you know not? And if you should then be found as you now are, unregenerate, how unprepared would you be for his com ing, and how fearful would be the consequence! Be exhorted therefore, for your own sakes, immediately to awake out of sleep, and sleep no more, but watch henceforward, and improve the remainder of this day, and each of your days henceforward, if you shall live to see any more days, as not depending on any other day.

Let me exhort every one, of whatever character, to have no dependence on any future time; to keep every Sabbath as having no dependence on the opportunity to enjoy another Sabbath; to hear every sermon, as if it were the last that you shall ever hear. And when you go into your closets, and address yourselves to your Father who seeth in secret, do it in no dependence on any future opportunity to perform the same duty. When any of you that are young go into company for your amusement and diversion, consider that that may be the last opportunity of the like nature that ever you may have. In all your dealings with your neighbors, act as if you were nev er to make another bargain. Behave in your families every day, as though you depended on no other, than to take your final leave of them before another day..........Here I shall offer you two motives.

1. Consider, if you will hearken to this counsel, how much it will tend to your safety and peace in life and death. It is the way really and truly to be ready for death; yea to be fit to live or fit to die; to be ready for affliction and adversity, and for whatever God in his providence shall bring upon you. is the way to be in, not only an habitual, but actual preparedness for all changes, and particularly for your last change.

It is the way to possess your souls in a serene and undisturbed peace, and to enable you to go on with an immoveable fortitude of soul, to meet the most frightful changes, to en counter the most formidable enemies, and to be ready with unshaken confidence to triumph over death whenever you meet him; to have your hearts fixed trusting in God, as one that stands on a firm foundation, and hath for his habitation VOL. VIII.

2 B

you to

the munition of rocks, that is not afraid of evil tidings, but laughs at the fear of the enemy. It will be the way for possess that quietness and assurance spoken of, Isai. xxxii. 17. "The work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever."

The servant who always stands watching, will not be at all surprised at the news that his Lord is coming. This will be the way for you to live above the fear of death. Yea, if heav en and earth should shake, you may stand firm and unshaken, being settled on a rock, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. O how happy are such persons, who have such safety and peace! What a blessed peace is that which arises from such a constant preparation for death! How happy therefore is that servant whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing!

2. What dismal calamities and miseries mankind are subject to for want of this, for want of behaving themselves every day as not depending on any future day! The way of the world is, one day foolishly to depend on another, yea on many others. And what is the consequence? Why, the consequence with respect to the bigger part of the world is, that they live all their days without any true peace or rest of soul. They are all their lifetime subject to bondage through fear of death. And when death sensibly approaches they are put into a terrible fright. They have a dismal view of their past lives; the ill improvement of their time, and the sins they have been guilty of, stand staring them in the face, and are more frightful to them than so many devils. And when they look forward into that eternity whither they are going, how dismal is the prospect! O how do their hearts shrink at the thought of it! They go before the judgment seat of God, as those that are dragged thither, while they would gladly, if they could, hide themselves in the caves and dens of the earth.

And what is worse yet than all the disquietude and terror of conscience in this world; the consequence of a contrary behavior, with respect to the bulk of mankind, is their eternal

perdition. They flatter themselves, that they shall see another day, and then another, and trust to that, until finally most of them are swallowed up in hell, to lament their folly to all eternity, in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone.

Consider how it was with all the foolish virgins who trusted to the delay of the bridegroom's coming; when he came they were surprised, and found unprepared, having no oil in their lamps at that time; and while they went to buy, those who were ready went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut against them, and they came afterwards crying in vain, Lord, Lord, open to us.

SERMON XXIV.

Hypocrites Deficient in the Duty of Prayer.

JOB xxvii. 10.

WILL HE ALWAYS CALL UPON GOD?

CONCERNING these words, I would observe,

1. Who it is that is here spoken of, viz. the hypocrite; as you may see, if you take the two preceding verses with the verse of the text. "For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul? Will God hear his cry when trouble cometh upon him? Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call upon God?" Job's three friends, in their speeches to him, in sisted much upon it, that he was an hypocrite. But Job, in this chapter, asserts his sincerity and integrity, and shows how different his own behavior had been from that of hypocrites. Particularly he declares his stedfast and immoveable resolution of persevering and holding out in the ways of relig

* Dated June, 1740.

ion and righteousness to the end; as you may see in the six first verses. In the text, he shows how contrary to this stedfastness and perseverance the character of the hypocrite is, who is not wont thus to hold out in religion.

2. We may observe what duty of religion it is, with respect to which the hypocrite is decyphered in the text, and that is the duty of prayer, or calling upon God.

3. Here is something supposed of the hypocrite relating to this duty, viz. That he may continue in it for a while; he may call upon God for a season.

4. Something asserted, viz. That it is not the manner of hypocrites to continue always in this duty. Will he always call upon God? It is in the form of an interrogation; but the words have the force of a strong negation, or of an assertion, that however the hypocrite may call upon God for a season, yet he will not always continue in it.

DOCTRINE.

However hypocrites may continue for a season in the duty of prayer, yet it is their manner, after a while, in a great measure, to leave it off.

In speaking upon this doctrine, I shall show,

I. How hypocrites often continue for a season to call upon God.

II. How it is their manner, after a while, in a great meas ure to leave off the practice of this duty.

III. Give some reasons why this is the manner of hypocrites.

I. I would show how hypocrites often continue for a season in the duty of prayer.