slothful, it is overgrown with thorns; nettles and briars cover it;" Prov. xxiv. 30. And drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags ;" Prov. xxiii. 21.

It is the same in spiritual things, as in the things of nature. Diligence in seeking the knowledge of God shall be crowned with an increase of sacred knowledge; Hos. vi. 3.

"Then shall we know the Lord, if we follow on to know him.” "Give attendance to reading, saith Paul to Timothy, that thy profiting may appear to all;" 1 Tim. iv. 14. Diligence and labour with our own hearts in weaning them from the world, and a fervent constancy in the pursuits of godliness, is the proper and rational way to obtain the blessings of grace and glory. But I add,

2. Diligence hath the rich and special promises of a faithful God to encourage its hope. What David said to his son Solomon with regard to building the temple, the gospel saith the same to every christian; 1 Chron. xxii. 16. "Arise and be doing, and the Lord shall be with thee:" And Solomon gave the same advice to his son, and the same promise; Prov. ii. 3, 4. "If thou seekest after wisdom as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures, then shalt thou obtain saving knowledge, and learn the fear of the Lord. Give all diligence, saith Peter in the name of Christ;" 2 Pet. i. 5-10. "Give all diligence, and add one christian grace to another, add to your faith virtue, to your virtue, temperance, patience, godliness and charity. Give diligence again to make your calling and your election sure; for if ye do these things ye shall never fall, but an entrance shall be ministered to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

3. Diligence and industry are a happy guard against snares and temptations of every kind. When the devil finds you idle, he hath a proper moment to assault you with some powerful temptation: He will employ you in his work, when he finds your hands and hearts entirely at leisure and unemployed; he that is not awake to his duty, is not awake to his danger, and is easily surprized into mischief: but the wakeful diligent christian is like Nehemiah's builders on the walls of Jerusalem, with a weapon in one hand while they laboured with the other; Neh. iv. 17. and thus their work went on with good success and safety.

4. Diligence is always making a progress towards its designed end, but the slothful man is in great danger of going backward. The gardener who neglects his daily work, will find the ground which he hath cultivated over-run with weeds again in a little time. If a waterman who rows against the stream be slothVOL. II.

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ful and drowsy, his vessel will make no progress, but be carried backward continually: So if a labourer hearkens to the enticements of drowsy nature, and learns this slothful language, A little more sleep, a little more slumber, poverty will come upon him as an armed man; Prov. xxiv. 33, 34. and rob him of all his gains. Negligent and unwatchful and lazy christians, will for the most part lose what they have gained in the things of religion too: The apostle John in his second epistle, verse 8. guards against it. Take heed that ye lose not the things which ye have wrought, but that ye receive a full reward. How many have lost/ their first zeal, their first love, and their early joys in religion, by a sinful security of soul, and for want of a due concern to grow in grace. It is growth in religion that evidences the truth of it, and secures the comforts of it.

5. The diligent christian is a most useful person in the world, he does the most good himself, and becomes an excellent example to all that are round about him. He lays the sluggard under continual conviction, and puts him to daily shame, if he have any of his senses awake to see, or feel, or take notice. Such a christian animates and encourages all that are near him to the same diligence, as fire kindles fire, and spreads the blaze far and near. Active and lively christians make one another's hearts warm in religion, and help to diffuse the sacred fire round about. The zealous servants of the blessed God, give credit and honour to their profession; but what a shameful thing is it to see some christians idle and careless in the duties of their daily calling, anď slothful and lazy in their practice of religion too? The truth is, they do not make religion their practice, but a mere matter of talk and sound; and while they refuse to labour in the station where God has placed them, they disgrace their profession, and expose themselves to the just and severe sentence of the apostle; 2 Thess. iii. 10. He that will not work, let him not eat; that is let him starve, for christianity is no just pretence for idleness.

