66 AN RUMBLE ATTEMPT, &C. memories to treasure up much knowledge, to retain long what you have learned, and to recollect it with ease, with what sort of treasure have you furnished this noble repository of the soul? Have you laid up nothing there but trifles and fooleries, nothing but stories and 'jests, but vanity and impertinence, or lewdness and scandal ? And have you neglected the solid riches of divine knowledge, rand the important matters of religion and eternal life.? Or have you taken care to hide a larger portion of the word of God in year hearts than others, that you might not sin against lino ? llave you treasured up more, of the truths, titre precepts, and the promises of the gospel ? Does the word of Christ dei'e!l richly 'in you,- according to the advice of the apos- tle; Col. iii. 16. Are you ready on every. proper occasion to entertain yourselvesand your friends with holy communications, with psalms and hymns and spiritual"soiigs which have been laid up in your hearts? Or have vain rhymes and wanton sonnets filled upand defiled that cabinet of the soul ? You who are adorned with a good natural temper,, who are ever ready to oblige and please, who have not so many of the seeds of malice and envy in your constitution as many of your neighbours have, and in this respect may be said to have more of natural virtue than they ; O what a blessed foundation is this upon which to raise an honourable superstructure of piety and moral goodness? You have not so many vicious qualities to sub- due as others, and yet have you suffered vice and unruly pas- sions to prevail, as much in your hearts ? Have you been solici- tous to adorn religion with this amiable character which God and nature have given you ? llave you brought his offering to the service of the gospel ? Have you maintained your candour and benevolence, your charity and goodness towards mankind who converse with you ? And have you made the profession of christianity appear illustrious in your behaviour ? I--lave you em- ployed these good dispositions of nature to shine in the kingdom of.grace, like diamods polished and set in a ring of gold ? There is abundant reason to expect you should do more honour to religion than others, who are blessed with a temper that so happily imitates virtue -and holy love. But have you devoted this blessing merely toearthly friendships, and shewn your com- passion and kindness to the rest of the world, with a neglect and disdain of the friends and servants of God ? Reflect a little, my friends, for what end did the God of nature confer all these blessings upon you ! Did he mould you of such a happy consti- tution in vain ? Do you serve sin and sense, the flesh and the devii,-and the common offices of this perishing life with these natural talents and advantages, and never think how much you might advance your eternal interests by them ? Do you never consider that you are obliged to serve Jesus your Lord with
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