face in the glories of the church triumphant. To them life and immortality are brought to light; darkness is dispelled from the grave by the divine Redeemer, who passed in glory through it; it is become the passage to seats of immortal bliss. As heirs of this heaven, Christians are called to live on earth as strangers and pilgrims; refreshed by the enjoyments of the world, but not setting their affections supremely upon them; and pressing forward through all discouragements, through all difficulties, through all temptations, to that home which is prepared for them, eternal in the heavens. Thus must they to whom the Gospel is proclaimed fear God, by humbly receiving the record which he has given them of his Son; thus must they work righteousness according to the precepts, the means, and the motives unfolded by that Saviour in whom they are commanded to believe. Vain will be their pretence of fearing God, while they reject him whom God has sent; vain will be their pretence of working righteousness, while they neglect that Gospel which affords the full rules, the spotless example, and the most powerful aids and motives to virtue. But while they fear God by receiving his blessed Son as their Saviour, and work righteousness, guided by the principles, strengthened by the aids, and animated by the motives there revealed, they will be accepted. No worldly circumstances will affect God's impartial judgment. Jew and Greek, Barbarian, Scythian, bond and free, are all invited to partake of the blessings of the Gospel; and the standard by which they shall be judged to be qualified for these blessings, is their fearing God and working righteousness. No unconditional decree, selecting certain individuals to everlasting

life, and reprobating others, disgraces the records of heaven, and transforms the sceptre of mercy into the tyrant's rod. God's will is that all men should be saved he will judge them as their work shall be -he is no respecter of persons.

The proof of this important truth, which, in its application to those who are destitute of the light of the Gospel, and to those who enjoy it, has been thus exhibited, cannot be difficult.

To represent God as a respecter of persons, awarding his final favour to mankind by an arbitrary standard, or by a capricious and partial judgment, would equally violate his attributes, and be derogatory to his character.

It would violate his attributes-his justice, which renders to all their impartial due-his holiness, which regards with favour the righteous only-his goodness, which prompts him to bestow happiness on those only capable and worthy of enjoying it— and his truth, which is pledged to judge every man according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

To represent God as a respecter of persons, would also be derogatory to his character. He is the Father, the Sovereign, the Judge of his crea

tures.

An earthly parent would deserve opprobrium, who should regulate his favours to his children by any other standard than their respective deserts: let us not then attribute to the Parent of the universe what would be disgraceful in a human parent. An earthly sovereign, who should dispense his favours to his subjects, not according to their merits, but as caprice or power might dictate, would be deemed a tyrant: and shall we ascribe to God,

the Sovereign of the universe, what would be disgraceful in a human sovereign? We should deem an earthly judge deserving of the severest crimination, who, in his decisions, should be swayed by partiality, or by caprice, or by any other motives than those of impartial justice: and shall we impute to the righteous Judge of all, what would be dishonourable in a judge of a human tribunal? Father of our spirits! Sovereign of the universe! Judge of the earth! let us not then sink thee to a level with the most unworthy of our race. No! thou art no respecter of persons. They who fear thee and work righteousness, shall be accepted with thee.

The inferences from the truth now explained and established, are many and important.

The doctrine contained in the text removes the imputations which are sometimes cast upon them, from the inequality of his dispensations to mankind.

We behold a large portion of the human race destitute of the blessings of the Gospel: they have not heard a Saviour's name, nor have their ears rejoiced in the glad tidings of salvation through a Saviour's merits. Does this appear an imputation on the goodness and justice of the Governor of the universe? No; he is still good and just-he is still no respecter of persons: he has extended the merits, though not the name, of his blessed Son to all mankind, so as to make salvation possible to all those who fear him and work righteousness. And in applying this standard to the virtuous heathen, he will judge them according to what they have, and not according to what they have not. As of old, it is said that God "winked at," excused

"those times of ignorance" when men deformed his worship by the rites of idolatry and superstition; we may, therefore, reasonably conclude that he will not be strict to mark what is done amiss in those dark corners of the earth where the light of his Gospel has not shone, and where, of course, benighted man has no means of knowing, in the full lustre of his attributes, that one living and true God who must be worshipped in spirit and in truth. Nor will God reap where he has not sown -he will not exact from those who sit in darkness, who enjoy only the feeble intimations of his being, worship, and will, discoverable by the obscure lights of tradition, of reason, and of conscience, the same spiritual improvements which he will exact of those who are blessed with the full revelation of his glory in Jesus Christ; and as the virtue of the heathen must necessarily be far inferior to that of the Christian, so, according to the rules of justice, will be his final reward. This is no imputation on God's goodness; he has a just right to do what he will with his own. In the exercise of this right he renders his intelligent creatures capable of different degrees of virtue and happiness. This is no infringement on his goodness, for he deals with them according to the improvement which they make of the advantage that they enjoy. The source of goodness, he diffuses felicity in various degrees through the countless orders of intelligent beings. He thus, powerfully illustrating his glory in the variety of his works, and yet making all his virtuous creatures happy in. proportion to their various capacities, establishes his justice. Angels, pure and celestial spirits, are created capable of higher happiness than man; and

even among celestial spirits, as among men, one star differeth from another star in glory. The seraph who bows in adoration near the throne, enjoys fuller communications of the divine glory than the ministering spirit who worships at a humbler distance. God then will accept, through the merits of his Son, those among the heathen who fear him and work righteousness, according to the means which they enjoy and the light which he vouchsafes them. They are destitute of many advantages which Christians enjoy, in being deprived of that Gospel which would dispel all their darkness, their doubts, and fears, and rendering them capable of higher virtue, would also render them capable of higher bliss; and our exertions should be united with our prayers, that God's "way may be known upon earth, his saving health among all nations."* But to make salvation absolutely impossible to the heathen-to doom them to eternal perdition, because they have not believed in a Saviour who was never made known to them, is no doctrine of our church; for, though she condemns those who assert that men may be saved according to the law which they profess, independently of the merits of Christ, yet, in declaring that he made an atonement for the sins of the whole world, both original and actual, she is of course led to maintain that God is no respecter of persons, but accepts, in every nation, those that fear him and work righteousness.

Another inference from this important truth is, that the guilt of those must be aggravated, and their punishment severe, who, where the Gospel is proclaimed, reject or neglect it.

*Psalm Ixvii. 2.