"all by the blood of JESUS."(i) Sacred love, and a grateful fenfe of the unmerited favours of our God will now difpofe us to, and animate us in the performance of every duty. Religion will be our chofen courfe, and the commandments of GOD will be fo far from being burdenfome to us, that we fhall rejoice in them, and delight in "doing the things that please him." Our whole time will be confecrated to his fervice: no part of it can be fpared for fleshly indulgencies, or finful pleafures, but will be employed either in fome pofitive duty, or in preparation for it in the proper season.

This religious bent of mind will manifest itself in all our conduct, and give even common actions a different direction. If we attend our ordinary callings, we shall be active and diligent, not in order to gratify an earthly temper, but from an obediental regard to fupreme authority. When our spirits flag through intense application to bufinefs, and recreation becomes neceffary, our very diverfions will be confidered as our duty, and fo as a branch of our religion and as they will always be innocent in their nature, fo they will be no otherwise regarded than as means to fit us for the repetition of our work. If our friends or country demand our service, we fhall not give place to selfishness and indolence, but, as lovers of God and men, generously exert ourselves for the common good. Thus will our whole life be religion, upon fuch a fincere, entire, and affectionate dedication of ourselves to the LORD. And fuch as is our courfe fo will be its end. When the date of time is concluded we shall alfo " die to the LORD." This in general imports, our living under the rational, affecting impreffion of our diffolution, and appearing before GOD, and our conftant endeavours after actual prepara

tion to enjoy him for ever. Then, upon the approach

of death, we shall confidently "commit our fpirits into "his hands," recommend his ways to furvivors, and glorify him with our dying breath.

(i) Heb. x. 19.

But,

But, on the other hand, if our lives are not thus confecrated to our GOD, we cannot be fuppofed to pcrform any duty in an acceptable manner, as the requifite principle and end are wanting. He, to whom the fecret fprings of action are all obvious, will not, cannot accept pretended fervices; nor be pleafed with the "blind and the lame for facrifice," when the best are efteemed too good for him. To compliment him with our lips, when we refuse to give him our hearts, will be judged fimilar to the conduct of those, who " bowed "the knee in derifion," and in derifion faid, "Hail! (6 King of the Jews!" He," with whom we have "to do," cannot be deceived, nor will be mocked. He requires "Truth in the inward parts," which cannot fubfift without an honeft and upright defign to serve him all the days of our lives.

Now to live wholly to the LORD, will appear to be our reasonable service, if we confider, 1. That "fuch "a life is most worthy of rational and immortal crea"tures." From the powers and faculties given us it may naturally be concluded that we are created for fome very important purpofe; but what can be fo important, or bear fo just a correfpondence to our capacities, as to live to the glory of our great Creator? This being our ultimate end, to which we refer all our actions, and perform each of them in fuch a manner as may beft answer it, will influence our hearts, and frame our whole converfation agreeable to the divine approving will. And what can fo ennoble the foul as conformity to the pattern of perfection? But to neglect this, and chiefly regard our temporal affairs, would be infinitely unworthy of beings capable of the highest pursuits, and formed for immortality. Why fhould we have been "wiser than the beasts of the field, or the fowls " of heaven," if we are to have no fublimer aims than they? In a word, we could never vindicate the wifdom of GOD in our formation, if he intended us for meaner things than those for which we are qualified. Therefore,

2.

“Such a life is most worthy of GoD our Maker.” Nothing can appear more condecent and proper, than that he who is the beginning, should alfo be the end; that as all are of him, all fhould be to him. And if his glory be the most excellent thing, and He the most perfect Being, it will neceffarily follow, that he cannot ultimately defign what is lefs excellent. Therefore the fcripture fpeaks agreeable to everlasting truth, when it afferts, that he made all things for himfelf;" and, that "for his pleasure they are, and were created.”(k) And can it be rationally fuppofed, that he allows us, whom he made for his own glory, to act for a different or oppofite end? It cannot. We must therefore peremptorily affirm, that he cannot, in consistency with his perfections, require lefs, than that "whether we "eat or drink, or whatever we do, we fhould do all "to his glory."(1) And this he does require, not because he needs our fervice, or can be happier, or more glorious in himself by our praifes, but because it is fit and right, and results as our duty from the eternal reafon of things.

