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ments, which state to us the nature and character of those attributes, to which all intelligent nature ought to be addressed. We remember the announcement made to Patriarchs, when they were called and set apart from the idolatry of the world. We remember the announcements that were made to the chosen people of Israel in the wilderness. The striking judgments by which they were made acquainted with the name and glories of Jehovah, so that they were known as the persons to whom he had displayed his glory and his grace. And we remember the appointment of those ceremonies, and the establishment of those symbols, which formed a prominent feature of the Old Testament economy, and were continued from one generation to another, perpetuating the memory of the Most High. But more particularly, we are favoured with the revelation of God given in the person and work of his own Son—a revelation far more precious than any that was given in distant ages-a revelation wonderfully adapted to the diffusion of the glory of God to the utmost boundaries of the earth. Here it is that the glory of God shines forth in peculiar splendour. In the work of Christ, the example of Christ, the institutions of Christ, the miracles of Christ, and especially in the sufferings of Christ, we have the most transcendant displays of the glory of God. In reference to this we are told, " And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the onlybegotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." We read, you remember, of "The light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God." are told, "God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ;" and we know it also to be especially the appellation of the Son, "He is the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his person.' It is not our design, in the present address, to dwell upon these points, we only state the fact. In the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, there is given an entire developement of all the glories of JEHOVAH alike of the communicable and the incommunicable attributes of God, which shall receive an illustration in the various events of time, and the admiration of heaven and earth. And if, my friends, we

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are the recipients of the glorious gospel of the grace of God, we shall grow in increasing conformity to the image of the Saviour, be fitted for the enjoyment of his fellowship here below, and be prepared for his intercourse through immortality.

2ndly. Mark the nature of the desire which is expressed by the Psalmist respecting the divine glory, which we have thus explained. It is a desire that there may be a manifestation of the attributes of God, conveyed to all the regions and inhabitants of Judea that it may be attended by those impressions, which, from the manifestation ought to arise, and by that influence which alone would render the impression abiding, "And let the whole earth be filled with his glory!" This desire is founded upon the wide spread of the ignorance of God, among all the nations of the earth, who, in the absence of his knowledge, could neither admire nor adore him. You are aware, my friends, that, at the time David composed this psalm, there was a vast proportion of mankind, destitute of all knowledge of the Creator; for we are informed, that those individuals who had been left to follow the light of nature, had gradually been sinking into one general apostacy, extending over the whole of the human race, with the exception of those who dwelt within the limits of Judea. We are informed, that an idea of the attributes and perfections belonging to the true God, never entered into their minds. They bowed to the stars of heaven. They worshipped beings which they supposed existed in the elements of fire. They rendered homage to their local deities. They attributed spiritual dominion to the shades of departed philosophers, and kings, and heroes, and pursuing their course of degradation, they "changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things." And "changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever, Amen." And is it not a striking and appalling fact, that after the many benefits that have been conferred on our world, and the changes which have taken place, there has, nevertheless, been a transfer of the falsehood of idolatry from one generation to another; so that the expression of the apostle will apply with nearly equal force to the present period of time! What a mass of

the population of the world are, even now, wrapt up in heathenism, and who before their deities perform those blasphemous rites which are but the record of the final destruction of millions! And now have we not to look round upon the territories of knowledge as being a narrow circle, while those of falsehood are wide and extended? And now have we not to look upon whole nations lying in wickedness, bowing to the abomination of the god of this word. And now have we not to lament over vast empires of idolatry, who still perpetuate all the abominations of former times: and for whom there is one sad allotment of mourning, lamentation, and woe!

From such solemn circumstances arose the desire of the Psalmist, expressed in the text a desire in which we would confess with shame, there is still too much reason for us to join. In the desire of the Psalmist, and in the supplication which he offered up for the extension of the divine government, and for the manifestation of the divine attributes, there was, it will evidently appear, a distinct reference to the coming of the dispensation of the Messiah; which, by the power of prophetic illumination, was presented to his views. And we would join in his desire, and his prayer to God for the introduction of its agency, and the accomplishment of its plan. What is recognized here? That the glory of God will be most effectually diffused among the nations of the earth, by the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that the gospel economy will furnish correct views of the divine character, and make the whole universe subservient to the Prince of Peace. It is interesting to observe, with this object before us, how the spirit of universal benevolence is diffused. Here is no restriction. Here is no attempt to check the zeal of those who seek the diffusion of the knowledge of God to the utmost boundaries of the globe; who could feel no kind of satisfaction until every human being was made a recipient of that knowledge, and every region visited with the realities of eternal truth, that thereby they might be prepared for immortality. Thus, we find there is a model presented for our imitation, and we ought to regard it as such.

