leaned upon him, could be deemed an act of homage to Rimmon, a participation in the crime of idolatry? Naaman, however was not without apprehenfions that it might not be lawful on any account, and under any circumstances, to adopt in the temple of an idol a posture fimilar to that, which others employed as a fign of reverence: And while he expreffed his hopes that the proceeding which he had defcribed would not be offenfive to God; he expreffed them with enquiring folicitude, and with evident tokens of deference to the prophet's expected determination.

Whatsoever, faith the apostle, is not of faith, whatsoever is performed without a full perfuafion of its lawfulness, is fin (i). If you are duly folicitous to preferve a confcience. void of offence towards God and towards man; you will turn an inquifitive eye on your general conduct, and efpecially on those parts of your proceedings which may bear the appearance of evil. The felf-righteous feel no fcruples: the carelefs examine none, The former have no diffidence; the latter no fpirit of investigation. But the man of the truly Chriftian temper is the man who feareth always: the man who, because he (i) Rom. xiv. 23.

feareth

feareth always, in the word of God is pronounced happy (j): the man who, because he feareth always the corruption of his own heart and the deceitfulness of fin, fcrutinifes his motives, his tempers, his actions, his objects is fufpicious of being biaffed in his judgement of right and wrong by prepoffeffions, by inclination, by cuftom, by interest, by a defire to please men, by erroneous expectations of forwarding the glory of God: and being forewarned by the remembrance of paft incautioufnefs, of past mistakes, of paft tranfgreffions, proceeds not with careless precipitation, decides not according to first appearances, but ftriatly examines, his purposes on every fide, weighs them in the balance of the fanctuary, measures them by the ftandard of righteousness, notes every defect, every aberration; and changes his plans and defifts from his undertakings, when he can no longer lay his hand on his bofom, and affirm according to the complete import of the apoftolical injunction; "In my mind, O Lord, I am fully perfuaded "of their rectitude (k)." Such, in proportion to the degree of knowledge attained by a convert juft emerging from idolatry, was the spirit of Naaman. Thou, who haft

(j) Prov. xxviii. 14.

(4) Rom. xiv. 5.

been

been nurfed up from thy cradle in the arms of Christanity! Is not fuch thy fpirit? Then fhall this Syrian rife up in the day of judgement, and fhall condemn thee. They shall come from the Eaft and from the Weft, and from the North and from the South, and shall fit down in the kingdom of God. But the children of the kingdom fhall be caft into outer darknefs (1). There are those, faith the Scripture, whose consciences are evil (m). There are thofe, whofe confciences are defiled (n). There are thofe, whofe confciences are feared with a bot iron (o). What is the first step towards a confcience that is evil, a confcience that is defiled, a confcience that is feared? A carelefs confcience. If through faith in Chrift thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments (p). If thou wilt keep the commandments, exercife thyfelf to have always a confcience void of offence (q). Exercise thy conscience in a scrupulous investigation of duty; train it to a quick perception and a lively abhorrence of guilt; if thou wouldeft walk in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless (r).

() Matt. viii. 11. (a) Tit. i. 15. (9) Acts, xxiv. 16.

Luke, xiii. 29. (0) 1 Tim. iv. 2.

(r) Luke, i. 6.

(m) Hebr. x. 22. () Matt. xix. 17.

SERMON XII.

On habitual Remembrance of God.

PSALM xvi. 8.

I have fet the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right Hand, I shall not be moved.

SUCCESS is not the reward of inconftant

aims and defultory efforts. When the mind is divided, we lofe fight of our object. When exertion is interrupted, we recede from it. It is the part of wisdom to select from the various objects prefented to her choice that which is the moft worthy of regard; to hold it stedfaftly in view; to cherish the impreffion of its excellence; to facrifice to it all inferior gratifications; to purfue it with firmnefs, with ardour, with unabating perfever

ance.

In the paffage of holy writ which has been recited, the Pfalmift directs your thoughts to the greatest of all beings, the fource of all happiness. By the weight of his own example, by the refult of his own experience, he admonishes you to an habitual remem→ brance of God. Of the prophetic import of the paffage; of its ultimate and its most important reference to that defcendent of David, who alone among all the generations of men kept completely and invariably before his eyes the prefence of his Almighty Father ; I speak not now. Contemplate the words in their primary acceptation. Contemplate them as defcriptive of that predominant defire of the heart of David, which he fervently expreffes in almost every pfalm: a defire which, notwithstanding occafional infirmities and one moft fignal scene of tranfgreffion impartially recorded in the fcriptures, is proved by the extraordinary commendations bestowed upon him in the facred writings to have brought forth, through the influence of divine grace, the fruits of faith and holiness in his general conduct, and deep felf-abhorrence and genuine repentance for the guilt into which he was betrayed. What was that defire? To fet the Lord his God always before him. What was his recompence? That God was on his VOL. I. right