ment; - and to choose the laws he would be bound to observe in testimony of his faith ; — it were impossible for him to make any proposals which, upon all accounts, should be more advantageous to his interests than those very conditions to which we are already obliged; that is, to deny ourselves ungodliness, to live soberly and righteously in this present life, and lay such restraints upon our appetites as for the honour of human nature, the improvement of our happiness, -our health, our peace, our reputation and safety. When one considers this representation of the temporal inducements of christianity, — and compares it with the difficulties and discouragements which they encountered who first made profession of a persecuted and hated religion;

at the same time that it raises the idea of the fortitude and sanctity of these holy men, of whom the world is not worthy, it sadly diminishes that of ourselves, which, though it has all the blessings of this life apparently on its side to support it, - yet can scarce be kept alive; — and if we may form a judgment from the little stock of religion which is left, should GOD ever exact the same trials, unless we greatly alter for the better, or

there should prove some secret charm in persecution, which we know not of. It is much to be doubted, if the son of man should make this proof, of this generation, - whether there would be found faith upon the earth.

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As this argument may convince us, — so let it shame us unto virtue, that the admirable examples of those holy men may not be left us, or commemorated by us, to no end; — but rather that they may answer the pious purpose of their institution, — to conform our lives to theirs, that with them we may be partakers of a glorious inheritance, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

SERMON XXXVII

PENANCES

And his commandments are not grievous. 1 JOHN V. 3.

No, they

O, they are not grievous, my dear auditors.- - Amongst the many preju

dices which at one time or other have been conceived against our holy religion, there is scarce any one which has done more dishonour to christianity, or which has been more opposite to the spirit of the gospel, than this, in express contradiction to the words of the text, "That the commandments of GoD are grievous." That the way which leads to life is not only strait, for that our Saviour tells us, and that with much tribulation we shall seek it; but that christians are bound to make the worst of it, and tread it barefoot upon thorns and briers, if ever they expect to arrive happily at their journey's end. And in course, — during this disastrous pilgrimage, it is our duty so to renounce the world, and

abstract ourselves from it, as neither to interfere with its interests, or taste any of the pleasures, or any of the enjoyments of this life.

Nor has this been confined merely to speculation, but has frequently been extended to practice, as is plain, not only from the lives of many legendary saints and hermits, whose chief commendation seems to have been, "That they fled unnaturally from all commerce with their fellow-creatures, and then mortified, and piously -half-starved themselves to death;" but likewise from the many austere and fantastic orders which we see in the Romish church, which have all owed their origin and establishment to the same idle and extravagant opinion.

Nor is it to be doubted, but the affectation of something like it in our Methodists, when they descant upon the necessity of alienating themselves from the world, and selling all that they have, is not to be ascribed to the same mistaken enthusiastic principle, which would cast so black a shade upon religion, as if the kind Author of it had created us on purpose to go mourning, all our lives long, in sackcloth and ashes, and sent us into the world,

as so many saint-errants, in quest of adventures full of sorrow and affliction.

Strange force of enthusiasm! — and yet not altogether unaccountable. — For what opinion was there ever so odd, or action so extravagant, which has not, at one time or other, been produced by ignorance, — conceit, melancholy; - a mixture of devotion, with an ill concurrence of air and diet, operating together in the same person. When the minds of men happen to be thus unfortunately prepared, whatever groundless doctrine rises up, and settles itself strongly upon their fancies, has generally the ill-luck to be interpreted as an illumination from the spirit of GOD; - and whatever strange action they find in themselves a strong inclination to do, that impulse is concluded to be a call from heaven; and consequently, that they cannot err in

executing it.

If this, or some sucn account, was not to be admitted, how is it possible to be conceived that christianity, which breathed out nothing but peace and comfort to mankind, which professedly took off the severities of the Jewish law, and was given us in the spirit of meekness, to ease our shoulders of a burden which was