happiness; and of being, as far as our influence extends, the favoured inftruments of bringing forward this amazing scheme of glory.

Y 2

..i

III.

If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.-John, xiii. 17.

CONSIDER, firft, the neceffity of knowing these things; and fecondly, the neceffity of doing them.

In every art, trade, or profeffion, we must first know what we are to do, before we can do it. It is fo in religion: but, God be thanked, the knowledge of religion lies in a very narrow compafs. Though it take up time to learn an art, or profeffion, yet the lowest amongst us may easily obtain fufficient knowledge of religion, for all the purposes of life.

The great difficulty lies in the fecond point we are to confider-not in knowing these things, but in doing them. In every thing, as well as in religion, practice is the end of knowledge: without it, knowledge is ufelefs. But what is fingular in religious practice, it is the best way of gaining religious knowledge. If you apply every little knowledge you gain, to practice, you

will foon become a greater proficient in religious knowledge, than if you had applied yourself with the greatest attention to the knowledge of it, and left the practice of it out of the question. If any man will do God's will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God.-Befides, we are not fo liable to error in practice, as we are in knowledge. Right and wrong are much clearer ideas, than truth and falsehood. A well-intentioned mind may be led into enthusiasm, or superftition; but cannot so easily be led into wickedness,

IV.

Stand in awe, and fin not.-Pfalm iv. 4, THE occafion, and primary intention of many of the pfalms of David, are uncertain. It is of less moment however, as we may ftill apply to ourfelves the inftructive precepts, and noble strains of piety and devotion, with which they

abound.

The pfalm before us is of this kind. The occafion is obfcure: the inftruction distinct, and manifold. I have chofen the fourth verfe to difcourfe on, Stand in awe, and fin not: from which words I propofe to fhew you the fe veral ways, in which ftanding in awe prevents finning and you may confider, as I go on, in which of these ways you yourselves are restrained,

There are fome people indeed, whose wicked lives fuffer no reftraint-who stand in awe of nothing. Thefe are totally excluded from the idea of the text.

There are others who ftand in some awe-but it is only of the laws of the land. Though they have no fear of God before their eyes, they

ftand

ftand dreadfully in awe of profecutions and imprisonments; and differ only from the others in poffeffing less hardinefs of temper.

Others again have ftill a little more to say for themselves, and but a little. They are under no temptation of committing open acts of violence, and therefore want no reftraint of law. But they stand greatly in awe of the opinion of the world. Their character is their idol ; and through an attention to this, they refrain from many wrong actions, which draw upon them the contempt of mankind. Thus, without any sense of religion, they affume the appearance of decent moral men. Religion indeed we expect not from them; but their motive is fo bad, that even their morality is worth little.

There is another fet of men, who have more religion than any of the former-for they have religion enough to be afraid of damnation; though not enough to take the proper steps to avoid it. They live in a continued ftrife, between confcience, and indulgence. There is fomething like religion here. It occafions a ftruggle. How that struggle may end, is yet to be feen; at prefent, as it does not lead them to act on a right motive, it is of little value.