What is the object we have in view, in our anxiety and desire for the propagation of the gospel of Christ? We state it to be, a desire that truth may enter where falsehood has hitherto held an unlimited

sway that the knowledge of the true God may overturn those systems, which hitherto have excluded him, by setting up the worship of idols-that the attributes of JEHOVAH, in every clime, may be acknowledged that the fear of God may be sought by man, as the best possession of his being-that all the nations of the earth may trust him, as the "Author and the Finisher of their faith," that thus they may have the prospect of eternal salvation. This is the desire with which we pant! This is the victory which we seek to achieve! This is the aim at which we are constantly striving! We would desire to confer the blessings we enjoy, upon all the nations of the earth. We would refuse none. We would restrict none. We would confer them upon all nations, under all circumstances; and we would desire to present our prayers, with the prayers of those who groan beneath the altar, "How long, how long?" "God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee!" "Let thy kingdom come, let thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." Thus let the whole earth be filled with his glory.

As we have endeavoured to state the great object of desire which the Psalmist places in view, let me request your patient attention while I allude

II. TO THE CONSIDERATIONS ON ACCOUNT OF WHICH THE GREAT OBJECT OF DESIRE SHOULD BE EARNESTLY AND deVOTEDLY CHERISHED.

It must be evident to all, that the desire which is here expressed, is one of intense fervour, and so would we view it—and so would we inspire it. Never let us be afraid that our zeal will become too heated-too enthusiastic; but let us tremble lest we should be found unworthy of the sublime cause in which we are engaged. We are perfectly aware that many false conclusions have been drawn, and that many malignant imputations have been uttered against those christian exertions which endeavour, among the unenlightened nations of the earth, to promote the glory of God, and the gospel of our Saviour. Beware of modern times! There are multitudes who are living in these places which are surrounded by all the light of the gospel, who have made no approach to the principles

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on which we proceed. And when they view the preparation that we make for carrying our designs into final accomplishment, they proclaim us to be votaries of a scheme, fanatical and enthusiastic. From some, we have to meet with another kind of opposition. There is a degree of apathý manifested by them, whenever the subject is laid before them. They are capable of no excitement, even when appeals of the most powerful and alarming nature are made to their consciences. Whether we deserve the frown of the infidel, or whether our objects áre the noblest that can enter into the mind of man, is a question that must be decided before another tribunal. But, in the anticipation of that tribunal, we do now aver, on behalf of the object for which we plead, that it is so grand and noble, that nothing else is worthy of comparison with it. To the reasons for which every individual now in the sanctuary of God, ought to combine all the opportunities of their life and all the energies of their soul, we shall now advert, and if the speaker shall be atall able to disarm the adversary-to arouse the apathy of the careless-or increase the ardour of the zealous, there will be a recompense of labour and toil, with which personal emolument or grandeur is not to be compared. Let us then

1st. Consider what are the necessary consequences of that state, where the knowledge and manifestation of the divine character are absent, and where the sanctions which vindicate the law of God are not revealed.-You are to observe, that wherever there is the destitution of which we speak, men, are in a pre-eminent manner left to the influence and dominion of sin, I repeat, men are in a pre-eminent manner left to the influence and dominion of sin. We are perfectly aware, and we acknowledge that it forms one of the most solemn principles of our religion, that in all the nations of the earth, there is one dark and dreadful tendency to rebel against God, a tendency even where the revelation of divine glory is shining, and which can be conquered only by the influence of divine grace upon the heart. Now, from what we know of the character and tendency of human nature, it cannot but be expected that where the knowledge of God is less perfectly possessed, and where there must be a degree of obscurity resting over those sanctions by which his law is vindicated, there sin will reign with the most potent dominion and influence. The

