who must grant remiffion of fins repented of; "he that cometh after 66 me is mightier than I, whofe fhoes "I am not worthy to bear;" he brings with him almighty power from on high, to pardon fins, and confer grace; "he fhall baptize you "with the Holy Ghoft and with "fire," to fanctify your natures, to purify, enlighten, and inflame your hearts with the defire and love of celeftial objects. At his appearance, he will try and make manifeft the tempers and difpofitions of men. Deceit and hypocrify fhall not ftand before him. "His fan is in his “hand, and he will thoroughly purge "his floor," fifting and winnowing that which is good from that which feems to be fo; "and he will gather "his"

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"his wheat into his garner," tranflate to heaven all that is pure, fubftantial, and fruitful; but he will "burn up the chaff," whatfoever is fallacious, light, empty, and barren, "with unquenchable fire,' in hell.

SUCH a difcourfe from fuch a perfon occafioned great fearchings in the hearts of the people. They found all the vain opinions and prefumptions, on which they had been accustomed to rely, fuddenly taken from them, and nothing left, but to put themselves forthwith under the direction of fo holy and heavenly a preacher. With fear and trembling they applied to him, as the affrighted gaoler afterwards did to Paul and Silas, faying, "What fhall we do

then?"

St.

then*" And when a penitent will afk advice of his fpiritual guide, with a determined refolution to follow it, he is not far from the kingdom of God. He is fentible of his disease; and that, in the maladies of the mind, is half the cure. John, in his anfwer, enjoins not legal, but evangelical facrifices, exhorting his converts to fhew the fincerity of their converfion by loving their neighbours and relieving their neceffities, as God had loved and relieved them. "He that hath two coats, "let him impart to him that hath ་ none; and he that hath meat let "him do likewife," Thefe works of feeding and clothing the poor, including all other acts of mercy un

der them, are mentioned, as being the most neceffary and indifpenfable; "and he," fays a pious writer upon this paffage, "" who is not moved "with his brother's mifery, deferves "to find God unmoved with his "own."

AMONG others that came to be baptized, were fome Publicans, or tax-gatherers; a fet of men, whofe employment rendered them odious, as it often tempted them to court the favour of thofe who employed them, or to gratify their own avarice, by fleecing the people. Thefe alfo were importunate with St. John, saying,"And what fhall we do? And "he faid unto them, Exact no more "than that which is appointed you." The reflections of the writer above

eited, upon this cafe of the publicans, and the following one of the foldiers, are fo extremely fenfible, judicious, and pertinent, that the reader will have an obligation to me, for prefenting him with them, nearly as I find them. A wife preacher, like St. John, fhould diftinguish the abuses of any state or condition of life from the condition itself; he should be fo far from disturbing either the peace of private confciences, or the public repofe, by condemning neceffary employments, that he ought carefully to promote both, by contenting himfelf with only retrenching the disorders and injuftice of those who exercife them. To be exact in not permitting any abufes in employments of this nature, is to ferve the ftate:

and