most frivolous objects, and seldom thought of you; who chose rather to converse of the merest vanities, than to speak of you; who esteemed your favour so little, that he made no exertion to secure it; who gayly laughed, and sportively sang, while you uttered the severest threatenings against him; who turned his back upon you, when you made him the most encouraging promises; who habitually slighted your commands, and obeyed your enemies; who was noted, among those who knew him, for despising you: if you had such a servant, would you not think yourself authorized to say, This servant contemns me; he despises me, and treats me with insult?' Would you not think yourself authorized to say thus, even though he should with his lips profess the utmost respect and veneration for you?. Now, sinners, we shall prove that every trait which we have supposed in this servant is to be found in you.

1. Look at your mind, and you will be forced to acknowledge that you seldom think of God. If you were to attempt to examine the thoughts of your whole life, their multiplicity would perhaps confound you: fix then your attention upon those of the week past! How often in this period have you thought of God? How often have you in the midst of business, directed a glance of the mind, towards him? How many hours have you retired from the concerns of earth, that you might meditate on this blessed object? Ah, my brother! you must acknowledge that God has had but a very small proportion of your thoughts. Consider also, that the few thoughts which you have given to him were constrained. When your mind is left to itself, without any outward circumstances to impel it in one direction rather than another, it does not run to God as its centre. Nay, even if you at

tempt to pull it to God, it immediately recoils, and declines all converse with him. Propose to it some method of adding a few pounds to your estate, or of acquiring a little more reputation: it immediately fastens upon this object, and rests upon it with pleasure. But propose to it the excellences of God, as the theme of meditation, it instantly recoils, and draws back from this blessed object. Now, do not these things prove, that whatever your speculative opinions of God may be, yet in your practical judgment and estimation of him, he is contemned? Would you not frequently think of him, if you supposed him worthy of frequent thoughts? Would you suffer the merest trifles to occupy a place in your mind, which you refuse to him, except you preferred these trifles before him?

2. From a consideration of your thoughts, let us pass to an examination of your words. If you highly venerate and esteem a person, you are delighted with those societies where this person is spoken of, and where you may join your testimony to that of others in his favour; you are frequently speaking of his excellences to your acquaintance, your friends, and your family. If you contemn a person, your conduct in these respects is entirely opposite. Now can conscience testify that it is delightful for you to be in company with real Christians, and to join with them in talking of the excellences of God? Or does it not declare, that such conversation is disagreeable to you, and that you had far rather be conversing on the most frivolous topics? Can your intimate friends witness, that in your intercourse with them you habitually introduce something of God; or must they not declare that for weeks and months you do not mention his name with reverence, solemnity, and

love? Can your family, your children and servants witness, that you often recommend God to them; and point him to them as a portion; and dwell on his perfections and glories: or must they not declare, that all your instructions to them regard only the present world; and that if you ever mention the name of God to them, it is with a freezing indifference, which renders it useless? My brethren, could these things be, if you esteemed God? If you did not inwardly contemn him, would not the mouth speak from the abundance of the heart?

3. Let us pass to your actions. You undeniably prove your contempt of God by the manner in which you treat his proffers of reconciliation, his offers of favour. God has been entreating you all your days to be reconciled unto him: he has presented you with the strongest reasons, reasons weighty as eternity; yet you have closed your ears to them: he has afforded you the most engaging calls, calls which displayed the infinity of his love; yet you would not be persuaded by them: he has showered upon you the richest blessings; yet they could not draw you unto him: he has visited you with weighty afflic-, tions, and whilst his hand was pressing hard upon you, has promised you the most liberal relief, if you would yield, and address yourselves to him; yet, though you have "cried because of the oppression of the mighty, you have not said, Where is God my Maker?" (Job xxxv. 9.) you have chosen rather to perish under your burdens, than to be assisted by him. Now, how is it possible that you could hold out so long against these offers, and these means of reconciliation, except you despise God? If the servant, who should exhibit a total disregard of your favour, would be thought to despise you; you, who

display not merely such a disregard, but such an aversion, to a reconciliation with God, must surely be supposed to scorn and contemn him.

4. This same truth is established from considering the manner in which you treat the threatenings of God. When the eternal God utters against you the severest denunciations, you pay no more regard to his word than you do to that of a child or a fool; you pay not half the regard to his word which you would to that of a respectable man. If one of your fellow-creatures, in whom you at all confided, were to meet you on an unfrequented road, and seriously to assure you, that an assassin was in pursuit of you, would quickly overtake you, and would deprive you of life, unless you left the place in which you were: alarmed at your danger, you would instantly flee for safety. But when God solemnly declares unto you, that the whole weight of his wrath is hanging over you, that his justice shall shortly sink you in the flames of wo, unless you flee to the Saviour of sinners, you disregard these thunders; they affect you no more than the rattling of a withered leaf; you jocundly sport and laugh; you coolly prosecute your designs, and scorn the threatened vengeance of the Lord. After this, dare you say that you do not contemn and despise God?

5. To be more fully convinced, think for a moment what is the regard you pay to the promises of God. He assures you, that if you will take him as your God, and live in obedience to his commandments, he will bestow on you felicities infinite in degree and eternal in duration; felicities, a moment's enjoyment of which will far more than counterpoise all earthly sorrows. Yet, notwithstanding these assurances of God, you will not be persuaded to seek

happiness in the path to which he directs you: you prefer the transient and unsatisfactory pleasures which sin and Satan offer to you before the full enjoyment of God. Ardent in pursuit of happiness, you nevertheless prefer the toys of earth before all that he can offer you. You say by your conduct, 'Let others seek their felicity in God; for my part, I esteem the pleasures, the riches, the dignities of the world, capable of affording higher pleasure. I would wish to enjoy them both; but if God or mammon is to be renounced, let me cling to mammon, and let God depart.' Sinners, does not your conduct plainly speak this language; and could you in a more decided manner testify your contempt of God?

6. Your contempt of God is manifested by your disobedience to his commandments. Is it possible, that if you revered and esteemed him, you could constantly live in an opposition to his laws? He commands you, he commands you under penalty of eternal damnation, to renounce your iniquities, to lead heavenly lives, to submit yourselves to his Son: and yet you embrace sin, and press it with delight to your bosom; your lives are sensual and earthly; the agonies and dying pangs of Jesus have not induced you to take him as your Lord. Lord. And And yet you dare to say you respect him! As well might the traitor plead that he revered the prince against whose life he conspired: as well might the murderer assert that he respected the law, for the violation of which he suffers.

7. Finally, the declarations of one who perfectly knows you, place this matter beyond a doubt. Man might be deceived in judging of your sentiments: unable to read your heart, he might refer your actions to unreal motives. But God assuredly cannot mistake;