whether you receive and act upon them accordingly; whether, seeing the Lord is your maker and constant benefactor, you are endeavouring to fulfil the duties you owe him, of love, gratitude, and obedience. Allowing yourselves to be sinners against God, have you ever been humbled and alarmed on this account? have you ever cried out, with feeling anxiety, "Oh, wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me?... What shall I do to be saved?" has the news of salvation been sweet, and the Saviour precious in your esteem, as he is to all them that believe? Expecting the Lord Jesus to come again and judge the world, is it your chief concern that you may be then found of him in peace, without spot and blameless, and stand accepted, not having your own righteousness, but the righteousness of Christ which is by faith? Thus it is the duty of every hearer of the Gospel to consider and apply what he hears.

II. I remark, that it is only God who can give the blessing, and make the word effectual to salvation. "The Lord give thee understanding," says St. Paul. The most intelligent men need this gift; for human reason and learning never led a man to a saving knowledge of Christ; though the word preached be indeed the truth of God, and able, that is, fit, in itself to make men wise unto salvation, yet it cannot be effectual to that purpose, till applied to the heart and conscience by the Spirit of God. Men unsanctified receive not the

things of God. The understanding, through the corruption of nature by the fall, and through the confirmation of this disorder by customary sin, is utterly unapt to receive the rays of divine light; it is prejudiced against them. The truths of God are foolishness to such a mind. The man looks on them as trifling and impertinent things, not worth his minding. "The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not;" not that the natural faculty of discerning is lost, but evil inclinations and wicked principles render the man unwilling to enter into the mind of God, in the spiritual matters of his kingdom, or yield to their force and power. It is the quickening beams of the Spirit of truth and holiness, that must enable the mind to discern their excellency, and produce such a thorough conviction of their truth, as heartily to receive and embrace them. Thus the natural man, the man destitute of the Spirit of God, cannot know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Ministers may preach the truths of the Gospel from year to year without any beneficial effect resulting to their hearers, unless the word be accompanied by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, enlightening the eyes of their understanding, to know and understand feelingly their wretched ruined state as sinners, and the reality, value, and importance of spiritual blessings. Then they see the beauty and excellence of the Lord Jesus Christ, and desire an interest in his salvation;

they see in the light of God's holy word, what characters they ought to be, and what the Lord would have them to be; and they are roused to aspire after that "holiness without which no man shall see the Lord." If he who gave the revelation, and appointed the ministry of the word, do not give the understanding in the heart, it profits nothing. But this blessing, I remark,

III. Is to be sought in the way of duty. Many directions may be given, and many duties pointed out, to the hearers of the Gospel, who desire to profit by the word. But the apostle in my text prescribes two most important, and which perhaps will be found to include or imply all the rest; viz. consideration, and prayer. Prayer and exertion, faith and practice, always in the word of God go hand in hand; and woe to the man who would attempt to sever them in Christian experience.

We must consider what we hear, for the truths of the Gospel preached to a thoughtless inconsiderate hearer, are but like water spilt upon the ground, that cannot be gathered up again; or like good seed devoured by the fowls of the air, or rotting beneath the clods; but consideration is the way to understand, remember, and practise what we hear. Can we wonder that so many hear much and profit little, when we have every reason to fear they never seriously spend one half hour in reflecting upon the word they have heard, by endeavouring to learn, mark, and inwardly

digest, but rush from the instructions of the sanctuary to the dissipation of the world? Such are indeed "not doers of the word, but hearers only, deceiving their own souls." So far from the word making any abiding impressions upon them, they go away, and straightway forget what manner of thing it was. Not so the real saint of God; "his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in that doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season: his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsover he doeth shall prosper." He looketh into, (considers attentively,) the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein; (habitually applies himself to digest and practise what he hears ;) and, he being not an inconsiderate or forgetful hearer, but a doer of the word, shall be blessed in his deed.

The real Christian, the attentive hearer, also (ac cording to the apostles' practice) prays over the word. Thus every faithful minister prays for the people of his charge; "Lord give them understanding in all things; write these things on their hearts, I beseech thee, O Lord! In vain Paul may plant, and Apollos water; thou only canst give the increase. O Lord! give thou the hearing ear, the understanding, believing and obedient heart." Thus, too, every pious heart seeks for, itself a blessing on the word from the Father of lights, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift; "Lord open thou mine eyes that I may behold

wondrous things out of thy law; give me understanding, and I shall live and keep thy word; what I know not, Lord teach thou me, and if I have done iniquity I will do so no more; shew me thy way O Lord, lead me in thy paths, unite my heart to fear thy name; lead me in a plain path and teach me!" This is the way in which we may hope for, and expect a blessing, because God has promised it; "If thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding, if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures, then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God."

I close with a word to the thoughtless, to the inquiring, and to the established hearer.

Let the thoughtless trifler know that he trifles on the brink of eternity; that God will not be mocked; that all his religious opportunities are registered against him, and will be brought forward to his shame another day; that ignorance will not be excused where opportunities of knowledge have been granted, and that sinners will be justly condemned for being destitute of that blessing, which they were too thoughtless and indif ferent to ask for. Remember your religious privileges will not last always: if you refuse to consider the message that God now sends you, the invitation you now receive to repent, and turn to the Lord; if you now refuse to "seek the Lord while he may be found, and call upon him while