Let us not employ such ingenious pains to deceive ourselves. Multiply without end, ye disputers of this world, your questions and controversies, it will never be in your power to prevent my clearly discerning, in the doctrine of the gospel, this two fold truth on the one hand, that the best preparation for receiving the reign of grace, is that which Simeon made: he was just and devout, and he waited for the consolation of Israel. On the other hand, that the most insurmountable obstacle which can be opposed to this reign, is impiety and injustice. "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God," Isa. xl. 3. Matt. iii. 3. Luke iii. 6. This was the voice of the forerunner of Jesus Christ; and wherein did he make this preparation to consist? The preparation of him who had two coats was to impart to him who had none, Luke iii. 11. The preparation of him who had meat, was to act in like manner. That of the publicans was to exact no more than that which was appointed them, ver. 13. That of the soldier was to do violence to no man, to accuse no one falsely, and to be content with his wages, ver. 14. The preparation of all was to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance, ver. 8. Without these, the reign of grace was the reign of wrath: without these, "the ax was already laid unto the root of the trees; and every tree which brought not forth good fruit was to be hewn down, and cast into the fire,"

ver. 9. and this Messiah, this Redeemer of mankind, was to come with "his fan in his hand, thoroughly to purge his floor; to gather the wheat into his garner; but to burn the chaff with fire unquenchable,

ver. 17.

Ah! if at this period of the gospel dispensation, when we are exercising, in some manner, the function of John Baptist, if in these days wherein we come to announce the revival of the reign of Jesus Christ in the midst of us, by the celebration of his incarnation and birth; by the commemoration which we are to make next Lord's day in the sacrament of the supper: if at this season when we are crying aloud to you in the words of St. John, prepare ye the way of the Lord; should you with the multitudes who attended his ministry, inquire, saying, and what shall we do? We would reply, wait for the consolation of Israel, as Simeon waited for it; bring forth fruits worthy of repentance.

Prepare the way of the Lord, ye great ones of the earth; lead the way in a procession of penitents, as the king of Nineveh did, when the preaching of Jonah thundered impending destruction in his ears, Jon. iii. 4. 9. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, 1 Pet. v. 6. by whom kings reign, and princes decree justice, Prov. viii. 15. Employ the power with which Providence has entrusted you, not in a vain display of furniture more magnificent, or of equipages more splendid; not by assuming a deportment more lofty and intimidating; but in curbing bold and insolent vice; but in maintaining the cause of truth and justice; but in wiping away

the tears of the widow and the orphan; but in rewarding services rendered to the state; but in procuring respect to the solemn institutions of religion; but in preventing the circulation of indecent and corruptive publications; and, as far as in you lies, in levelling to the ground that monster infidelity, which is rearing its daring forehead in the midst of you.

Prepare the way of the Lord, ye pastors of the flock. Distinguish yourselves from private individuals, not only by the habit which you wear, and by the functions which you discharge; but by your zeal for the church of Christ, by your unshaken firmness and fortitude in opposing those who impudently transgress; but by preserving a scrupulous distance from every thing characteristic rather of the slaves of this world, than of the ministers of the living God.

Prepare ye the way of the Lord, professing Christians. Celebrate your solemn feasts, not only by frequenting our religious assemblies, but by a holy abstinence from those secret abominations, and those public scandalous practices which have so long inflamed the wrath of heaven against us; which even now are scattering the seeds of discord through these provinces; which are draining the resources of our country, which are tarnishing her glory, which present to our eyes, in a lowering futurity, vicissitudes still more calamitous and more deeply ensanguined than those which have already cost us so many tears, and so much blood.

This, this is the only effectual method of waiting for deliverance and redemption. Far removed from us be those frivolous terrors, which would suggest, that to be subjected to the yoke of Jesus Christ, is to derogate from his merits! And let us not deceive ourselves; there is not a single particular in the system of the gospel; there is not a single article of Christian theology, but what preaches terror, if we are destitute of that righteousness, and of that fear of God with which Simeon waited for the consolation of Israel. In order to our having an interest in the pardoning mercy which the Messiah has purchased for us, we must fear God, as Simeon did; we must be just as he was; we must hold sin in detestation ; we must be of a poor and of a contrite spirit, Is. lxvi, 2. because of it; we must cease to do evil, and learn to do well, Is. i. 16, 17. In order to our having an interest in sanctifying grace and in the spirit of regeneration, communicated to us from the Messiah, we must fear God as did Simeon; we must be just like him, we must love wisdom; we must ask it of God... nothing wavering, James i. 5, 6. or, as the passage of St. James to which I refer might be rendered, not halting, or hesitating between the choice of wisdom and folly; we must not be like a wave of the sea, which seems to be making a movement towards the shore, but anon returns with impetuosity into the gulf from which it issued.

Farther, in order to our having a knowledge of the doctrines which were taught by the Messiah, we must fear God as did Simeon, we must be just like him; for the secret of the Lord is with them that fear

him; and he will shew them his covenant, Ps. xxv. 14. and "if any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself," Jo. vii. 17. In order to our having an interest in the promises of the glory to be revealed, which are made to us by the Messiah, we must fear God as did Simeon, we must be just like him, for without holiness no man shall see the Lord, Heb. xii. 14. and “having these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit," 2 Cor. vii. 1. If we would attain the assurance of salvation, we must fear God, as did Simeon, we must be just like him: Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall, 1 Cor. x. 12. and "if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee," Rom. xi. 21.

3. Finally, we are informed by the evangelist, that "the Holy Ghost was upon Simeon: and it was revealed to him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ."

On this particular, I shall confine myself to a single reflection. It supplies us with an explication of several ancient oracles, and particularly that of the prophet: "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions," Joel ii. 28. The Jews themselves acknowledge, that the spirit of prophecy was one of the prerogatives, which had been denied to the se

* Talmud Hieros. Taanith, fol. vi. 1. Babylon. Joma, fol. xxi. 2.