The prefent feafon of Lent used to be a teftimony of this: but of late all methods have been employed to make it a testimony of the contrary; by crowding into it, and even into the most facred week of it, as many entertainments, both in private houses and public theatres, as can be contrived. If these things are wrong, why may not you take the prefent opportunity, when you have had so loud a call to seriousness, for beginning to practise a little more of it than ordinary; and, for that purpose, keep back from some places, to which elfe you might have gone? Let others guefs the reason. If they afk, let them know it. If they deride you, either enter upon the subject, or avoid it, as you fee a likelihood, or none, of doing good; but at leaft keep to your point, with temper, with charity, yet with resolution.. "But if we a& thus, all the world will fhun us; we shall "be left alone: what fhall we do?" The more valuable part of the world will not fhun you; and the lofs of fome of your company may be very far from doing harm. It is likely you will have a good deal more time to yourselves; but can you not find, have you not already, full employment for it? Difcreet conduct of your own affairs, kind affistance of others, needful care of your health, proper improvement of your mind in useful knowledge, these things may surely fill up no fmall part of your day. But there is another work, the most neceffary of all, the one thing needful*; to which, perhaps, you have not applied, near fo much as it requires, near fo much as you imagine; I mean a serious practical attention to your spiritual ftate. Surely you must be fenfible, that the business of a Chriftian is, not only to abstain from grofs wickedness, and obferve the forms of piety, but to mortify that love of the world and of pleasure, which is inconfift ent with the love of the Father t; and fet our affections on things above, where Chrift fitteth at the right hand of God‡; to cultivate and exercise equity, mildness and charity towards all men; and perform, from a right principle, every duty of every focial relation; yet to know, that after all we are unprofitable fervants §; and must rely, not on our own righte oufnefs, but the mercy of the gofpel. Great numbers among you * Luke x. 42. ↑ John ii. 15. Col. iii. I, 2. Luke xvii. 10. your you doubtless are, and may long, perhaps always, have been; what common language calls moral, and even religious perfons; but are you what an awakened confcience, what the fcripture of truth, calls fo? Compare that, and the directions which wife and good men have drawn out of it for your ufe, with your past actions, words, and thoughts. Examine both well, without frightening yourselves unreasonably, or accufing yourselves unjustly, but without flattering yourfelves at all; remembering that God is merciful, but remembering also that he is holy. This alone may prove no short task. And if the inquiry end on the whole in your favour, as God grant it may, frequent reflections, that your Maker is friend, and heaven your inheritance, will enable you to pafs your future days very joyfully, how little foever may be contributed of fuperficial happinefs from any other quarter. But at the best, you will affuredly perceive at the fame time, what will give you ftill further occupation, many things in yourselves to beg forgiveness for, to amend, to watch over. And should you find, as I fear too many of you will, that your heart as yet is not right in the fight of God; that you are ftill in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity† ; here will be work enough for you to do, though every thing unneceffary be left undone; to humble yourfelves before him with deep contrition; to lay hold on his offered mercy, with true faith in the merits of his Son; to pray for his grace, and ufe it; to cleanse yourselves from all filthiness of flesh and Spirit . Never ask what you shall do with your spare time, till you have gone through these things. And when you have, if the late providential warning hath been, in the leaft degree, the occafion of your undertaking them, you will blefs God to your dying day for the alarm which it gave you. Amidft the innumerable and ineftimable privileges belonging to those who have acquainted themselves with him, and are at perce§, one, peculiarly proper to be mentioned now, is, that while they preferve their integrity, they will never have caufe to be difmayed or difturbed at whatever happens in this world. Some good perfons, indeed, may be tempted to accufe themselves of an irreligious infenfibility, that they have felt VOL. III. 3 Y * Dan. x. 21. f Acts viii. 21, 23. 2 Cor. vi. 1. § Job xxii. 21. nɔ more on the late occafion: but if, on any occafion, they have felt enough to make them fear God and ferve him, let them never be grieved at what, in all likelihood, is merely conftitutional, if it be not rather a pious ferenity. We read that when Elijah flood before the Lord, first a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks; but the Lord was not in the wind: after the wind was an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: after the earthquake was a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: after the fire was a small still voice, and in that God fpoke to his fervant*. If then he hath spoken to us ever fo gently, and we have heard him, it fhould be matter of comfort, not defpondency, that he hath found no need of ufing words of terror to us. But a much commoner cafe is, that pious minds are struck on thefe extraordinary manifeftations of divine power, with great fudden horror. So was David: My flefb trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments +. So was Mofes at mount Sinai, when he faid, I exceedingly tremble and quake . Therefore never do you, of weaker fpirits, either think ill of yourselves, or wonder if your feelings are both more painful and more durable than you wish. Still they are effentially different from those of wicked perfons. Your dependence on God will enable you to check your apprehenfions, in fome measure, when at the higheft, and in a while to recover your former tranquillity: to fay with Job, Though be flay me, yet will I trust in bim §: or in the more triumphant language of the Pfalmift: God is our hope and strength, a very prefent help in trouble.. