TO THE

PARISHIONERS

OF

ST MARY WOOLNOTH,

AND

ST MARY WOOLCHURCH HAW,

LONDON;

THESE SERMONS

ON THE

MESSIAH,

ARE AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED BY THE

AUTHOR:

TO REMAIN, AS A TESTIMONY

OF HIS RESPECT FOR THEIR PERSONS,

AND HIS SOLICITUDE FOR THEIR WELFARE,

WHEN HIS PRESENT RELATION TO THEM,

AS THEIR MINISTER,

SHALL BE DISSOLVed.

PREFACE.

THE following Sermons, as to the fubftance, (for most of them are confiderably abridged), were preached to a public and numerous affembly. And therefore an accurate and logical difcuffion of the feveral fubjects was not aimed at. They are rather popular difcourfes, in which the Author, though he wished not to treat the politer part of his auditory with difrefped, thought it likewife his duty fo to adapt his manner to the occafion, as to be intelligible to perfons of weak capacities, and in the lower ranks of life. He conceives himfelf to be a debtor to every class of his hearers, and that he ought to endeavour to please all men, with a view to their edification; but, farther than this, not to be greatly affected, either by their approbation or by their cenfure.

Many of the fubjects are fo nearly coincident, that repetitions could not be always avoided, without the appearance of affectation. Befides, as it may be expected, that in a large congregation there are always fome perfons present for the first time; with refped to thefe, an obfervation may be new, though, perhaps, the more flated hearers may recollect its having been mentioned before. For a fimilar reafon, fuch repetitions are

not improper in print. Many persons read part of a book, who may not have opportunity or inclination to read the whole. Should any one, by opening thefe Sermons at a venture, meet with a paffage which, by a divine bleffing, may either awaken a careless, or heal a wounded spirit, that paffage will be exadly in the right page, even though the purport of it should be expreffed in feveral other places. Farther, fince we do not always fo much fland in need of new information, as to have what we already know more effe&ually imprefed upon the mind; there are truths which can fcarcely be inculcated too often, at leaf until the defign for which they were mentioned onee be effectually anfavered. Thus, when the ftrokes of a hammer are often repeated, not one of them can be deemed fuperfluous; the lafl, which drives the nail to the head, being no lefs neceffary than any of thofe which preceded it.

From the Readers, whofe habits of thinking on religious fubjis are formed by a clofe attachment to particular fyftems of divinity, the Author requefts a candid conftruction of what he advances, if he ventures in fome inftances to deviale a little from the more beaten track. If he is fometimes constrained to differ from the judgment of ruife and good men, who have deferved well of the church of Gad, he would do it with modefty. Far from depreciating their labours, he would be thankful for the benefit which he hopes he has received from them. It is a great fatisfaction to him, that in all doctrinal points of primary importance, his views are confirmed by the fuffrage of writers and minifters eminent for genuine piety and Found learning; who affifted him in his early enquiries after truth, and at whofe feet he is fill willing to fit. Vet, remembering that he is authorifed and commanded to call no man Matter, fo as to yield an implicit and unqualified fubmiffion to human teachers; while he gladly borrows every help he can from others, he ventures likewife to think for himself. His leading fentiments concerning the grand peculiarities of the gofpel were formed many years fince, when he was in a state of almost entire feclufion from fociety; when he had scarcely. any religious look but the Bible within his reach; and had no knowledge, either of the various names, parties, and opinions, by which Chriftians were diffinguished and divided, or of the controverfies:

controverfies which fubfifted among them. He is not confcious that any very material difference has taken place in his fentiments fince he firfl became acquainted with the religious world; but, after a long course of experience and obfervation, be feems to poffefs them in a different manner. The difficulties which for a feafon perplexed him on fome points, are either removed, or confiderably abated. On the other hand, he now perceives difficulties that conflrain him to lay his hand upon his mouth, in fubjects which once appeared to him obvious and plain. Thus, if he mistakes not himself, he is lefs trouble! with fcepticism, and at the fame time lefs difpfed to be dogmatical than he formerly was. He feels himself unable to draw the line, with precifion, between thofe effential points which ought to be earnefly contended for, (in a spirit of meeknefs), as for the faith once delivered to the faints; and certain fecondary pofitions, concerning which good men may fafely differ, and wherein, perhaps, we cannot reasonably exped them to be unanimous during the prefent ftate of imperfection. But if the exaft boundary cannot be marked with certainty, he thinks it both defirable and poffible, to avoid the extremes into which men of warm tempers have often been led.

Not that the Author can be an advocate for that indifference to truth, which, under the fpecious femblance of moderationand candour, offers a comprehenfion, from which none are excluded, but those who profefs and aim to worship God in the Spirit, to rejoice in Chrift Jefus, and to renounce all confilence in the flesh. Moderation is a Chriflian grace; it dif fers much from that tame unfeeling neutrality between truth and error, which is fo prevalent in the prefent day. As the different rays of light, which, when feparated by a prifm, exbibit the various colours of the rainbow, form, in their combination, a perfect and refplend nt white, in which every colour is incorporated; fo, if the graces of the Holy Spirit were complete in us, the refult of their combined effect would be a truly candid, moderate, and liberal spirit towards our brethren. The Christian, especially he who is advanced and ellablished in the life of faith, has a fervent zeal for God, for the honour of his name, his law, and his gofpel. The bonf warmth which he feels, when fuch a law is broken, fuch a gospelt

2.5

gofpel is defpifed, and when the great and glorious name of the Lord his God is profaned, would, by the occafion of his infirmities, often degenerate into anger or contempt towards those who oppose themfelves, if he was under the influence of zeal only. But his zeal is blended with benevolence and humility; it is foftened by a confcioufness of his own frailty and fallibility. He is aware that his knowledge is very limited in itself, and very faint in its efficacy: that his attainments are weak and few, compared with his deficiencies; that his gratitude is very difproportionate to his obligations, and his obedience unSpeakably fhort of conformity to his prefcribed rule; that he has nothing but what he has received, and has received nothing, but what, in a greater or less degree, he has mifapplied and mifimproved. He is therefore a debtor to the mercy of God, and lives upon his multiplied forgiveness. And he makes the gracious conduct of the Lord towards himself a pattern for his own conduct towards his fellow-creatures. He cannot boaft, nor is he forward to cenfure. He confiders himself, left he alfo be tempted; and thus he learns tenderness and compaffion to others, and to bear patiently with thofe mistakes, prejudices, and prepoffeffions in them, which once belonged to his own character; and from which, as yet, he is but imperfectly freed. But then, the fame confiderations which infpire him with meeknefs and gentleness towards those who oppose the truth, frengthen his regard for the truth itself, and his conviction of its importance. For the fake of peace, which he loves and cultivates, he accommodates himself, as far as he lawfully can, to the weakness and misapprehenfions of those who mean well; though he is thereby expofed to the cenfure of bigots of all parties, who deem him flexible and wavering, like a reed shaken with the wind. But there are other points nearly connected with the honour of God, and effential to the life of faith, which are the foundations of his hope, and the fources of his joy. For his firm attachment to thefe, he is content to be treat ed as a bigot himself. For here he is immoveable as an iron pillar; nor can either the fear or the favour of man prevail on him to give place, no not for an hourt. Here his judgment is fixed; and be exprefes it in fimple and unequivocal language, fo as not to leave either friends or enemies in suspense concerning + Gal. ii. 5.

* Gal. vi. I.