But, whilst you thus endeavour to know the very worst of your condition, beware, at the fame time, of giving way to gloomy and defponding thoughts. Let none of you fay, "Because I am ungodly, I fhall die fo; be"cause I am an hypocrite, I fhall continue "fo;" for fuch defpondence is no less unwarranted than your former prefumption. You have another work to do, which is to flee speedily to Christ, and to break off your hypocrify and wickedness by repentance. If you find that you have been hitherto out of the way, do not fit down and defpair, but make the more hafte to turn into it. Chrift is ftill in your offer, and you cannot be more willing to receive him, than he is to accept of you.

But, on the other hand, if you find reafon to conclude, after a strict and impartial examination, that you have been fincere in the practice of your duty, that your inward difpofitions have correfponded to your outward actions, and that both have been according to the rule of Scripture, take the comfort of fo happy a difcovery. This is a good evidence that you are fanctified and renewed

renewed by the Spirit of God: This is a proof that you are united to Chrift, who is "the true vine:" for none but those who are united to him, can bring forth fuch good fruit. Confider into what a bleffed ftate the Lord hath brought you; to be his children and his friends; to be pardoned and fanctified, and fure of being faved. What more can you defire? Doth not the affurance of fuch a bleifed condition deferve all the labour and pains which the inquiry can coft you? One caution, however, I must give you. Do not trust fo much to one difcovery of this kind, as to give up all further trial. No." To prove your own works," must be your daily employment. Renew the inquiry often; make frequent proof of yourselves; compare the result of your obfervations at different times, and let them ferve to rectify one another.

Thus, my brethren, I have given you the best directions which I could think of, with regard to the method of conducting this important inquiry. And here it might be proper to fubjoin some of thofe Scriptural marks or characters by which " every man

"ought

"ought to prove his own works." But this would lead me beyond the limits of one difcourfe. I mean therefore at present to confine myself to the circumstances or marks by which you ought to try the important duty in which you have been this day employed.

Allow me then, in the conclufion of this folemn fervice, to put a few plain, but neceffary questions to you, and to call on you to answer them, as you hope to speed at the bar of God's judgement.

ift, By what motives were you determined to come here this day? Was it by a fenfe of duty, and in obedience to the command of a crucified Saviour? Was it from a mind

hungering and thirsting" after Christ and his righteousness? Or was it only in compliance with the custom of the country, and from a defire of appearing religious in the eyes of men? Would to God there were lefs caufe than there is for this queftion, grofs and reproachful as it may appear!

2dly, What pains were you at in preparing yourselves for this near approach to God? Were Were you careful to ftir up in your

felves those holy and humble difpofitions which constitute "the wedding garment" of those who are bidden to the feaft? Or, have you, without any previous examination, or any regard to the awful fence which furrounds this table, fearlessly taken your feat among faithful difciples, without afking the Mafter's welcome, or dreading his displeasure?

upon

3dly, What benefit did you propose to reap from your attendance this folemn ordinance? Did you only wish to pacify your natural confcience, by doing what you apprehended to be an acceptable duty? Or did you mean to offer an outward compliment to the Almighty, in order to induce him to pardon what is past, that you might fin, as it were, on a new score? Or, on the other hand, did you come here in the hope of meeting him whom your fouls love, to take upon you "his yoke which is "eafy, and his burden which is light?"—to implore, over the pledges of your Saviour's love, his mercy to pardon, his Spirit to fanctify, and his grace to ftrengthen you? Did you come, that this holy fervice might

have

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have fome influence to affift you in crucifying "the old man with his deeds," and to confirm the image of God on your fouls?

Once more,

4thly, How were you you fat at this holy table?

employed while Did you feek the Lord with your whole hearts? Did your "fouls follow hard after him?” And if any vain intruding thought arose within you, did you inftantly check it with abhorrence, and renew your repentance for that mixture of infirmity in your holy, fervice? When you heard these affecting words, "This is my body broken for you, "this is my blood fhed for the remiffion "of your fins," were your hearts wrung with grief for the fins which were the caufe of the Redeemer's fufferings? Did you give yourselves entirely up to him who gave himself for you an offering and a facrifice to God? Did you accept of him as your only peace-maker with the Father, and refolve to build all your hopes of happiness upon the merits of his fufferings and obedience? Did you renounce all his enemies, and devote yourselves entirely to his

fervice,