Sermons

gined might be serviceable, either for admonition or confolation to various claffes of perfons; and the thought began to arise in my mind, that by employing my prefent leifure, as long as health allowed, in preparing some of those Discourses for the press, it might be in my power to be ftill of some use in the world. Encouraged by this idea, I went on to revife and correct one Sermon after another, often making alterations and additions, till the prefent Volume arose.

THOUGH the fubjects of thefe Sermons be different from those which I formerly published, fome of the fame fentiments and expreffions may occafionally be found to be repeated in them. This is apt to happen, partly from that fimilarity of thought and ftyle which will run through all the compofitions of an Author who is not copying others, but writing from his own reflections; and partly, from the coincidence of fome general topicks and allufions which recur frequently in ferious difcourfes of the prac

[v]

tical kind. nature prefented themfelves to my memory, I found, that without altering the ftrain of the Sermon, I could not altogether fupprefs and omit them; and as it is not often they occur, I did not think it requifite that they should be omitted. If the fentiment, where firft introduced, was in any degree useful or important, the renewal of it, when brought forth under fome different form, enlarged perhaps, or abridged, or placed in connection with fome other topick, may be thought to ftrengthen and confirm the impreffion of it.With regard to errors or inaccuracies of any other kind, the Author must truft to the indulgence of the candid Reader.

Where any inftances of this

HUGH BLAIR.

THE

CONTENT S.

SERMON I.

On Hopes and Disappointments.

PROVERBS, X. 28. The Hope of the Righteous fhall be gladness; but the expectation of the Wicked ball perish.

SERMON

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II.

On the proper Difpofition of the Heart

towards God.