ed, and preferred, by the friend of mankind.

BUT the perversity of those who seek to undermine the faith of CHRIST, appears still more evidently, when we confider the condition of humanity, the feeble, the helpless, the forlorn, the fearful, the fuffering. Their numbers are great: much greater than the fuperficial obferver of life imagines: many who seem not to belong to the catalogue of the fad and forrowful, are far from the ease and gaiety you ascribe to them. Under the fhew of happiness, we find difcontent, apprehenfion, and contending paffions. Men are not what they appear. They are not the fame in folitude that they are in company, and in the circles of gaiety. They often fink the deeper in pensiveness and melancholy, in confequence of their former buoyancy and forced happiness. In a world like this, how foothing and comfortable is the doctrine of providence, reconciliation, and happiness beyond the grave! how precious, to the children of forrow and mortality, is the Gospel of JESUS. Infidelity itself ought to say, Whencefoever it is, this fystem claims high

respect,

respect, is incomparably fuperior to all that has been devised and presented, for the relief and comfort of fuffering humanity: if infidels will not fay with us, It is divine, they ought to admire the philanthropy that advifed so excellent a fystem, and the astonishing addrefs that fuccefsfully exhibits and publifhes it as divine. "Come and fee." Speculating on a future state, Christians do not exclaim, "If we are deceived we are willingly "deceived;" but, "we are in a strait be"twixt two, having a defire to depart and to "be with CHRIST, which is far better.-We "know that our Redeemer liveth.We "know to whom we have committed our "fouls. The day of our redemption draw"eth nigh. We have fought the good fight, we have finished our courfe, we have kept "the faith: henceforth there is laid up for us

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a crown of righteousness, which the LORD, "the righteous judge, will give us at that “ day.”

WHO is it but must exclaim, Happy are they who are in fuch a state! happy are they who believe in the LORD JESUS! who rejoice in the hope of the glory of GoD, who rejoice

"with a joy unspeakable and full of "glory!" Can we refrain from adding, What are they who would prevent us from arriving at it, or would wrest it from us? Is it poffible that they have human happiness at heart? Is it poffible that they can have tender confciences? He is more criminal who undermines my happinefs, or endeavours to do fo, and fubstitutes nothing that will produce an equal or a greater, than the man who blasts my character, ruins my interest, endangers my life, meditates my destruction. I can fuffer rereproach and poverty, and perfecution; but all the ills of life, and death in every form, are not fo terrible, as to be deprived of the ferenity, the hope, the joys of faith.

WHILE your minds, Chriftians, are thrilled with admiring gratitude for the joys of faith, in what light do you confider those who would extinguish them for ever? are not they justly called a perverse generation?

THAT they deserve this name will appear, by comparing the characters and conduct of

the

the enemies of Christianity of old, and in our own times.

IT is true, infidels are not to be reasoned with, by appeals to the Scriptures: we do not quote the New Teftament to them, as authority: but to those who receive the testimony of credible witneffes, who if they are true witnesses, are also the heralds of the teftimony of GOD himfelf, will be ftruck with the great resemblance they discover between the oppofers of the Gospel, as the apostles and St. Luke represent them, and the infidels of the present day.

To fome inftances of resemblance between ancient and modern infidels, let us turn out attention.

INSIDIOUSNESS and difingenuity, according to the New Testament, are chargeable on the enemies of JESUS CHRIST, and of his followers. The mask of friendship was worn. quote three very memorable paffages.

I

"THE chief priests and the fcribes fought "to lay hands on them, but they feared the

people,-and they watched him, and fent "forth fpies who should feign themselves 'just men, that they might take hold of his "words they asked him, faying, Master, "we know that thou fayest and teachest "rightly, neither acceptest thou the person "of any, but teachest the way of God truly. -Judas one of the twelve came, and with "him a great multitude, with fwords and 66 staves, from the chief priests and elders of "the people now he that betrayed him

gave them a fign, faying, Whomfoever I "fhall kifs that fame is he, hold him fast. "And forthwith he came to JESUS, and faid, "Hail Master; and kissed him. And JESUS "faid unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou "come?" The apostle guards the Christians of Corinth against "falfe apostles, deceitful "workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of CHRIST: and no marvel," adds he,for Satan himself is transformed into "an angel of light."

Now, have we not feen the fame part acted again and again? Atheists and Deists. who feared the people, have maintained Ministers of religion, and covered their temporiz