condefcenfion, and preffing an imitation of his own virtue upon his followers, that he ends his exhortation with these words, in the 17th verfe of the 13th chapter of John's gofpel; If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. The evil propenfities of human nature are always ready to discover themselves; and as our Saviour himself speaks in the highest terms of faith, or a fincere belief in religious truths, and feveral of the apostles have done the fame ; fome enthusiasts arose who endeavoured to separate the knowledge and the practice of religion, and confidered the former as alone neceffary. This peftilent herefy gave occafion, probably, to the writing of the epiftle

of

of James, in which he particularly infifts on the infufficiency of faith without works.

Faith, fays he, in the 17th verse of the second chapter, without works is dead. In the following part of the chapter he shews the neceflity of uniting these two principles, and the natural and easy manner in which they coalefce and fupport each other. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not our father Abraham juftified by works, when he offered up his fon Ifaac upon the altar? Seeft thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And then he concludes in the 26th verfe; For as the body is dead without the fpirit, fo faith without works is dead alfo. Several things that are of the utmost importance to Chriftians may be deduced from this difcourfe.

In the first place: It has a natural tendency to give us a practical conviction of the connexion between knowledge and practice. This connexion there are few of us, I believe, that would be difpofed directly to deny. But the facts and analogies from common life, and the declarations of fcripture, may engage us to attend to it more seriously.

Truth

Truth is fo fuitable to our feelings, that, when fimply propofed, it is commonly acknowledged; but the impreffion it makes, and the practical use of it, depend much upon the variety of attitudes in which it is represented, and the arguments by which it is confirmed. Let what has been faid excite us to hear attentively, and to do carefully the will of God.

In the fecond place: Let us remember that the great defign of religion is to make us better men, and that the duties it requires, and the inftruction it gives, are all intended for the improvement of the character. The facrament of our Lord's fupper, for instance, is not a mere formal piece of respect, or a tranfient exercife of love to God, gratitude to Chrift, or charity to men ; but fuch an exercise of these and other devout affections as truly exalts the mind, transforms the heart, and improves the temper. If upon this occafion you admire and adore the goodness of God in fending his Son into the world, your admiration becomes a man. If you think with gratitude on the matchless love of your Redeemer, the emotion is approvable. Who would be a ftranger to such a pleafing

pleafing affection? If the fenfe of your guilt and unworthiness, and the view of those forrows which they occafioned to an infulted, fuffering, expiring Saviour, prompt the tear of penitence and fympathy; let the tear flow: it would be graceful upon the hero's cheek. But why are all thofe affections proper? Because they are suitable to our nature, correspondent to our circumstances, and perfective of our characters. I approve of them: I befeech you, give scope to them; but at the same time, pray that they may be converted to the improvement of your lives. Preferve the temper they infufe, the manners they infpire, the views they confer in common life; and fhew that the doctrines, the life, the death, and the refurrection of Jefus, are the means of raifing you up to newness of life, and holinefs of converfation.

SERMON

SERMON XI.

PSALM XXIV. 3, 4, 5.

Who shall afcend into the hill of the Lord? and who fhall fand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lift up his foul unto vanity, nor fworn deceitfully. He fhall receive the bleffing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his falvation.

IT is commonly fuppofed, and it appears extremely probable, that this twenty-fourth Pfalm was composed by David, in order to be fung by himself, the priests, the Levites, and the people of Ifrael, when the ark was removed from the house of Obed-edom to mount Zion. That the proceffion upon this occafion might be the more striking and folemn, it was accompanied with a variety of musical instruments, fuch as pfalteries, harps, timbrels,

a a Samuel, vi