and the eternal happiness of our precious fouls. Of this kind is all the rich provision of the Gofpel, with all its ordinances and graces.

O the rich plenty and variety, the Divine profufion, with which Jehovah pours his bleffings, fpiritual and temporal, upon us, and that with all the unremitting care, tenderness and affiduity of a God! It is base ingratitude then for us to be weary in well-doing.

4. We have many bright examples of patience and perseverance in well-doing, to encourage us not to be weary in it. This argument is urged by the Apostle, in this very point of view, in the following words: Wherefore, feeing we also are compaffed about with fo great a cloud of witneffes, let us lay afide every weight, and the fin which doth fo eafily befet us, and let us run with patience the race that is fet before us; looking unto Jefus the author and finisher of our faith. Many have trod this path in every age of the world. It hereby appears to be practicable; and when we are exhorted not to be weary in well-doing, we are only exhorted to be followers of them, who, through faith and patience, inherit the promises. It is a duty in which many have gone before us, and fome of them in circumftances unspeakably more difficult than those in which we are called to it. Witness the many martyrs who have bled and burnt for Chrift in one age and another of the world; but we are not called to refift unto blood, ftriving against fin.

5. There is a glorious reward before us, if we do not grow weary in well-doing. This is the argument urged by the Apostle in our text; for in due feafon we shall reap, if we faint not. This reward is not unfrequently conferred upon the people of God, in fome degree, when they come to lie on a dying bed. Of this nature is that composure of spirit, and that ferenity of mind, which

they often enjoy in that folemn hour. Of this fame kind is that holy triumph over death and the grave, with which many of his people have taken their leave of time.

These arise sometimes from the review of a life humbly devoted to God; at other times, from a sweet sense of his love fhed abroad in their fouls, or it may be from both; but more generally they flow from a lively and a fure hope of everlasting life, through the atonement and interceffion of their divine Redeemer. Thus David, when lying on the verge of time, could fay, Although my boufe be not fo with God, yet he bath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and fure; for this is all my falvation, and all my defire. And have none of you witneffed the triumphs of a dying difciple of Jefus ?

But this reward principally confifts in that glorious immortality, which commences immediately on our depar ture from the body. Then it is the believer's experience demonstrates the truth of that declaration, Verily there is a reward for the righteous. This reward fhall be conferred in part in the refurrection of the juft. All true believers in Jefus fhall then rise in honour and great glory; but this is not all; there will be degrees of honour conferred upon them, according to the nature of the fervices they have done for their Lord in this life. For as there is one glory of the fun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the ftars, and as one star differeth from another star in glory, fo alfo is the refurrection of the dead. It will be no less confpicuous in the judg ment of the great day. Then shall the King fay to them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat; I

was thirfty, and ye gave me drink; I was a ftranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was fick, and ye vifited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then fhall the righteous answer him, faying, Lord, when faw we thee an hungred and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When faw we thee a ftranger, and took thee in? Or naked, and clothed thee? Or when faw we thee fick, or in prifon, and came unto thee? And the King fhall answer, and fay unto them, Verily, I fay unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the leaft of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

This reward will not, indeed, be conferred upon the fcore of merit. Our best services are deeply stained with guilt, and wholly unprofitable to the Moft High; but it will be nevertheless fure. It is rendered fo by the unfailing promife of the God of truth. And whofoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones, a cup of cold water only, in the name of a difciple, verily, I fay unto you, be ball in no wife lofe his reward. It is on this account, that it is represented as an act of righteousness in God, Hebrews vi. 10. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have fbewed towards bis name, in that ye have miniftered to the faints, and do minifter. Nor can any thing more ftrongly evince its certainty, than its being urged as a motive both to obedience and diligence in the ways of God; as in the following words: Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye ftedfft, immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; forafmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. To which we may add the words of our text, Be not weary in well-doing; for in due feason we shall reap, if we faint not.

Again: It will be a full reward.

Never

Never did the most plenteous harvest reward the labours of the husbandman more certainly or fully, than the joys and glories of the future world shall reward the faithful, perfevering and diligent difciples of Jefus. They shall enter into the joy of their Lord: the joy unspeakable and full of glory, which he purchased for them upon the cross, and of which he took poffeffion in their name, when he afcended up on high, and fat down at the righthand of God: And they shall ever be with their Lord.

Once more: This reward will bear fome proportion to our faithfulness and diligence in our Lord's fervice here. It is one evident defign of the parable of the ten pounds, entrusted by their Lord to the ten fervants, to teach us this truth. You have this inftructive parable, Luke xix. from the 13th to the 26th verfe inclufive. And be called bis ten fervants, and delivered them ten pounds, and faid unto them, Occupy till I come. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then be commanded thefe fervants to be called unto him, to whom he bad given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.Then came the firft, faying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he faid unto him, Well, thou good servant ; because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the fecond came, faying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And be faid likewife to him, Be thou alfo over five cities. came, faying, Lord, behold bere is thy pound,

And another which I have kept laid up in a napkin; for I feared thee, because thou art an auftere man: thou takeft up that thou laideft not down, and reapeft that thou didst not fow. And be faid unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked fervant. Thou knewest that I was an auftere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not

fow: wherefore then gaveft not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with ufury? And be faid unto them that flood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that bath ten pounds. And they faid unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds. For I Say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that bath not, even that be bath shall be taken away from him. You will perceive the fums entrufted by their Lord to thefe fervants were the fameto each man one pound; but the improvement is reprefented as different. By one it is tenfold-by another five; and you are carefully to remark, that the difference in the reward is proportioned to the difference in the improvement.

The man who had improved his one pound into ten, was made ruler over ten cities; and the man who had gained five pounds, was made ruler over five cities. Seeing then there is such a glorious reward in fure reserve for us, let us not be weary in well-doing. We have only. to await God's appointed time for the full enjoyment thereof: for our text affures us, that in due feafon we fball reap, if we faint not.

I fhall conclude with the few following directions.

1. As ever you would defire not to be weary in welldoing, beware of floth in the ways of God. This is a fin natural to us; but there are few greater enemies to vital godliness than it is.

2. Beware of venturing on known fin, especially the fin to which you are most inclined. This we are particularly cautioned against in the forecited, Heb. xii. 1. This is what David calls by way of eminence, his iniquity. I kept myself from mine iniquity.

3. Keep