ready to be accounted fools for CHRIST's fake; and then we fhall meet never to part again in the kingdom of our Father which is in heaven.

To you, my companions and familiar friends, who came over with me to fojourn in a ftrange land, do I in the next place addrefs myself. For you I efpecially fear, as well as for myfelf, because as we take fweet counfel together oftner than others, and as you are let into a more intimate friendship with me in private life, the eyes of all men will be upon you to note even the minutest miscarriage; and, therefore, it highly concerns you to "walk circumfpectly towards those that are without," I hope, that nothing but a fingle eye to God's glory and the falvation of your own fouls, brought you from your hative country. Remember then the end of your coming hither, and you can never do amifs. Be patterns of industry, as well as of piety, to those who fhall be around you; and above all things let us have fuch fervent charity amongst ourfelves, that it may be faid of us, as of the primitive christians, See how the christians love one another."

And now I have been speaking to others particularly, I have one general requeft to make to all, and that with reference. to myself.

You have heard, my dear friends, how I have been exhorting every one of you to fhew forth your thankfulness for the divine goodness, not only with your lips, but in your lives: But phyfician heal thyself," may juftly be retorted on me. For (without any falfe pretences to humility) I find my own heart fo little inclined to this duty of thankfgiving for the benefits I have received, that I had need fear fharing Hezekiah's fate, who because he was lifted up by, and not thankful enough for, the great things GOD had done for him, was given up a prey to the pride of his own heart.

I need, therefore, and beg your most importunate petitions at the throne of grace, that no fuch evil may befal me; that the more GOD exalts me, the more I may debafe myself; and that after I have preached to others, I myfelf may not be caft away.

And now, brethren, into God's hands I commend your fpirits, who, I truft, through his infinite mercies in CHRIST

JESUS,

JESUS, will preferve you blameless, till his fecond coming to judge the world.

Excufe my detaining you fo long; perhaps it is the last time I fhall speak to you: my heart is full, and out of the abundance of it, I could continue my difcourfe until midnight. But I muft away to your new world; may God give you new hearts, and enable you to put in practice what you have heard from time to time, to be your duty, and I need not with you any thing better. For then God will fo bless you, that "you will build you cities to dwell in; then will you fow your lands and plant vineyards, which will yield you fruits of increafe," Pfal. cvii. 36, 37. "Then your oxen shall be strong to labour, there fhall be no leading into captivity, and no complaining in your streets; then fhall your fons grow up as the young plants, and your daughters be as the polished corners of the temple: then shall your garners be full and plenteous with all manner of fiore, and your fheep bring forth thoufands, and ten thousands in your streets," Pfal. cxliv. In fhort, then fhall the LORD be your God; and as furelý as he has now brought us to this haven, where we would be, fo furely, after we have past through the ftorms and tempefts of this troublesome world, will he bring us to the haven of eternal reft, where we shall have nothing to do, but to praise him for ever for his goodnefs, and declare, in never-ceafing fongs of praife, the wonders he has done for us, and all the other fons of men.

"To which bleffed reft, GoD of his infinite mercy bring "us all, through JESUS CHRIST our LORD! to whom "with the Father and Holy Ghoft be all honour and glory, might, majefty, and dominion, now, henceforth, and for evermore. Amen, Amen

נג

SERMON

SERMON VIII.

The Neceffity and Benefits of Religious Society,

ECCLES. iv. 9, 10, 11, 12.

Two are better than One, because they have a good Reward for their Labour.

For if they fall, the One will lift up his Fellow: But woe be to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.

Again, if Two lie together, then they have heat; but how can One be warm alone?

And if One prevail against him, Two fhall withstand him; and a threefold Cord is not quickly broken.

A to MONG the many reafons affignable for the fad decay Α

of true chriftianity, perhaps the neglecting to affemble ourfelves together, in religious focieties, may not be one of the leaft. That I may therefore do my endeavour towards promoting fo excellent a means of piety, I have felected a paffage of scripture drawn from the experience of the wifeft of men, which being a little enlarged on and illuftrated, will fully answer my prefent defign; being to shew, in the best manner I can, the neceffity and benefits of fociety in general, and of religious fociety in particular.

