of my soul in his atonement, obedience, and intercession, as my holy and ever acceptable highpriest? Am I led to yield a most ready, willing, and universal subjection to his government, as my exalted Sovereign and rightful Lord? Am I led to look to him as the great Head of divine influences, from whose fulness, as the ever-flowing, over-flowing fountain of all grace, I most thankfully receive all my supplies in my spiritual life? Am I led to viewhim as my perfect pattern? Is his lovely example always before my eyes, and does it both charm my heart, and direct my steps? Is it my daily study, labour, and prayer, to copy his amiable tempers and heavenly conversation; my greatest joy and delight to follow his steps, and to walk even as he also walked? Am I led to maintain daily and delightful communion and intercourse with him, daily committing my soul into his hands, consecrating it to his service, and breathing it out to him in humble love, and prayer, and praise?

§3. Am I led to the blessed God? Led to him as the source of my being and happiness, in whose favour is life, and whose loving-kindness is better than life? Am I led to seek his favour in Christ with my whole heart; led to cry out with intenseness and ardour of soul, "Lord, lift up the light of thy reconciled countenance upon me? Am I led to God as an humble penitent

Do I come before him, confessing and lamenting my sins," abhorring myself, and repenting in dust and ashes?" Am I led to condemn myself in his presence, and to acknowledge he would be righteous, and even glorify his justice in my eternal condemnation? Am I led however to hope in his mercy through Christ, and thankfully and joyfully to submit to the way of pardon and acceptance with him, which he proposes in the gospel of his dear Son? Am I led to lay hold of the covenant of grace, and do I take God in Christ as the only and supreme blessedness of my soul, my all-sufficient and everlasting portion? Am I led to take him as my Lord, as well as portion, and to give up myself sincerely and entirely to him? Convinced of his right to all I am and have, and grieved at the heart that I have so ungratefully and wickedly alienated from him what is so entirely his own; am I led to devote and dedicate my whole self, and all I enjoy, to his service and glory, desiring his gracious acceptance of the surrender, and ambitious of nothing more than to be his, and to glorify God with my body and spirit, with all my powers and capacities, which are his? Am I led to maintain and cherish in my heart a supreme love and veneration for him as the greatest and best of beings; an ardent desire after him, as my only and all-satisfying portion; and a cordial.

gratitude towards him, as my supreme benefactor, to whom I am obliged for my being, and every blessing of it? Am I led to live under a continual sense of his presence; and is that presence at once the delight and awe of my heart? Am I led to frequent and delightful meditations on him; to study his word; to pour out my prayers and praises at his footstool; to trust cheerfully his providence; to believe firmly his promises; to be devoted to his fear; to be resigned to his will; to do all to his glory; to labour, long, and pray for growing conformity to him here,

This test of religion deserved more enlarged consideration. It is most forcibly inculcated in the scriptures as the comprehensive law of religion-" do all to the glory of God." For want of purity of motive, a profession of religion often terminates in shame. Even self-examination may be perverted by wrong motives. Those who draw back to perdition have been known to examine themselves anxiously; but then they were saying, "I wish I could be assured I am a Christian; for as these must be saved, I should not then take so much care about my soul." But they who believe to the saving of the soul, seek assurance for the contrary reason: then," say they, 66 we could serve the Lord without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life." Let us take some action which we think most pure in its motives, and examine it to the utmost, to see whether it really was intended for the glory of God, or not. Let us not be discouraged if we find that inferior motives have intruded their influence, but rejoice if we find that our ultimate object, the only one at which we allowed ourselves to aim, was the promotion of the divine glory.

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and for the perfect likeness and everlasting enjoyment of him in heaven?

§ 4. Am I led to maintain suitable regards to the blessed Spirit? Am I led to love and honour him, as the great author of divine light and life, grace and comfort? Am I led exceedingly to prize, and most gratefully to acknowledge his illuminating and sanctifying, his quickening and comforting influences? Am I led to maintain a deep and humble sense of my continual dependence upon his divine agency? Led earnestly to seek his gracious and powerful influences, to fit me for every duty, to cherish every grace and virtue in my heart, to strengthen me under every trial, and to render me superior to every temptation and every corruption? Do I give up myself sincerely and entirely to his gracious and heavenly conduct, watchful of, and thankful for, all his

Is not the Holy Spirit too generally slighted by Christians? While that most tremendous consideration that the unpardonable sin is an offence committed against this Spirit, should alarm those who profanely despise his person and influences; for the same reason, as well as for more generous motives, Christians should conduct themselves towards their sanctifier with exquisite delicacy; taking heed lest they grieve the Holy Spirit, by whom they are sealed to the day of redemption. But what diligent self-research this requires! For, as it respects our most secret thoughts and emo-. tions, without rigorous self-examination we can never know whether we have honoured or grieved this blessed Spirit.

holy motions, and desirous to yield myself to them, desirous that I may be led on by him from one degree of faith, and love, and zeal, and holiness to another, till I appear perfect before God in Zion? Do I earnestly desire and most joyfully welcome his continual residence in my heart, consecrating it by his presence as the temple of God? And am I careful to abstain from those sins, which tend to grieve him, and provoke him to depart from me, dreading such an event as the greatest misery that could befal my soul? Am I led to admire and adore the sovereignty and freeness, the riches and efficacy of his grace towards me, and with the greatest thankfulness and pleasure to ascribe all the praise and glory of whatever is good in me, or done by me, to his powerful and gracious operations alone?

§ 5. Am I led to the means of grace? Are divine ordinances prized and valued by me as the choicest privileges, rather than painful duties? Instead of being tempted to slight and neglect them, do I most willingly, joyfully, and thankfully embrace every opportunity of attending them, and grieve for it, as a great loss to my soul, when I am by any circumstance deprived of those precious seasons? Do I attend them not more from the command of God, which I could wish to be dispensed with, than from such