forgetfulness of God, and a transfer of adoration to unworthy beings, is of itself the most heinous transgression man can perpetrate, and never can it exist without involving a multitude of other evils. You will observe, that in the times of the Jewish people, and when that nation was under the special care of the Most High, we have several allusions to the vile practises and abominations of the heathen ; and from what we know of the habits and manners of those nations, from the statements contained in the Old Testament, and more particularly from the records of prophane history, we may well wonder that the vengeance of an angry God was not aroused, and that their unnatural crimes did not swallow them up in one universal destruction. And when the divine glory ofthe gospel of our Saviour began to advance, how dreadful was the departure of mankind from God! I place before you that alarming passage of the apostle Paul's, and connect it with one I have already quoted. Because of their gross practices, "God gave them up unto vile affections: and as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient." "Being filled with all unrighteousness;" (listen to every statement that is here made)—“ Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." There is much in that statement, over which the veil of silence must be drawn ; but let it be noticed, in passing, that these were the vices, not merely of men that wandered in untutored barbarism, but of men living in a country where civilization had spread her refinement, where the fine arts had made rapid progress, and where there were giants in heroism and philosophy. And if you could now take the gauge and measurement of those nations to which the charge of idolatry is too applicable, you would observe the same character impressed upon them as upon the nations which existed in the early

ages of the world, Have you not heard of the commission of deeds which could not be named without exciting disgust, horror, and dismay? And when we consider the operations of revenge, of rage, of savageness, and of lust, shall we not there find a detail too horrible for a christian auditory to hear? Look upon the vast mass of unrestrained depravity, and there you will behold the character of infernal beings. Sin pervades the whole system, and institutions of society. Sin presides over every civil law, and sin sports gaily around the sacrifice on the daily altars. It is like the alpha, and the omega, the beginning, and the ending; the all in all: and so it must be, until there is made bare the arm, and revealed the glory of the true and eternal God.

Further-It cannot but be expected, if sin influences all that which I have stated it does, but there should be a deep degradation of human character. It is scarcely necessary to mention the principle in this assembly, that sin always produces the overthrow of human dignity; and that wherever there is most of sin, there is the greatest destruction of human dignity. Human dignity consists in approximation to God; human degration in departure from God. It is a rule without exception, and confirmed by universal experience, that wherever we find an ignorance of God, and of his will, there is nothing but the prostration of all the powers of man.

Here we may be reminded of nations where the glory of God has not shed its effulgence; where idolatry lifts up the vile emblems of her power, but where the annals of history, it is said, present human nature in its highest dignity; and it may be enquired, whether their philosophy, their heroism, and their armies, do not triumphantly refute the charge which we now make? If so, we in our turn, ask, whether this elevation were sufficient for the knowledge of the living and true God? Whether, in those instances of public lustre to which the objector looks, the private life was not overspread by the darkest gloom? We do assert, that the instances of that deterioration are powerfully decisive and innumerable. That there is nothing to militate against the grand principle that we have announced. In modern times, the instances to which we can refer are distinct and clear, and prove that where there is a want of religion, there is a constant tendency towards those gross passions

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that levels men to the brutes that perish, This is the achievement of idolatry; and this idolatry has taken the crown from off the head of man, and shorn the soul of its beams of glory. That there must be the existence of misery where we find the influence of sin, cannot but be observed and admitted. To deny that there is a multiplication of sorrows to those who hasten after another God, would be to deny that darkness is darkness-that death is death. Do we not know that the abominations which idolatry fosters, have been and always must be, the deeds of tragical woe and terror? Do we not know that the existence of the forms of idolatrous worship striked a deadly blow against all that can tend to sweeten the intercourse of life? In thinking of idolaters, do we not remember their self-tortures and death? Do we not remember their parricides? Do we not remember their frequent murders of the mother and the child? Do we not remember their abominable feasts? Do we not remember their human sacrifices, where their altars smoke and reek with the blood of beings intelligent and immortal like ourselves? There is, while we think of these things, a cause for wailing, which appals the mind, and sickens every holy feeling of the heart. And we should think of sin, and consider it solemnly as it is to be brought to receive the sentence of the Omniscient, who has already pronounced a judgment against it. We cannot alter his own words, who has said, "For as many as have sinned without law, shall also perish without law." To expire under the gentlest circumstances is to be damned. This is a scene, which, if we glance at it for one moment will compel us to retire, and leave it in a merciful mystery, lest the heart should be broken, and we should be overwhelmed in horror. My hearers, I will not now proceed further here, but I would ask whether, in the coldest bosom, there must not be a working of strong compassion; whether we shall not find, even here, a principle commanding us to go forth in that faith by which the cause of sin may be destroyed, and we may be enabled to spread that knowledge of God and salvation by which idolatry shall be dethroned, and men purified, exalted, and redeemed.

