the inward work of fanctification, they will fail you. Every kind of hope, which is different from, and unconnected with this, is vain and delufive. But in this there is no deception. It is probable indeed that many deceive themselves, in anfwering the question, whether they are the subjects of this fanctification. But the evidence itself is fure. If there be an error, it arifes not from the nature of the evidence, but from the blindness of the mind in applying it. Examine yourselves then, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own felves; for Chrift is in you except ye be reprobates. And if Chrift be in you, the body is dead with regard to fin; and the Spirit is life with regard to righteoufnefs; for to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

We who are minifters are taught, in what manner we should treat thofe, who apply to us for advice under fpiritual doubts and fears. We are not to pronounce them in a converted ftate. This is affuming more than the apoftles affumed. John intimates that feducers took this method to gain profelytes to their fect. The apoftles were more cautious; for they pretended to no certain knowledge of men's hearts, and they ufed no inticing and flattering words to bring men under their influence. The proper way of treating fuch inquirers is that which our apoftle has exemplified; we are to explain the nature of religion, state the evidences of converfion, and direct men to examine their own hearts, and prove their own works. Thus we are to establish our own hopes; thus our hearers must establish theirs. It is by walking in the fear of God, that we walk in the comforts of the holy Ghost. It is by abounding in the fruits of

righteousness, that we are to abound in the hopes of glory. It is by adding to our faith all the vir tues of the Chriftian character, that we are to make our calling and election fure. If we do this, we fhall never fall, but an entrance will be miniftred to us abundantly into the kingdom of Christ.

SERMON XXIII.

The Death of the Young lamented and improved.

A Funeral Sermon.

ིམ་

JOB xiv. 19.

Thou deftroyeft the Hope of man.

HOPE is a principle, which prompts all

our actions, and animates us in all the bufinefs of life. Whatever we undertake, we are influenced by the hope of fome good to compenfate our labours. "He that ploweth, ploweth in hope; and he that thresheth, is partaker of his hope." But the hope of man, though ordinarily in fome degree realized, is frequently disappointed. Job obferves, that even "mountains decay, and rocks are removed; that waters wear the ftones and wash away the things which grow out of the earth, and God deftroyeth the hope of man." This observation is verified, not only in floods, ftorms, and droughts, which cut off the hope of harveft,

but in a thousand other unexpected occurrences, which defeat our worldly defigns. The truth of it is never more visibly manifefted, and more fenfibly felt, than when hopeful youths are snatched out of life, just as their promifing virtues and talents begin to raise the expectations of those who know them. Such events Job feems to have had in view; for he adds, "Thou prevaileft forever against him, and he paffeth; thou changeft his countenance, and fendeft him away." The young are the hope of man. is often deftroyed.

The young are the hope of man.

But this hope

The human kind is continued by fucceffion. "One generation paffeth away, and another cometh." The mortals now on the ftage are foon to withdraw, and return no more. Were the race of men to be terminated with the prefent generation, and the earth to become a dreary wafte, as foon as they were gone, the profpect before us would be covered with an impenetrable gloom; our labours would languifh, and our enterprise ceafe. But in the melancholy affurance of our own speedy departure, our minds are comforted, and our profpects brightened, by the expectation that another generation will fucceed us, and still another, and that the fucceffion will be continued for ages unknown. The youths now rifing up are our hope and joy. These are foon to fill our places, enter on our labours, take the benefit of our improvements, and add to them improvements of their own, which the fhortnefs of our time will not permit us to make. We feem to ourselves, as if we fhould live in them after we are dead.

The rifing generation is an effential link in the long chain of human fucceffion. As we have been the inftruments of bringing them into existence,

fo they, in their turn, will be the inftruments of bringing forward another generation, and thefe again of another; and thus the fucceffion is to be maintained, until that diftant period, when the earth itself fhall pass away.

The young are the hope of fociety. They are foon to stand in our lot; to poffefs our property; to take up our duties; to fuftain our offices; to enjoy our privileges, and hand them forward to the mortals, who will fucceed them.

We

We value the gospel, which, by the piety of our fathers, has been tranfmitted to us. We view it as a moft precious gift of God to fallen men. know it to be the great charter of our eternal hopes. What it is to us, the fame must it be to all who come after us. Could we believe, that they who fhall live here fome centuries hence, would be ftrangers to divine revelation; in this fad anticipation, we fhould lament their unhappy fate, and think it would be good for them not to be born. But we look on the youth now advancing forward, and hope, that by their means this richest of all bleffings will be tranfmitted to diftant ages. We refolve to commit it to them, to educate them in the knowledge of it and inculcate upon them its facred importance. We hope, that they, in their turn, will do the fame, when a new generation fhall follow them, and that thus remote ages will be pious and happy by the virtue and fidelity of the youths, who are now growing up under our care.

Some of us feel old age invading them; others fee it advancing toward them. We realize, that foon we fhall be taken off from the active labours of life, and placed in a helplefs and dependent condition. In the forethought of this evil day, we have comfort in our children, who, we think,