not taught in the New Testament, and therefore they are no parts of the christian religion.

When I affirm the christian religion is not a secret, observe, I speak of christianity now, and not formerly. Thus we free the subject from all the objections which are made against it from many passages in the New Testament. Christianity, say some, is often called a mystery, or a secret; even the text calls it SO. True; but the same text says, Paul knew this secret, and the Ephesians might understand what he knew of it, if they would read what he wrote to them. When ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ.

Strictly speaking, the text intends only one part of christianity, that is, the uniting of heathens and Jews in one religious community; but what is affirmed of this one part is equally true of the whole. True religion had always been hid from the wisest of the heathens; and the christian religion, which was then the only true religion, had not been made known in other ages to the Jews, as it was then to the Apostles; but Paul knew it, and he proposed to make all men see it. I preach to make all men see. We allow, the wisest man could never have known (for his life would have been too short, and his faculties too much confined) the true character of God; but we affirm God revealed, that is, made it known unto the Prophets and Apostles by his Spirit; and these Prophets and Apostles have made it known to us by their writings.

When I affirm, the christian religion hath no mysteries now, I do not mean to say that the truths and the duties of christianity are not connected with other truths and other exercises, which surpass all our comprehension; but I affirm, that the knowledge of the incomprehensible parts, and the belief of what people please to conjecture about them, though they may be parts of our amusement, and perhaps improvement, are yet no parts of that religion which God requires of us under pain of his displeasure. Suppose I were to affirm, there is no secret in mowing grass, and in making, stacking, and using hay; all this would be very true; and should any one deny this, and question me about the manner in which one little seed produces clover, another trefoil, a third rye-grass, and concerning the manner how all these convey strength and spirit to horses, and milk to cows, and fat to oxen in the winter; I would reply, all this is philosophy; nothing of this is necessary to mowing, and making, and using hay. I sanctify this thought by applying it to religion. Every good work produces present pleasure and future reward; to perform the work, and to hope for the reward from the known character of the Great Master we serve, is religion; and all before and after is only connected with it.

What part of the christian religion is a mystery? Divide the whole into the three natural parts, of plan, progress, and execution; the first was before this

world began; the last will be after this world shall end; the middle part is before us now. There is no secret in either of these parts; but there are incomprehensible mysteries connected with each of them. In regard to the first, it is impossible to be supposed, by a man who knows any thing of God, that the christian religion came into the world without the Creator's knowing that such an event would take place; and it is impossible for such a man to imagine that, after the present life, there will be no distinction made between the righteous and the wicked. There is no mystery in these general principles; but we may render them extremely perplexed by rashly agitating questions connected with them.

In regard to Christianity in this present life, every thing in it is exceeding plain. Is the character of Jesus Christ a secret? Did ever any body take him for an idle gentleman, a cruel tyrant, a deceitful tradesman, a man of gross ignorance and turbulent passions? On the contrary, is it not perfectly clear that he was the person foretold by the Prophets of his country, who should come, himself perfectly wise and good, to instruct mankind in the knowledge and worship of God? Is the character of Scripture a secret? Is it not perfectly clear, that it is a wise and good book, full of information on all the subjects that concern religion and morality? Is it a secret that we are mortal and must die; or that we are depraved, and

apt to live in the omission of duty and the practice of sin; or that a life of sin is connected with a course of misery, for pursuing which we deserve blame? Is it a secret whether God takes notice of the actions of men, or whether he will forgive a penitent and punish the impenitent? In a word, is the character of God a secret in the christian religion; and is it a mystery whether he be an object worthy of our adoration and imitation? Were I obliged to give a short account of the christian religion, I would not say it is a revelation of the decrees of God, or a revelation of the resurrection of the dead, or a revelation of the mercy of God to a repenting sinner through the merit of Jesus Christ; for though each of these be true, yet all these are only parts of his ways; but I would call christianity a revelation, or a making known of the true and real character of God; and I would affirm of the whole, and of each component part, that it was so made known as to be free from all mystery, in regard to the truth of the facts, and yet so connected as to contain mysteries beyond the comprehension of finite minds. I would affirm further, that our religion is confined to the belief and practice of only what is revealed, and that every thing untold is a matter of conjecture, and no part of piety towards God and benevolence to mankind.

Take heart, then, my good brethren; you may understand, practise, and enjoy all this rich gift of God to man, just as you enjoy the light of the day,

and refreshment by rest at night. Let no one say, I was born in poverty, I have had no learning, I have no friends, my days are spent in labour, and I have no prospect except that of drawing my last breath where I drew my first. All this may be true; but all this will not prevent your knowing, and practising, and enjoying the christian religion, the founder of which had not what the birds of the air have, where to lay his head.

When I say all may understand it, I mean if their own depravity does not prevent it. Plainly, you cannot know it if you do not attend to it; nor can you know it, though you do attend, if you do not attend to christianity itself, but to something else put instead of it. Let me explain myself.

One says, I cannot understand the nature and force of religion; and pray, is there any thing wonderful in your ignorance? Consider, you never read the Scriptures; you never ask any body to read them to you; you hate and persecute good men ; you seldom enter a place of worship; you keep wicked company like yourself; you are often seen in the practice of enormous crimes. Are you the man to complain, I cannot understand religion? It would be a mystery indeed, if a man who never turned his attention to a subject, should know any thing certain about it. We have no such mystery in all the christian religion. Christians do not live like you.