increase by use; and the approbation of God shall be thy reward.

Brethren, "now are we the sons of God, and "it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but "we know that when he, who is our life, shall

appear, we shall be made like him: for we "shall see him as he is, and appear with him "in glory." The present state of the spirit, in it's highest perfection of natural and religious culture, is nothing to the "glory that shall be "revealed." But the time presses on, when bending before the throne of God, it shall blaze forth, in the full perfection of it's beauty and immortality.

Such is the scriptural account of the nature and destination of man; and we now make our appeal to you, whether it is not rational and animating. It sanctions all that experience teaches us respecting the natural powers of the mind. It leads us up in grateful remembrance to him, who bestowed the principle of life, at the first, and who continues to impart it through all successive generations. It enhances it's value by asserting and proving it's immortality. It renders the man useful to society, in cherishing the love of goodness, and in superinducing hatred to vice, by unveiling the future destination of the spirit to eternal happiness as the free reward of piety, or eternal misery as the

just judgment of sin; and thus furnishes a more powerful guard of virtue, and barrier against vice, than all the laws of society could impose and preserve.

He, then, that is an enemy to Revelation, is an enemy to HIMSELF. He that opposes religion, opposes his best interests. He is extinguishing, so far as he can extinguish, the light which is sent to guide him home and to absorb the feeble, inefficient ray of reason and of nature. He is refusing the only cup of consolation put into his hand to counteract the bitter draught of sorrow. He is rolling a great stone over the mouth of his own sepulchre, and sealing it with his own seal, and making it as sure as he can, in the hope (if annihilation can be a subject of hope to the human bosom!) that he shall sleep there for ever: but he shall find, to his utter dismay, that the angel of the Lord can roll away the stone, and that the mandate of heaven will rouse his slumbering dust. He is the enemy of MANKIND. For he is robbing society of the cement which holds it together: of the light which has illumined these latter days: of the source of it's intelligence, of it's happiness, of it's consolations, of it's best principles. And he who is the enemy of, man, is the enemy of GOD; for he is the Parent of the universe: the

Friend of man; HE stamped human nature with his own image, and he loves it still.

There is but one principle on which we can account for the hatred of the world against revelation; and that is this very revelation asserted from the first, "the carnal mind is en"mity against God, it is not subject to the law "of God, neither indeed can be." And the very persecution it has endured, are evidences of it's authenticity: the very existence of scepticism, so far as it goes, is an unanswerable argument against infidelity-because it was foretold and accounted for, by the Bible itself, at the very moment of it's promulgation.

One should have imagined that the gospel of Jesus, could have had no enemies. It breathes only peace. It has but one object—to promote the felicity of mankind. It sweetens every

connection of human life. It strengthens the cause of philanthropy. The only favour it entreats is, that men would love themselves; and while it pours a thousand blessings on the present transient existence, and lightens all the trials of the way, it shews wretched, erring man, "the path of life."-And yet every man's hand is lifted up against it! From it's birth to the present hour, every age has blended all it's wisdom and all it's force, to crush Christianity. Had it required the man to sacrifice" his first

"born for his transgression, the fruit of his "body for the sin of his soul"-who would have wondered that nature shculd rise up against it?-Yet strange to say-the horrible religion of the gentiles, which actually did require this unnatural offering, was supported, and defended against Christianity, with vehement obstinacy. The rage of man, on the one side, exhausted itself in defence of altars on which their children had been immolated; and on the other, was directed against a religion which hastened to overthrow these blood-stained altars, and which said, "Suffer little children to come unto

me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of heaven!"-Had it destroyed the peace and existence of society: had it scattered war and bloodshed over the earth: had it trampled on the dearest rights of human nature-why then, some reason might be given for the wrath of man against it. But it disseminates "peace "and good will to man," abroad upon earth, while it brings in a revenue of "glory to God." We can take it's most furious persecutor by the hand, when he raves, "Away with it from the "earth!" and say, tr Why? What evil hath it "done?" And he shall be unable to assign a single reason for his conduct: unable to lay one sin to it's charge: unable to prove that in any one instance it is injurious to society: unable

to deny, that it has been productive of the most beneficial effects-that it has removed all the clouds of heathenism-that it has extinguished the fires through which wretched parents caused their children to pass, and in which the fruit of their body was consumed that it has given to the world a new and perfect code of moralitythat it has thrown open the gates of mortalitythat it has removed the bitterness of deathand that it has established, solely and unaided, the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead: he shall be compelled to admit all this, and yet, without a single reason, merely from his natural enmity to it, he will continue to despise, to reject, and to persecute it! Humanity is concerned in the progress of this religion: Humanity raises her voice in favour of revelation, and entreats, "Rise up, Lord, let thine enemies "be scattered; and let them that hate thee, "flee before thee!"