malice against the fire that burns us, or the flood that overwhelms us. They are the means of trial to us; and we must practise our holy religion through these means.

But now, my friend, if you wish to excuse your wickedness, by supposing you work God's will, you will find yourself mistaken. Consider the case. If you had a headstrong obstinate beast, and could not work with him in the way you desired, I suppose you would endeavour to work with him in some other way. You do not make him a bad beast: you wish him to be otherwise : but being a bad beast, you make what use of him you can. Thus God does not make you wicked but being wicked, he uses you for his own wise purposes. And though he makes you the means of trial to others, he will still punish you for your wickedness; just as you correct your beast for its obstinacy. Thus then, as no event can fall out without the direction of God, we must believe that all the schemes and wicked projects of our enemies against us, are likewise under his direction. Nor do I know any thing so effectual in keeping down revengeful thoughts, and perfecting a christian life in this hardest of all lessons, as this very consideration, that our enemies are only mere instruments in the hands of God.

ance; and lastly against malice-it is our intere to impress our minds strongly with it. Consid how safe you think your affairs in the hands of wise and prudent man. Dare not you give equ credit to God? Trust then to him.

He is yo created a

truest friend. In his hands, who preserves you, you must be safe. Leave him be the conductor of your affairs. He knows the intimately by him the very hairs of your he are all numbered.

SERMON XVI.

1 CORINTHIANS, X. 31.

WHETHER YE EAT OR DRINK, OR WHATEVER YE DO, DO ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD.

SIX days shalt thou labour, says the command

ment, and do all that thou hast to do, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God. This commandment some people are inclined to interpret very literally: as if all religion were confined to the sabbath; and had little or nothing to do with the other six days of the week. If they go to church regularly on Sunday, the business of religion is well performed for the week; and on this stock they go very unconcernedly

about

people at any rate to such a sense of their d as to go regularly to church, where, it may hoped, they will at least receive some ben yet they certainly make a very great mist who think going to church is the chief par religion; or indeed if they think going to ch is any thing more than the means of being ligious. If the religious thoughts we ge church do not mix with all our actions, du the other days of the week, they are of as value as our food would be, if it did not ter nourish the body, and fit it for the purpos life. Sunday's instruction soon flies off a the cares of the world, if it be not preserve religious practice. You would see the absu at once, if a man should say, he would hearty meal on Sunday, which should serv till Sunday came again. But perhaps you d see the same absurdity in taking your spi meal on a Sunday: and yet the sole diffe is, that in one the body suffers, in the oth soul.

Re

Religion then was never meant to be confined to Sundays; but to guide us every day by its good precepts, and govern all our actions. Our lives are made up of actions. One action succeeds another; and yet in all this course of actions, there is hardly one, trifling as we may think it, which has not its faulty extreme, and which we may not make either right or wrong. In short, we may turn almost every action of our lives into religion, by giving it a religious motive, and acting with a view to please God.

Now this is exactly the doctrine of the text. Nothing seems to have less of a religious cast about it, than eating and drinking; and yet the text plainly asserts, that we may turn eating and drinking to the glory of God-that is, if we eat and drink under such rules of temperance as the scriptures give us, and practise these rules with a view to please God, we may make even eating and drinking, acts of religion.

IN the following discourse I shall explain the text to you more fully, by shewing in several instances, how you ought to carry your religion into common life.

Your duty to God, in the first place, is not certainly confined to the prayers of the church.

VOL. I.

It