loved me, and washed me, and redeemed me from sin, and death, and hell, by his own most precious blood.'

2. Let believers be careful to "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they are called."

Let the sons of Zion be joyful in their king. O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy. If the blessing of corn, and wine, and oil; if health, and peace, and plenty; if deliverance from war, pestilence, or famine; can so affect us, as to draw from us, at least some tempo rary acknowledgment, and some superficial forms of thanksgiving; how carnal must be our minds, how earthly our thoughts, if the contemplation of the riches of God's mercy, in redeeming us from sin and Satan, do not fill our mouths with laughter, and our tongues with praise!"

Let no future dangers terrify you: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you," is your security and defence, in all inward temptations, in all outward distresses, at the hour of death, and at the day of judgment. Depend on his power and faithfulness; think often of your deliverance; look continually to your De liverer; and bid defiance to earth and hell: consider them as vanquished foes; and though at any time they should rally their scattered forces, and seem to make a formidable stand, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might:" he that deli vered you, will protect you from sin and Satan, and every other enemy whatsoever.

Be watchful and circumspect. You are delivered

from prison indeed, but you are still in an enemy's country; surrounded on every side with those that lie in wait to deceive, or seek an opportunity to

devour you. Let your enemies teach you to be vigilant. "Let not him that girdeth on the harness, be as those that put it off:" on watchfulness and prayer depend your safety. And when you are praying for yourselves, do not be unmindful of those who are yet prisoners and slaves. It were cruel, it were unnatural, to see our friends carried captive by Satan, and fast bound by the fetters of iniquity, and not endeavour their rescue. Being insensible of their danger, they may perhaps ill requite your faithful friendship; look upon this, however, as the ravings of a delirium; let it provoke your pity rather than your resentment; and renew your counsels and prayers, since "he that turneth a sinner from his ways, shall save a soul from death, and hide a multitude of sins."

Think nothing too much to do, or to suffer, for Him, who, at the expence of his life, has rescued you from death and destruction. Being delivered out of the hand of your enemies, you can do no less than serve him in holiness and righteousness all the days of your life. Your bodies and your souls. are his; his by creation, his by purchase, his by conquest and your best services fall infinitely short of what he has deserved from you.

To conclude. Let your deliverance from captivity be the subject of your frequent meditation; and when you think of your former bondage and your present freedom, and especially when you recollect the surprising method by which this happy

alteration in your circumstances was brought about, wonder not that you hear "every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them" -wonder not that you hear them all saying, "Blessing, and honour, glory, and power, be to Him that sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb, for ever and ever."

SERMON XII.

OCCASIONED BY THE DEATH OF THE REVEREND
BENJAMIN WILLS,

AT APPLEDORE, NOVEMBER, 1754, AGED THIRTY.

If ye

JOHN xiv. 28.

loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go

unto the Father.

THERE is nothing more certain, and yet scarcely any thing we are with more difficulty brought to acknowledge, than that we know not what is good for us "all the days of our vain life, which we spend as a shadow." We are apt to imagine that wisdom is ours; and are puffed up with such an extravagant conceit of our own abilities, as to think, that, if the government of the world were in our hands, it should be carried on without those signs of confusion and distress which are now so frequent and visible, and much more to general satisfaction and advantage. But this is only the language of peevishness and discontent and means nothing but that, if the choice of our condition were left to ourselves, we should be always rich and easy; we should know no changes, neither should we be in trouble, like other men. In which were we to succeed to our wishes, nothing could more effectually procure our destruction. We are all presently alarmed at the appearance of any bodily disorder, and are easily persuaded to take the most disagreeable methods to remove

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them: but are we equally solicitous for the health and vigour of our minds? Though Though "from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot there is no soundness in us," yet how fretful are we, and uneasy, when God is acting the part of a skilful physician towards us! s us! If he but touch the hair of our head-I mean, if he only afflict us, though ever so slightly, in our health, our reputation, our fortune, family, or friends we are presently in tears, or in arms; secretly murmuring, or openly rebelling: whereas, if we knew ourselves, and rightly understood our own interest, we should look upon affliction as one of the greatest blessings we could possibly enjoy: we should, even while we were smarting under the rod, earnestly beseech him to do as he does; and take the bitterest cup which he puts into our hands, with the same readiness and thankfulness that we should receive a sovereign. medicine from a physician, of whose tenderness and skill we were fully persuaded; which, though we knew it to be disagreeable and nauseous, yet presuming it will conduce to the establishment of our health, we gladly swallow. The advantages of afflictions are so many and great, in calling us to consideration, teaching us our duty, regulating the tempers of our minds, weaning us from the world, quickening us in our Christian course, and preparing us for the heavenly glory-I say, these advantages of afflictions are so obvious and so important, that, were there no other alleviating considerations, they might well be expected to make us, not only patient, but cheerful.

True, you will say; as to the common calami