vils-and, I must needs say, the state of man, when his will is turned from his GOD.

And hence we are furnished with an infallible criterion, by which we may diftinguish true from false religion; or, in other words, by which we may know, whether we are or are not receiving Spiritual Nourishment from the SHEPHERD OF SOULS. For it evidently follows, from what hath been faid, that we have a two-fold standard of Eternal Truth, viz. the Will of GOD revealed by a Birth of his Son in our hearts; and the same Blessed Will revealed in outward Scripture, as a perpetual uniform teftimony to these inward Dictates of Heaven. Here we stand upon firm ground, unshaken by infidelity on the one hand, or the vain pretences of false enthusiasm on the other: we are confcious of a superior nature, and of our connections with a superior world. We are of the Flock of JESUS-he is our true and only Shepherd. He feeds us-with what?-with himself with his own "Flesh and "Blood," his own Heavenly Nature; and we can diftinguish our growth in him, by our growth in Grace, and by a living conformity to his holy tempers and dispositions.

Deceive not yourselves, ye proud and high-minded visionaries, by refting your hope of falvation upon a few tranfient animal fervours, or a vain afssurance that ye belong to CHRIST, and are born again, because ye have an outward faith in him as an outward Saviour, and have felt some little momentary joy, from a vain opinion, that your fins were instantaneously forgiven. The forgiveness of your fins, is and can be nothing less than the Change of your Nature: Meekness, Humility,

and Love, are the first and the last, the fure and infallible marks of this change.

Deceive not yourselves, ye boafting infidels! by glorying in the sufficiency of reason, and what you call the dignity of nature. Reason, with all its efforts, can no more bring one spark of Goodness into your hearts, than it can bring one ray of light into your eyes, or one breath of air into your lungs. It may contemplate them, when there, but they must be born from another fource. As to your boafted dignity of nature, Goodness alone is real dignity; and All Goodness is derived from him, who is the only Essential Good. Without this, Satan himself is more dignified than ye are. Your rejection of Divine Revelation is not to be wondered at. Till you have difcovered your own natural weakness and infufficiency, and been brought to feel, that this can only be supplied from Heaven, Heaven, ye will never be fincerely difposed to make an impartial enquiry, to "search the Scriptures," and being convinced of their authority, to fatiffy yourselves from them, that the JEsus there revealed, is indeed the Shepherd, by whom alone all your wants can be supplied, who alone can " lead "you into green pastures, and feed you "by the waters of comfort!"

Let the meek and humble-minded Christian "lift up his head and look up." He need not, he does not, as the Pfalmist expresses it, "run here and there "for food; and grudge, because he is

not satisfied:" the wants he feels, reason, he well knows, cannot supply; the comforts he aspires after, are such as the world cannot give.

Wherever

his Shepherd leads, he is content to

follow: he is sensible of his prefence,

in darkness as well as in light.

The

evils by which he is oppressed, he is

satisfied to bear, because his deliverer is ever at his fide. He leaves it to him, to continue or remove them, when, and in what manner he pleases; being well assured, that, when pa"tience hath done its perfect work," the time of rest and uninterrupted joy will fucceed. O how sweet to walk the wilds of nature, with such a Companion and Guide! The thorny paths of adversity, the storms of temptation, the doubts and fears of trembling nature, yea, the rudest assaults of the Prince of Darkness, instead of weakening, do but strengthen his Faith, enliven his Hope, and increase the ardour of his Love. He is nothing, he has nothing, he wants nothing, but CHRIST. His Shepherd is his Love; his life is from him; he dies unto himself, that he may live wholly to him.

DISCOURSE