6. The diligent christian finishes his work with peace, hope, and joy. He shall review his conduct and his labours with an inward satisfaction, and a sacred pleasure of soul: his conscience is a joyful witness; he hath not only a safe but an abundant entrance generally administered to him into the heavenly kingdom, and he obtains a fairer crown; for the Lord the righteous Judge will reward every one according to his works; Rom. ii. 6-11. He who had one talent, and improved it by gaining ten more, had rule over ten cities: He that gained five talents, had five cities under his government; Luke xix. 17-19. But let us dread the curse of the wicked and slothful servant; Observe the slothful servant is pronounced wicked by the mouth of Christ himself; Mat. XXV. 26. He is to be "cast into utter darkness, there shall be

weeping and gnashing of teeth." The slothful wretch at the end of his days, sees his great work undone, his heart not yet turned to God and godliness, and is overwhelmed with horror when in view of death and judgment. It is the cry of his soul, “O that I might die the death of the righteous;" Num. xxiii. 10. but there is no crown of righteousness for him, no prize of glory; he hath neither run nor fought, nor laboured so as to obtain it. He wishes for heaven in vain; his desires are his torment, for they shall never be fulfilled, desire and despair are misery enough. Happy soul who hath been faithful, diligent and watchful in every station of life, and has made suitable advances in faith and love, and holiness. He waits till his Lord shall come, and he rejoices in hope, for he shall then receive the glorious sentence from the lips of his Judge, "Well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of thy Lord;" Mat. xxv. 21-23. and be thou possessed of blessedness in the upper world, in proportion to the talents I trusted thee with on earth, and to thy diligent and faithful improvement of every talent." Amen

SERMON LIII.

Christian Fellowship, with its Duties and Adr

ROM. XV. 6, 7.-That ye may with one mind, and with one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,-Receive ye one another, as Christ also hath received us to the glory of God.

FOR christians to join themselves in particular societies or congregations in order to carry on the great interests of religion, appears to be both a duty and a privilege: It stands upon just foundations as a duty, and as a privilege it is attended with excellent advantages. I confess the words of my text chiefly design to teach us what is the particular rule whereby this practice should be conducted, and who should be the persons thus joined together in holy fellowship, even the Gentiles who are converted to Christ, as well as the Jews: Yet the general duty is plainly intimated viz. that those who profess the name of Christ, and have reason to hope that Christ has received them, should also receive one another into mutual communion in all the social parts and privileges of the christian religion, “that with one mind and with one mouth they may glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." In my discourse on this subject, I shall endeavour to set before you these several things:

I. The reasonableness of this practice.-II. Some special advantages that arise from it.-III. The characters of the persons more particularly, of whom this is required, and in what numbers they should unite together to make a christian church.-IV. The duties of persons thus united in christian societies or churches.-V. I shall mention the officers which Christ has appointed in his churches to perform peculiar services therein.

First, We are to consider the "reasonableness of this practice, whereby it will appear to be the duty of those who profess the religion of Christ to agree together, and form themselves into particular societies."

The first reason is this, That "without such an agreement to unite together in the practice of christianity, there can be no such thing as public worship regularly maintained among christians,

nor public honours paid to God in the name of Jesus." Now the worship of God in public assemblies is so necessary for his honour in all ages, and under all dispensations, and was so carefully practised among the primitive christians by the authority of Christ and his apostles, that we cannot be excused from it, if we profess ourselves to believe in Christ. This has been made sufficiently evident in a former discourse*. And if there be such a thing as public worship maintained, the light of nature shews us there must be some certain time, and some certain place appointed by agreement among such worshippers, since no one christian that I know of has any authority given by the scripture to appoint precisely the times and places, and magisterially to impose them upon his brethren.

As for the place under the Jewish dispensation, God himself appointed the tabernacle in the days of Moses, and the temple in the time of Solomon as sacred places for public sacrifices, and some peculiar solemnities of worship; but the sacredness of place is now at an end, as our Lord informs us; John iv. 21-24. and even during that dispensation, the synagogues throughout the land where God was weekly worshipped by the people, were built and frequented by the agreement or consent of the people, as the light of nature directed; and the worship of christian churches is more a-kin to that of the synagogues than that of the temple.

As for the time, the first day of the week is the christian day of worship by apostolic appointment: But christians must agree together upon the hour, as well as the day, in order to unite in the several parts of worship.

Without such an agreement of christians among themselves, there could be no celebration of public ordinances in a becoming manner, no united prayers and praises could ascend to heaven, there would be no social attendance upon the word preached, no participation of the great ordinance of the Lord's-supper, which is a part of social religion, a sacred feast or representation of the blessed communion which christians have both with Christ their Lord, and with one another. For this reason they must agree upon the place to meet in, "That the whole church may come together in one place," as 1 Cor. xi. 20. and they must agree upon one hour, or tarry for one another till they are come;" 1 Cor. xi. 33.

The second reason for such a practice is this, viz. "Without an agreement to keep up such societies for worship, the doctrines of Christ and his gospel could not be so constantly and so

* See Sermon XLIX, of Berry-street Sermons, volume II. page 87,