end or happiness of man, and therefore could never fix upon the means to attain it. They disputed much about morality and virtue, but could never clearly determine, what they were; and, what was worse, those of them who thought the best on these points, could by no means, find out a sufficient obligation to enforce the performance of what they took to be moral duties.

Being thus ignorant of themselves, it is not to be wondered at, that they should have known still less of God; some obscure traditions, concerning a divine nature, had been handed down to them, they knew not how, which served them to no better purpose, than to put them upon worshipping, sometimes by human sacrifices, their departed benefactors or conquerors, who were often the worst of men. To these they added gods of wood and stone; nay, and while some nations were eating onions and garlick, others were transplanting them from their gardens to heaven, and cultivating them with divine honours.

This ignorance of the Gentile world, which in holy Scripture is represented to us by the strong similitude of night and darkness, was but in part removed from the Jews by the Mosaic dispensation; which, being clouded with ceremonies, and overshadowed with types and figures, sent forth a glimmering and feeble kind of rays. These served but as a twilight to a brighter revelation by the gospel, which, in Scripture, is beautifully figured by the names of light and day; for ignorance and true knowledge are to the mind, what darkness and light are to the body.

This is the night which, St. Paul says, 'is far spent ;' and that is the day, which, he tells us, 'is at hand.' From hence he draws a fine conclusion; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light;' let us walk honestly, as in the day.

For, by the light of the gospel, we can now clearly see that there is but one God, infinite in wisdom, power, and justice, infinite in mercy and goodness, who created and governs all things, who made us for his free and happy service, and who, when we fell into corruption and sin, sent his Son into the world, to retrieve us from both. By the same light we see how it is this great Master expects to be served; how it is we are to demean ourselves, one towards another;

what it is we may hope for, if we obey his laws; and what we are to fear, if we transgress them. We are now no longer in the dark about the original from whence we sprung, nor the end for which we were intended. Our greatest good and evil are now set clearly before us, with a full account of the means, by which the one is to be avoided, and the other obtained. We can now have a sufficient knowledge of ourselves, and can examine our being, from the beginning, till we pursue it beyond the grave, till we see it placed before the judgment-seat of God, and either banished from his presence, into eternal night and misery, or exalted to endless light and glory. This important prospect opens to us another, which the light of nature could never have discovered. As man, left to himself, sees nothing but the things about him in this present life, so he cannot suppose there is any thing else of the least consequence to him. But as soon as his eyes, by Christian faith, are carried forward to the much greater things of eternity, in which he is so deeply concerned, he looks upon the things of this world in quite another light. They cannot bear the comparison. They sink into nothing, and are lost to his attention. Distresses and riches, pains and pleasures, disappointments and honours, jails and thrones, dwindle into trifles, when hell and heaven are in view.

This is that light which the children of light are ever ready to receive, with the greatest affection and joy. Now the children of light are those who diligently read the word of God, who make it the subject of their meditations by day and night, who, when they find it, as often they do, above their comprehension, repair to God's house and his ministers, to hear it explained; who listen when they are there, with attention; who labour to remember and lay to heart what they hear; and afterward, in conversation with one another, take frequent occasion to revive the consideration of what they have been taught.

This also is that light, from which the children of darkness fly away with fear and abhorrence. And the children of darkness are those, whose consciences cannot bear the picture of themselves, which the light of Christianity holds before their eyes; whose faith affords them no views, but of eternal misery; who, as they delight only in the works of

darkness, hate this light, because it reproves their evil deeds;' and therefore the word of God is a stranger both to their eyes at home, and their ears in this place. Hence it comes, that we so often speak here almost to empty walls, that what we say is so little minded by those, whom the accidental goodness of the day, or a want of something else to do, suffers to saunter hither; and that, when we endeavour to carry the word of God to them, who so seldom think it worth their while to come to it, we find them and their families shocked and disobliged, at the first glimpse of its light which we discover to them.

As this sort of people make a dreadful majority at present, we may say of this light, as St. John did, at its first appearance, that it is a light which shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not.'

But my business at present being only to speak to those who will hear, who have already opened their eyes, and it is to be hoped, their hearts too, to the light of the gospel, let me call upon such persons, in the bowels of charity, to consider, that, as they see this glorious light, shining both within them and about them, 'it is now high time,' at least for them, 'to awake out of sleep.' In respect to them, 'the night is not only far spent' but entirely past; the day is not only at hand,' but fully risen, or far advanced. Let them reflect that those who know their Master's will, and do it not,' must expect to be punished with many stripes;' and that, now they have received the light, they ought to walk worthy of that light,' taking all possible care for the time to come, to avoid those works of darkness, which they find condemned by the light of Scripture, and particularly by the apostle, in the passage immediately following my text.

