life. But with God all things are poffible. There is no undertaking, whatever be its difficulty, which to His power is not easy. There is no corruption, be it ever so closely interwoven with the human heart, which His grace cannot extirpate. Direct your earnest fupplication to the Father of mercies for ability to reftrain your lips from evil: for a difpofition uniformly to endeavour to follow the fteps of your Lord in word no lefs than in deed. Offer up your prayer in fincerity and truth, offer it in the name and through the mediation of Jefus Chrift, who ever liveth at the right hand of God to make interceffion for you: and you fhall receive in due time the affiftance which is needful to falvation. But think not that God will fhower down His grace to abolish the neceffity of your own exertions, or to justify you in sluggish unconcern. Though except the Lord build the boufe, their labour is but loft that build it; he expects that the builders should perform their office. Though except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain: he requires that the watchman fhould be faithful in circumfpection. From you, if you would obtain from Him the power over your tongue, he demands vigi

lance,

1

lance, caution, forbearance, forethought, perfevering struggles against fin. He de mands that, through the grace which He has already supplied, you exercise your tongue in the employments and language of devotion; that in the business of your station, in the hour of leifure, you converse as befits those who know that they speak in the hearing of God: that amidst allurements and provocations, amidst unhallowed principles and corrupt example, you daily confefs Chrift in the government of your lips: that you redouble your efforts and your prayers, when the preffure of temptation increases that you faint not under discouragements, nor be weary in welldoing that, if betrayed into tranfgreffion with your lips, you labour the more ftrenuoufly against tranfgreffion for the future: that you depend not on yourself, but exclufively upon Him: that, when you have been enabled to preferve your tongue void of offence, you ascribe not to yourself but to Him the praise. Shun then, my brethren, as you value prefent peace and eternal happiness, every offence of the tongue. Avoid vain babblings and foolish and unlearned questions. Be not hafty with your words; nor fret against the Lord. Abhor Arife,

T 2

Arife, railings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and deftitute of the truth. Be not defirous of vain-glory. Let all bitterness and clamour and evil-speaking be put away from you. Putting away lying, Speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Lay afide all guile and hypocrify. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth; but that which is good to the ufe of edifying, that it may minifter grace unto the bearers. Give unto the Lord the honour due unto His name. The God of patience and confolation grant that, according to Chrift Jefus, ye may with one mouth glorify God.

SERMON XIV.

On the Identity of Wisdom and Religion.,

PSALM CXix. 34.

Give me understanding, and I fhall keep thy law, yea, I fhall obferve it with my whole

heart.

IN the book of Proverbs and in other

parts of Scripture, men are earnestly exhorted to purfue wisdom. It is evident that by wisdom the facred writers intended religion. They were in fact so steadfastly convinced that religion is real wisdom, and the greatest wisdom, and the only true wif dom; that the term wifdom continually prefented itself to their minds as peculiarly adapted to defignate a life of faith and holinefs and folly appeared to them the ap propriate denomination of fin. In com

mon with many other pofitions of Holy Writ, the identity of wisdom and religion is by no means univerfally recognised as a faithful faying, and worthy of all acceptation. The infidel fneers at the doctrine as fanatical. The licentious encounter it with broad derifion as refuted by daily experience. And among thofe who are untainted by fcepticifin and decent in their characters, numbers, especially of the young, while they acquiefce in it as a scriptural declaration, regard it as a strange and mysterious truth: and though not prepared to affirm with the unbeliever and the profligate that the fervants of religion are in this life of all men the most miferable, rest inwardly of opinion that the sphere of their own happiness would be confiderably enlarged if, without forfeiting the future recompenfe of holiness, they were at liberty to expatiate in the present gratifications of the finner. Let us then furvey, one by the characteristic marks of wisdom': and examine whether they are not fingly and collectively exemplified in the conduct of the man, who fixes his heart upon God through Jefus Chrift.

one,

I. Wit