salvation; if he make excuses for it, or consider the high privilege of a believer in Christ Jesus as exempting its possessor from that constant self-distrust and holy caution which ought never to forsake us till the hour in which mortality shall be swallowed up of life. It is an important mark of running well, when deep penitence and godly sorrow on account of sin grow in full proportion with every other Christian grace, and are not at all weakened by those brighter views of pardon and forgiveness which are perfectly consistent with the deepest contrition and self-abasement.

2. We do not run well if faith has become weakened, so that we have begun in any measure to lose those vivid impressions of eternal things which once appeared to occupy the mind.—It being the property of faith to reduce the objects of this world to their diminutive size, and to bring those of futurity into full display, faith must necessarily have been diminished, and with it every thing holy and favourable in the character, the moment the world has regained its ascendancy, and the concerns of eternity have lost their power over the heart.

3. Again, we do not run well if our spiritual affections have become cold; if we seem no longer to take delight in religious duties, but find ourselves rather impelled by fear than by love in the discharge of them.-This wavering state

of the character will be evidenced by our no longer joining with cordiality in the society of religious persons; by our shunning the reproach of the Cross of Christ; and by a fear lest we should be esteemed righteous overmuch. Where the spiritual affections are in vigorous exercise, such effects could not possibly have taken place; for it is the property of the affections, when actively excited, to urge us to active, willing zeal, and not to allow of our continually questioning whether we are bound to act up to the obligations of a plain bounden duty.

4. But of all symptoms of ceasing to run well, the loss of Christian humility is one of the most common and dangerous.-When a person becomes spiritually proud and disputatious, thinks that he knows more than all other men in the affairs of religion, neglects the plainer and weightier matters of God's law for difficult speculations, which minister rather to his pride than his edification, there can be little doubt, that, how clear soever may be his creed, and how ardent soever his zeal, he is in reality going back instead of advancing in the ways of God. It matters little in this respect what particular turn spiritual pride may take for whether it draw us, on the one hand, to a cold, speculative, formal system of pharisaism, and dependence upon our own unenlightened reason; or, on the other, to a

scheme rash, lawless, and presumptuous, in which every thing practical is undervalued or neglected, the evidence is equally strong of our having gone back; and the fear is, that unless we become aware of our danger in time, we shall continue to go back even to perdition.

The chief practical conclusion, therefore, to be derived from the text, is the duty of habitual self-examination, with earnest prayer to God who alone can keep us in the paths of faith, holiness, and true true obedience. The tendency towards error, unbelief, coldness of heart, and inconsistency of life, is ever present to us; and no sooner are our faces once turned towards sin and the world, than every thing conspires to urge us on in this downward progress. What daily self-scrutiny, therefore, does it require, what earnest prayer, what unceasing watchfulness; above all, how much of the influences of the Holy Spirit, to preserve us in the right path! We may cease to run well long before we become duly sensible of our own unhappy case. The first deficiencies usually evidence themselves in things which others cannot see: our private devotions become lax and languid; the world and worldliness begin to occupy a larger share of our affections; our conscience becomes less tender, and our hearts less susceptible of religious impressions than was once the case. At the first appearance of such

symptoms-and, if we are duly watchful, we shall readily perceive them as soon as they arise-it becomes us, as we value our souls, to retrace our steps; to come again to the blood of sprinkling, in order that we may be cleansed from an evil heart of unbelief; to pray for the renewed grace of the Holy Spirit; and to avail ourselves of all those means of religious edification which God has mercifully provided to meet our wants. In so doing, we may not only recover the ground we had lost, but, by the blessing of our heavenly Father, become more than ever consistent and exemplary followers of the Redeemer. Thus not only will our own souls be abundantly benefited, but others may be brought to God by our example, and, seeing our good works, learn to glorify our Father which is in heaven. Amen.

40

SERMON IV.

CHRIST'S POVERTY THE CHRISTIAN'S RICHES.

2 COR. viii. 9.

Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

THE Apostle appeals to the Corinthians as to persons well acquainted with the fundamental articles of Christianity;- Ye know: but recollecting the ignorance and carelessness of the human mind, he takes an opportunity, at the same time, of reminding them of what they could not but have already heard. We also, like them, have had ample opportunities of learning the great doctrines that are necessary to salvation: we have even been baptized into the Christian faith; we have professed to fight manfully under the banners of Christ, and to continue his faithful servants and soldiers unto our lives' end; but, alas! how often do we seem wholly unconscious of these things, and treat them as though they were of no importance