experience, even here, such a portion of delight and supporting consolation, in the prospect of further communication of divine life, as will occasion some foretaste of heaven's bliss: such confidence from the virtue of repentance, as will prove our conversion, afford us assurance that our sins are blotted out, through the atonement of our gracious Redeemer, and that we are in good training against the times of refreshing, which shall come from the presence of the Lord, (Acts, iii. 19.) Further, all the exertions of these several inward powers are to be exercised with all our STRENGTH; that is, with a deter mined and continual purpose of pleasing God with all our might, by applying to him in daily prayer-by using fervour in our devotions-by employing every outward means of demonstrating our love to him—and by dedicating our time or talents, our property and every personal testimony of respect and gratitude, to his service, The most usual signs of our being faithful in this particular, are immediately specified in the following instances: "We must worship him, "we must give him thanks, we must put our "whole trust in him, we must call upon him, we "must honour his holy name and his word, and we must serve him truly all the days of our life."

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1. By worshipping God we mean, the paying him the honour of religious rites, performing

such outward acts of adoration to his holy name, as by the commandment of his inspired word, or the appointment of his providence, are established in the places where he has fixed our lot, and which become the bounden duty of all his true servants, both for conscience and example sake. We must be careful, therefore, never to refrain showing him our public homage whenever it is in our power, unless sickness indisposes us, or some important and unavoidable call for his service dispenses with our affording this bounden testimony of our duty.-2. Giving God thanks, is so natural a task, and so delightful in sound, that it should seem needless to use many words to recommend it; but, alas! from the hard and ungrateful heart of man, this is what needs more to be urged than any other duty; we all, the very best, fall grievously short of sufficiently acknowledging the manifold mercies we daily and hourly receive from the divine bounty. Life, health, restoration to health, are all esteemed much lower than their real value: they are too much considered as things of course, and not referred to the disposal of the eternal counsel of the Most High, who numbereth the hairs of our heads, and without whose knowledge not a sparrow falleth to the ground. And if we are unthankful for positive blessings, it is not at all surprising we should be unmindful of the great advantage flowing from

God's various visitations; for, under them we are too apt to be dissatisfied, and entirely to pass over the tender kindness of the hand that appoints them for our good. We have not a sufficient sense, that sickness, afflictions, misfortunes, and neglect of the world, are all so many invaluable medicines presented by the Physician of the soul-we are dead to this just reproach; Why should a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? and still more insensible are we to those sure marks of the divine favour, that the Lord chasteneth whom he loveth, and correcteth every son whom he receiveth. Here are a few among the numberless circumstances for which we are bound to give God thanks; but they afford sad conviction, that must reach all our hearts, in how gross a degree we are guilty of neglect and ingratitude. -3. To call upon God, seems a duty we should be less likely to decline than any other, because here self is so immediately concerned; but how seldom do we perform even this duty as we ought, or even think of doing it! How few of our worldly concerns do we recommend to God's care, though he rules the hearts of men, and directs the course of all things! And if we will not beg his blessing on our temporal affairs, which occupy our whole heart's desire, it is not to be supposed we shall call upon him often for spiritual aid. And why is

there such an universal deficiency of calling upon God among the sons of men? It is for want of faith the generality of people are actually infidels at heart. Our blessed Lord assures us, that, had we faith as a grain of mustard-seed (i. e. ever so small a portion of this invigorating principle), we should experience an increase of power upon our souls, that is inexpressible. He compares it, in compassion to the infirmity of our understanding of divine truths, even to the removing of mountains: and the Apostle St. James declares, there are only two things that prevent our prayers being heard, viz. want of faith, and desiring improper things. Our Saviour gives us a rule by which we may correct this disposition, and fully experience the truth of his valuable promise in this article: Seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be ADDED unto you. Call upon God to turn your will to his will, and nothing needful for your peace and comfort here, shall be denied you; for the Lord knoweth that ye have need of all these things. If we trust all to the management of our own shallow wisdom, it is no wonder our designs do not prosper, and that we are left to mourn over our perverseness and folly. -4. Profound and most becoming respect to God's holy name and word, are such obvious duties to be discharged by all serious persons,

that it will be sufficient to intimate the honour required to be paid them, to convince you, that, in this statement of our duty to God, nothing essential is omitted in this part of our Catechism. There can be no doubt, but the judgments that befal both individuals and whole nations, are frequently inflicted on account of the profane and vain use of the sacred name of the Almighty, and to punish the too general disrespect and abuse of his holy sabbath. By these two enormous transgressions men sin themselves into a most deplorable condition; for the first naturally hardens them from depending upon God, since it is impossible to hope for help from one they so highly offend in an instance so expressly forbidden, and that has not a shadow of temptation to plead for the commission of the crime, but which is ever the effect of downright infidelity or excessive profligacy. And as to the other, by despising the very means of gaining an awful sense of God's majesty, and devout habits of serving him, they provoke the Lord to desert them; and the unavoidable consequence of being left to themselves is, their being hurried down the stream of careless and vicious courses, till they have sinned away their day of grace, and their case becomes truly desperate. In opposition to this foul neglect, the portion of our Catechism on which I am now enlarging,