2dly. The consideration of the necessary and universal consequences of that state where the knowledge, and manifestations of the divine character are absent and

where the sanctions which vindicate the law are not revealed, must be connected with the results arising from that system by which the glory of GoD and his gospel are to be revealed and diffused.-It will be observed, that the desire expressed in the words of of our text, is evidently connected with, and in a great degree inspired by, a knowledge of the substantial results which are to arise from the message to be communicated. The language in which these 'realities are mentioned is exceedingly beautiful. Observe the sixth and seventh verses: "He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth: in his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth." Observe the twelfth verse: "For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy: he shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence; and precious shall their blood be in his sight." And then there comes the text, "And let the whole earth be filled with his glory."

If what we have stated be true, as of the miserable condition of our fellowmen, where they have not the gospel, it must be true, on the other hand, that where there is a communication of the knowledge of God in the gospel, there will be the counteraction of evil and the bestowment of good; and that, just in proportion to the power and the glory of the gospel upon the understanding and the hearts. There is not a darkness which the gospel will not dispel—not a desire which it will not gratify-not a malady it will not cure-not a want it will not supply-not a sorrow it will not remove-not a blessing it will not bestow. Were we to take up the line of argument which has been addressed to you in the last part of the subject, we should observe on the one hand, the ignorance of men's state by nature, and on the other, the glorious light which the gospel could implant in his mind. On the one hand, we should observe the unrestrained influence of sin, and on the other, the means of restoring the soul to penitence, and inspiring the heart with the knowledge and the fear of God. What does the gospel communicate to the heathen nations of the earth? Is it not a revelation of God that is holy? Of a Saviour that is holy? Of a spirit

that is holy? Of a law that is holy? Of a prospect that is holy? Of a privilege that is holy? Of a heaven that is holy? And must not this revelation transform man to God's own character, making him break off the vices by which he was entangled, and causing him to rise to that dignity of character, which by the gospel may be received and bestowed. We might refer to facts. We might survey the nation in which we live, and we might contemplate those countries which have experienced the progress of the gospel in its genuine influence, and moral effects, beyond the most sanguine expectations! We take it up, however, as a general principle; and the principle we contend for is one that will raise man to a higher standing here, and prepare him finally for the association of the eternal world.

But we pass over these things, to the palpable and present realities, which are bestowed by the agency of the gospel in the restraint of sin and in the restoration of human dignity. In the language of an eloquent author, "We have been taught to regard these as the blessings which the gospel scatters in the way, in its march to immortality."-Here lies the glory of all the statements we can give. In the gospel, the character of God is represented as engaged for the recovery of the lost sinner; His eternity, immortality, power, wisdom, knowledge, justice, holiness, faithfulness, truth, and love—all that forms the essential glory of God is blended in one vast scheme, for granting to the apostate and the lost sinner,an interest in the joys of heaven. If the gospel proposed to give but personal advantages, or were civil and political blessings, we should scarcely take it; but we find these realities are comprehended in a far higher and more sublime result. The grand argument is this, the gospel is the word of salvation, and the God that gave it, is the God of salvation. What was the first annonncement of the angel to Joseph in Bethlehem? "Thou shalt call his name JESUS, for he shall save his people from their sins." What was the announcement of the angel who came down to the shepherds while watching their flocks by night? "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people; For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." And that one word, "SAVIOUR," seemed to give a kind of stimulus to those

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