These, being enlightened by Divine wisdom, see what is good in itself, and what is calculated to promote the good of others; and, having had their hearts renewed by Divine grace, they proceed to work from benevolent and pious principles; and, in all their works, there is a happy mixture of piety towards God, and benevolence towards man. It is the observation of our Saviour, that a tree must be made good before its fruit can be good: "Either make the tree good, and his fruit good: Or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: For the tree is known by his fruit." Matt. xii, 33. Arguing upon this principle, and there is no other on which we can safely argue, it will clearly follow, that no unconverted man can work good, in the full and proper sense of that phrase. Let us, therefore, who desire to be followers of God in working good, seek the infallible directions of his word, and the renewing influences of his Spirit; for thereby we shall be "thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Tim. iii, 17.

The good which we work, must be proportioned to our means and opportunities. Some have abundant means; others limited; but all should do what they can. Let not the poor, the obscure, the afflicted, be discouraged. The widow's mite was noticed and accepted: The poor wise man, mentioned in the book of Ecclesiastes, delivered the little city: And the afflicted lepers carried the joyful tidings of abundance in the camp of the Syrians. 2 Kings vii, 9, 10. When a man does good, as far as his power extends, God approves, his own heart is made glad, and his reward is certain.

Workers of good diligently seek opportunities of doing good. They frequently inquire, What can we do for our friends? How can we serve our acquaintance? Can we do good to our enemies? Can we instruct the ignorant? Can we comfort the distressed? Can we support an injured character? Can we rescue the wretched from misery? Can we feed the hungry, or clothe the naked? Can we bring a poor wanderer back to God? Thought is followed by action. Plans are formed and executed without delay; and, if success does not crown the effort, the worker of good has, at least, pleasant reflections on his well-meant endeavours.

Workers of good are anxious to seize the present moment. He who puts off an intended good work, however plausible his excuse, may lose the opportunity for ever. Now is the time to act. Another day may remove the person, who wants our help, into an awful eternity; another day, another hour, may remove us into that eternal world! These are serious considerations, and should quicken us in the execution of our good purposes. "Boast not thyself of to-morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." Prov. xxvii, 1. Our Saviour made haste to do good. He said, when Joseph and his mother had sought him sorrowing, "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" Luke ii, 42. We now proceed to the Second part of our subject:

II. THE GLORY, HONOUR, AND PEACE, WHICH WILL BE GIVEN TO THE

WORKERS OF GOOD.

The God of heaven, whose power is unlimited and unchangeable, has promised glory, honour, and peace, to every man who worketh good;

and what he has promised must necessarily be accomplished; for his word is gone forth, and cannot be recalled. We readily admit, that the glory, honour, and peace, which he has promised, are very different from the shining bubbles of a vain world; but it does not follow, by any means, that they are less valuable. Men, in general, have mistaken notions of this interesting subject. They imagine that glory and honour are confined to war, wealth, and titles; but it is obvious, that the most worthless of the human race have succeeded in war, obtained wealth, and abounded in titles. The successful warrior, in too many instances, has the glory of burning cities, desolating nations, and destroying men; but were this glory offered to the workers of good, they would reject it with a holy scorn. Lord Bacon says, "Goodness of nature is, of all virtues and dignities of the mind, the greatest, being the character of the Deity; and without it man is a busy, mischievous, wretched thing, no better than a kind of vermin." War, in some cases, is just and necessary; and those warriors who, from patriotic principles, hazard their lives in the defence of their country, are clearly entitled to the esteem of their fellow-countrymen; but, even in these instances, the most complete success is productive of so much misery to the human race, that it seems to us an abuse of words to call it glory.

That glory of working good, upon the smallest scale, far exceeds all other glory, will appear by a brief comparison of the one with the other. The glory of working good, is solid and substantial; all other glory is a mere airy notion. The glory of working good, is acknowledged by God and all good men; all other glory is acknowledged only by the ignorant and the vile. The glory of working good produces peace; all other glory produces envy, and promotes war. The glory of working good promotes human happiness; all other glory promotes human misery. The glory of working good glorifies God; all other glory robs him of his glory. The glory of working good leads to high exaltation in the heavenly world; all other glory ends in shame and everlasting contempt. The glory of working good is durable; but all other glory is but for a moment. These hints require no proof. They carry conviction as they are stated.

