only on your own business, and be concerned only to please yourselves, how can you expect that God should bless you ? " Consider, I pray you," whether they who serve not their God can reasonably hope for the same portion as his faithful ser- vants shall enjoy r. I will be content that you shall judge this matter for yourselves. But, O ! be persuaded, ere it be too late, to follow the convictions of your minds, and to turn unto God with your whole hearts.]
2. To those who are building up themselves a
temple for their God —
[To you assuredly is the promise made, that God will bless you, both in time and eternity. Be more and more diligent, then, in the work in which ye are engaged. " Be coming daily to Christ, as lively stones, to be built up on him as the living foundation-stone s;" and God will make you the habitation of his holiness for ever and ever1.]
3. To those who think this distinction visionary —
[If such there be among you, put it to the proof. God himself challenges you to thisu. Make but the experiment fairly, and I have no fear of the issue.]
r Mai. iii. 18. s 1 Pet. ii. 4, 5.
' Eph. ii. 19—22. « Mai. iii. 10.
Zech. i. 3 — 6. Say thou unto them, Thus sailh the Lord of Hosts ; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of Hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of Hosts. Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of Hosts ; Turn ye now from your evil ivays, and from your evil doings : but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord. Your fathers, where are they ? and the prophets, do they live for ever ? But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers ? and they returned, and said, Like as the Lord of Hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.
TO those who look for novelties, and enjoy nothing but deep and curious speculations, the words before us will appear uninteresting : but to those who love practical religion, they will convey sentiments and feelings worthy to be cherished by every child of man. It is a sickly taste that cannot relish them ; and that minister who cannot find in them a proper subject for his discourse, must either labour in a more fruitful part of the Lord's vineyard than any we are acquainted with, or have different views of Christian edification from those which we are accustomed to entertain. Men at this day, as well as in former ages, are de- parted from God ; and need to be exhorted to " turn unto him" in newness of heart and life. They also need the same warnings and the same encouragements, as those did to whom the prophet spoke. We there- fore, without thinking any apology necessary for the