I cannot help, also, upon this occafion, putting you in mind of the neglected duty of worshipping God in your families. These smaller societies, in which the members are connected by the strongeft ties, and stand in the nearest and most endearing relations to one another, how proper are they for the joint worship of God? and how great is the fin of neglecting it? How can you expect any thing else, but either an angry providence, or hardening and lupifying profperity, which is infinitely worse, unlefs you call on the name of God? whereas, by mingling your voices in his praifes on earth, you prepare yourselves for his service in heaven. I cannot ge through all the excuses offered for this neglect; but wo fhall be to that man, who is too bufy, too proud, or too modeft, to worship, in his family, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, who made him by his power, and upholds him by his providence.

In the third place, Let me improve this fubject for the trial of those whose state is more doubtful. How ever many open enemies there are to religion in these days, it is to be lamented, that there are many alfo, who continue their attendance upon the ordinances of God, but in a cold and formal manner, and refting upon the form, without the power, lay themselves afleep in security. Bring yourselves to the teft, then, and fuffer confcience to discover the truth, however painful and mortifying. Is there any of you, who has heard of the employment of the faints above, as confifting in the fervice of God, who are not able to conceive the happiness or delight of fuch work? Is there anyamong you, who weary of the service of God, not from

weakness of body, but from averfion of mind, who, im mediately after, return to the world, and its enjoyments, with eagerness, and lightness of mind, like a bullock, when he is loofed from the yoke ? Such have good reason to suspect their condition, and to fear, that they are unrenewed in heart. But, I hope, there are not a few, who, from their heart, call the Sabbath, a delight, the holy of the Lord, and honourable; who esteem a day in God's courts better than a thousand;' whose highest joy it is, to have their hearts captivated with his love, and their affections enlarged in his praise; and whose indifpofition often to this work, by floth or worldliness of mind, is their greatest grief. Such, my brethren, have good reason to look forward to that happy time, when they shall serve him with unwearied vigour and alacrity; and shall behold the finile of his countenance without one mortifying frown.

In the fourth place, I would improve this fubject for the consolation of the afflicted. The hope of glory is the true and proper fource of confolation; whether your forrow arifes from fuffering, or from fin; for both these shall be perfect strangers to the happy abode of the faints above. If you are under the anxiety of worldly care, the oppreffion and reproach of the ungodly, the attacks of fickness, the gradual loofening of the pins of this feeble tottering frame; if these weaken the strength, and mar the melody of your present songs, and compel you to mix your praises with groans, remember, that, in a short time, these complaints will be at an end, the harps of God will be given you, and skill to handle them. If a

:

sense of inherent corruption, if grief for an absent or an angry God, make your hands to hang down, exert the hope of being made not only perfectly happy, but perfectly holy, and serving him day and night in his temple.

This leads me, in the last place, To direct you, to improve this subject for animating your present devotion. Nothing is more proper for this purpose, than the lively hope, or rather anticipation of the heavenly employment. Let us overcome our prefent sloth, by entering, in faith and hope, within the vail, and confidering how we shall then praise him: then there shall be no wandering thought, no cold heart, no faultering tongue, no flagging spirits. And, as without all question, fome are here present, not a few, I would charitably hope, who shall enter into that temple of the living God; so we know not how foon any of us may be sent for, to leave this worldly sanctuary, to be above the use of present ordinances, and to join the innumerable company about the throne. In the profpect of this, Pfal. cxlix. 1, 2. -Let us fing unto the Lord a new fong, and his praife in the congregation of faints. Let Ifrael re * joice in him that made him; let the children of • Zion be joyful in their King. Amen.

:

Ministerial fidelity in declaring the whole counsel of God.

ACTS xx. 26, 27.

:

Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men: for I have not Sounned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

MY BRETHREN,

HESE words are a

:

part of the apostle Paul's

T
discourse to the elders of Ephefus, when tak-
ing leave of them, under a firm perfuafion, or ra-
ther a certain knowledge, that he would never again
fee them in the body. My present situation, of which
none of you is ignorant, has determined me to the
choice of this passage, as a very proper fubject, from
which I may conclude the exercise of my ministry
among you. I had once occafion, on leaving another
charge, to have taken a formal farewel of a very af-
fectionate people, but had not courage to attempt it.
The circumstances attending the removal, which, if
Providence prevent not, seems now to be at hand,
are fuch as do not lessen, but greatly increase the
difficulty of speaking from fuch a subject. And yet,

in another view, they seemed to urge it so strongly, and to present such an opportunity of being useful, as I durst not wholly decline. Every Christian ought to be an observer of providence. Nothing will more effectually promote his holiness and comfort. And both a minister and his people ought to improve the aspect of providence, when it hath any thing peculiar in it, to their mutual benefit.

Let me therefore intreat you to attend to the following difcourse, with patience and compofure. This request I the rather hope you will comply with, as there is nothing intended that is perfonal, further than must necessarily arise from the subject itself, or be unavoidably fuggested by your own thoughts. I bless God that I have no complaint to make of want of duty, or affection upon your side; neither is it any part of my purpose to justify my own conduct, during the time that I have had the honour and happiness of being entrusted with the ministry of the gospel in this place. I shall therefore only say, that whether I have been able to deliver my own foul, by fidelity in duty, and by purity of principle, I am certain, that very much has been laid to the charge of many of yours. Leaft of all do I intend to endeavour to fatisfy you of the motives which have induced me to accept of a call to a distant part of the world, and, in fome degree, a different employment in the church of Christ. For this, I know that an account must be given, in due time, to a much greater Judge, with whose approbation either the applaufe or cenfure of men are not worthy to be laid in the balance. The single purg