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is there any worth or merit on ours, to incline him to do it. We are at best but his creatures, the work of his hands. The highest homage and worship we can give is unquestionably due to God. When therefore we have done all we can, we have done nothing but our duty, and are but unprofitable fervants. Where is boafting then? Where is merit? No flesh muft glory in the prefence of God, for he alone makes us to differ. Now if we have received it, fhall we glory as if we had not received it? But, farther, if we take a view of human nature in its prefent fallen and corrupted state, if we confider how lame and imper. fect our pureft fervices are, fo far from imagining we merit any thing at the hand of God, muft we not acknowledge that we ftand in need of pardon, and humbly refolve to lay our hand upon our mouth, afcribing every good thing either in us, or done by us, to the fovereign and free grace of God, who will have mercy on whom he will have mercy?

We fhall now conclude with a few reflections.

1. Is the agency of the Holy Spirit fo abfolutely neceffary, in order to our converfion and progress in religion? how deeply impreffed fhould we be with the conviction of our own weakness and infufficiency! Without the aids of divine grace, we can do nothing. Whatever profeffion we may make, whatever moral duties we may practife, if we are deftitute of the fpirit, all is but folemn fhow, a mere empty form, which can neither be acceptable to God, nor profitable to ourfelves. Let us not then reft any longer in a course of dead and lifelefs obedience; but, fenfible of our own inability to do any thing pleafing to God, let us earneftly implore the gift of the Holy Spirit, as the Great Author of regeneration, and every degree of ncreafing holiness.

2. Does the Holy Spirit begin and carry on the good work within us? Let us cheerfully refign ourselves

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to his influence and direction. Let us be deeply perfuaded, that his gracious operations on the mind, are not only real, but of the highest importance, and not give place to unbelieving thoughts, or profane infinuations, as if they were the fancies of a warm diftempered brain, or the delufions of Satan. But, under a teady conviction of his ability and readiness to help us; let us firmly depend on his grace in the performance of every duty, and in oppofition to every fin. Let us be deeply humbled and grieved, when at any time we have grieved the Spirit of God, and treated Him unworthily. And under his powerful influences, let us cleanfe ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and perfect holiness in the fear of God.

3. Is it owing to the fovereign and free grace of God, that he works in any to will and to do? Let fuch as are inwardly fanctified by the Spirit, acknowledge their obligations to God, and afcribe to Him the praise. It is owing to Him, that you are not left to perifh with the workers of iniquity; but fingled out from the rest of mankind, as the objects of his diftinguishing love. Adore divine grace, therefore, that has made you to differ, and snatched you as brands pluckt out of the burning; and let the overflowings of a thankful heart break forth in the language of David, "I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with "all my heart, and I will glorify thy name for evermore; for great is thy mercy towards me; thou "haft redeemed my foul from the lowest hell."

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SERMON XXV.

THE NATURE AND OBLIGATIONS OF RELI

GIOUS CONCERN.

Acts ix. 6. And he, trembling and aftonished, said, Lord, What wilt thou have me to do?

HESE are the words of Saul, that famous con

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vert to the Christian faith. He had formerly been engaged in persecuting the followers of Jefus, with the most unrelenting fury; and fo zealous was he in the prosecution of this undertaking, that he feems not only to have laid afide that gentleness of manners, which might have been expected from one of his education, but even that pity for perfons in diftrefs, which is fo natural to the heart of man. Thus, in various places of the Acts, and particularly in the preceding context, we find him threatening vengeance and flaughter against the difciples of the Lord, without the leaft regard to innocence of life, or tenderness of age: And now he had obtained a commiffion from the chief prieft, to go as far as Damafcus, in queft of the Chriftians, and to bring fuch of them as he found there, bound to Jerufalem.

But,

But, let us adore the riches, and the fovereignty of Divine grace. In his way thither, Jefus, the injured Redeemer, appears, and diffufes round him a brightness exceeding that of the fun; on perceiving which, Saul fell proftrate to the ground, and heard a voice. from heaven calling to him, "Saul, Saul, Why per"fecuteft thou me?" The furious perfecutor is now, indeed, melted and fubdued; he who, but a little before, waged an impious war against the followers of Jefus, is now laid at the foot of the cross, and might justly have been fingled out as a monument of vengeance. But God, who has compaffion on the ignorant, defigned him as a veffel of mercy, as a glorious instrument in preaching that faith, which he once endeavoured to deftroy. This day of his aftonishment, was in the nobleft fenfe the day of his birth; for now, in the midft of his cruelty, he is awakened and convinced; and, proftrating himself before that Jefus whom he perfecuted, fubmiffively exclaims in the words of the text,-" Lord, What wilt thou have me to do?"

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"And he, trembling and aftonifhed, faid, Lord, "Lord, What wilt thou have me to do?" Words which exprefs, in the most lively manner, that concern and uneafinefs which Saul had now upon his mind, -a concern, not for the obtaining of wealth and honour, or any of thofe trifling pleasures, which the men of the world purfue with fuch affiduity and ardour, but for his precious and immortal foul; an earneft care and folicitude, how to be delivered from that guilt, and to escape that danger which he had incurred.

From the temper and prefent circumstances of the awakened apoftle, we shall take occafion, through Divine affiftance, First, To explain that concern for the falvation of the foul, which is here exemplified in the conduct of Saul: Secondly, Show you the fources from which it fprings: Thirdly, We fhall 2 D3 endeavour

endeavour to awaken you to fome fuch ferious concern, by a few arguments addreffed to your confideration: And, Fourthly, Conclude with a few directions to fuch as are in some measure awakened, and made to cry out with the apoftle in the text, "Lord, what "wilt thou have me to do ?"—We propose,

I. To explain that concern for the falvation of the foul, which is here exemplified in the conduct of Saul.

1. It implies in it, a deep and affecting sense of guilt. By the falvation of the foul, we mean, deliverance from the wrath to come, from eternal death and destruction. Now, wherever a real concern for this prevails, there muft neceffarily be an inward sense or conviction of our being liable to it; for it is abfolutely impoffible, that we can ever defire to be delivered from any evil or danger, till we think ourselves expofed to it. But the wrath to come, everlafting mifery and deftruction, is an evil to which all of us have become subject. Whatever our condition may be in other refpects, however great and distinguished among men, yet we are guilty and rebellious; we have broken the laws of our Creator, and rendered ourfelves obnoxious to eternal death. Now, the finner who is really awakened, not only affents to this as a matter unquestionably true, but his heart is deeply affected with it. He not only believes himself guilty and polluted, odious to perfect purity, and liable every moment to avenging juftice; but he has an humbling and inward conviction of it, which fills him with the deepest forrow and remorfe. Of this, we have a very striking inftance in the penitent Pfalmift. "Thine arrows," fays he, "ftick faft in me, "and thy hand preffeth me fore. There is no found. "nefs in my flesh because of thine anger; neither "is there any reft in my bones because of my fin: " for mine iniquities are gone over my head; as a “heavy burthen, they are too heavy for me." In

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