I  appeal  to  you  for  the  truth  of  this  statement.  I  must
do  more  ; — Was  your  business  or  your  family  neglected  or
injured  at  all,  whilst  your  soul  was  thus  absorbed  with  the
glories  of  salvation  ?  Had  your  wife,  your  children,  your
tradesmen,  your  servants,  reason  to  complain  of  your  con-
duct or  spirit,  whilst  you  were  thus  happy  in  religion  ?  O,
no  ! — this  good  hope  through  grace  exalted  all  that  was
good  in  your  character  and  temper,  and  brought  under  strong
restraints  all  that  was  bad  in  both.  Yes  ;  and  whatever  re-
lapse there  has  been  in  either  since,  has  risen,  in  no  small
degree,  from  the  decay  of  that  good  hope.  "  For  whosoever
hath  this  hope  in  Christ,  puriiieth  himself  even  as  he  is  pure,"
whilst  it  is  dcvotionally  maintained.
It  may  be,  however,  that  you  suspect  it  to  be  impossible
to  maintain  a  settled  hope  of  salvation.  You  may  have
found  it  decline  and  shake,  even  whilst  your  general  char-
acter remained  firm  ;  and  thus  you  have  been  led  to  think
that,  do  what  you  would,  you  cannot  keep  it  up.  Now,  on
the  supposition  that  there  is  much  truth  in  all  this,  see  what
it  proves,  viz.: — that  if  the  ordinances  and  the  fellowship,
the  checks  and  charms  of  the  house  of  God,  lose  their  in-
fluence over  you,  you  may  be  a  lost  man  in  the  hour  of  trial
and  temptation !  For  if  you  have  not  hope  enough  to  for-
tify you  against  them,  you,  of  all  men,  need  most  to  improve
divine  ordinances,  that  their  sweet  influence  may  aid  your
feeble  hopes.  It  is,  therefore,  at  your  peril,  during  all  the
week,  if  you  come  to  the  sanctuary  hurried  or  heartless.
