out a motive to avoid the evil and obtain the good.

Now, as the secret infidelity of the heart tends directly to deprive us of the influence of hope and fear, and thus produce INDIFFERENCE about the means of grace, I beseech you, brethren, to pause and consider if unbelief reigns in your hearts, or if you have secretly adopted the sentiments so emphatically described and strongly condemned in the passages to which I have referred. Depend upon it, the secret supposition that "the Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil," will produce spiritual indifference; and oh! remember, that the root of the evil which operates so powerfully in detaining us from the house of God, and blinds us to the fatal effects of its neglect, is deeply seated in our hearts, and that nothing short of the grace of God can eradicate it, or restrain its power.

A second source of this indifference is, the disrelish for spiritual things which is felt by man in his unrenewed state. This doubtless has a powerful effect upon many, for man is in a great degree led by his inclinations and feelings, and these always tend towards what yield pleasure and satisfaction; and, finding no pleasure or enjoyment in religion, he feels indifferent about its services.

And need we any proof, brethren, that this disrelish for spiritual things exists to a fearful extent? If we look to the great bulk of mankind, the whole tenor of their life and conversation

converted

bespeaks, not only indifference about their souls, and disregard of God's glory, but an actual dislike and disrelish for spiritual subjects. And if we turn our thoughts inward, and enquire why we are so backward to engage in the service of God; why we find the duties of the sanctuary rather a tiresome and irksome task, than a privilege and a source of enjoyment; why we are so cold and lifeless in our devotions, so wandering and distracted in our minds? is it not because we have no relish for those spiritual services, and, like the Israelites of old, we loath the spiritual manna, for want of a renewed taste to enjoy it? Oh! remember, dear brethren, that if a disrelish for spiritual things has disqualified you for performing the duties and enjoying the privileges of the sanctuary below, the same disrelish will disqualify you for the services and blessings of the sanctuary above, and must necessarily exclude you from all participation in them. And I beseech you, be careful how you yield to your disinclination to attend the public ordinances of religion; for by so doing you will increase your disrelish for spiritual things, and render your indifference more profound.

A third source of this indifference is pride. "The wicked," says the psalmist, "through the pride of their countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all their thoughts."

In assigning ignorance as a cause of the neglect of public worship, we confined it chiefly to the lower classes; and in assigning pride as a cause of spiritual indifference, and consequent disregard

of public worship, we would consider it as chiefly applicable to the higher classes. "And it is somewhat remarkable," as has been wisely and forcibly observed, "that here the extremes meet, and that the public duties of religion are most slighted by the highest and by the lowest classes of society; by the former, I fear, from indolence and pride, by the latter, from ignorance and profligacy." When many of the first description do attend, it is in such a manner as makes it evident they esteem it merely an act of condescension, to which they submit as an example to their inferiors, who, penetrating their design, imitate their indifferance rather than their devotion. Could, the rich and the noble be prevailed upon to attend to the instructions of their Lord, instead of making their elevated rank a reason for neglecting their duties, they would learn that there are none to whom they are so necessary, since there are none whose situation is so perilous, whose responsibility is so great, and whose salvation is so arduous.

It may here naturally be asked, if we assign indifference (springing from any, or the combined influence of all, the sources we stated) as a cause of the neglect of public worship, how are we to account for the fact, that many attend the external duties of religion who, apparently, are profoundly indifferent about the great concerns of eternity; who manifest little anxiety about their souls or God's glory, and have, apparently, no relish for spiritual things. Their conduct in the house of

God frequently affords melancholy proof that their hearts are not engaged in its services- the whole tenor of their lives declares them to be strangers to experimental piety, and manifest religion to be neither their element or their delight. If some, then, attend the house of God who are indifferent about spiritual things, and whose indifference may be traced to the same sources as the indifference of those who neglect its services, how are we to explain or account for the difference of their outward conduct? They agree as to their state of mind and disposition of heart, and yet differ so widely in their conduct; some attending, others neglecting, the outward forms of public worship. What mainly constitutes this difference is

THE POWER OF HABIT, AND THE FORCE OF THE EXAMPLE AND OPINION OF OTHERS.

we assign, and proceed to consider,

This

III. AS A THIRD CAUSE OF THE NEGLECT OF PUBLIC WORSHIP.

This subject demands our most serious attention; for, while the power of habit, and the force of example and opinion, are constantly exercising over us a powerful and almost inconceivable influence, we are, for the most part, unconscious of it, and pay but slight attention to the fact.

Habit becomes to man almost a second nature. He is the slave of habit - it binds him with adamantine chains, leading him as a captive, to the daily performance of what he has been accustomed, and to the neglect of what he has hitherto slighted; it makes his past history the model for

his future, supplying him with power from the performance of past acts, for the performance of future acts of the same kind, and rendering him, by past neglect, more averse to engage in, and less able to perform, what he has hitherto neglected.

Though the influence of habit has been, for the most part, imperceptibly gained, and is unconsciously exercised over us, yet, who that compares his past with his present state, can fail to discover that habit has gained, and is constantly exercising over him, a most commanding influence? What is it that has rendered that which was once felt to be difficult and irksome, now easy and pleasant; so that what once required much exertion, is now performed without the feeling of an effort? Simply the power of habit.

And what is it that has rendered what was once felt to be easy and pleasant, now so difficult and irksome? The habit of neglect. You may find a common instance of this, in the simple circumstance of postponing from day to day to call upon a friend, or write a letter, which renders what might have been an agreeable employment, at length an irksome or toilsome task.

Our present and immediate enquiry is, how far does the power of habit tend to thin our congregations? The power of habit is clearly acquired - it is not natural to us it is a consequence of past conduct. Habits of attendance upon divine ordinances have been formed by attendancehabits of neglect have been formed by past neg