3. Such a life is our own happiness:" for, acting as prescribed, we move in our proper fphere, and tend to our native centre. We live as near the fountain of bleffedness as our prefent state can admit, and nothing can be fo animating as the glorious and blissful profpects our courfe affords. Our hearts, being fixed on the chief good, are at reft, and no more tortured with anxious hefitation, and uneafy fufpenfe, as to what we shall chufe for our portion, nor do our defires wander in queft of a more fuitable object. We ean wifh for no more but the full enjoyment of GOD, whom we " ferve "with our fpirits;" whofe "peace, that paffeth all "understanding, rules in our hearts;" and for whose glory we hope, fecure from confounding disappointment in the day of the LORD.

Now methinks every attentive hearer prevents my improvement of the fubject, being ready, of his own accord

accord to make fuch reflections as thefe:-How ferene and placid is the life, and how triumphant must be the death, of a true Chriftian!-How reafonable a fervice do we perform, when we confecrate ourselves to the LORD, and receive him, freely offering himfelf to be our portion, our father, and our friend! None can plaufibly urge, that fome things unfit, or detrimental, are required. None can pretend a confcientious fcruple about complying with the propofal, nor dare any, however fecretly reluctant, openly avow their diffent. Every mouth is stopped, and all acknowledge their obligation to this plain duty. What then should hinder the unanimous agreement of this whole affembly to fo advantageous an overture? Why may we not join ourfelves, this day, to the LORD in an everlasting covenant? Would it not feem uncharitable to fuppofe, that any one in this christian audience rejects a proposal so infinitely just and kind? How pleafing is the very imagination of an univerfal concurrence! Not only would each of our hearts who are here prefent exult, but unnumbered hofts of angels, and all "the fpirits of just men made perfect" would rejoice,

Since therefore all things that pertain to our prefent or future happiness, confpire to urge this point, let us with one accord, in the most affectionate and reverent manner, approach the throne of our auguft Sovereign, and cheerfully refign ourselves to him for ever; fpend our lives in his fervice, and expect his compenfating approbation at our end,

In fome fuch ftrain, but more diffusive and fublime, would our reverend and dear deceased Friend have addreffed us on such a subject. We may imagine how fervent his defire was of "living to the LORD" himfelf, and perfuading others to the fame course, when he fixed on this for the fubject of his Funeral Sermon. Now, as it is generally agreed that example has the moft powerful influence, perhaps a few sketches of his own Life and Character may best recommend the preceding difcourfe, as they will prove the life defcribed

to

to be practicable. And though he on whom this task is devolved owns himself inferior to it, yet he is encouraged to undertake it from a perfuafion, that a fimple and unornamented narrative of what he knows, either perfonally or by certain information, concerning Prefident Davies, will fet him in a very agreeable point of light. He is now difinterested in all the praises and cenfures of mortals, and can neither receive benefit, or fuffer detriment by them; but his example may profit the living, as it tends to excite a laudable emulation; and fome brief hints of the difpenfations of divine providence towards him may not be without very ufeful inftruction.

He was an only son, and, which is more, was a fon of prayers and vows; was given in anfwer to fervent fupplications, and, in gratitude, wholly devoted to GOD from the womb by his eminently pious mother, and named Samuel, on the like occafion as the ancient Prophet. The event proved, that GOD accepted the confecrated Boy, took him under his fpecial care, furnished him for, and employed him in the fervice of his church, profpered his labours with remarkable success, and not only blessed him, but made himself a blessing.

The first twelve years of his life were wasted in the moft entire negligence of God and Religion, which he often afterwards bitterly lamented, as having too "long "wrought the will of the flesh." But about that time the GOD to whom he was dedicated by his Word and Spirit awakened him to folemn thoughtfulness, and anxious concern about his eternal state. He then faw fufficient reafon to dread all the direful effects of divine displeasure against fin. And fo deeply imprinted was the rational sense of his danger, as to make him habitually uneafy and restless, until he might obtain fatisfying fcriptural evidence of his interest in the forgiving love of God.

While thus exercifed he clearly faw the abfolute neceffity, and certain reality of the gofpel-plan of falvation, and what abundant and fuitable provifion it makes

for