(Preached at Frederics, in the island of St. Simon's, Georgia, on arrival ; March, 1736.) The light of the body is the eye : if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall befull of darkness. Matt. vi. 12, 23. The good providence of God hath at length brought you to the haven where you desired to be. This is the time which you so wished to find this is the place you have so longed to ar rive at. What then ought to be your thoughts, your designs, your resolutions, now the Al mighty God hath granted your heart's desire ? Consider well what ought to be your conduct ; now choose whether you will serve God or not : but consider that if you do serve him, you must do it with all your mind ; that no man can serve two masters, for ye cannot serve God and Mammon ; either you must give to God your whole heart, or none. He cannot, wiir not, have a divided heart ; either wholly lay aside the thoughts of pleasing him, and choose another master, or let the pleasing him be your one aim in all your thoughts, all your words, and all your actions. Believe our Lord himself, you can find no middle way : " The light of the body is the eye ; if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light : but if thine eye be not single, but evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness." I am persuaded there is not one of you here present that will not earnestly attend while, in the name of that God who hath hitherto de fended us, and is now present with us, I First briefly explain these important words of our Lord, and Secondly apply them to the present circum stances. And first, may the God who spoke them enable me so to explain them, that the mean ing may sink deep into your hearts ! The light of the body is the eye ;" that is,

the intention is to the soul what the eye is to the body. As every part of the body is directed by the eye, so every power of the soul is in all its movements directed by the intention I As every turn of the foot or hand depends upon and is governed by the eye, so on the eye of the mind depends every deliberate move ment of the understanding and the affections, and consequently of whatever depends upon these, as do most of our words and actions. If therefore thine eye be single, that is, if thy intention be not divided into two ends if in all thy thoughts, words, and works, thou hast only one view, namely, to serve and please God, thy whole body shall be full of light ; this single intention will be a light in all thy paths ; all darkness and doubt will vanish before it, all will be plain before thy face ; thou wilt clearly see the way wherein thou shouldest go, and steadily walk therein. But if thine eye be evil, if thy intention be not single, if thou bast a divided aim, if besides that of pleasing God thou hast a desire to please thyself, to do thy own - will if thou aimest at any thing but the one thing need

ful, namely, a recovery of the image of God in thy soul, thy whole body shall be full of dark ness : thou wilt see no light which way soever thou turnest thyself ; never wilt thou be free from doubt and perplexity, never out of uncer tainty and entanglement. As thou art continually aiming at what can not be achieved, thou wilt be continually dis appointed. The thick darkness of ignorance, and guilt, and misery, will gather around thee more and more, nor wilt thou be able while encompassed with such a cloud, ever to recover the way of light and peace. The sum is this : as long as thou hast but one end in all thy thoughts, and words, and actions, to please God, or, which is the same thing, to improve in his ways of holiness, in the love of God, and of thy neighbour, so long shalt thou clearly perceive what is conducive to it. Thy God, whom thou servest, shall so tenderly watch over thee, that light, and love, and peace, shall guide all thy ways, and shine upon all thy paths ; but no sooner shalt thou divide thy heart, and aim at any other end but holiness, than the light from which thou turnest

away being withdrawn, thou shalt not know whither thou goest : ignorance, sin, and misery, shall overspread thee, till thou fallest into utter darkness. Secondly, to apply these words to your pre sent circumstances was the next thing pro posed ; in order to do which more effectually, shall, by the assistance of God, give you some directions concerning a single intention, and exhort you to practise them. I would not willingly believe that any of you need to be directed to have a single eye in your religious exercises. To aim at the favour or praise of men, or indeed any thing beside the pleasing God, in sacrament, prayer, or any duty of the like nature, is such an affront both to God and man, that we should be very cau tious of charging any one with it, even in our heart. It may be enough, therefore, barely to observe, that there is no name sufficiently ex pressive of the folly of those hypocrites who in any of these solemn offices have any other view than to please God and save their own souls. But you are not, perhaps, so well aware that the same singleness of intention is full as neces- sary in every part of business as it is in your devotions ; yet this is the very truth. Unless your single view be to please God, and to be upright before him, the most lawful business becomes unsanctified ; for it is no more allowed a Christian to work, than it is to pray, with any other intention ; and a mixture of impure motives does as much pollute our employments as it does our prayers. Every thing that proceeds from, and is suit able to, this intention, is holy, just, and good ; and every thing which does not proceed from an upright heart and single eye is so far evil and unholy. This, therefore, is the second direction would give to preserve a single intention in all your business, which indeed converts it into religion, which ennobles every employment, and renders the meanest offices of life a reason able sacrifice, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Nor is a single eye less essential in our re freshments than in our occupations and devo tions, as every creature of God is good, if it be sanctified by the Spirit of God and by prayer.

