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ointed out. Happily, most of the principal sects have a considerable degree of harmony in respect to the most essential articles of their faith. If some sects deny the great and essential doctrines of the Gospel, and discharge the conscience of the sinner from the dread of future retribution ;—we cannot be gnorant, that their errors have no tendency to restrain men from criminal indulşence, nor to lead them to the abandonment of iniquity, nor to excite them to the generous toils of a self-denying charity, without which the face of the earth vill never be renewed.

Thus it is obvious that civilization, mechanical invention, intellectual culture, government, philosophy, and false religion, are incompetent to secure the happiless of man.

II. The GOSPEL has power to liberate enslaved man, and to render him holy ind happy.

That, when the earth was the abode of error and crime, and the unhappy race of man was corrupt and lost, God so loved the world as to send his Son, the orightness of his glory, by whom he created the universe, down from heaven to appear in the form of man as the minister of his mercy,-to expiate sin by his death upon the cross, to rise from the dead as a victorious king,--and to disclose the laws, truths, and motives, pure, sublime, and energetic, by which, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the human character is transformed, and depraved man is made the friend of God,-seem to be the chief elementary principles of the religion of Christ.

1. The power of the Gospel is seen in the nature of its instructions. The Gospel frowns upon and banishes those pernicious maxims of conduct, by which the peace of society is destroyed and communities are laid waste. The eager thirst for honor, the insatiable ambition which preys on many a mind, often leading to the commission of great crimes, and in a powerful monarch leading to the destruction of thousands or millions of lives in war, is not tolerated by the Christian morality. The honor which cometh from God, may be sought, but not the honor which cometh from man. In like manner the maxims of retaliation and revenge are condemned; and instead of being devoted to the busy cares of covetousness, occasioning injustice, fraud, and oppression, men are required to toil chiefly for incorruptible treasures.

* Besides interdicting all false principles, the Gospel makes known and enjoins right rules of conduct, the observance of which by all men would completely change the face of human affairs. Were the precepts universally obeyed,"As ye would that others should do unto you, do ye even so unto them;" "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself;"-much of the complicated machinery of government would be superseded and rendered useless. As no wrongs would be suffered, so there would be none to be redressed. Courts might be generally abolished; prison-houses pulled down; chains, and bars, and bolts thrown away. Wise legislators might certainly rest from many of their labors, together with scheming politicians and subtle statesmen; and the affairs of the world would go on prosperously without the pageantry of a court and a throne. It is to be considered also that the gospel, in order to promote virtue, and consequently happiness, not only prescribes right rules of conduct, but also presents motives to obedience, powerful at all times and in all circumstances. The fine-spun theories of moralists relating to the beauty of virtue and the fitness of things are at once brushed away by any strong temptation. Even a regard to

present interest is often borne down by violent passion. But the gospel demands obedience with the threatening of everlasting punishment, and invites to holiness with the promise of everlasting joy and glory. Its influence is felt in all the conditions of our being, binding the soul in secret as well as in public, addressing with authority the reason and conscience, warning of a greater evil than death, and urging to the resolute performance of duty in the midst of scorn, obloquy, and persecution, with a firm confidence in the promised favor of the Almighty.

There is one peculiar principle of action inspired by the gospel of amazing efficacy; and that was announced by the apostle, when he said, "the love of Christ constraineth us." When the sinner, condemned and perishing, becomes a true believer in the crucified Son of God; when by faith he is redeemed, pardoned, justified; when he is led forth from his prison by the hand of his Savior, and through grace breathes the air of freedom; his heart swells with unutterable emotions of gratitude and love to his great Deliverer, and he is impelled to live, not unto himself, but unto Jesus Christ, who loved him and died for him. This is the principle which causes liberality to abound even in the depth of poverty; this is the principle which carries the missionary of the cross to the heathen, and the martyr to the stake, and which in every age since the gospel was made known has achieved wonders of beneficence that have surpassed the comprehension of a selfish world.

While the gospel produces the character of true virtue, it also confers permanent felicity on those who feel its influence. Under the unavoidable trials of their condition, in poverty, affliction, and sickness, it gives them submission to the correcting but merciful hand of God. The raging passions, which cause much of the misery of men, are quieted. The fury of the tempest is converted into a calm. The selfish toils of men are changed to honorable and joyous labors of charity, which bring their own reward with them.

But the gospel also inspires the loftiest hopes of good beyond the grave,-of new and perpetual discoveries of God's character,—of pleasures which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor the imagination conceived,--of visions of the grace and mercy of Him who died for sinners, and who is altogether lovely,--and of communion with all that is venerable, and holy, and majestic in the universe. Under the inspiration of such hopes the Christian meets the king of terrors without dismay. He goes down into the grave, as the Ceylon diver after pearls plunges into the wave, with the certainty of coming up, loaded with treasures, to behold the splendors of heaven.

