you are a child of GOD, in the midst of a sinful and adulterous generation, and because you have a lively Hope in CHRIST, your are therefore bound both by Christian duty and Christian interest, to go on praying and striving daily after an increase of holiness and pureness of living, an increase of grace, mercy, and peace, increase of likeness to CHRIST, that you may be filled with all the fulness of GOD, and dwell with CHRIST in the fulness of the joy of His Father's House and His Father's Paradise, in the new heavens and new earth; and may enter into your last, best, and perfect state for ever and ever: your Soul everlastingly freed from all Sin, your vile Body everlastingly redeemed from the grave, and delivered from the bondage of corruption, and changed into an incorruptible and spiritual Body, and "made like unto CHRIST'S giorious Body, according to the mighty working, whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself."

SERMON II.

THE POOR WISE MAN.

ECCLESIASTES ix. 13, &c.

This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me: There was a little City, and few men within it: and there came a great King against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it. Now there was found in it a poor wise Man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city yet no man remembered that same poor Man. Then said I, wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor Man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. The words of wise men are heard in quiet, more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.

1. SOLOMON, who wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes, used closely to observe the ways of Mankind and the works of the Almighty, to ponder them in his heart, and lay up sound Wisdom for his Soul,

and the Souls of others. There happened a matter which came under his notice, and from which he seems to have sucked out a great store of sweet Wisdom for his spirit to feed on, and gain strength. "This Wisdom have I seen also under the Sun, (he tells us) and it seemed great unto me." A small town, with few inhabitants, had provoked the anger of a great King. The people were most likely led away by the loud speeches and cunning craftiness of some evil-disposed persons in it. For even in little cities, even in small towns, there are always some who are much more full of words than of wisdom, and are able to do much mischief to the "common people," drawing them on by their "great swelling words of vanity”. to works of riot and rebellion against the laws. It was perhaps some rebellion of this sort which stirred up the wrath of the great King, mentioned in the Text. He came with his multitude of soldiers and weapons from his own

great place, to take vengeance on the "little city" and its "few men." "There was a little city (says Solomon) and few men within it: and there came a great King against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it." He came in earnest. He did not come in sight of those rebels in the little town merely to frighten them. His armies and their swords and spears and arrows were brought out to do the work of punishment and death. His soldiers set themselves round the town to take it by force -for that is the meaning of "besieging" any place. And he builded "bulwarks” against it of a large size which were a kind of castles for his soldiers to dwell in, and fight from, and shoot their arrows out against the town, till it was overcome and destroyed: -as it is written, "Thou shalt build bulwarks against the city that maketh war with thee, until it be subdued." This "great King" did so against the "little city." What hope of victory, what hope even of escape, was

left for the rebels? None. The city itself was "little"-the men within it "few"-the offended king was great, his armies great, his anger great, his bulwarks great. Humanly speaking, all was lost with the "little city." Its "few men" had destroyed themselves through their own foolish rebellion against the "great king." For what were they against so many?-Woe to the rebellious city because of offences!

2. But behold, in the midst of their trouble a deliverance was providentially wrought out for them! In that town was one man, who had not joined in the rebellion of his brethren-he would not be a partaker of their sins-he loved his country and his own city too well to break the king's laws, and bring mischief upon his neighbours. He was a "Wise' Man, as we learn from the Text.

He

feared GOD: for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. No man, whether rich or poor, is "wise" except he fear GOD. Moreover, every truly