pone a fervice fo fit, improving and useful? It becomes you to fulfil all righteousness. And if fo, can you give a reafon for declining this duty for the prefent? Can you too foon teftify your faith and love, by fhewing forth his death, with his church?-too foon declare your choice of him for your Saviour?

Again, Does your delay to witness the good confeffion proceed from a concern and endeavors to be better prepared to come to the table? or is it rather owing to indifference and levity? If you wish the advancement of the kingdom of our Lord, caft in your lot with those who commemorate his bloody paffion. Were it a matter of fmall or no confequence whether this memorial be attended-were the fervice needlefs or unreasonable, certainly Chrift, the wisdom of God, would not have inftituted it. If any of his disciples require other terms of communion than the apoftles, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghoft, required, their inventions in Christian worship may cut off from the church worthy members, or prevent fuch from en. tering into it. But your lot is not caft among fuch.

"The righteousness of faith speaketh on this wife; "Confefs with thy mouth the Lord Jefus, and believe "in thine heart that God hath raised him from the "dead. God hath highly exalted him, that every

tongue may confefs him Lord." Is it your duty to believe with the heart unto righteoufnefs? It is no lefs your duty to make a Chriftian profeffion. The apostle has connected thefe two. Is Jefus Chrift Lord? Then they who confefs him to be fo, fay well. . He hath faid, that those who are not with him are against him. Why are they not profeffedly on the Lord's fide? why are they not ready to give a reafon of the hope that is in them? Is it that they love the praise of man more than that of God? Or is it that they fear what man can do unto them? How then do they love the Lord Jefus in fincerity?" He that loveth father or mother,

"fon or daughter, more than me is not worthy of "me." According to our Lord's declaration, not to confefs him is equivalent to denying him.

Paul directed Titus to exhort the young to be foberminded. Does not Christian sobriety involve a Chrif tian profeffion? He mentions fome who were in Chrift before him. It is therefore commendable to be early in Chrift-to be fo in profeffion and in heart.

The extenfion, yea, even the existence, of Chriftianity depends on the obfervation of the Lord's day, the ftated affemblies of Chriftians and celebration of the facraments. The holy communion, while it upholds the remembrance of Chrift, and is a public invitation to obfervers to come into his church, contributes also to the improvement of communicants. They take fweet counfel together: They hold fast their profeffion, and confider one another to provoke unto love and good works. To decline this profeffion is to contribute to the extirpation of Chriftianity. Is Chrift Lord and head of the church? Hath he left with it a folemn rite to commemorate his love in giving himself for it? And fhall any, who admit his divine miffion, refufe to record his dying love? Shall they treat his command to record it as doubtful, unimportant or grievous?

What can more conduce to the mortification of fin, and yielding ourselves to God as alive from the dead, than the exhibition of Christ in the facred fupper?-made a curfe for us to deftroy fin? This exhibition of our perishing state, and of our ranfom by the crucifixion of THE LORD OF GLORY, is calculated to inflame our indignation and our love-our indignation against the cause of his fufferings; and our love to that wonderful person who laid down his life to fave our fouls. Look to him through the medium of this ordinance, and weep for yourfelves, for your fins. But for his crofs, thefe had funk you in remedilefs perdition.Look to him through this memorial of infinite obligation, and arm yourfelves with the fame mind; take

up your cross, and follow him-die to fin-be crucified to the world-prefent yourselves to God, as alive from the dead.

