SERMON XVI.

LUKE X. 41, 42.

JESUS ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO HER, MARTHA, MARTHA, THOU ART CAREFUL AND TROUBLED ABOUT

MANY

THINGS, BUT ONE THING IS NEEDFUL; AND MARY HATH CHOSEN THAT GOOD PART WHICH SHALL NOT BE TAKEN AWAY FROM HER.

E are now once more arrived at the commencement of that season*, which the Church of England has fet apart for the purpose of enquiring into the state of our account with God, of reviewing our past and present way of thinking and acting with a critical and searching eye; of looking well if there be any way of wickedness in us, of turn

* Lent,

ing from it if there be, of confeffing and lamenting our disobedience and ingratitude to our heavenly Father, of imploring his pardon, of entreating the affiftance of his holy Spirit, and under his guidance forming the most ferious refolutions to correct and amend, without delay, whatever we find amifs in our temper, principles, and conduct. This is the true fpirit and meaning of the religious folemnity of this day*, and the holy feafon which follows it; this is the fubftance and the effence of what is called in Scripture language, and in the epiftle we have juft heard, "turning to "the Lord with weeping, fafting, and mourn

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ing." And what is there in all this, but that fort of folicitude concerning our fpiritual condition, and our future profpects, which every man of common fenfe, if he thinks them worth his notice, muft fee to be not only highly reasonable, but indifpenfably neceffary? Is there a man who has any important end in view for the advancement of his fame, his fortune, his rank or confequence in life, who, does not frequently think and reflect upon it, who does not give up a large fhare of his * Ash Wednesday.

time and attention to it, who does not often fhut himself up in his closet to confider whether he is in the right road to it, whether he is taking the most efficacious means to accomplish his end? We all know that this, and much more than this, is, and must be done, in fuch cases. And yet, in a case of infinitely greater moment, we conceive all this care and attention to be perfectly needlefs. We expect to go to Heaven without fo much as giving ourselves the trouble to enquire, at proper intervals, whether we poffefs the qualifications required of all who are allowed to enter there; whether the course of action we are pursuing will lead us to the point we profefs to have in view. The church calls upon us to give up a few hours at stated times, for a few weeks, to thofe great objects which we all acknowledge to be the most important that can engage the attention of a human being. But the world calls us another way; it calls us a thousand different ways; and which call is it that we obey? Look around and fee what it is that now occupies, and is likely to occupy, for the next fix weeks, the greater part of the inhabitants of this gay and

VOL. II.

Ꮓ

diffipated

and

diffipated metropolis. Is it retirement, is it. prayer, is it self-examination, is it repentance, is it proftration and humiliation of their fouls before God? It is almoft prepofterous to ask the question. Some, it is true, there are, and, I truft, not a few, that have not yet bowed the knee to Baal; who have not yet fallen down before thofe idols of fin, of pleasure, of interest, of ambition, which the world has fet up to worship; who love God with all their heart, and foul, and mind, and strength; who dedicate not only this day and this season, but a large proportion of every day to his fervice, pay an uniform and conftant obedience to his commands. But great numbers, it cannot be denied, (would to God it could) purfue a very different courfe, and think it meannefs to adore the God that made them. Far from rending either their hearts or their garments on fuch occafions as the prefent, they treat, with fovereign contempt, every ordinance of the church to which they belong; and this, above all others, they affect not only to defpife, but to deteft. They cannot bear, it seems, they fhudder at the very thought, they cannot bear to draw down imprecations, fuch as the fervice

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