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they may be blotted out, through the atonement of Christ.

5. It appears from the character and experience of saint Paul, that real christians never live in a state of spiritual death. Though they are imperfect, and their spiritual affections often decline and languish; yet they do not live like sinners, without a sense of the burden of sin. Paul felt and lamented every degree of his moral imperfection. He did not live from day to day, from week to week, from month to month, or from year to year, in a dead, torpid, unfeeling state, as some suppose, that real christians may do. He was alive to his sinful, as well as holy exercises. While he had joy and peace in believing, he had pain and distress in disbelieving and disobeying. He did not feel indifferent whether his heart were right, or wrong with God. It is as inconsistent with the character of real christians, to live habitually in a dead and secure state, as to live in a state of perfection, as some vainly and criminally profess to do. Paul did not live in such a state of sinless perfection, and there is but little reason to believe, that any of the Methodists are more holy than saint Paul. And there is no reason to think, that real christians can live at ease in sin, any more than he could. There are undoubtedly some dead professors, who live, and feel, and act as the men of the world do, but they have no evidence, that they are real christians, but positive evidence, that they are in the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity.

6. It appears from the character and experience of the apostle Paul, that the more christians grow in grace, the more they will resemble, and find that they resemble him, in their religious character and spiritual experience. Young christians very often enjoy much comfort and peace in believing, and seem to imagine, that they shall never feel such burdens and distresses from sin, as the apostle felt, and as older christians sometimes complain of. But if they live and grow in grace, watch over and restrain the corruption of their hearts, they will find the christian warfare extremely

painful and burdensome. When they find the world against them, and the weakness and fickleness of their own hearts, which are bent to backsliding, and easily carried away with the current of the times, and their moral imperfections, and undue attachment to the world in its various forms, they will then find abundant occasion for mourning, as well as rejoicing. Though they may not be troubled with doubts and fears respecting their gracious state; they will be burdened and troubled and distressed, on account of their great imperfections in external and internal duty. It is no evidence, that christians are growing fast in grace, that they experience no more darkness and distress in their minds, but it is a greater evidence, that they are declining in every gracious affection, and losing their first love.

7. This subject now calls upon all to inquire whether they have that evidence of being good men, that Paul had of being a real christian. Have you any better evidence of being really gracious, than Paul had before his heart was changed? He then had that external evidence of being a good man, and in favour with God, which gave him entire satisfaction. And are there not many now building their hopes upon the same kind of evidence? They appear externally like Paul and other christians. But have they that internal evidence of being christians that he had, and other true believers have? Have you ever felt the burden of sin? Have you ever engaged in a spiritual warfare? Have you lived by faith in Christ, day by day? Has sin become a greater and greater burden? Are you more and more diligent to keep your hearts in the love of God? Does it give you pain to be interrupted in duty? Do you derive your highest happiness from the enjoyment of God, or from the enjoyment of the world? These are questions respecting views and feelings, that none can answer but yourselves. Others can answer for all your amiable external conduct; but not for any wrong feelings of heart.

8. This subject reproves and condemns those, who

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make light of sin. It is the character of some sinners, that they make a mock at sin, and they are called mockers. This is extreme folly and wickedness. The burden of sin is not a light burden to bear. It made the heart of Paul to stoop. He did not look upon sin as a light thing. God does not, Christ does not, saints do not, and the angels in heaven do not. And those who now make light of it, when the commandment comes home to their conscience, will find it heavy. And it will sooner or later come home to every one's conscience. Let all sinners, then, prepare to meet God and their conscience, by true repentance, selfabasement, godly sorrow, and a lively faith in the divine Redeemer. There is no room for delay. The burden of sin may now be taken off, but never will be taken off beyond the grave, but terminate in endless and insupportable despair.

SERMON XXVII.

THE LIVING GO TO THE DEAD.

I shall

go

II. SAMUEL, XII. 23.

to him, but he shall not return to me.

WHILE David's child was sick, he put on sackcloth, lay in the dust, fasted, and besought the Lord to spare his life. But as soon as he perceived the child was dead, he arose from the earth, and washed and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he did eat. This sudden change in his appearance and conduct, was surprising to his servants, who expected that the death of his child. would increase, rather than abate the anguish of his heart. They accordingly said unto him, "What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child while it was alive; but when the child was dead thou didst rise and eat bread. And he said, while the child was yet alive I fasted and wept; for I said, who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again. "I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me." Such a reflection as this, ought to strike the minds of the living, whenever they see any of their relatives, friends, or acquaintance, called out of this into another world. We are much more apt to realize, that our departed friends will not return to this world, than that

we shall follow them into another. The truth, therefore, which lies upon the very face of the text, deserves a very serious consideration:

That the dead will not return to the living, but the living will go to the dead.

The subject naturally divides itself into two branches, which I shall distinctly consider.

1. Let us consider, that the dead will not return to the living.

We know there is often a strong desire in the living, that the dead might return to them in this world. They want to see them and converse with them about both temporal and eternal things. This is more frequently the case, when any have lost their friends at a distance, and had no opportunity of making or receiving communications of serious and weighty importance. And there is another more common motive for desiring the deceased to return, which is, to know their final condition. Many, who would not wish to go into the eternal world to see their departed friends, would yet be highly gratified to see them once more in this life. And it is very probable, on the other hand, that many or all the deceased would be very glad to return to the living, either to say or do something, that they did not or could not say or do before they left the world. But such mutual desires of the living and of the dead to meet again in this world, will not be indulged, because the dead will not be allowed to revisit the earth, where they finished their course, and performed the last act on the stage of life. "As the cloud is consumed, and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more." God has placed a barrier between this and the other world; but what that barrier is we know not: we only know that it is completely sufficient to prevent all intercourse between the living and the dead. The living have sometimes requested the dead before they left the world, to break over this barrier and appear to them again; and they

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