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and by fobriety and temperance in our conduct towards ourselves. These the gospel of Christ teaches us with great care. It teaches us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lufts, we should live foberly, righteously and godly in this prefent world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God; and our Saviour Jefus Chrift.

Those duties are called well-doing, because in a confcientious obfervance of them we do well; we comply. with the approving will of God. But, though this phrase may be taken in this large extent, the connection of our text with the preceding part of the chapter, would seem to point us to fome particular duties, as more especially defigned by the term; thofe that have for their more immediate object the happiness of our fellowcreatures: Such as mutual love and forbearance one towards another; compaffion to the diftreffed; humility of deportment and acts of beneficence to all. The Apostle also appears to have an eye to thofe duties, which more immediately tend to the advancement of the cause of God in the world; particularly the fupport of the gospel of Chrift. Thus in the fixth verfe of our context: Let bim, that is taught in the word, communicate unto him that teacbeth in all good things. And it is not improbable but that the Apostle may diftinguish thefe duties by the title of well-doing, because of their influence on the or der and happiness of society, and the particular honour they reflect upon the religion of the Divine Redeemer.

The weariness in well-doing, against which we are here guarded, ordinarily begins in the lofs of that relish for Divine things, and that pleasure in the ways of God, which the perfon may have had in days past.

In proportion as we take pleafure in any duty, we are guarded against being weary in it. And this want of

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relish for the ways of God, flows from the lofs of those views of Divine things, with which he may have been bleft in the preceding course of his life.

The native confequence of this is, the frequent omiffion of the duties of religion.

Thus, when the person who has accustomed himself to fecret or family prayer, frequently neglects these great duties, he has become weary in well-doing. And thus the man who has been wont to attend the public ordinances of God's worship, and contribute to their fupport,. when he becomes negligent of them, when every trifle will keep him from the house of God, or ferve as an excufe for his refufing to support the Gospel, he is weary in well-doing. Or fuppofe a person who has given himself away to God at his holy table, to become negligent of this ordinance, and repeatedly omit an attendance upon it, that perfon hereby fhews he is weary in well-doing. God holds fuch conduct as a practical contempt of him, his Christ, and his Gofpel, whatever thofe guilty may think of it. This alfo is the cafe of the man who relaxes in the practice of any virtue, especially if it be a virtue in which he may have ftudied to excel in days paft. And it is eminently the cafe of the man, who is lefs careful to be useful than once he was, by filling up the duties of the station which God has affigned him in life. In a word, the allowed omiffion of any known duty to God or man, especially the frequent omiflion of it, is an evidence of being weary in well-doing, too decided to admit of a doubt.

The like may be faid of the perfon who renounces the great doctrines of the Gofpel, and either embraces those errors which corrupt their fimplicity, and defeat their ef ficacy, or discarding all religion, avows the principles of infidelity. This prepares the way for that profaneness in

life,

life, which but too frequently follows upon fuch apoftacy from the truth. The man who having made a profes fion of religion, and had in fome measure efcaped from the pollutions of the world, when he affociates with the profane; drinks with the drunkard; throws off the restraints which were wont to guard his lips from impious language; indulges to the gratifying his criminal paffions; prostitutes holy time to the purposes of worldly business or amusements; and indulges himself in any fpecies of iniquity, be it what it may, that man gives the most fatal evidence of his being weary in well-doing. This is, in the fullest sense of the term, having put his hand to the plough, to look back, and therefore, he is not fit for the kingdom of God. Thus much, briefly, for the nature of the evil against which we are guarded in the text. And you fee from what has been faid, there are feveral degrees in it; against the lowest of which we are carefully to guard. Which leads us to enquire,

II. Why we should guard against being thus weary in well-doing, and pursue the contrary line of conduct. 1. Because this evil, as defcribed, is a fatal fymptom of an unregenerate state.

True grace is a living principle, and wherever it is found in the heart, it always tends towards perfection. Thus we read, that the path of the juft is as the fhining light, that fhineth more and more unto the perfect day. I do not mean to tell you, that true grace does not admit of decays, that God's people may not decline far from their former life, and activity in the ways of holiness, or that they may not fall into fin, to the great dishonour of their profeflion.

We have many melancholy evidences that this may be the cafe. Witness a Jofeph fwearing by the life of Pharoah; a David, in the cafe of Bathsheba and Uriah; a So

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lomon, in turning afide after strange gods, when he had grown old; a Peter, in denying his Lord; with others on facred record.

And have no inftances of this kind fallen under your own obfervation? Therefore, though the firft degrees of weariness in well-doing, do not certainly evidence the want of grace in the heart, yet the last do; and the first fuggeft just cause of fear that the heart may not be right with God; and if they be indulged and perfifted in, they affuredly evince the person to be in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. For though the true believer suffers his decays in grace, he has his times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord; and though he may fall into fin by the strength of his internal corruptions, or the power of temptation; yet he rifes again, repents of his iniquity, and doubles his watch; as you may fee in the feveral cafes I have just mentioned.

Would you then, my brethren, affure yourselves of the truth of grace in your hearts; would you make your calling and election fure, fee that you guard against this evil in all its feveral ftages. For even where the truth of grace is, yet in proportion as you grow weary in welldoing, and that in the lowest degree, the evidences of your grace diminish, and you lofe the comforts of the Divine life.

2. Those who grow weary in well-doing, fo as to forfake the ways of practical godliness, lofe all their former labour and pains in religion. It is not enough that we begin in the ways of God, that we fet out in the paths of piety, but we must perfevere in them ;-we must endure to the end; for he alone that shall endure to the end, the fame fhall be faved. And our Lord affures us, that no man having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. And God himself elfe where

elsewhere declares, that if any man draw back, my foul fball have no pleasure in him. To the fame purpose you read, Ezek. xviii. 24. But when the righteous túrneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, fhall be live? All his righteousness that he hath done fhall not be mentioned: In bis trefpafs that be bath trefpaffed, and in his fin that he hath finned, in them shall he die. And is there no backflider in heart and way in my audience this day?-None who, having begun in the Spirit, are now ending in the flesh? See the folly of your conduct, and attend to that awful threatening: The backflider in heart shall be filled with his own ways. And this is juft; for your conduct, while it brings affured ruin upon yourselves, highly reflects on the honour of God, as a Master.

The language of your conduct is, that you have tried his service, and found by experience, that it is unjust, impracticable, or destructive of your comfort. But can there be a representation of God and his ways more falfe in itself, or dishonourable to the Supreme Jehovah?

3. We ought not to grow weary in well-doing, for God is not weary in doing good to us. He not only gave us our being, but he holds our fouls in life. By his vifitation alone we are preferved. In him we live and move; by him we are fed, and clothed, and preserved. He daily loadeth us with his benefits. He giveth us richly all things to enjoy. In a word, he is a God full of com paffion and gracious; long-fuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. Nor are these mercies purely of a temporal nature; they not only supply the wants of our bodies, and provide for our comfortable accommodation in life; but they provide for the comforts, the holiness, and

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