your hearts, you have reafon to think that you are not hypocrites, but the fincere lovers of Jefus Christ, with what joy may you approach the table of the Lord? What pleasure may you expect to find in this ordinance? For, how delightful must it be, to draw near to God, as a reconciled father and friend in Christ, and to be affured that we are commemorating His love, who died for our offences, and now appears at the right hand of the Majefty in the heavens, as our Interceffor? Let me then prevail with you, to examine yourselves with refpect to this important queftion; and while you are doing fo, look up to God in earnest prayer, that he would search and try you; and enable you, by his grace, to discern what Ipirit you are of. And, that I may give you fome affistance in this examination, I fall just remind you of what has been faid, in describing the character of the hypocrite.

Permit me then to inquire, by what motives you are governed. What is your particular end and intention in partaking of the holy facrament of the Supper? Are you governed merely by cuftom, or brought hither to avoid fingularity? Is it to acquire a name, and to be thought religious; or is it to promote fome worldly, purpofe? If fo, whatever reward you may get from men; you are in fact but diffembling hypocrites, and cannot be accepted of

God.

Is all your religion public? Are you zealous for God and your duty when obferved by man, but indifferent and carelefs about it, when no eye fees you but God and your own confcience? Can you live in the neglect of fecret prayer? or, if you go the round of duties, are you at no pains to engage your heart in them? Do you allow yourfelves in fecret fins, when there is no danger of difcovery, and no fear of forfeiting your reputation? In a word, is it

1

nothing

nothing but the eye of man that awes you from the commiflion of fin? If fo, whatever profeffion you may make of religion, you have the evident fymptoms of hypocrify about you.

Have you an exalted opinion of yourselves, your merit and your attainments? Are you going about to establish your own righteoufnefs, inftead of fub mitting to the righteousness of Chrift? When you pray with fome natural fervour; when you find plea fure in reading or hearing the word; when you acquire a fuperior degree of knowledge in religion, or live with more external decorum than fome others around you; Do these things puff you up with the fond conceit of your own merit or abilities, and make you look down with difdain upon those whofe attainments you regard as inferior to your own? Is it the fecret language of your hearts,-I am not as other men are, or even as this publican? In a word, are you fevere in cenfuring the conduct of others; while in the mean time, you allow yourselves in the omiffion of commanded duty, or the practice of known fin? If this be your temper and fpirit, whatever you pretend, you are nothing in religion; a criminal felf-love is the idol you adore.

Are you fecretly refolved to follow Chrift no longer than is confiftent with your temporal intereft? Do you conduct yourfelves fo cautiously, as to avoid all fufferings for religion? Have you a fecret referve in your breafts, to launch out no farther in the service of God, than to that point, from which you may return with fafety to your lives, eftates, or liberties? This is a plain fign that your hearts are not right with God; nay, fuch refolutions as thefe, fuch finful caution and reserve, are an abomination to him, and evidently fhew, that you are ftill completely destitute of every principle of piety and devotion.

Put thefe queftions, my brethren, to your own confciences. Confult your own experience, and deal S

impartially

impartially with yourselves, as in the fight of God; and if you find, upon ferious reflection, that your hearts are falfe and diffembling, beware of venturing to approach to the table of the Lord; for you will be unwelcome guests there. He will fay to you, Friend, How cameft thou in hither, not having the wedding garment? And instead of receiving advantage by that holy inftitution, you will but eat and drink judgment to yourselves. On this occafion, your proper duty is,

1. To be deeply humbled before God, under the fenfe of the bafenefs of your hypocrify. And in order to this, seriously reflect on the odious nature of that fin. To want holinefs, is criminal enough, but to diffemble, and pretend to it, when you are not really poffeffed of it, is double impiety. To make religion, the most excellent thing in the world, a cover to vice, to ferve the devil under the cloak of a religious profeffion, is a crime of the deepest dye, and the most aggravated demerit.

2. To fly to the mercy of God, by faith, in the blood of Chrift, for obtaining the pardon of your aggravated guilt. For the mercy of God, as revealed in the gospel, is the only refuge of a guilty foul; and whatever you may be, though the very chief of finners, if you are awakened to a serious conviction of your fin and danger, you have no reafon to defpair of relief. There is abundant provifion in the gofpel, both for the cure of your hypocrify, and the pardon of your guilt. There have been finners, whofe guilt has been as great as yours, and who have yet been converted, and forgiven, in the name of the Lord Jefus, and by the Spirit of our God; and these will till be as effectual for your conversion and pardon.

And now, to conclude, let us all beware of hypocrify. Let us remember, that God requireth truth in the inward parts, and that a hypocrite fhall not

come

come before him; that his all-feeing eye is conftantly obferving us, and that, in a little time, we muft ftand before his judgment-feat, where all difguife must be laid afide, and where every one fhall be finally rewarded according to his works.

And in a particular manner, let us who are defigned communicants, lay afide all hypocrify and guile, and draw near with a true heart: For this is in a manner the one thing needful; it is the wedding garment, without which we cannot be welcome guests; and it should attend every part of our work at this. folemnity. Let us then be obedient to our Saviour's dying command, "This do, in remembrance of me;" not with eye-fervice, as men-pleafers; but in finglenefs of heart, as unto Chrift. And let us look up to him, and wait on him, in the diligent use of appointed means, that he may purify and prepare our hearts; that fo, by his bleffing, and the affiftance of his Spirit, we may keep this gofpel-feaft, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, buz with the unleavened bread of fincerity and truth.

SERMON XVI.

ON RELIGIOUS INDIFFERENCE.

Rev. 3. 16.-So then, becaufe thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

I'

NDIFFERENCE about religion, or what is nearly allied to it, fecurity and floth, is a difeafe which appears to be generally prevalent among all ranks of men. There are many who feem perfectly eafy as to the state of their fouls, and the intercfts of religion, provided their corn, wine, and oil, their worldly com forts and pleasures abound. They are, in fpiritual matters, as the men of Laish were in civil, they dwell in a carelefs fecure manner. Nor is this the disease of those in a state of nature only; believers themselves are frequently infected with it: they too become frequently indifferent. In this case, the kindness of their youth, and the love of their efpoufals are confiderably abated; they neglect to cherish and improve the grace of God that is in them; and hence their pious and good difpofitions, for want of exercise, are weak and feeble; their attainments in holiness are not increased, and their lives do not fhine with that bright luftre, which fhould adorn the doctrine of their God and Saviour.

This, we find, was the prevailing character of the church of Laodicea, the moft formal and degenerate

of