able and despised, the wealthy and the needy, the master and the fervant, fhall lie down in the duft. Lay hold of that covenant of peace, which is ordered in all things and fure. Hear a great and conftant truth: What is a man profited, though he should gain the whole world and loofe bis own foul, or what shall a man give in exchange for his foul? How many a Lazarus is now in Abraham's bofom; and how many a rich man, that once lived delicately on earth, is at this moment tormented in hell-fire! The Gospel of peace is now preached in your ears. Believe in the name of the Lord Jefus Chrift, and ye shall be faved. I cannot promise that you fhall be rich, but all things neceffary are affured to you by the Divine promife; food and raiment, fupport under trials, ftrength for duty, and in the world to come, everlasting rest. SER SERMON XXIV. TRUE RELIGION. BY ALEXANDER MACWHORTER, D. D. Minister of the First Prefbyterian Church, Newark, NewJersey. JAMES iii. 17. But the wisdom that is from above is firft pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without bypocrify. TH HE Saviour of the world, in the dawning of the Gofpel, predicted, That there should arife falfe Chrifts and falfe prophets, and fhew great figns and wonders, infomuch that, if it were poffible, they should deceive the very elect. That men fhould cry, fome, Lo, bere is Chrift! and others, Lo there! This prophecy, for the confirmation of the truth of Christianity, has been fulfilled in every period of the Chriftian era. But, perhaps, in no season, and in no part of the globe, hath it received ftronger illuftration than it doth in the prefent time in this weftern western world. Has there been an age in which greater numbers of fects and parties, and variations of parties, have existed than the prefent? Yet, if there be any this affembly, in these desultory days of levity, wandering, separation, and unsteadiness, who are fincerely feeking religion, and defiring to know wherein it confifts, or what it is, here is an infallible description of it, given by the inspired Apostle James; a man who had fweet expe rience of its power, and a certain understanding of its happy effects. The Apoftlé, in this chapter, in order more ftrongly to fhew wherein true religion lies, points out many deviations from it in its profeffors; and at length, more fully and clearly to characterize it, he introduces two forts of wisdom; a wisdom which defcendeth not from above, and a wisdom that is from above. The former wifdom, which is from beneath, he thus delineates. It is earthly, fenfual and devilish. This, with propriety, may be styled carnal wisdom, or a delufive religion, which, like the hypocrite's hope, will fail its poffeffor, when God takes away his foul. This wifdom is described in its origin and fruits. Its fource is negatively intimated. It defcendeth not from above, that is, from heaven, or from God; therefore, the fountain of it must be in earth, or hell, or both. Its delineation fully declares this, when it is affirmed to be earthly and devilish. It is carnal, worldly, covetous, hoarding. Whatever garb it may put on, it fecretly hates nobleness, generosity, charity and kindness. It is fenfual; propenfe to all fleshly gratifications, to intemperance, flothfulness and uncleannefs, as far as thefe fenfual indulgences may not be checked or prohibited by the superior influence of meannefs and avarice. It is devilish, malicious, cunning, crafty and deceitful. This is the nature of that wifdom or religion which is from beneath. What other streams can be fuppofed fuppofed to flow from such a fource, than those St James mentions, to wit, bitter envyings, ftrife, boafting and falfehood? Envyings, with strict justness, are termed bitter, because they are fo in their operation and confequences. Envy, what a bitter corroding paffion! Solomon of old pronounced it, the rottennefs of the bones! It is like fcaled bones making their way through ulcerated flesh. Envy fometimes gives uneafiness to its object, but always torments the breast in which it is harboured. What ftage in life is free from this unhappy temper? The great envy the greater; the middling rank thofe before it; the poor, the rich; the foolish, the wife; and the lowest class of the human species has a thousand objects, against which their feeble envy is directed, and from which it rebounds to invigorate their misery. Strife is the next fruit of this carnal religion, and it receives in all its exertions ftrong reinforcements from envy. Where ftrife is, there is confufion and every evil work. He loveth tranfgreffion, that loveth ftrife. It is aided by pride, and their combination often create a world of mifchief. Who can enumerate the evils which ftrife introduces into families, neighbourhoods, congregations, towns, and even nations? Alienation of affections, reproaches, flander, wars and bloodshed, generally take their origin from ftrife and envy. Boafting is another effect of this inferior wifdom. Glory not, faith our Apoftle. He well knew how congenial boafting or glorying is to our nature, from whence it fprings; and it is of the highest importance to be guarded against it. Of all kinds of boasting, there is none produces a more loathfome odium than a perfon's boafting of his religion. The Apostle mentions falfehood as a further fruit of this unhappy earthly and fenfual religion. Lie not against the the truth. Lying is a base vice, but never more so, than when it falls from the lips of high profeffors, or is accompanied with the appearances of great fanctity. Having thus described the religion that is from beneath, the inspired penman proceeds to direct our attention to another sort of wisdom in the words of our text. But the wisdom that is from above is firft pure, then peaceable, gentle, and eafy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrify. The term Wisdom, in scripture, is frequently used to express precisely the fame thing that we mean by Religion. This is generally the use of it in the Proverbs of Solomon, and in his other writings. The Pfalmift employs it for the fame purpose when he fays, So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto, wisdom; that we may devote ourselves to the ftudy and practice of true religion. This is the evident sense of it in this chapter, and efpecially in this verfe before us. The reason, perhaps, why the infpired writers chose so often to expreís religion by the word wisdom was, because real religion or piety confifts greatly in knowledge, discretion, and prudence, which are the eminent conftituents of what we commonly call wifdom. Knowledge is so effential a part of religion, that it is faid, They who know God are born of him; and, Those who know Jefus Chrift have life eternal. Mere knowledge is not fufficient of itself to conftitute wisdom without prudence and difcretion alfo. It is not every knowing man that is a wife man. It is not enough for a man to have a large share of religious knowledge in speculation, but he must be able, and actually make a right improvement and application of his knowledge, in order either to be truly wife or good. A perfon must not merely be acquainted in theory with the character of God, the nature of his go |