My dear brethren, I speak of these things, thefe innocent diverfions, as the polite part of the world calls them, by expe rience; perhaps none, for my age, hath read or feen more plays than I have: I took delight in, and was pleased with them. It is true, I went to church frequently, received the facrament, and was diligent in the ufe of the forms of religion, but I was all this while ignorant of the power of GoD on my heart, and unacquainted with the work of grace; but when GOD was pleased to fhine with power upon my foul, I could no longer be contented to feed on hufks, or what the fwine did eat the Bible then was my food; there, and there only I took delight and till you feel this fame power, you will not abstain from the earthly delights of this age, you will take no comfort in God's ways, nor receive any comfort from him ; for you are void of the love of GOD, having only the form of godlinefs, while you are denying the power of it; you are nominal christians, when you have not the power of chriftianity.

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The polite gentlemen fay, "Are we to be always upon our knees? Would you have us be always at prayer, and "reading or hearing the word of God?"

My dear brethren, the fashionable ones, who take delight in hunting, are not tired of being continually on horseback after their hounds; and when once you are renewed by the Spirit of GOD, it will be a continual pleasure to be walking with, and talking of GOD, and telling what great things JESUS CHRIST hath done for your fouls; and till you can find as much pleasure in converfing with GOD, as these men do of their hounds, you have no share in him; but when you have tafted how good the LORD is, you will fhew forth his praife; out of the abundance of your heart your mouth will fpeak.

This brings me to the second thing propofed, which is an extream that very feldom happens:

Secondly, To fhew what it is to be righteous over-much. And here,

Firft, When we confine the Spirit of GoD to this or that particular church; and are not willing to converfe with any but thofe of the fame communion; this is to be righteous

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over-much with a witness and so it is, to confine our communion within church-walls, and to think that JESUS could not preach in a field as well as on confecrated-ground; this is judaifm, this is bigotry: this is like Peter, who would not go to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, till he had a vifion from GOD: and when his conduct was blamed by the difciples, he could not fatisfy them till he had acquainted them with the vifion he had feen. And, therefore, we may justly infer, the Spirit of GOD is the center of unity; and wherever I see the image of my Mafter, I never enquire of them their opinions ; I ask them not what they are, fo they love JESUS CHRIST in fincerity and truth, but embrace them as my brother, my fifter, and my spouse: and this is the spirit of christianity. Many perfons, who are bigots to this or that opinion, when one of a different way of thinking hath come where they were, have left the room or place on the account: this is the fpirit of the devil; and if it was poffible that thefe perfons could be admitted into heaven with fuch tempers, that very place would be hell to them. Chriftianity will never flourish, till we are all of one heart and of one mind; and this would be the only means of feeing the gospel of JESUS to flourish, more than ever it will by persecuting those who differ from us.

This may be efteemed as enthufiafm and madness, and as a defign to undermine the established church: No; GOD is my judge, I fhould rejoice to fee all the world adhere to her articles; I fhould rejoice to fee the minifters of the Church of England, preach up thofe very articles they have fubfcribed to; but those minifters who do preach up the articles, are esteemed as madmen, enthüfiafts, fchifmatics, and underminers of the eftablished church and though they fay these things of me, bleffed be GOD, they are without foundation. My dear brethren, I am a friend to her articles, I am a friend to her homilies, I am a friend to her liturgy; and, if they did not thrust me out of their churches, I would read them every day; but I do not confine the Spirit of GOD there; for I fay it again, I love all that love the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and esteem him my brother, my friend, my fpoufe; aye, my very foul is knit to that perfon. The fpirit of perfecution will never, indeed it will never make any to love JESUS CHRIST. The pharifees make this to be madnefs, fo much as to mention perfecu

tion in a chriftian country; but there is as much the spirit of perfecution now in the world, as ever there was; their will is as great, but bleffed be GOD, they want the power; otherwise, how foon would they fend me to prifon, make my feet faft in the stocks, yea, would think they did God fervice in killing me, and would rejoice to take away my life.

This is not the Spirit of CHRIST, my dear brethren; I had not come to have thus preached; I had not come into the highways and hedges; I had not expofed myself to the ill treatment of thefe letter-learned men, but for the fake of your fouls indeed, I had no other reafon, but your falvation; and for that (I speak the truth in CHRIST, I lie not) I would be content to go to prifon; yea, I would rejoice to die for you, so I could but be a means to bring fome of you to JESUS: I could not bear to fee fo many in the highway to destruction,, and not fhew them their danger: I could not bear, my bre-, thren, to fee you more willing to learn, than the teachers are to inftruct you and if any of them were to come and preach to you, I should not envy them, I fhould not call them enthufiafts or madmen; I fhould rejoice to hear they had ten thousand times more fuccefs than I have met with; I would. give them the right-hand of fellowship; I would advife them to go on; I would with them good luck in the name of the LORD, and fay as CHRIST did, when the difciples informed him of fome cafting out devils in his name, and were for rebuking of them, "Forbid them not, for they that are not against us áre for us;" or as St. Paul fays, "Some preach CHRIST of envy, and fome of good-will; notwithstanding, fo CHRIST is but preached, I rejoice; yea, and will rejoice." The gospel of JESUS, is a gospel of peace. Thus you may fee, that to be righteous over-much, is to be uncharitable, cenforious, and to perfecute perfons for differing from us in religion.