But the glory, honour, and peace, of working good, refer, principally, to that eternal state, where the righteous are fully rewarded, and the wicked fully punished. The great day will determine every thing, placing honour upon the honourable, and disgrace upon the disgraceful. Addison has a fine thought upon this subject: "Honours are in this world under no regulation; true quality is neglected; virtue is oppressed; and vice triumphant: The last day will rectify this disorder, and assign to every one a station suitable to the dignity of his character; ranks will then be adjusted, and precedence set right."

Let us carry our thoughts forward to the world of spirits, where the wise and good shine in all the splendour of heavenly glory. Their bodies rest in the dust, awaiting the sound of the last trump; while their immortal spirits are arrayed in robes of light and glory. At the general resurrection, their bodies shall come forth from the grave, in a state of glory, which far exceeds all the conceptions of the human

imagination. The Judge descends in all the glory of his Father; anc workers of good, whose hearts were truly converted, are honourably placed at his right hand, shining in the glory of the Judge, who, in the days of his flesh, "went about doing good." Acts x, 38. After the great day, behold the workers of good in the heaven of heavens, where their glory, honour, and peace, are established and confirmed for ever and ever. Unbelief may consider these representations as idle tales; but that faith, which is of the operation of God, views them as substantial verities.

We do not mean to insinuate, that working good, however excellent in itself, merits glory, honour, and peace; but it is clearly revealed, that God, in his infinite goodness, has so ordered and constituted things, that those who work good should enjoy these high privileges. What they may deserve, upon the plan of rigid justice, is not to be considered: The only consideration is, whether God has engaged to act upon this plan. That he has engaged, is certain; and that we may hope for the best, will not admit of any doubt.

The worker of good, as was before hinted, may be a poor obscure individual, unnoticed by men; but he is the man whom God delights to honour. Angels rejoice over him; his heart is filled with sweet peace; men who know his real worth rise up and called him blessed; and the rewards of heaven are secured to him by many immutable promises. Survey ruined cities, weeping widows, helpless orphans, and mutilated limbs; and you see how some great ones of the earth obtained their glory. Then turn your eyes to the humble, but perhaps unnoticed, workers of good, who are endeavouring to promote the happiness of every person within their reach; and say who is most to be admired, the blustering, dashing hero, who spreads desolation and death wherever he goes; or the benevolent and pious man, who weeps with them who weep, and rejoices with them who do rejoice? The subject is so clear, that you cannot hesitate a moment, while under the calm influence of truth, to give the palm to the workers of good. But do not mighty heroes work good? They may eventually do so, without any design on their part. The storm which strikes mankind with terror, and which spreads desolation all around, may purify the air, and, however terrific in itself, work good to those who survive its fury.

To conclude: When unerring truth addresses erring mortals, she loudly proclaims the glory, honour, and peace, of all who work good. She also proclaims the infamy and disgrace of that ambition, which wades through seas of blood to gain a momentary glory. But where may we hear the voice of truth? In the sacred volume. Reason hears her voice, and confirms her testimony. Ignorance is blind and deaf; and can neither see the charms of truth, nor hear the words of wisdom which drop from her lips. May our God, who is the Fountain of wisdom and goodness, open our eyes, renew our hearts, and lead us on in the way of wisdom and goodness; so that at the end of our probationary state on earth, we may meet with his approbation, and enter upon those gracious rewards, which he has promised to all who love and obey him! Amen.

SERMON XLIX.

THE PROPRIETY OF PRAISING THE LORD.

Praise ye the Lord. PSALM Cvi, 1.

GRATITUDE to the Supreme Being, for favours received at his hands, may be reckoned one of the first and most important duties of man. Ingratitude to man has been justly abhorred by men of all nations, whether heathens, Jews, Mahomedans, or Christians: How much more abhorrent is ingratitude to the God of all our mercies! It never will be in our power to make adequate returns to him for his unparalleled goodness and love; but we can offer up, in an imperfect way, the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. Deeply impressed with this important subject, the pious and grateful Psalmist urges us, both in this and many other passages, to praise the Lord. Let us now engage in this duty with cheerful hearts; humbly hoping that our heavenly Benefactor will afford us light to understand, and power to perform, this high and important duty, in a way which will meet with his acceptance. That we may do so, let us consider, why we should praise the Lord; how we should praise him; when we should praise him; and the good which will result from our imperfect praises.

