religion in the soul, the understanding, the will, the affections, the memory, the conscience, perform their respective offices, in subserviency to God, for the promotion of a man's spiritual and eternal good. The soul, pervading the whole body, acts with ease and regularity, and with so little ostentation, that its operations, though effectual, attract no notice : and so it is with religion in the soul : it brings into easy and harmonious use all its different faculties and powers, governing the whole man, and subjecting even the thoughts themselves to the obe- dience of Christ. In a word, it is, as my text has said, " life to the soul." If we were to understand by this expression, that it tends to lengthen out the existence of man on earth, it would be true, and an important truth : but we cannot so con- tract the sense, or comprehend less in these words than what we have expressed. Religion makes a man a new creature : *' old things pass away, and all things become new."]
2. Gracefulness in the deportment —
[Well is it said by the Apostle, that " a meek and quiet spirit is, in the sight of God himself, an ornament of great price." Through the operation of divine grace upon the soul, all the tempers and dispositions will be kept in order ; so that none shall prevail to the injury of other men, or to the dishonour of the man himself The discipline of religion is not unlike that which prevails in reference to the body amongst the higher ranks of society. In persons untaught, there is an awkward- ness, as it were, apparent in their whole gait ; whilst those who have mixed in polished society have a comparative ease and elegance in all their motions. So, if you see a person un- instructed in religion engaged in religious exercises, he is not at home in any of them : his occupation sits not easy upon him: and if he attempt to assume the posture of real piety, he betrays his want of true feeling by the very motions in which he attempts to express it. But let a contrite and devout soul draw nigh to God, and there is a correspondence between his looks and attitude, his words and professions. His every motion is such as befits the employment in which he is engaged : yea, there is a symmetry in every part of the spiritual man, so that his whole demeanour is simple, uniform, becoming. He exempli- fies in his life that expression of the Psalmist, " I will beautify the meek with salvation :" and he shews in his deportment what that inspired writer meant by that petition, " Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us." The more of real piety any man possesses, the more of this image will be stamped upon him ; and the more he communes with his God, the more will a divine glory sm-round his head, and beam forth from his countenance in the sight of all who behold him.]
3. Stability in the walk —