order in all things; a fplendor that becomes. the house of God; facred mufic; a ftated provifion for the poor; mitred fages to fuperintend it; the laws of the country to establish it; every thing that conduces to the furtherance of piety to God, and love to man. It is a pleasant, cheerful fervice. But they who turn their backs upon us hate us, despise us, fpeak evil of which argues fomething of spiritual pride, a quality most adverse to the meek spirit of Chriftianity. Let us not retaliate; but kindly invite them to come into our fold, that we may be one flock under one fhepherd, Jefus Chrift.

us;

O that I could prevail on Chriftians to melt down, under the warm influence of brotherly love, all the diftinctions of Methodists, Independents, Baptifts, Anabaptifts, Trinitarians, Arians, Unitarians, in the glorious name of Christians; men of large, generous, benevolent minds, above difputing for trifles, men who love one another as men, fons of the same Almighty Parent, heirs of the fame falvation by Jesus Christ! Let us throw away our petty badges of diftinction; distinction, where, in fact, there is no difference; and let us walk together, hand in hand, into the church,

church, up to the altar, and give and forgive, and love one another, and live in unity in this world, the few years poor mortals have to live, that we may meet in love, never again to be divided in Heaven; where will no more be found the narrow, dark, cold, wretched prejudices of little fectaries, cavilling at each other, ftinging their opponents, venting the virulence of their temper in defence of a religion that forbids, above every thing, all rancour, all malice, all evil-thinking, and all evil-speaking.

But one caution is neceffary on our part. Let us of the established church take heed, left, to avoid enthusiasm, we fall into coldness, or lukewarmnefs; left we be too little righteous, through a fear of being righteous overmuch. But enough of caution. I trespass on your time.

Let us conclude, with reprefenting to our minds, in the moft lively manner, the infinite advantages of living in a state of Grace, To have within us, even in our hearts, an emanation of the Deity! to undergo a renewing of our minds, a new creation, to become a new man. To overcome the weakness of our nature introduced by the Fall; to re

gain our likeness to the image of God, according to which man was created in righteoufnefs, and true holiness In this state of darkness, wickedness, and mifery, to be enlightened, fanctified and comforted by the spirit of truth! Thefe are the glories of Chriftianity; these her honourable triumphs over the beggarly inventions of human wisdom.

Be it our conftant care to keep our hearts open to those fertilizing fhowers of grace, which defcend from heaven, and produce the bloffoms of hope, the fruits of all virtue, and all happiness. Under its powerful influence, and refreshed by the ftreams flowing from the fountain of life, we shall grore and flourish in Chriftian perfection, like a tree planted by the water fide. Let us fow of the fpirit in the good foil of a good and honest heart; for we are exprefsly informed, that be that foreth of the fpirit, fhall of the fpirit reap life everlasting. Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God; and let us joyfully and gratefully remember, that there is no condemnation to them that are in Chrift Jefus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.

And

And God grant that, forgetting all animofities, whether of religious fects or of private life, we may all tafte the fruits of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance Lovely qualities, which must cause earth to anticipate that Heaven to which they lead.

SERMON IV.

CORRUPTION of HEART the SOURCE of IRRELIGION and IMMORALITY.

PSALM XCV. 10.

It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways.

AS worldly honour and emolument frequently attend fuperior abilities, many, who are by no means actuated by virtuous motives, eagerly pursue intellectual improvement, and all the ornaments of various erudition. A great number is urged up the fteeps of fcience, by a principle of pride and felf-intereft. But this defire to improve the natural fagacity, and to enlarge the boundaries of knowledge, for the fake of worldly intereft, is seldom accompanied with any folicitude for the melioration of the heart. Men who are juftly anxious to become, and to be efteemed, able

and