proper sense of religion, he will also exclaim with the same Apostle, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"* Such being his sensibility of misery, and such his cry for help, he will,

Secondly, Seek that spiritual aid, which is also in the Scriptures distinguished by the name of grace; for, as the power to avoid sin, and to do good is not in the possession of any, natural man, and as God can give it, or withhold it, as he pleases, the sinner will be constrained to say, "If I perish, it is because I follow the devices and desires of my own heart, and if I am saved, it is because the Lord inclines my soul to seek his favour, and convinces me, that he only should be the object of my desires. Nothing is there deserving the name of good, that I have not received. No; it is by the grace of God alone, I am what I am." It is,

2d. By this grace that Christians are enabled to entertain simplicity and godly sincerity for the regulation of their conduct in the world. By simplicity I understand that, which, in another place, is called the single eye. It is the looking to Jesus, as the one desirable object, as the chief of ten thousand, and altogether

lovely. Godly sincerity means nearly the same thing, and we may consider the two expressions as designed to fix upon our minds the great importance of that, which is enjoined. Let us then endeavour to improve the present opportunity, by looking into our own hearts, and seeing whether we possess the gracious temper, which is signified by these expressions.

As the world is but one great market, and as all are the sellers and buyers of some or many of the various commodities, which are continually passing through different hands, almost every day affords us an opportunity of proving whether the fear of God be the ruling principle in our hearts, or whether, excluding that, we act merely with fleshly wisdom, and make the consideration of our own interest the sole regulator of our conduct. This we may do, and yet maintain an honourable character among mankind; for reputation is what every prudent man holds dear, and will not, for the sake of a moderate profit, be content to part with. But, still the wisdom, which engages him to act thus fairly in commerce, is very different from that with which the godly man transacts his business. The former thinks only how he shall enrich himself; the latter, though neither unthankful for the good things of this life, nor averse from receiving the pro

fits, which arise from lawful merchandise, considers, in the first place, whether the business he is about to undertake be such as God approves of; and if there be any thing, in the whole train of it, inconsistent with the gravity and dignity of a professor of godliness, he will sooner lose his advantages than 'hazard his soul. Now, let us ask our consciences-“ Is it in this spirit that we constantly hold our dealings with our fellow creatures? Do we set the Lord always before us, and are we ever attentive to that golden rule-Do unto all men, as you would they should do unto you?"* Possessing such a temper we shall be sensible, that it is a high privilege to have permission to draw near unto God, and we shall fall down upon our knees to implore his blessing upon every undertaking. Having done that, instead of the care, the trouble, and the anxiety, with which the men of the world are harassed, we shall feel our minds light and easy. If the Lord please to prosper our diligence (for diligent every faithful servant of God will be) we shall thank him for our abundance, and if it please him to order matters otherwise, so that misfortune and poverty shall ensue; yet still we shall say-" It is well: it is good to be afflicted. Riches might prove a snare. The

*Matt. vii. 12.

Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away; blessed be the name of the Lord." "Though" as the prophet Habakkuk says, "the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stall, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." Thus, whether the event of our labour be prosperous or otherwise, we shall act with simplicity and godly sincerity in the world. But, again, there will be many opportunities, besides those arising from business and traffic, for Christians to exercise the same temper.

The generality of people are like the Athenians, and the strangers among them, concerning whom we read in the Acts of the Apostles, that they spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing; and whether what they hear, and what they report be true, is with them a matter of little consequence. They heard the story, and they think it lawful to repeat it as often as they please. But, who knows not, that the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, is seldom reported in common conversation? Who is not aware that, through misrepresentation, through forgetfulness, or from want of knowing all the

circumstances of the case, matters are stated very differently from what they really are in fact, and that thence arises no small degree of injury to many individuals, and very frequently to the community at large? But, if the simplicity and godly sincerity, which I am recommending, were more generally the motives of human conduct, how much of this mischief would be avoided! Men would think before they spoke; they would turn a deaf ear to many a tale of slander, and rather close their lips in perpetual silence, than utter one word that might be injurious to an innocent character. As, happily, godly Christians have much better things to think about than the faults and follies of their neighbours, their conversation is to the use of edifying, and, whether men will listen to them or not, they take care, upon all proper occasions, to introduce those subjects, which are of the greatest importance; subjects, which concern the welfare of the soul, which instruct us how to live peaceably in a world full of hatred, and point out to us a scene of future enjoyment, where the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are at rest. It is a great mercy to have the love of God so shed abroad in our hearts, that we can delight to speak of heavenly things, that we can be telling of his loving kindness from day