Do not treat with carelefs indifference the invitation to the communion. "The Spirit and the bride say, "Come. And let him that heareth fay, Come. And "let him that is athirft come. And whofoever will "let him come, and take the waters of life freely." Come to the table of the Lord, ye who in your infancy were baptized into Chrift. Come and recognize the vows then made in your behalf. Do not practically renounce them, by declining to take them on yourselves, now that you are capable of fuch a transaction. As children of pious vows, dedicate yourfelves, deliberately and unfeignedly, to the Father, Son and Spirit. Shew that you know the value of the bleffings of the new covenant-that you feel the conftraints of the love of Chrift, and your obligations to walk in his commandments and ordinances. Confefs the juft claim, which the former of your bodies and Father of your fpirits hath to your foul and body, by avouching him to be your God. He brought you from nothing into being. To his mercy you are indebted that you are not funk into a state worse than non-existence. Confefs the juft claim of the Lord who bought you; and, with Thomas, worship him, My Lord, and my God. Be not afhamed to appear among the friends of the cross. "Scarcely for a right"eous man will one die; yet peradventure for a good "man fome would even dare to die." But this is the commendation of the love of God and our Saviour, that Chrift died for the ungodly. Fix your minds on this love: It fhews the value of the foul. The world would be lofs in exchange for it. By this love we befeech you to confecrate to God and the Redeemer your precious fouls-to make this confecration in the prefence of his faints. Let them fee, and let the world fee, that Chrift is exceeding precious in your

esteem-that you account all things lofs for him—that you feel, in a measure, the affection which the apoftle expreffed thus: "I am crucified with Chrift: Never"thelefs I live; yet not I, but Chrift liveth in me; "and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by "the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and 66 gave himself for me.".

My young brethren, you cannot but obferve, that the number, who, in middle life, or in its decline, make the Chriftian profeffion, is fmall. Often have they been invited, and refufed the invitation. Tho' the invitation is continued to them, as well as to younger life, I have yet chofen more particularly to addrefs the latter to-day. I would take occafion to remind you, that the chief hope we have of attention to the gofpel invitation is from the rifing generation.Nor can these imagine, that if they delay an explicit profeffion from one communion to another, and from one year to another, that they fhall be more inclined and prepared to make it, than many others, whom they obferve to be unconcerned about it, though they have reached, and fome of them paffed the meridian of life. Would to God that such had set an example worthy of the imitation of the young. Over the laft, cuftom, fashion, have great influence. Cuftom and fashion declare, against the selfdedication to which we would perfuade the youth.

Do we then encourage and recommend hypocrify and affectation? This indeed we fhould do, provided there is no faith and fincerity on earth, and never will be. But if they may be found, fhall we not exhort the youth to be emulous of them? If we may not hope for thefe qualities from them, where may they be expected? Real faith and fincerity may be profeffed as well as poffeffed. Good things may be brought forth from the good treasure of an heart warmed with the love of Chrift.

The rod of God has again been on this place in prevailing fickness. The malignity and mortality have

not now been fo great as in fome late years. But the deaths have already been double to what is usual in one year, though but three quarters of this year have elapfed. Such vifitations, as we experienced fome years ago, and again experience, have been fent to accomplish a reformation, a revival of the work of God. I refer it to my hearers, whether fuch has been their effect-whether an increasing neglect of the fabbath and public worship and ordinances, increasing diffipation and immorality, are not apparent. With acceffions to our population, commerce and wealth, and other improvements, have we not declined, rather than improved, in vital piety and good morals? If fo, there is more abundant occafion to advise, exhort and warn the generation who are coming forward-to call upon them to dedicate themselves to God and their Redeemer, with a willing mind, not by constraint; deliberately, as those who have fet down and counted the cost; unfeignedly, as mindful of the command, My fon, give me thine heart. Make this dedication in the prefence of all God's people. Renew from day to day your refolutions to live to him. Befeech him to confirm and ftrengthen in you fuch pious purposes and engagements. By reminding yourfelves, from day to day, of the debt of gratitude which you owe for redemption, by the daily devotion of the clofet, you may, through divine influence, feel your hearts warmed with fuch religious impreffions and affections as may influence to a circumfpect walk, a faithful improvement of your time and advantages, a profitable attendance on the worship and ordinances of the fanctuary.

Though religion is often profeffed from very unworthy views, let it not be thought that it cannot be, and never is, profeffed from upright views. Because many deny the power of godlinefs, who yet keep up the form, let it not be fuppofed that there is no fuch thing as vital piety. Neither let it be faid, that the