day, and by not laying them to heart. They come, indeed, to the church; and they hear the fcriptures read to them; they hear what God commands, and what he requires of them; they are put in mind of what must certainly come hereafter, of death, of judgment, of heaven, and of hell; and yet they return home as little affected, as if these things were not true, or as if they did not at all concern them. And what is the confequence of this? Why, they are called Chriftians, though they do not the things which Chrift hath commanded them. They hope for falvation without being converted; and under this delufion they die, and go into eternity.

To prevent this deftructive confequence, our Lord has given this following strict charge to all his followers: TAKE HEED HOW YE HEàr. Take heed, for your falvation depends upon it, that you remember, and make good ufe of, what you hear: FOR WHOSOEVER HATH, that is, hath benefited by what he hath already heard, God will increase his knowledge and his graces: BUT WHOSOEVER HATH NOT, that is, have not minded what they have heard, or have not profited by it; fuch are unworthy of more favours, and, by a juft judgment of God, will be deprived of the knowledge and graces which they seemed to have.

Take heed, therefore, how you hear; that is, whether you come prepared to hear with a ferious, teachable temper; with a purpose to learn your duty, and to practise what you hear.

Take

Take heed how you hear:--And that you hear those only who, by the order and providence of God, are appointed to inftruct you. Never fure was more need of this caution. <c Many deceivers," faith the Apostle, "are entered into the world," many lewd, profane, and antichriftian books; many agents of Satan, and feducing fpirits; and therefore beware and avoid them as you love your fouls.

Laftly; Take heed how your bear. Remember whose Minifters you hear, whofe word, whofe commands, whofe promises, whose threatenings, you hear. They are not the words of man, but the word of God, delivered by his own Son, confirmed by miracles, and reported to you by his own minifters.

It may be, you may imagine, that you know your duty as well as the preacher who is appointed to instruct you. Be it fo. But remember, that whatever his talents and yours may be, he is a minifter of God to you for good, if you hear and obey his godly admonitions. And remember too, that the most eloquent, learned man on earth cannot edify you without God's bleffing. And lastly, that God has made, and can make, his word, out of the mouth of the meanest of his minifters, effectual for the converfion of those that hear them with reverence.

Well then, whoever hopes to benefit by hearing, must come with humility, and a teachable temper of mind; muft refolve to receive instruction, reproof, and advice, as coming from God; and must strive to remember what he hears.

It

It will startle you, and I hope will affect your hearts, to hear the true reason why the generality of people do not profit by fermons, and by the word of God read to them. It is not I, but Jefus Chrift, who tells you, that the feed is the word of God; that thofe by the way-fide are they that hear. Then cometh the devil; obferve that, then cometh the devil, and taketh the word out of their hearts, left they should believe and be faved.

You fee who it is that tempts you to fit down with indifference, when the word of God is read or fpoken; who it is that fuggests to your mind other matters, when you fhould be attending to the things which concern your fouls: you hear from Chrift himself, that it is the devil, and that the end thereof is damnation. Let this dreadful truth, I befeech you, oblige you at this time, and at all times, to hearken with attention to the word of God. And remember what our Lord faid to those that heard his word, and would not mind it: "It fhall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for you."

It behoves you therefore, as ever you hope to escape this dreadful judgment; it concerns you, I fay, to come to church with a teachable temper, with a fincere defire, whether to learn, or to be put in mind of your duty. It concerns you to hear with an humble, attentive mind, and with a full purpose of heart to order your life accordingly; and then the word you hear will become indeed, what St. Paul calls it, the word of falvation to every one that believeth.

And

And that you may always attend to what is written in the gospel with the greatest regard, and affurance of being true and certain, take notice of and remember what was declared by GOD himself in a voice from heaven, This my beloved Son, hear ye bim!

is

It is not a poor, ignorant creature, as I am, who tells you what you must do to be faved-what you must do to escape éternal mifery; but it is the Son of God himself, fent from heaven for this very end-to fhew unto us the way to life everlasting. It is him you hear, when you hear his word; and it is him you difregard, when you mind not what is faid to you by his minifters.

But then, because it is not fufficient for a man to hear the truths of the gospel, unless through the grace of God he applies them to himself, and confiders how much he himself is concerned in them, and that otherwife he will be little the better for hearing the word read or preached; I will therefore fhew you how the most plain and unlearned Chriftian may and ought to apply the things he hears every one to himself, and put them in practice. I will also fhew you, how the truths you hear may always fuggeft to your minds fuitable petitions, in order to obtain the grace of God, without which all you hear, all you know, will fignify nothing towards your falvation.

For example:-Suppofe the fermon you heard was concerning THE DANGER OF INCONSIDERATION, or the fad effect of that

little care and concern which the generality of Chriftians have for their falvation.

Such a serious fubject, if you minded it, muft needs affect you; and you will be apt to fay within yourself, I fee plainly, that if I pass my days in a wretched, negligent manner, 'without taking care of my foul, without confidering what will come hereafter, whether I ⚫ think of it or not, I can expect nothing when • I die but mifery everlasting. I fee plainly, ' that I must not fatisfy myfelf with the bare name of being a Chriftian, without confidering what the Christian religion requires of me. If I do fo, I fhall be dealt with worse ⚫ than an heathen. God himself has declared, ⚫ that great will be the punishment of wicked men; and great the reward, great the happiness, of fuch as fear to offend him, of fuch as are careful to obey his commands. And 'fhall not this awaken me? Shall I go on and ' live as if no harm would follow? Will not < inconfideration ruin me, as well as if I were guilty of the greatest crimes? I take all poffible care of my worldly concerns, and to • avoid temporal evils; and fhall I not be con'cerned for evils that will last for ever? It is 'true I fee others as little concerned as I am myfelf; but will this be any comfort to me, if we are all miferable at the last?

<

'I fhould be astonished to hear a man say, that he does not believe one word of the Gospel: and yet it is plain, it will be the fame thing in the end with those that have not believed

one