2. The gospel has already wrought a great change in the condition of the world, and when its influence shall be universal, all nations will be made virtuous and blessed. The power of the Christian religion, it is well known, has changed many of the evil customs of the world. It has abolished many cruel superstitions, and banished many enormous crimes; it has cast down the idols from their pedestals, and purified the temple of worship; it has mitigated the ferocity of war; it has broken the fetters of the slave; it has made provision for the poor, and established hospitals for the sick; it has promoted civilization, refinement, learning, charity, and every thing that tends to enlarge the mind and ennoble the character. In this country, which owes its form of government to the early Christians of New-England, it has created for ten millions of men free institutions, which are perceptibly spreading their leaven through the earth.

When the influence of the gospel shall be universal, the horrible superstitions

and crimes by which the earth is desolated, will no longer exist. There will be no more sacrifices of purity and of life in the service of idolatry. No man will be found lifting his hand against his brother. No covetous hard-hearted oppressor will catch the poor man in his net. There will be none who trade in the flesh and blood of their fellows. No throne of iniquity will be supported, no proud despot will reign over outraged and degraded subjects. When Jesus Christ shall have dominion from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth, there will be peace to all people; the rude and boisterous passions will be quelled; the tempest of war will no longer sweep over the globe; the King n Zion will judge the poor of the people: he will save the children of the needy, ind break in pieces the oppressor. When the Son shall make men free, they will De free indeed.

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Nor is there any other hope for the world. God is wiser than man. Infinite benevolence and wisdom have devised and disclosed the way of human mprovement. The rational offspring of God must be assimilated to their Creator Intelligent and moral agents must be enlightened by the truth, and persuaded to choose the right and to practise holiness. The perfect laws of the universe must be obeyed, or happiness will take its flight from the earth. Other hopes will fail. The fine-woven theories of perfectibility, not associated with eligion, will prove but webs of gossamer. Even in our own country, the boasted ntelligence of the people, if unallied to goodness, will be found inadequate to he security of the public welfare. If we stand before God as his enemies, with he stain of national crimes unavenged and tolerated, he will punish us; we shall have, like other nations, our retribution upon the earth; nor are the nstruments of punishment difficult to be found; the angel of the pestilence nay breathe upon us; the tempest may spread desolation; angry, ambitious spirits may dissever the bonds of our union; our fields may be reddened with lood. Should we be ripe for ruin, God cannot fail to find instruments for our lestruction.

No; it is not by the wisdom of statesmen and legislators; it is not by civil nstitutions, by the checks and balances of the powers of government, by laws and courts, by armies and navies, that the peace, and order, and happiness of nankind can be secured, and crime and suffering banished from the world. By hese the flame may be smothered for a while, but it will again burst out. These expedients have been tried, and what has been the result? The history of nankind is but the history of crime and misery. It is the history of cruel superstitions and debasing idolatries. It is the history of pride, envy, malignity, and ferocious ambition. It is the history of perpetual wars, by which fields have been ravaged, cities plundered and burnt, and countless millions of infuiated men swept from the earth. It is the history of crimes and iniquities of every hue; of inhuman oppressions and fiend-like tortures; of secret assassiiations, and of more open and what are called honorable murders; of frauds, hefts, and robberies; of secret slanders, bitter revilings, and savage contests; of headlong gaming, besotting intemperance, profligate indulgence, and heavenlaring blasphemy. Make a true survey of the past history and the present conlition of mankind, including our own favored country, and then say, whether here is any remedy for the miseries of the world but in the pure gospel of the Son of God?

1. It may be inferred from these considerations that we are bound to make the most strenuous and unceasing exertions to spread the gospel through the

world. The bonds of our common nature oblige us to this charity. Our Master says to us," Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." There is no way by which the lost children of men can be saved, except by the knowledge of the truth; and there is no appointed way by which the truth is to be spread through the earth, except by human effort. What if, in the spirit of Mahomedanism, we could send armies of well accoutred and brave Christians to all the nations, and with the alternative of conversion or death, subdue them to the Christian profession? Would this set them free from error and sin? What if, in the spirit of Romanism, we could subject all the tribes and families of man to the papal yoke, and impose on every forehead the Roman mark? This would not be conferring liberty. The beams of truth must come upon the darkness of the mind. Hence it is, that in our Protestant endeavors to propagate the gospel we send the Bible to the nations, and that we send out religious tracts,—those little lights, which revolve round the great central orb, the glorious sun in the firmament, the BIBLE. And hence it is, that we educate young men to explain the Bible, and that we send them out, not to make converts to a shadow, not to baptize" ignorance and superstition into the Christian name,—but to "teach all nations" the great truths and duties of the kingdom of Christ. For we believe that it is Christian truth, and that only, which can save men; not the knowledge of natural or political science, but the knowledge of the relation of man to God, of the law and government of God, of the mercy of God in the amazing scheme of redemption; of the judgment of the great day, and of eternal retribution; the knowledge of those truths which will subdue the violence of passion, and turn the energies of the soul from the pursuit of the low trifles of earth to the pursuit of the honor of God, of the welfare of immortal beings, and of the everlasting glories of heaven.

