whom is the inexhaustible treasure of good, fhould his hopes reft; to Him, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift, should his fervent fupplications afcend.

It is a great encouragement to this, that "God giveth grace to the humble:" and to him who improveth what he hath, into a motive and ground for grateful devotion, and humble trust, far more excellent gifts will be imparted, and he shall have more abundantly. Thus fhall we have the true enjoyment of every power and bleffing. The talents, received with thankfulness, poffeffed with humility, as at the divine disposal, and confecrated to the honour of GOD, will prepare us for the reception of nobler gifts, and for the grant of more enlarged powers and capacities in that world, where none will envy the fuperiority of others; where each, devoutly satisfied with his own rank and felicity, will generously rejoice in that of others; and where all the inhabitants, from the experience of their present happiness, and the review of the various grants and favours, by the enjoyment of which they were conducted to it, shall look f James iv, 6,

up to the GREAT AUTHOR of all with the inexpreffible emotions of thankfulness, and break forth into one joint afcription of praise to Him, faying, "Not unto us, O LORD! "not unto us, but to THY NAME be the glory. "for thy mercy, and thy truth's fake." Amen.

8 Pf. cxv. I.

SERMON V.

THE DESIGN OF THE GOSPEL HISTORY CON

SIDERED AND IMPROVED.

JOHN XX. 31.

But these are written, that ye might believe that JESUS is the Christ, the Son of GOD; and that believing, ye might have Life through his Name.

E are apt fometimes to wish that

WE

the history of the life of CHRIST had been more full and comprehenfive; that it had conducted us through fome scenes of his ministry, of which it is silent; that it had given us more of the remarkable and weighty fayings which dropt from his lips; that it had recorded fome of his difcourfes, of which it affords only an hint, fuch as his conversation with the disciples going to Emmaus; that it had filled up, what now appear blank and

void spaces in the narrative; and that it had related more of those great works which he performed. We may be ready to think, that had our wishes, in these respects, been anfwered, not only curiofity would have been agreeably indulged, but many important instructions would have been conveyed to us, and ftronger impreffions of the wisdom and power of our Divine Mafter would have been left upon our hearts.

But however pleafing, or even useful, in our conceptions, it would have been to have been furnished with more large and more particular memoirs of the life of CHRIST, the providence of God hath ordered it otherwife. There were, it is evident, very ample materials to have filled volumes on this entertaining and edifying fubject. But it is as evident, that the Evangelists did not mean to say every thing that they could have faid about the works and inftructions of CHRIST. They felected only fuch difcourfes, and facts, as more particularly ftruck their minds, or were adapted to the particular ends of their refpective writings, or occurred to their memory with circumftances which gave them peculiar