certainty and excellency of future happiness, as it is built on the promises of God, and expects fomething worthy of God. To this it must be added, that the hope of the Apoftle, and of every fincere chriftian, is wrought and fupported by the Spirit of God. The foul is made "to abound in hope by the power of the Holy Ghoft;" and on thefe accounts it produceth fo noble an effect. This was the great fupport of the Apostle's mind, under all the infirmities of the outward man; even the hope of the glorious refurrection of his vile, dying body, and the complete happiness of his immor tal fpirit.

APPLICATION.

1. We learn that the gospel is a great bleffing to the world.

"Man that is born of a woman is but of few days, and they are full of trouble." Before we arrive at old age, many infirmities generally attack us, and fometimes make our lives almost a burden. Our kind Father hath fent us a cordial from heaven, even the everlaging gofpel. Though it doth not remove the fentence of death confequent

quent upon fin, nor free us from the pains and decays to which fin hath expofed our bodies, yet it fupports and cheers the foul under them, and

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reconciles it to the thoughts of death. Yea, it makes what is fo difagreeable to nature the means of improving and ftrengthening our better part, and promoting its eternal interefts. this engage us to blefs God for the gospel, "which brings life and immortality to light." It is fit you fhould be frequently reminded of this, as the peculiar excellency of the gospel, and what calls for our daily thankfulness. In it we have the clearest discoveries of the nature of heaven, of its glory, and the duration of it. "We are

begotten again to this lively hope by the refurrection of Chrift from the dead;" the hope of a happinefs which will fully fatisfy the defires of the inward man. There is honour and fplendour alfo for the outward the inferior part is not forgotten in the plan of divine love. And this hope we have, as an anchor of the foul, fure and ftedfaft, amidst all the ftorms that may beat upon us in our paffage through life. Chrift rofe, afcended, and was then glorified. And

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his faithful followers, whatever they fuffer, fhall at length be raifed, exalted and glorified with him. Let it excite our thankfulness, alfo, that we have in the New Teftament the experience of the holy apostles fo particularly recorded; who endured a great fight of affliction, and went through much tribulation. per and behaviour we fee what patience, cheerfulness and courage hope can inspire. And, while their example doth honour to that religion which they were employed to propagate, and shows its fuperior excellence to all others, it is alfo recorded for our admonition and encouragement: and the admonition is fo neceffary, and the encouragement fo ftrong and delightful, that it demands our continued grati tude to God, who hath given us his word, and therein hath affured, and by happy experience and delightful foretafte often convinced, his fervants, "that the fufferings of the prefent life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed."

2. It is the duty of every one to take the greatest care of the inward man, and

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be principally concerned about its welfare.

Man is a creature of a wonderful compofition; made up of body and fpirit; each of which demands a proper care. But the fpirit, the nobler part of our nature, undoubtedly demands our greatest care. This is plain and evident. But how few act upon this conviction! We all know that we have another intereft to be concerned about, befides that of the flesh. It is certainly our duty to provide food and raiment for the outward man, to guard it from injuries, to repair its decays, and to keep it habitable as long as we can.

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the care of the foul is of the laft importance, and indeed the one thing needful. What fignify all our pains to fupport and adorn the outward man, while the hidden man of the heart is neglected; while little or not pains are taken to fupport it with good principles, and adorn it with holy difpofitions? Many things that contribute to the pleasure and gratification of the outward man frequently hurt the inward man; therefore the intereft of the body should be always facrificed to the good of the foul.

Let us not be fo folicitous to inquire, how we shall fecure the outward man, and have all well with that, as how to fecure the wellbeing of the immortal fpirit. The outward man will perish; it will decay and die, and there is no remedy for it. But the inward man will furvive. When the earthly houfe of this tabernacle, in which the foul dwells, is diffolved, the inhabitant will remove to endlefs joy or woe. It becomes every one ferioufly to think of this. If the foul is neglected, impoverished and ftarved, it must be miserable when it quits the body. And all the pain and agony which the outward man ever felt, will appear light and trifling, compared with the pain and agony of the fpirit when it is punished with everlasting deftruction. If the care of the foul is neglected, what will you do in the day of evil, when the outward man utterly perifheth? There is not, there cannot be, a more miferable creature on earth, than a man who hath loft his health, is much pained, languishing and dying, and yet hath no peace of confcience, no folid hope. He cannot live, and yet would, because he dares not die. Awake, then, my · friends,