only? But what fays God? fee James ii. 10. Whofoever fball keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, i. e. knowingly and willingly allow himself in the leaft fin, is guilty of all, and lies under the whole curfe of the broken law of God. Do you prefume on God's being a merciful God? Ay, but remember that he is a juft God too, and has declared in his word, that he will by no means clear the guilty, Exod. xxxiv. 7. Are you fure there needs not fo much stir about religion, and fo much ado to get to heaven, as fome people make? But what fays God? Work out your falvation with fear and trembling, Phil, ii. 12. Strive to enter in at the ftrait gate: for many, I say unto you, will feek to enter in and fhall not be able, Luke xiii. 24. And if the righteous fcarcely be faved, where fhall the ungodly and finner appear ? 1 Pet. iv. 18. And now, which will you believe? on whofe word will you venture your immortal fouls? God's or man's. If God is to be believed, if his word may be credited, it is neceffary, it is moft abfolutely neceffary to your future falvation and happiness, that you make it the bufinefs of your prefent life to ferve the Lord.

I will only add farther, under this head, that as the practical ferving of God is neceffary to your happinefs, fo it is a fure and certain means of obtaining happiness: for God has eftablifhed an infallible connection betwixt the duty which he requires, and the

happiness which he promises. True practical religion is, certainly, a great means of happiness, even in this prefent imperfect life and world; fo the Apostle Paul, and many others of the primitive chriftians found it, and could teftify; as in 2 Cor. i. 12. Our rejoicing is this, the teftimony of our confcience, that in fimplicity and godly fincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our converfation in the world. And there is no rejoicing in the world like it; no feaft fo pleasant as a good confcience, and a heart fill'd and inHam'd with a fenfe of divine love. Again, this fervice will ease a dying bed, and will probably fill the last hours of the faint, which, are fo terrible to nature, with great comfort and joy. The chriftian, that can look back from a dying bed on a life of devotedness and fervice to God, needs not be affraid of dying. He may very well encourage his foul againit his natural fears, as an aged faint formerly is faid to have done, when he lay a dying, and found in himself fome fears and fome reluctancy to the awful feparation; he hearten'd up his own foul with fome fuch words as thefe. "Go forth, my foul, go forth, what art thou "fo much affraid of? thou haft been ferving Chrift these three score and ten years, "and art thou now affraid to go and meet "him?" Above all, fuch a ferving of God, as have before described, is a fure way to heaven, and a certain means of eternal bleffednets.

I

Thofe

Thofe that have been good and faithful fervants here, fhall affuredly enter into their masters joy hereafter. Chrift, who has purchased and prepared heaven for them, has promised it to them; and he will fhortly cleanse them from all their remaining imperfections, and prefent them faultless before the prefence of his glory with exceeding joy. He will make them, and present them as worthy of his Father's prefence and love, and worthy of feats and thrones in that everlasting kingdom of glory.

Thus I have confidered the reafons for making fuch a refolution and choice as Joshua did, that let others do what they would, yet he would ferve the Lord.

I would now, for an application of the whole, earnestly recommend this good refolution to all of you, and efpecially to young perfons: I would not only propofe it, but I would perfuade and intreat them, that they would chufe the Lord for their God; and that before all other business, they would refolve to make it the business of their lives to ferve the Lord.

Here I will take the liberty to fpeak particularly to two forts of young perfons.

First, To the children of wicked parents. The text very naturally hints an address to you, Chufe you whom you will ferve, whether the gods which your fathers ferved, &c. If there are any of you whofe fathers ferved the world and the flesh, and who lived without God in

their families, without the worship and fear of God, but all they minded was making provision for the flesh, and heaping up wealth h; am I fpeaking to any children of fuch parents? I can't fpeak of you, or to you, but with great compaffion; I am forry. that you have miffed fo many advantages for religion and happiness, which others have enjoy'd: you have miffed of the great bleffing of a pious education, whereby a foundation has been early laid in many a foul of everlasting bleffednefs. I pity you, for I am afraid that you will ferve the fame gods which your fathers ferved, and fo be undone for ever. I fear that you have not thofe checks of confcience to restrain you from fin, which the children of holy parents more commonly have. You have been train'd up in a woful neglect of God and your fouls; and 'tis much to be fear'd, that your future lives will anfwer to your unhappy education; for most commonly it is fo, but yet not always: as fome of the children of godly parents prove wicked and vile, fo there are fome good children of wicked parents: as grace does not run in the blood, and come to any by inheritance, fo neither is it abfolutely prevented by the wickedness of ancestors. You are to chufe for yourselves, and if you chuse aright, then, whatever your parents were, you may be accepted of God and be happy for ever. Chufe you then for yourselves whom you will ferve, whether

the

the world and the flesh, which your fathers ferved, or that God who made you, and who can make you happy for ever. Shall a family all perish from one generation to another? No, let there be at least one heir of heaven in your line. In this you should be ambitious to cross the strain, what ever oppofition you may meet with from your nearest relations on that account: that honour and respect which is due even to your parents, must have no place here, fo as to hinder you from refolving for God and heaven: father and mother, and bretheren, and fifters, must all be forfaken for Chrift and falvation. O how happy would it be might you be the inftruments of faving the fouls of any of your dear relations; however do you refolve not to perish with them if they will ferve the world and the flesh ftill, and gratify the Devil ftill, do you be wife for yourfelves, and bravely refolve that you will ferve the Lord.

Secondly, I would speak a word also to the children of pious and holy parents. And I would addrefs to them, and advise them in thofe words of Solomon, Prov. xxvii. 10. Thine own friend, and thy father's friend forsake not. Don't turn your backs on your own Creator, and your parent's God, nor ftrike hands with the grand enemy of your father's houfe. 'Tis often mention'd in fcripture, as a mighty aggravation of mens fins, that they forfook the God of their fathers; and let me tell you;

that