And first; as to walking worthy of this light, the apostle bids us 'walk honestly,' or rather, as it is in the original, 'decently, and laudably, as in the day.' In order to this, we are exhorted by him to put on the armour of light;' for it is now day, and we are to enter upon action. As we are immediately to take the field against the enemies of our souls, it is necessary we should be defended by the armour of piety and virtue, and girded with the weapons of our warfare; which St. Paul elsewhere, pursuing the same allegory, calls 'the breast-plate of faith and love, and the helmet and hope

of salvation.' 'Ye, brethren,' says the apostle, 'are not in darkness. Ye are the children of light, and the children of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep, sleep in the night, and they that be drunken, are drunken in the night.'

Being thus prepared, we are called upon to adorn the Christian profession, by a life of true holiness; that others, admiring in us the beautiful and blessed fruits of our religious principles, may be won to an earnest desire of cultivating the like in themselves; which will have a much more powerful effect in convincing them of the truth and excellence of Christianity, than ten thousand arguments and demonstrations in its favour. He who leads the best life, is the best disputant for his religion; for it is not with enticing words of man's wisdom,' that this cause of God is to be supported, but in demonstration of the Spirit, and of power.' This spirit and power, which were demonstrated in the days of the apostles by inspiration, by speaking languages which they never learned, by healing of sicknesses, and raising the dead, may still be proved by the miracle of a good life in every true Christian. Is any man really a Christian? Hath he received the light of the gospel? 'Let his light then so shine forth before men, that they may see his good works, and glorify his Father which is in heaven.' How can the conscience of him, whose soul and heart are placed in the midst of so clear and glorious light, give way to thoughts, or enter upon actions, severely reproved by that light?' Does he not see his way? Why then does he go astray? Is it not day? Why then does he stumble almost at every step? Why does he fall into the grossest acts of sin? And dash all his hope of salvation to pieces?

It is certainly true, that he who is really a Christian, may, through the extreme infirmity of his nature, often fall into sins, and sometimes into the grosser acts of sin; but he can never rest in a uniform course of sin, till he hath stripped himself of his Christian principles; nor can he rise to a steady and uninterrupted life of virtue, till he hath mortified and subdued the corruptions of his nature. The Spirit warreth against the flesh, and the flesh against the spirit, till one of those adversaries hath obtained an absolute con

quest over the other; after which the whole man becomes either the servant of God, or the slave of the devil..

In some minds this battle is fought with infinite violence; for, on, the one side, corruption and sin are deeply rooted, while the adversary of the soul is intrenched amidst inveterate habits, and almost irresistible temptations; and, on the other, the arm of God is almighty. Hence it is, that, as in a fire, for some time after a great addition of new fuel, the signs of an outrageous struggle between the contending principles are discovered; but when God hath obtained the victory, then all is kindly heat, and glorious light. Then it is that God, and his holy religion, are glorified, that the angels above find the very joys of heaven enlarged, and that men here below, being guided by the light, and warmed at the fire, of this converted sinner, are, as it were, carried forward with new strength and resolution, up the steep path of true holiness.

Let us not, in the name of God, lose the benefit of the blessed light, which he hath afforded us. As it discovers to us every step of the road, from thence to his glorious palace, let us not be discouraged at the thorns and briers that beset the entrance; for we may plainly see that, a little farther up, those briers are turned to vines, those thorns change their prickles for roses; and while the patience of the happy travellers is converted into joy, their garments begin to whiten, their faces to shine with amazing brightness, and now they are lost to our sight in glory, which the eye is not able to behold, nor the ear to hear, nor the heart to conceive.' He that hath eyes to see, cannot, amidst so much, light, fail to choose a road that leads so directly to God, for therein only he can walk, as in the day.'

But as there are many new lights, and false lights, set up in the world, it will not be amiss to point out to the ignorant the distinguishing characters of the true light.

Whatsoever discovers to us the foulness and heinousness of our sins, and severely reproves them, is true light; for 'whatsoever maketh manifest is light.'

Whatsoever teaches us to be cautious in giving up our minds to every pretended guide in religion, who, for his own interest, would lead us into his own prejudices, is true light; for we are bid by our Saviour, of ourselves to judge what is