"Two are better than one, &c."

From which words I fhall take occafion to prove,

First, The truth of the wife man's affertion, "Two are better than one," and that in reference to fociety in general, and religious fociety in particular.

Secondly,

Secondly, To affign fome reafons why two are better than one, especially as to the laft particular. 1. Becaufe men can raife up one another when they chance to flip: "For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow." 2. Because they can impart heat to each other: "Again, if two lie together, then they have heat; but how can one be warm alone?" 3. Becaufe they can fecure each other from thofe that do oppofe them: And if one prevail against him, two fhall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." From hence,

Thirdly, I fhall take occafion to fhew the duty incumbent on every member of a religious faciety.

And Fourthly, I fhall' draw an inference or two from what may be faid; and then conclude with a word or two of exhortation.

First, I am to prove the truth of the wife man's affertion, that two are better than one," and that in reference to fociety in general, and religious focieties in particular.

And how can this be done better, than by fhewing that it is abfolutely neceffary for the welfare both of the bodies and fouls of men? Indeed, if we look upon man as he came out of the hands of his Maker, we imagine him to be perfect, entire, lacking nothing. But GoD, whose thoughts are not as our thoughts, faw fomething ftill wanting to make Adam happy. And what was that? Why, an help meet for him. For thus fpeaketh the fcripture: "And the LORD GOD faid, It is not good that the man fhould be alone, I will make an help meet for him."

Obferve, GOD faid, "It is not good," thereby implying that the creation would have been imperfect, in fome fort, unless an help was found out meet for Adam. And if this was the cafe of man before the fall; if an help was meet for him in a state of perfection; furely fince the fall, when we come naked and helpless out of our mother's womb, when our wants increase with our years, and we can scarcely fubfift a day without the mutual affiftance of each other, well may we fay, "It is not good for man to be alone.”

Society then, we fee, is abfolutely neceffary in respect to our bodily and perfonal wants. If we carry our view farther,

and

and confider mankind as divided into different cities, countries, and nations, the neceffity of it will appear yet more evident. For how can communities be kept up, or commerce carried on, without fociety? Certainly not at all, fince providence feems wifely to have affigned a particular product to almost each particular country, on purpose, as it were, to oblige us to be focial; and hath so admirably mingled the parts of the whole body of mankind together, "that the eye cannot fay to the hand, I have no need of thee; nor again, the hand to the foot, I have no need of thee."

Many other instances might be given of the neceffity of fociety, in reference to our bodily, perfonal, and national wants. But what are all thefe when weighed in the balance of the fanctuary, in comparifon of the infinite greater need of it, with respect to the foul? It was chiefly in regard to this better part, no doubt, that GOD faid, "It is not good for the man to be alone." For, let us fuppofe Adam to be as happy as may be, placed as the Lord of the creation in the paradife of GOD, and spending all his hours in adoring and praising the bleffed Author of his being; yet as his foul was the very copy of the divine nature, whofe peculiar property it is to be communicative, without the divine all-fufficiency he could not be compleatly happy, because he was alone and incommunicative, nor even content in paradife, for want of a partner in his joys. GOD knew this, and therefore said, "It is not good that the man fhall be alone, I will make a help meet for him." · And though this proved a fatal means of his falling; yet that was not owing to any natural confequence of fociety; but partly to that curfed apoftate, who craftily lies in wait to deceive; partly to Adam's own folly, in rather chufing to be miserable with one he loved, than trust in GoD to raise him up another fpoufe.

If we reflect indeed on that familiar intercourse, our first parent could carry on with heaven, in a state of innocence, we shall be apt to think he had as little need of fociety, as to his foul, as before we fuppofed him to have, in respect to his body. But yet, as GOD and the holy angels were so far above him on the one hand, and the beafts fo far beneath him on the other, there was nothing like having one to converse with, who was "bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh."

Man,