Secondly, Perfons are righteous over-much, when they fpend fo much time in religious affemblies, as to neglect their families. There is no licence given by the bleffed JESUS, for idleness; for in the very infancy of the world, idleness was not allowed of. In paradife, Adam and Eve dreffed the garden, Cain was a tiller of the ground, and Abel was a keeper of sheep; and there is a proverb amongst the Jews, "That he

who brings his fon up without a business, brings him up to be a thief:" and therefore our Saviour was a carpenter; “ ]s not this the carpenter's fon," faid the Jews and St. Paul, though brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, was a tent-maker. Labour, my brethren, is impofed on all mankind as part of the divine curfe and you are called to be useful in the fociety to which you belong: take care firft for the kingdom of GOD, and all things neceffary fhall be added. To labour for the meat that perifheth, is your duty; only take care, that you do not neglect getting the meat for the foul: that is of the greatest confequence, for this plain reason, the things of this life are temporal, but those of the next are eternal. I would have rich men to work as well as poor: it is owing to their idlenefs, that the devil hurries them to his diverfions; they can be in their beds all the morning, and spend the afternoon and evening in dreffing, vifiting, and at balls, plays, or affemblies, when they fhould be working out their falvation with fear and trembling. Such a life as this, occafions a fpiritual numbness in the foul; and if JESUS CHRIST was not to ftop those who thus spend their time, they would be hurried into eternity, without once thinking of their immortal fouls. But JESUS CHRIST has compaffion upon many of them, and while they are in their blood, he bids them "live." And though I preach this doctrine to you, yet I do not bid you be idle; no, they that do not work fhould not eat. You have two callings, a general one, and a special one: as we are to regard the one in respect of our bodies, fo we are to regard the other on account of our fouls. Take heed, my brethren, I befeech you, take heed, left you labour fo for the meat that perifheth, as to forget that meat which endureth for ever. Seek the things of GOD firft; look well to obtain oil in your lamps, grace in your hearts. I am not perfuading you to take no care about the things of the world, but only not to be encumbered with them, so as to neglect your duty towards God, and a proper concern for your fouls. It is meet, it is right, it is your bounden duty, to mind the callings wherein GoD hath placed you; and you may be faid to be righteous overmuch not to regard them. This brings me,

Thirdly, To give you another fign of being righteous overmuch; and that is, when we faft and use corporal aufterities, fo as to unfit us for the service of God.

This, my brethren, you may think there is no occafion at all to caution you against, and indeed there is not a great neceffity for it; however, many perfons, upon their first being awakened to a fenfe of their fin, are tempted to use aufterities to that excefs which is finful. It is our duty to fast, it is our duty to faft often, and it is what we are directed to by JESUS CHRIST himself; but then we are to take care to do it in a proper manner: to bring our bodies under for the service of Gop, is that which we are commanded by our LORD JESUS CHRIST. :

The late preacher upon this text, runs into great extremes, and charges us with saying and acting things, of which we never thought; but I do not regard what he faid of me: I do not mind his bitter invectives against my ministry; I do not mind his defpifing my youth, and calling me novice and enthusiast; I forgive him from my very heart: but when he reflects on my Mafter; when he speaks against my Redeemer; when JESUS CHRIST is fpoken against, I must speak, (I must speak indeed, or I fhould burft :) when he gives liberty to persons to take a chearful glass, and alledges CHRIST for an example, as in the marriage-feaft, faying, "CHRIST turned water into <6 wine, when it is plain there had been more drank than was neceffary before," what is this, but to charge CHRIST with encouraging drunkenness? It is true, the Governor fays, "Every man in the beginning fets forth good wine, and when men have well drank, that which is worse; but thou haft kept the good wine until now:" but it does not at all follow, that it was not neceffary, or that there had been a fufficient quantity before: I would not fpeak thus flightingly of one of my Mafter's miracles, for the whole world. And we may obferve, that as CHRIST chiefly visited poor people, they might not have wherewithal to buy a fufficient quantity of wine; or having more guests than were expected, the wine was expended fooner than they thought; then the Mother of JESUS tells him, "They have no wine;" he answers, “Woman, what have I to do with thee? My hour is not yet come." After this he commanded them to fill the water

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