God, will grow indifferent to the censure and praises of men.

The unmortified passions of mankind fill the world with destruction and misery; the proper work of those who are governed by them, is to destroy others and to disquiet themselves. But how different a state of things would begin to shew itself, if the generality of men in civil society were influenced by the spirit of christianity! -For this inspires a love of justice and mercy; it delights in protecting and saving; it humbles itself, to exalt others; and having the best claim to the blessing of God, it is prospered in its undertakings, receives present enjoyment in this world, and is happy in the expectation of a better. As the empire of sin and death increases, misery never fails to keep equal pace with it. What is it but the prosecution of vain desires, and the clashing of interests and appetites, which creates all the misery men inflict upon one another? How ready are they to complain of the world as a scene of trouble : and what makes it such, but the abuse of it, by those who neither fear God nor know themelves? Let but the rules of the gospel take

and the world would soon be a very ent place: but (as many are called, and hosen,) individuals only can experience the and freedom of christian principles; and

this but imperfectly, for want of that universal consent, which never can be hoped for, so long! as the majority are evil*.

It is sufficiently proved by the testimony of history, that no unenlightened nation ever understood the way of peace; but rather adopted and gloried in such a policy, as could be supported only by hostility and depredation.Christ therefore appeared to the world as the Prince of peace; reconciling man to God, and men to one another. It was predicted of them in the figurative language of the prophet Isaiah, that when they should walk in the light of the Lord, they should beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; that nation should not lift up sword against nation, neither should they learn war any more: that the profitable arts of tillage, and a life of innocent labour, should be substituted in the place of war. But religious peace is of much more value than political; this therefore, of all other irtues, is the most strongly recommended by he gospel; insomuch that the exercise of it is made the test of our profession; and without it, all the benefits of our religion are forfeited. Our blessed Master hath taught us, that peace is his own peculiar gift; that it could be had only

only from him; and, therefore, he bequeathed it as a legacy to his disciples *.

The last defect to which the gospel applies itself, is that unhappy absence of the fear of God, for want of which unbelievers are insensible of their danger. But with us the case is altered: our eyes are opened to see and to avoid those terrors, which are the certain rewards of disobedience. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteous·ness of men ; and who that knows this can persevere in a state of sin? The expectation of future judgment, and a sense of the Divine presence, are necessary to form the conscience of a Christian; for without these, men have no conscience at all. The holy scripture teaches us to set the Lord always before us, in every thing we do, or speak, or think; to be sensible, that the eyes of our future Judge are now upon us, every moment observing the motions of our minds, and noting our most secret actions.This persuasion is our best security; it will keep us from turning aside to the paths of vice; and, by stirring us up to vigilance, and severity toward our own conduct, will be the means of delivering us, through the all-sufficient merits of Christ, from that indignation and wrath, tribulation

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John xiv. 27.

tribulation and anguish, which is to come upon every soul of man that doeth evil.

Such are the remedies which the gospel has applied to all the evils of nature; therefore it follows, that these evils are not imaginary, but real in themselves, and common to all mankind. It is on this basis that we ground the perfection and consistency of the system of redemption, as set forth in the gospel. If it offer righteousness to us, what can follow, but that man is by nature born in unrighteousness? If it offer us understanding, it supposes us ignorant; if it direct us into the way, it supposes us out of the way; if it provide the restraints of peace for our feet, it supposes them swift to shed blood; if it purify our speech, it finds it filthy and corrupt; if it inspire charity and brotherly union, it finds us at enmity and variance; hateful, and hating one another; if it suggest to us the fear of God, it finds us insensible of his presence, and fearless of his judgment. The argum is so plain, and the inference so obvicat at it is needless to insist upon it any I shall therefore proceed to some few vations, to which the subject naturally di

of man, and the consequent an nature, should never be out

of

of sight, when we attempt to justify the christian scheme, or undertake to explain any christian doctrines. The bible begins with it professedly; pointing out the wiles of the devil, and bringing in the Saviour for no other end but to counterwork the destroyer in his two great works of sin and death. They who remain in the state in which the fall left them, are called his children; and it is their pleasure to propagate that sin and death which their father introduced. As he was a liar from the beginning, so they are liars, against God as well as man; he was a murderer, and they are murderers; he was a tempter, a deceiver, a subtle serpent, a devouring lion; and their works, like his, abound with deceit, enmity, subtlety, avarice, and rapacity. There have been two opposite parties from the beginning, the sons of God, and the seed of the serpent. Their opinions are contrary, and their works contrary. Christianity is at the head of one party, and Infidelity at the head of the other. As time is divided between light and darkness, so is the world divided between these two. The dispute between them has subsisted through all ages past, it is now in agitation, and it grows hotter every day; it will never cease, till the consummation, when the Judge

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