But these truths are to be communicated by the effort of man; and what it is the duty of the whole church to promote, it is the duty of every individual to promote according to his ability. It seems to be the purpose of God to accomplish all his great designs on the earth in such a manner, by the efforts of individual Christians, as to combine the perfection of their own character with the enlargement of his holy kingdom. This is the honor to which we are all invited,—to toil for God, and at the same moment to rise in resemblance to him and in preparation for the immortal bliss of his presence in heaven. Christians are to attain to new purity, elevation, and energy; and, as a sure consequence and glad reward they will see the cause of their Redeemer spreading and triumphing. If money is requisite for the conversion of the world; the silver and the gold are God's. He might have touched the heart of one man in our country and from his single accumulations have poured, in the present year, into the treasury of Christian enterprise from ten to fifteen millions of dollars. But it was not the will of God in this manner to supersede the self-denying offerings of a multitude of believers, who are poor in this world, though rich in faith. Instead of such a splendid bequest we may look at a nobler spectacle, that of sixteen thousand poor Moravians, who at an annual expense equal to several dollars each, now support one hundred and thirty missionary establisments, originating in the purest benevolence, and conducted by a strong faith in the power of Jesus. Here is an example of obedience to the command of Christ;-a model for the imitation of the church. Shall not American Christians generally go and do likewise, and, in the proportion of their numbers and wealth, enlarge those holy enterprises, which send out truth and happiness to the world, and bring back to the conscience sweet peace and heavenly joy?

2. While the truth is communicated, the strength of the depravity, which it is designed to subdue, should impress us with the necessity of divine power to give efficacy to truth; and a view of the promises of God should lead us to seek and expect the exertion of that power. Whoever may plant or water, it is Jehovah only who giveth the increase. It is not light alone, though always necessary to moral action, which can change the heart. Is the devil ignorant of the great principles of Christianity? Is it supposable, that he can have any shadow of doubt, that Jesus Christ died upon the cross in order to expiate the sins of the world, and to destroy his works and kingdom? Yet he remains the adversary. And so it is with the heart of the sinner. Light may shame and may terrify him; but, unaccompanied by the Holy Spirit, it will not convert him. We see on the earth, we see every day among respectable citizens, the same hostility to God's truth which r rages in the world beneath; and it is indicated by contempt, scorn, ridicule, uncharitable surmises, malignant accusations, and flagrant acts of injustice. To rouse up by solemn words of terror a slumbering conscience, and to array conscience against unyielding pride, or any predominant and cherished sinful passion, is to enkindle the rag of the depraved heart; and the most humble and benevolent teacher of God's truth will be accused of priestcraft, of planning a union of church and state, of wishing to destroy political. freedom, and to domineer over the imprescriptible rights of man. If such is the resistance to truth in a country where republican liberty protects the preacher from violence; in other countries the same resistance of the heart will arm itself with the power of persecution. How can the truth anywhere triumph without the interposing grace and converting energy of the Almighty? And that grace, we are assured, is adequate to the conversion of every sinner whose obstinate rebellion it may be the purpose of God to subdue. Let all Christians, then, pray most earnestly to God that he will cause his kingdom to come.

When Paul and Silas, in the dungeon at Philippi, prayed to God, the numerous prisoners heard the appeal of those righteous men to the Almighty, and immediately there was a great earthquake, which shook the foundations of the prison, and burst open the massy doors, while at the same moment every prisoner was disencumbered of his fetters. Good Christians! pray in earnestness to your God, and the great prison-house of idolatry, and delusion, and error, and iniquity in this world will tremble to its deep foundations; every strong, ironbolted door will fly open; and the startled prisoners, dropping their chains, will rise up in astonishment, the freemen of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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3. In the success, which has already attended missionary efforts, we have grounds of encouragement to engage with new zeal in the attempt to bring the whole world in sweet submission to the law of Christ. No one, acquainted with the history of the world, can be ignorant, that the efforts of Romanism have been. very ineffectual in respect to the enlightening of the minds and the purifying of the hearts and lives of the heathen. The pope has long had at Rome a college for the propagation of the faith, and several of the sects and orders of Romanism have sent out missionaries to different parts of the world,-to Syria, to Egypt, to Ethiopia, to India, to China, to Paraguay, to Mexico, to Canada; and many of these missionaries have been men of learning, who wrote interesting descriptions of the countries they visited. But of all that has been accomplished by the Catholic missionaries on the face of the earth, scarcely a fragment of good remains. The reason is, that their system of new idolatry has not the capacity of contending with more ancient idolatry, and that their labors have not been

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