odds against any one, that he will not. You now enjoy the means of grace. God now expects fruit from you. Year after year he comes, feeking it: and if he find none, he may say, Cut down this fruitless tree; why cumbereth it the ground? To the young, to all, I fay, " The axe is laid to the root of the trees; and every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down. and caft into the fire."--I add, once more,

3. Learn the great ufefulness of public ordinances.

Let me again remind you, that our text is fpoken of thofe who are planted in the houfe of the Lord; that is, who love his house and ordinances, ftatedly and ferioufly attend upon them, and ftrive to improve them to the purposes for which they were inftituted. They may be regularly attended, and yet the foul continue barren. There may be the leaves of an outward profeffion, but no fruit. Unless you are planted in God's house by faith and love, and make a ferious, folemn bufinefs of religious exercifes, engaging the heart and affections

affections in them, your attendance will be vain. But where there are right difpofitions and views, ordinances are adapted to promote the fruitfulness of chriftians, and God hath promifed his bleffing with them. The Lord's fupper is particularly fuited to further our fpiritual nourishment and growth in grace. In a word, all chriftian ordinances have an evident tendency to revive and maintain the impreffions of religion, to ftrengthen aged chriftians under their burdens, to affift their thoughts in meditation and devotion, to comfort them with the views of the divine promifes, to make the glories of their Father's houfe more familiar and delightful to their minds, and to reconcile them to the thoughts of death.

I conclude with addreffing you all, and especially the aged, in the words of the Apoftle: God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jefus Chrift. And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in all knowledge and judgment: that ye may be fincere and without offence, till the day of Chrift; being filled with the fruits of righteoufnefs, which are, by Carift Jefus, to the glory and praife of God." Amen.

Difcourfe IV.

CALEB'S REFLECTION ON THE GOODAND FAITHFULNESS OF GOD

NESS

TO HIM.

JOSHUA XIV. 10.

And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he faid, thefe forty and five years, even Since the Lord fpake this word unto Mofes, while the children of Ifrael wandered in the wildernefs: and now, lo, I am this day · fourfcare and five years old.

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HE glory of young men," faith Solomon, is their ftrength; and the beauty of old men is the gray head." The ftrength of young men is truly their glory when it is employed in the fervice of God; and the hoary head is indeed a crown of glory, when it is found in the way of righteousness. It was the glory of the perfon fpoken of, in the text, that when he #

was

was a young man, he was eminent for courage and steady piety; and when old, for the vigour of his body, and the holiness of his foul. As I intend, in this difcourfe, more particularly to confult the affiftance and encouragement of my aged friends, I would recommend to them the temper and example of this aged faint, even Caleb, and endeavour at the fame time to fuggeft fome things which may be ufeful to all.

We read in the hiftory of Ifrael, that, when they were come to the borders of Canaan, Mofes y divine direction, fent out twelve men, on of each tribe, to fearch that land. When they returned, they brought a very favourable account of the fruitfulness of it, but represented the inhabitants as fo numerous and strong that there was no probability of getting poffeffion of it. At this report the people were angry and rebellious. Caleb and Joshua, two of the fpies, endeavoured to appeafe them, by affuring them that they were well able, with God's affiftance, to get poffeffion of the land. Caleb particularly exerted himself with great prudence and courage on this occafion, but to no purpose. God therefore declared,

that

that all that rebellious generation should die in the wildernefs; and only Caleb and Joshua among the fpies, and fome other humble, pious Ifraelites, fhould enter the land. It was particularly promised to Caleb, "Because my fervant Caleb had another fpirit, different from that of the other fpies, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land, whereinto he went, and his feed fhall poffefs it." Thus God promised Caleb, that, for his diftinguished piety, fidelity and courage, he fhould live to enter into the land of naan, and have an inheritance there. We find him in this chapter claiming that promise. He reminds Jofhua, who was then the leader of Ifrael, of what Mofes in the name of God had fworn to him, because he wholly followed the Lord; and he claims that particular portion of the land which had been promised him. When he puts in his claim, he fpeaks with great ferioufnefs and devotion; acknowledging the divine care and fidelity, and looking back with pleasure on his own conduct, and God's approbation of it: "And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he