I. WHY SHOULD WE PRAISE THE LORD?

We should praise the Lord for our creation. Our creation, as rational and intelligent beings, demands praise and thanksgiving. A few wretched and miserable beings, whose crimes have loaded them with infamy, and plunged them into sufferings, may consider existence as a curse; but all sober, thinking men, whatever they suffer in this lower world, deem it a blessing. One consideration, namely, that we are capable of knowing and enjoying God for ever, proves this beyond a doubt. The obligation we are under to praise the Lord for creation, will appear more forcible, when we consider what we were when we originally came out of his hands. Man, through transgression, is in a fallen, degraded state; and yet, fallen as he is, he may rise and gain a knowlege of God, and enjoy him as his portion. Think on this subject till the sacred fire of love begins to burn, and then humbly bless the Lord, for this unmerited display of goodness to the human race.

The exalted rank which men hold in the creation, is another reason why they should praise the Lord. Man is placed at the head of all the creatures in this lower world. They possess a variety of instincts; but he has reason. They have wonderful bodies; but he has a mind, which is the greatest wonder. They were made for this world; but he was made for the eternal world. He will live for ever. View the birds of the air, the fishes of the sea, the beasts of the forest, the reptiles, and creeping things, and then praise the Lord for having made thee man. They praise the Lord in various ways; but their praise is imperfect,

and unknown to themselves. They know not, any more than inanimate beings, that there is a God to be praised. But the praise and thanksgiving of man is a rational service; and it should be voluntary and

cheerful.

Our redemption, by Jesus Christ, is another reason why we should praise the Lord. Had the human race been left, in a state of transgression, without a Redeemer, they would have perished everlastingly; but we are assured that "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." Gal. iii, 13. The means of salvation, without redemption, would have been out of our reach; death and destruction would have been our portion; but through this astonishing display of Divine love, every son of Adam may obtain reconciliation with God, and be happy for ever! Frequently call this pleasing subject to your recollection; enlarge upon it in your daily meditations; and unite in songs of praise to him, who has provided a safe and all-sufficient remedy for your ruined spirits! No doubt, this subject will furnish us with songs of praise in the upper and better world. When the system of nature shall have passed away, and when myriads of ages have rolled along, the followers of the Lamb will be employed, in sounding the high praises of redeeming love! O, may we, worthless as we are, bear an humble part in that immortal song!

We should praise the Lord, in every circumstance of life, for the watchful care of his providence. He provides our food and raiment ; he gives us health; and he preserves our lives, in all dangers to which we are exposed. "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall to the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." Matt. x, 29, 30. Praise the Lord, all ye nations! Bless his name from pole to pole; from the rising of the sun, even to the going down of the same!

The grace which we have experienced, in our salvation by Jesus Christ, is another reason why we should praise the Lord. We have been called out of darkness into light; our sins have been blotted out; we have been renewed in righteousness and true holiness; we have peace and joy in the Holy Ghost; and we have pleasing hopes of a blessed and glorious immortality! If these wondrous manifestations of the grace of God did not engage us to praise him, "the stones would immediately cry out." Luke xix, 40. But those who are influenced by Divine grace, cannot neglect this duty: Love to God is the ruling principle of their hearts; and praise is one of their greatest pleasures.

Christian privileges demand praise and thanksgiving. We have the Bible to direct our steps; we have the ministers of religion to instruct us, and to build us up; we have the means of grace to refresh us; and we have fellowship with the saints. These privileges, in our view of things, are more valuable than gold or silver. They help us on our way to Zion; they cheer us in trouble; and they strengthen our hands in the mighty God of Jacob. Let God have all the glory. Praise him with joyful lips. If we survey the state of men, in distant countries, who never enjoyed one Gospel privilege, we shall be convinced that they are under many obligations to praise the Lord; but when we