We the extending the advantages of church worship in a poor and populous neighbourhood. You are well aware that this is the excuse of many for not coming, namely, that they have not room to come. The more we build and enlarge churches, we do the more to cut off this excuse. We give the more efficiency to the labours of God's ministers, as long as the churches which we build shall last. open the door to our brethren, that they may partake of that Christian instruction, and of that grace which God gives in answer to man's prayer, which have proved of infinite advantage to ourselves. And we ourselves are stirred up to fresh exertions, in order to win our neighbours to attend, in order to convince them that it is good for them to come hither, in order to fulfil as far as possible, the will of our Lord, that his house may be full. Once more I am bound to add, that if you really reverence God's sanctuary, as his, you will not be satisfied with having it built and furnished in a mean and un worthy manner; but you will rejoice to to pay lay out on it the best materials, and the best workmanship, which you can engage for. It is a matter of great thankfulness to God, that this church in particular, which some few years ago was not fenced, nor properly finished, nor yet fully paid for, has been placed entirely out of debt, and well fenced, and is now enlarged, and in the way to be completely finished as it ought to be. I beseech you let it not be left one hour in debt. Let no expense be incurred, if you can help it, for which you have not the means to pay. And if the collections of this day have been amongst the means reckoned on, in promoting this enlargement, and last improvement of the church, I beseech you, contribute largely, out of regard to God's honour, out of reverence to the sanctuary of the Lord. But it is not of this church only that I speak. I exhort you to help largely in the building of churches every where, as far as your means can reach, in building them, repairing them, enlarging them, and providing them with all things needful for divine worship. Some make it a point of conscience to give nothing to these objects, nay, nor even to pay what they are lawfully rated. Shew your conscientiousness by paying cheerfully, and giving largely. Give with as little hesitation as if you were lawfully bound to pay. Pay with as little reluctance as if you were freely giving. Pay as unto the Lord. Give as unto the Lord. Pay, and give, of your substance, and of your time; yea, give your own selves also; as unto One, to whom not only the sabbath and the sanctuary belong, but all things, at all times, and in all places. God is always. God is every where. And though we are bound to hallow some days and places more than others, we are bound to be sensible of his presence, and to reverence Him as present, at all times, and in all places. May He, who is now in the midst of us, make us sensible of his presence now, and evermore! And whilst we keep his sabbaths, and reverence his sanctuary, may we also bear in mind, that wheresoever we are in space or time, in whatsoever place or day, we are still bound to honour and obey Him, who is God from everlasting to everlasting! SERMON XII. THE LOVE OF THE BRETHREN. John 13. 35. By this shall all men know that dis WE are all born into the world with a disposition to be selfish; and in this one word we comprehend many other evil propensities, or at least the root of many others, besides selfishness itself. Wrath, pride, vanity, greediness, covetousness, sensuality, all these, and other hateful features in the character of the natural man, are intimately connected with our natural eagerness to please our ownselves, at all cost of pain to others, or of offence to God. To please our own selves is far from being always sinful. To enjoy the advantages which God has given us is |