for all your wherever ity, joy and early to attentive w t to remem Ask your stand. Dis child, he Lord was p d, and Gu for thy servant heareth. Young as you are, you should being you Are you IN INFERIOR SITUATIONS--Clerks, apprentices, or engaged in manufactories in large cities or towns, or in laborious situations, where you are confined during the week to a close and constant employment? possibly you think yourselves at liberty to neglect hearing on the Sunday, and to spend it in walks and recreation. We allow that the inducements to the carnal mind are very strong, when, to adopt words used on another occasion, the winter is past, the rain is over and the flowers appear on the earth, gone, and the time of the singing of birds is come, to neglect the less agreeable privilege of hearing the sacred word; and to pursue, without restraint, the delightful recreation afforded to one who has been shut. up all the week by the view of the simple scenery of nature, and the refreshing breezes of a pure air. Probably the necessities of your family allow you no other day for such an enjoyment. Probably your earthly master would not, or could not, allow you time for such a refreshment. You think it right to obey him, lest your temporal interests should suffer. But-would you think it an act Jed him, eph and Mari e, Latimer Note the great a jo ill condem Dear God's of extreme folly, and call it a wasteful idleness to be wandering among the fields when your earthly master, or your family call you to work, and have you not a heavenly master, and have you not spiritual necessities! God has issued his command-Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy! Will you disregard it? God gives his wages: will you undervalue them? If thou turn away thy fool from doing thy pleasure on my holy day and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord. honourable, and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thin own words, Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord. Christians! there are much higher joys, even in this world, than contemplating the beauties of nature! 0 to have our sins washed away in the blood of Christ and to be justified freely by his grace, to be renewed by his Holy Spirit, and to become a child of God, this is true happiness on earth! And there are before you, yet higher joys still in the paradise above, the new heavens and the new earth, wherein dwelleth righteous ness. May the blessed Spirit of Christ give us a taste for these; let us not forfeit these for any mere temporary indulgences. Our life is now a life of faith, and not of sense; be not surprised therefore if you have to give up some temporal pleasures; those which are innocent shall be enjoyed with a double relish. In any case the time is hastening on when we shall enter the joy of our Lord, even fulness of joy. But will you still say-Surely we may have Sunday for a day of pleasure. By all means let Sunday be a day of pleasure: but what is your pleasure? Is it idle conversation, feasting, and light and vain company! O these are not real pleasures; they are very unsatis factory and transitory gleams of false pleasure. Delight the h self in the Lord, there is the true happiness of the nortal spirit. Hear and read his word--that tells **** labourer of satisfying joy, of the rest which remaineth' the people of God; there you have set before you t which will afford you comfort and happiness in all ir toils and sorrows. It is specially needful that should hear, and thus learn divine truth when you , for you have not time, nor opportunity, for much idy, and deep learning; and therefore you should ail yourself of those advantages with which you are w favoured. In a Christian country you have, through kind providence, ministers appointed to instruct you, hose special office it is to acquire divine knowledge for ɔur edification. In hearing a faithful and wise preacher, ou have, in the short time of the delivery of a sermon, e result of much study and prayer applied to your articular necessities. By due attention to such sernons, joined to your own reading of God's word, you there will increase in the knowledge of the Son of God, till you come to a perfect man, unto a measure of the stature of dhe fulness of Christ. Be not, by neglect of such Chinstruction, unhappy in both worlds. Hear, believe, for and obey; and so shall you be blessed here and for We shal aradise eye ever. Do you say that you are ashamed to appear for erefore want of clothes fit to come in? but are you not ashamed 'of being away, when the of God marks you in your ouble reabsence? Do you say there is no room? I reply, O. that our churches were ordinarily crowded as they might be! Be in good time, and you will find room. may be More churches would be built, if those that are erected were more crowded. slet Sund easure! are very Are you SERVANTS? you should not neglect to hear. dvait Shut not yourselves out from so great a privilege, where you have permission to attend, and remain not in any leasure P family where you are excluded from hearing God word. You have souls as precious as those of the highest monarch. You must be happy or miserabi and that for ever. Neglect not the grand ordinance God for your eternal salvation. The truths which w hear, received in a believing heart, will sweeten the bitterest service, will smooth the most rugged path, a infinitely heighten the comfort of the happiest conditia How blessed is the portion of one, whom no outwar circumstances can separate from the Father's love, t Saviour's redemption, the Holy Spirit's guidance, an the sure prospect of an eternal glory yet to be reveale and fully enjoyed. To every human being we say-Neglect to hear, a you fall under the sentence of destruction; (Acts iii, 23. hear, and your souls shall live. Isa.lv. We set befor Sligh you life and death: choose you this day. Be wise for eternity. As far as you are concerned, let it no longe be the reproach of Christians that three-fourths of thos called by the name of Christ, despise his word. not your greatest interest. Believe in God. cannot deceive, so he will not be mocked. He invite now; but despised, he will arise to judge and condem O neglect not so great salvation. We conclude all with the words of our Lord, As He HE THAT HATH EARS TO HEAR, LET HIM HEAR AND BLESSED ARE THEY THAT HEAR THE WORD OF GOD AND KEEP IT. the expediency of delay sanctification is promoted the Answers to objections against practical obedience worldly interests may suffer the fear of an odious name the opposite opinions of men in general of destntichrist, Bacon's view of von this dis Antinomian, really rejects the doctrine of the cross .......... Bacon, his application of Antichrist to the Pope re concene Barnard, Sir John, his practice s that three Baxter's Catholic Theology referred to t, despre Bingham's Christian Antiquities, quoted Believe Blessedness of faithful hearing, faculties are employed aright spiritual comfort is advanced perfect knowledge will be attained hereafter Books, list of, for poor men for private christians Bradford, quoted, 35, and his works recommended Bucer, quoted, Bullinger, view of, true prosperity, Burnet's History of his own time, quoted those in inferior situations 310 ........ 23, 32, 113, 134 250 114 82 76, 133, 145 33, 34, 112 287 288 289 289 ... |