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ture, what a glorious assemblage of additional arguments to this duty arise from the consideration of those endearing relations in which he stands to us, and the benefits he has conferred upon us. And here, the first that strikes us, is being itself, the primary, the fundamental blessing: that "we live, and move, and have our be"ing," we owe to infinite power and wisdom; that this being is in any degree comfortable, we ought to ascribe to the boundless goodness of our heavenly Father. But mere existence is far from being the whole of what we have to be thankful for. I can only at present barely mention a few particulars, without any illustration: such as the superior rank we hold in the creation, raised so highly above the other creatures which inhabit this world, being made "wiser than the "beasts of the earth, and endued with more un"derstanding than the fowls of heaven." Again, what is no less a blessing for its being common, we are not only endued with the forms of men, but likewise with the continued exercise of reason, which, alas! we are but too little sensible of a manifest proof of the depravity of reason. The great value of this blessing can never be duly understood, but by comparing it with a contrary situation. How many of our species, by nature or accident, have been reduced to a condition so

deplorable, that it might be justly said of them, better for them that they had never been born; but we, all of us at least who are capable of attending to what I am now endeavouring to represent, are, blessed be the Father of Mercies, in a situation infinitely more comfortable; we know what is conducive to our happiness, we are able to judge what is for our interest, what we ought to pursue, and what to avoid; we can clearly discern wherein our chief good consists, and the way that leadeth to it. Further, the continued bounties of providence to us, ungrateful, undeserv¬ ing, and disobedient, loudly call for our warmest acknowledgments:-Can we see and feel omnipotence daily, continually employed in our preservation, defending us against every danger, and supplying every want, when we have the highest reason to expect it should be armed with vengeance and fiery indignation for our utter destruction? can we unmoved behold such a display of the most amazing goodness? Alas! the stupidity of ungrateful man, we observe, we regard none of those things. "God is not in all "our thoughts," his very mercy and goodness towards us are too often abused by us to the utter neglect of the author of them.-But what most loudly calls for the gratefullest and most affectionate expressions of our hearts and lips, is

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that incomprehensible instance of the divine love in the redemption of the guilty lost race of Adam, by Jesus Christ, God's own eternal son. To those who are acquainted with the gospel. dispensation, and such, I trust, are all within these walls, all I shall say is, that if they are able to stand out against the mercy and loving kindness therein expressed, their own consciences cannot but acquiesce in their condemnation. What could be done for us, that God has not already done? if this instance of goodness is scorned, mercy itself, even the divine mercy, can do no more; and what must be the misery of that man, whom eternal justice cannot but condemn, and whose stinging reflections must reproach with having obstinately rejected the highest offers of goodness which even God could make?" For if "we sin wilfully after that we have received the "knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no

more sacrifice for sins*." If we would know, therefore, the way to maintain" a conscience void "of offence toward God," it is to live under the power and influence of religion, or, in other words, from a sense of the number and greatness of the benefits conferred upon us by God, to have our hearts filled with the most ardent feelings of affection and gratitude towards him,

* Heb. x. 26,

which will naturally express themselves in an universal and unreserved obedience to all his commandments-for this is always the genuine and most undoubted proof of love. It is ever the nature of real affection to pay an unlimited regard to the pleasure of the beloved object, by carefully avoiding what is likely to offend, and constantly pursuing what may procure satisfaction; and even pain incurred in such a cause is far from being disagreeable-but with the love of God, our own self interest is likewise strictly connected, nay it is the very sum and substance of our happiness, for " in the keeping of "God's commandments is great reward." When the apostle therefore says, " he exercised himself "constantly to have a conscience void of offence "toward God," he means that it was the business of his heart and life, his chief study and aim, to do what was well pleasing in his sight, to live to his praise and glory.

Again, to have "a conscience void of offence "toward men," is to live in the habitual practice of those duties which we owe to one another, according to the different circumstances and relations in which we stand to one another, which duties, together with those we owe to our Maker, which have been already mentioned, comprehend the

whole of a christian's duty, and are summed up by the great author of the religion which we profess in a very few words: "Thou shalt love the "Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all

thy soul, and with all thy mind: this is the "first and great commandment. And the se"cond is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neigh"bour as thyself. On these two commandments

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hang all the law and the prophets." It were endless to recount all the particulars contained under this head; we are generally well acquainted with them, at least we ought to be so in case we should ever find ourselves at a loss, our Saviour has given us a short, plain, and unerring rule to direct us herein: "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye

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even so unto them." We are naturally partial to ourselves, we are very much disposed to believe that we have more good, and fewer bad qualities than is really the case; this rule of our divine Master will teach us then to examine the conduct of our fellow men in the mirror of selflove, which never fails to extenuate blemishes and enhance excellencies; it will likewise teach us, that as we stand in need of the assistance of others in order to our well-being in life, so we are bound to contribute all in our power to the *Matt. xxii. 37, 38, 39, 40. G

VOL. II.

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