How earnest should we be in beating down our stout stomachs and proud hearts. Such hearts are in us all by nature, but much increased by our own perverseness. Think how little thou gainest thereby. It is the almighty God against whom thou standest out - ' He with the froward will shew himself froward, Ps. 18-26. Observe how parents deal with stubborn children - they will make them feel the smart of their wilfulness. Is it safe for the earthen pot to dash itself against the iron pot - Pray to God to give thee a heart of flesh, which may be affected with his mercies, tremble at his judgments, and melt at his word.

There is a hardness which is God's work- which is a Judiciary hardness, a judgement inflicted by God righteously upon men- who when they will harden them-selves, God consents that they shall bee harden'd, and concurs to their hardening- so He is frequently said in Scripture, to harden Pharaohs heart, and to harden whom He will- but this same Judiciary hardness of heart which is God's work, you must know it is not by Gods infusing obstinacy and and malice into them, that God doth to none- but it stands in these three things, sometimes, By taking away from them, or denying them those means that might make their heart pliable to God- or Secondly, In case they do enjoy the means, yet God withholding his blessing from the means.

There is not only no inclination towards God, but there is a disinclination- not only no affection, but a disaffection. The carnal mind is enmity to God, and the effects of this enmity are obvious. This alienation from God is voluntary, affected and chosen- men in their unconverted state, are not only strangers to God, but enemies against God, and that in their minds. A most fearful case, full of astonishment, that the very mind of man, the offspring of God-the paternal mind, as a heathen called him-that this most excellent part or power belonging to the nature of man, should be poisoned with malignity, and envenomed with enmity, against the glorious, ever-blessed God-

Soldiers of Christ, be aware that you are highly advanced in God's creation, that you occupy an important station, that you have an arduous work allotted to you, and that you have neither time nor talent to throw away. For you are enlisted under the banner of Christ- you have entered the armies of the Most High. You have taken the oath of allegiance to the King of Zion, and bound yourselves by an oath to fight the good fight of faith against sin, Satan, the world, and the flesh.

Sleeping Christians allow personal ease to compete with spiritual duty. Religion is the great business of the Christian's life. It imposes on him many responsibilities that are in painful opposition to his fleshly desires. However, to neglect spiritual duties for the sake of personal comfort is to indulge in spiritual slothfulness. Great care must be taken to fight this natural tendency toward laziness with regard to spiritual things. For this reason, the Scripture instructs Christians to encourage one another daily -lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin- -Heb. 3-13-.-- Avoiding reproach is a common way Christians shirk their godly purpose in the world. It is easy to live quietly as long as you will not disturb your fellow sinner with a reminder of his sin. Ignoring the sinful behavior of others requires no effort, and thousands of professing Christians resign themselves to rest in a state of passivity. Whole churches often shut their mouths in silence in the name of charity or goodwill, but in so doing they actually display an awful indifference to the souls of men.-- 2. Sleeping Christians are no longer deeply affected by divine things. In this frame of mind, it is no wonder that Christians regularly attend the house of God but soon forget the instruction they receive. Although they once saw the glory of God in the face of Christ, now they walk in darkness. Where once they were stirred by a deep sense of the worth of souls and could weep over perishing sinners, now they can endure the sight of transgressors almost without emotion.-Their lack of interest in spiritual things is further manifested by their conversation.

The sins of a Church and people may come to that height, and God's wrath may be kindled to that heat, notwithstanding their reformation, God will inexorably go on to a desolation. Notwithstanding all that Josiah did, the Lord turned not from His fierce wrath. The third is, this being done for Manasseh's provocations, I observe, that the sins of one generation may be the ground and cause of the destruction and ruin of the succeeding generation. The abominations that Manasses committed and commanded in his time, were the cause why God was unappeasably bent to the destruction of the generation that lived after him.

Instead of being a precious stone in your eyes, he is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence to you. That he is a Saviour who hath manifested such divine perfections in what he hath done and suffered, is one principal reason why you set nothing by him. Consider how provoking this must needs be to God the Father, who has given his only-begotten Son for your salvation- and what wrath it merits from the Son whom you thus treat. And consider how you will hereafter bear this wrath.

The great rule for preventing the increase and power of vicious habits is, watch against beginnings. Sin doth not attempt dominion but in particular instances, by one especial lust or another. Wherefore, if any sin or corrupt lust begin, as it were, to set up for a peculiar predominancy or interest in the mind and affections, if it be not entertained with severe mortification, it will ruin the peace, if not endanger the safety, of the soul.

-I believe that before the church of God shall have obtained the conquest, and the visible kingdom of Satan on earth shall receive its overthrow, and Christ's kingdom of grace be everywhere established on its ruins, there shall be a great and mighty struggle between the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of Satan, attended with the greatest and most extensive convulsions and commotions that ever were upon the face of the earth, wherein doubtless many particular Christians will suffer, and perhaps some parts of the church.-

As to the ministers that go about the country to preach, I believe most of the clamor that is made against them must needs be from some other principle than a regard to the interest of religion- because I observe now there is vastly a greater outcry against ministers riding about to preach the gospel, than used to be heretofore when ministers rode about on the business of a physician, though that be so much more alien from their proper work and though they were gone from their own people five times as much. But I observe that nowadays, no irregularities are so much cried out against as exceeding in religion.-