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be moved, and though the bills be carried into the midst of the fea. The whole frame of nature, and every thing that comes to pass in it, is friendly to perfons in earnest religious, and works together for their good¶. Life or death, things prefent or things to come, all things are theirs, and they are Chrift's, and Chrift is God's **. Earthquakes in particular, terrible as they appear, have often been marks of God's favour to his people. There was one at the death, another at the refurrection of onr blefied Lord; the two great bul warks of Chriftian comfort. At the day of Pentecoft, there came a found from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind *, probably somewhat resembling the found which you heard fo lately. In a short time after, on the first attempt of persecuting the disciples, when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were affembled together; and they were all fill ed with the Holy Ghost, and spake the word of God with boldnefst. Again, when Paul and Silas were imprisoned, while they fang praises unto God, suddenly there was a great earthquake, fo that the foundations of the prifon were shaken, and all the doors opened; which was immediately followed by the converfion of the jailor and his family, and the deliverance of the apostle and his companion by the magiftrates 1. Why then should that so greatly affright you, which hath ministered to fo many others cause of thansgiving? "It is fomewhat extremely awful." So is every thing that reminds us, with any ftrength, of God and our latter end. And yet, if we are not reminded of them effectually, we are undone to eternity. It is not near fo awful, as what you, notwithstanding, profefs to defire and pray for; the time when he fhall come to fit on his throne, from whofe face earth and heaven shall flee away, and no place be found for them §. "But we may be fwallowed up inftantly." You may this very inftant. And fo you may die, every moment, a thoufand other ways befides. But do you not confider in whose power it is whether you fhall or not? Cannot God preferve you? And will he not, if it be for your advantage? Hear the Pfalmift: Whofo dwelleth under the defence of the Moft High, fhall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Thou fhalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor the deftruction that wafteth at noon-day. A thousand shall fall at thy fide, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. With thine eyes fhalt thou behold, and fee the reward of the ungodly. But if he thinks it proper you should die now, why is it not beft for you? Shall you not escape by it innumerable unknown temptations and hazards to your foul, and be fafe and happy for ever? Humility bids you pray against 3 Y 2 fudden Ads ii. I, 2. § Rev. xx. 11. + Acts iv. 31. Acts xvi. 25, &c. fudden death: but refignation bids you receive it very con tentedly, if after all God chooses it for you. In the most important fenfe, no death is fudden, for which you are prepared; and good perfons are prepared always. But perhaps this kind of vifitation alarms you, not merely as a dangerous one, but as a token that God is angry. And he is fo; but with whom? Not with the good. Or if he be, it is only a fatherly displeasure that we do not become better. And is not any way of fhewing that infinitely kinder than leaving us unreproved, and letting us grow worse? If then you perceive yourselves to have been falling into fin or negligence, be thankful for fo timely a warning, and reform. But if you do not, or if you have rectified your course, for the honour of religion be of good courage. Keep far, indeed, from levity of heart, fpeech and behaviour, especially in reJation to a providence, intended to produce very different effects; but still maintain and exprefs a peaceful, a cheerful compofure; nor let it once be said, that you were in the greatest fear, who have caufe for none, while they were in none, who have caufe for the greatest. Yet if you cannot help this, confider it only as a very pardonable weakness in yourselves; and inftead of entertaining even a momentary thought of envying them, recollect with tender pity, how fwift the hour of that inconceivably more terrible shock is coming upon them, which the words of St. John describe ia fo awaking a manner. And I beheld, and lọ there was a great earthquake: and the fun became black as fackcloth, and the moon became as blood, and the ftars fell unto the earth, and the heaven departed as a feroll, when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island were removed out of their place. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich and the mighty, and every bond-man, and every free-man, bid themfelves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, and faid to the mountains and the rocks, Fall on us, and bide us from the face of him that fitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of his wrath is come, and whe fall be able to ftand*? If you defire to be able, your only way is, to obey his commands during life, who is to deter minę Rev. vi. 12-17, |