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grace

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strength to the conquest of the world. And what shall stay the progress of that scheme of restoration which God has constructed-which is adapted to man any where and every where which has already gathered the first-fruits of the coming harvest-which has saved its millions in ages past—which is saving its tens of millions in the present age, and in reference to the faithful administration of which by his devoted servants, Christ himself has said, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world?"

3. They who possess the Gospel should do all they can to communicate it to others.

This subject makes an appeal to Christians which they must not, cannot resist. The Gospel, my brethren, has been committed to us, and there is no aspect in which this matter can be viewed which does not urge, in the tenderest and most powerful manner, our duty and our responsibility upon us. We have the very scheme of mercy which the world needs, and without which the world must perish. And this dearest gift of heaven was put into our hands, not that we should imprison or chain it, but that we should, to the very last stretch of our power, give to it "the wings of the morning," and bid it fly to the uttermost parts of the earth. The wants of our dying world, the nature of the Gospel, the command of heaven, the principle of benevolence, the pledge of success, the seal of God upon all past efforts, and the

cheering aspect of this heaven-born enterprise of missions, all-all urge us to stand up like men upon whom the vows of God rest, to whom the eyes of perishing millions are directed, and whose hearts have taken hold on the interests of eternity, and then do as Christ and conscience would have us. God has opened wide the door of the world before us. The unevangelized millions of the earth feel, at this moment, more deeply than they ever felt, their need of the Gospel and its attending institutions, and its consequent moral, literary, social, and political blessings. And can we go back, or even stand still, when we contemplate what God has already permitted us to do, or has kindly done by us, in the work of making the world what he would have it? Let the American Board and American Christians look at things as they are at their eighty missionary stations, which appear as so many cultivated spots scattered here and there through the deep and dense wilderness of paganism-at their 478 foreign and native laborers, whose toils have already beautified these gardens of God-at their 10,810 reclaimed wanderers who have taken shelter in the bosom of the church the last year-at their twenty-four boarding-schools, with their 807 pupils at their 415 free schools, with their 21,606 little inmates praying for instruction,—and then ask, shall this work cease? Shall another midnight succeed this dawning day? This is the time and this the place

to settle this question. Oh, let us lift our streaming eyes and bleeding hearts to heaven, and, with a simple reliance on God, say this work must not

cease.

We, my christian friends, are engaged in an enterprise that honors God and blesses men; an enterprise in which the angels might wish to bear even an humble part-the progress of which is intensely gazed upon by all the good on earth and all the perfected in glory, and the completion of which will fill the world with songs of blessedness, and heaven with shouts of endless triumph.

May God inspire us for this work, and take the glory to himself; AMEN AND AMEN.

NATIONAL PREACHER.

No. 10. VOL. XV.)

OCTOBER, 1841.

(WHOLE NO. 178.

SERMON CCCIX.

DELIVERED IN PHILADELPHIA, SEPT. 8, 1841, BEFORE THE AMERICAN BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS,

BY JUSTIN EDWARDS, D. D.,

PRESIDENT OF THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, ANDOVER, MASS.

THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD THE BUILDER OF HIS SPIRITUAL TEMPLE.

"Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts."-Zechariah iv. 6.

THIS was spoken by the angel of the Lord, concerning the building of the second temple. It is the explanation of a vision, which was seen by the prophet Zechariah, the object of which was, to show him, and through him, to make known to the people, a truth, which it was of great importance that they should clearly understand, and deeply feel; viz. that while they must, themselves, make strenuous and per severing exertions, to build the temple; their dependence for success must be placed, not upon themselves, or upon creatures, but upon the Spirit of the Lord. This is a truth of universal application, with regard to every good work; and of fundamental importance to all people. For this reason, God takes a variety of ways to make it known, and to impress it upon the hearts of men. And for this same reason, I invite your attention to it at this time.

The angel of the Lord came to the prophet, and awaked him, as a man is awakened out of his sleep, and said to him, What seest thou? He looked, and lo, a candlestick, all of gold; with a bowl upon the top of it, and seven lamps thereon. He saw also, two olive trees, one on each side; and two olive branches, one from each tree, hanging over the bowl. These branches were emptying oil out of themselves, into the bowl. And from this bowl, it was carried, by seven pipes,

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