The first inference from this doctrine is, that there is ground of hope for the moft guilty and forlorn finner, that he may be the fubject of eternal life. This hope is not founded upon any thing in himself, or any works or virtues of his own to recommend him to the divine favour. It does not arise from his being of a better temper and difpofition than others, for all thefe qualifications are excluded by the declaration of its being the gift of God. It is a free and unmerited gift; a gift of mere grace; a gift through Chrift and for his fake. This is fufficient to preserve the chief of finners from despair ; the finner who is moft deeply penetrated with a fenfe of his aggravated finfulness and guilt, and this is the only doctrine which can fupport or bring comfort to his foul. As to thofe who are at eafe in Zion, any thing can afford them fatisfaction. They can reft the issue of eternity upon a fanciful mercy in God of which they have no understanding; they can fupport their hope upon the foundation of their honeft dealings their good purposes, their unblameable lives and their fair profeflions. But where the law comes home to their confciences and they feel themselves flain thereby, fee with what a God they have to do, what an awful thing fin is, and what rotten rags their beft righteoufnefs are to appeafe the wrath of Jehovah, and feel that they can do nothing towards their falvation, they will find all their prefent hopes delufion, and will be like the giving up of the ghoft ; and no doctrine will be able to keep them from abfolute defpair but this, that falvation is the mere gift of God through Jefus Chrift. Sinners do, and will try a thousand schemes to fave themfelves, but all will prove as an Egyptian reed, fave this. O finners, look to the free gift of God through Chrift Jefus for eternal life. This is alfo the only fupport of a believers hope; this is his encourage. ment, confolation, and ground of his rejoicing. It is the faith and feeling of this doctrine, that influences him to gird up the loins of his mind, to run and not be weary, to walk and

not faint. Make eternal life to depend upon himself, or any of his own works, and you deftroy all his hopes, his heart would faint, his joys would be no more. This doctrine is his delight; falvation by free grace fheds gladness into his foul; that it is the gift of God through Jefus Chrift, fills his heart with joy, and this will be his rapturous enjoyment throughout eternity. Rejoice, O chriftian, that your falvation is wholly of grace.

Secondly, what cause of gratitude is here? How fhould our fouls afcend to the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghoft, in ftrains of the highest praife for the wonderful plan of faving loft men revealed in the gofpel. This will be the theme of celeftial fong throughout the unwaiting ages of eternity. Let us ever bless the Lord for the aftonishing fcheme of falvation by free grace, that eternal life is the gift of God through Jefus Christ. "Let chriftians facrifice the facrifices of thanksgiving, "and declare his works with rejoicing. Bleffed be the God "and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who according to his "abundant mercy, hath begotten us again to a lively hope by "the refurrection of Jefus Chrift from the dead; to an inheri "tance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away. "Praise the Lord, O Jerufalem, praise thy God, O Zion.”

Let all the people of God be exhorted to live upon this grace; hold it fast and let it not go. free falvation appear by your godly converfation put to filence gainfayers.

Let your rejoicing in a living. Let your holy "Therefore my belo

❝ ved brethren, be ye stedfast, immoveable, always abounding « in the work of the Lord, forafmuch as ye know that your "labour is not in vain in the Lord. Work out your own "falvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who worketh in you, both to will and to do.”

Let figners be exhorted to flee to the grace of the gospel,

Renounce all dependence upon yourselves and your own righte ousness, and humbly truft in the free mercy of God through Jefus Chrift for the gift of eternal life. This is the precious and fafe ground on which you may hope for everlasting bliss.

SERMON XXXV.

Death Wearing a Sting,

1 Cor. xv. 56. The fling of death is fin.

THE thought of death, leaving our relatives, friends chil dren, our dearest and bosom intimates, above all those adored and ornamented temples commonly called our bodies, pro duces the most fenfible fhock, and the sharpest touches of undefcribed diftrefs. Death is the greatest event known among the children of men, whether it be confidered in refpect to in dividuals, or a collection of multitudes falling at once. Behold nations overturned and deftroyed by a fingle war; Sodom and Gomorrah were confumed in a morning; the whole earth, except Noah and his little family, drowned in an hour; but all these horrid affemblages of events, confifted only of the death of individuals. Thefe awful catastrophes were no more than death to each perfon. The death of an individual carries fomething dreadful and folemn in it, especially if it be fudden or untimely; how incomprehenfibly terrible the idea, when millions become its victims at once. Let death then be re

garded as a fubject of the most important confideration by all the children of men.

It is ho perfons duty to make himself miferable by poring to diftraction upon what he cannot prevent. No wife man could wish to feel the unavoidable poignancy of a certain calamity before it actually arrives; or the anxious pains of mind equal to the evils feared. But, when ferious thoughtfulness, a due anticipation, and a proper conduct will contribute to turn a foreseen calamitous event to our advantage, reafon declares we ought to confider, though the confideration fhould hurt our feelings and disturb our prefent eafe. If we cannot wholly avert the evil, but only meliorate fome of its most aggravating circumstances, this would be a fufficient motive to attention in other cafes of inferior confequence, how much more in a bufinefs of infinite moment?

Reason and nature dictate that a common fate ought to be a common concern. And death, without any tedious de ductions from premites, or a long process of reasoning, informs us immediately what ought to be fully afcertained. Death cuts fhort all laborious investigations, and fixes duty inftantly by a natural anticipation. When in anguifh and pain the mind directly applies itfelf to inventions for relief, and eager. ly catches at every measure fuggefted for this intent. This dif pofition which in itfelf is both natural and innocent, yet by a wrong direction often plunges into the worst of confequences. Through ignorance, impatience, blindness and fuperftition of mind, the never failing concomitants of diftrefs, what wild unhappy and ridiculous methods are frequently taken for relief? Counfels are heard, and measures adopted without attention to their fuitablenefs to the nature and caules of the trouble, and confequent aptnefs to redrefs it. The origin of ferrows muit be understood, in order properly to apply the balm of confolation. And it is likewife wife, to learn how far the best