Without this sort of prayer, at least an in tention to please him by using it, no creature is good, nor can be used without injury to ourselves ; and lest we should imagine that meats and drinks were too little and insig nificant matters for the Almighty to regard, he has been graciously pleased to remove this supposition, by giving you a third direction in express words by his apostle, w Whether ye cat or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God." Whatever ye do : this plainly comprises our recreations as well as refreshments ; a fourth direction therefore equally important is, let the same pure intention be preserved in these like wise. It is his will that you should use exer cise for your health, and delight your eyes with the works of nature and wonders of creation, in such a measure and manner as will prepare you for business or devotion ; 80 far, therefore, as your present state renders them necessary, to this end you are to use them, and no other. One direction more is important before I close this head, and that is, that you, above all

others, are required to keep a single eye in your conversations. Whether devotion or busi ness be the subject, or whether you converse for social enjoyment and recreation, in what ever case, you are enjoined to aim at the glory of God. Any other motive is evil, and comes from evil : it is an idle word, or conversation, rather, as the term should be translated ; and of every such idle word, our Lord plainly tells us, we shall give an account at the day of judg ment. I have now laid before you, in the plainest manner I was able, the directions wherein this single intention must be observed ; nothing re mains but to exhort you instantly, zealously, and diligently, to practise them. The God of your fathers hath lately given you a most gracious testimony that he hath not forsaken you or your children. Your eyes have seen that " his ears are not heavy that they should not hear, neither his hand short ened that it cannot save." You have cried unto him in your trouble, and he hath delivered you out of your distress. He hath led you through the terrors of the great deep ; he there

made bare his mighty arm before you at his word the stormy wind arose and lifted up the waves thereof we reeled to and fro, and stag gered like drunken men, and were at our wits' end, when he made the storm to cease so that the waves thereof were still. He hath prepared a table for you in the way wherein you went ; even there, with corn and wine hath he sus tained you. Some of you he hath raised from sickness, to some he hath forbidden sickness to approach ; to all of you, who allowed spiritual blessings to be blessings, he hath afforded them. Yea in these he hath been found of them who asked them not ; he hath spoken to the hearts even of some who were unmindful of his mer cies ; and now " he hath brought you to the haven where ye would be." What reward then will ye give unto the Lord for all the benefits he hath done unto you ? Love him with all your hearts, serve him with all your strength, forget the things which aie behind pleasures, riches, honours in a word, whatever does not lead to God. Behold all things about you are become new,

fee ye likewise new creatures. From this hour let your eye be single. Whatever ye speak, or think, or do, let God be your aim, and God alone. Let your great end be to please him, in all your business, your refreshments, your re creations, your converse, as well as in religious duties. Let this be your one design. " He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Have one intention, one desire, one hope, even that the God whom ye worship may be your God, and your All, in time and in eternity ! O be not of a double mind, think of nothing else, seek nothing else to love God and be beloved by him is enough ! Fix your eyes upon this one point, and your whole soul shall be full of light ! God will con tinually lift up the light of his countenance upon you, his Holy Spirit shall dwell in you, and shine more and more unto the perfect day. He shall purify your hearts by faith from every earthly thought and unholy affection ; he shall establish your souls with so lively a hope of his favour, as already lays hold on the prize of your high calling ; he shall fill you with peace, and joy, and love love, the brightness of his glory, the express image- of his person love which never ceaseth, never faileth, but still ex tends its vivifying flame, still goeth on con quering and to conquer, till what was a weak, blind, wavering, sinful creature shall be filled with all the fulness of God, and worship in his presence when time shall be no more !