your sins without repentance? Is that the sort of gospel? Ah! that is not the gospel of this book; that is a gospel of your own. The gospel of this book is kind, and much kinder than you can conceive; but then it is just; and could you love it if it were not so?-Come let us enter upon the matter. It was righteousness in God which de-' termined him to make us a present of the gospel of his grace. I say it was a just and righteous action in God to bestow on us the gospel of grace.

Here, my brethren, I again feel what I said to you when I began: the subject is great, very great, so great that I am afraid of your patience should I only enter briefly on each part of it. I was going to say that it was a justice which the great God owed to his own glory, to give mankind a full display of that glory. You know, one of the prophets expresses himself when speaking of the works of nature thus: he says, there was in the works of nature a hiding of his power. And, strictly speaking, all the works of creation are but a concealment rather than a display of the infinite excellencies of God. It was necessary in order to give mankind a full idea of that great Spirit that governs the world, to do some work that should display more wisdom, more tenderness, more purity, more justice; that is to say, that should carry the same perfections that are seen in 'nature, further; and bring them more home to the bosoms and business of mankind, and that is what the gospel does. Righteousness therefore, justice therefore, is the great principle on

which God was pleased to bestow Christ and the gospel.

Again :-The great person, the subject of this prophecy displays, in his own person, the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE GOSPEL. Of this we are to judge by his history, fairly written; without any sophistry or art, and on which the writers have not, lest you should suspect their fairness, impartiality or integrity, bestowed any colouring. The prophetic parts of scripture are coloured highly; they ought to be, in order to call men's attention. The poetical parts of scripture are coloured highly; they ought to be, they are intended to fire the soul with religious passions. The typical parts of scripture are coloured highly; they ought to be, it was a lesson for children, for the church in its minority, for as the Apostle Paul says, the Jewish church consisted of minors, persons under age. It was necessary they should have a lesson, (forgive my plainness) and a picture above it, that so both might carry instruction into their minds. But when the evangelists came to write of Jesus Christ there was nothing of all this; no colouring, but only a history in as few words and as plain as might be. It was enough for the evangelists that their words were true. Thus they write their history. In those days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea; and saying, repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Thus they write of the birth of Christ. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise; when as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they

came together, she was found with child by the Holy Ghost. Thus they write of his death:--And they crucified him there between two thieves, the one on his right hand, and the other on his left, Were they indifferent and cold? No, but they were, as historians ought to be, deliberate. Fully persuaded of the truth of the facts, they were concerned about nothing but establishing that truth, They knew that if the fact entered into the judgment, and was believed as it ought to be, it would of itself fire the whole man, and carry out all the powers of his soul in holy devotion towards God.

Now in this history, the most important in the world, you will perceive a line of rectitude run through the whole. Does Jesus Christ appear in the presence of his superiors? (I speak of magistrates, and men of rank and office;) We read of no invasion of their office, but a proper respect to their official capacities, and at the same time a just and manly declaration of his own rights. Does he appear among the ignorant? It was but right that being wise, he should instruct them; and he did so. Does he appear among the sick and wretched? It was just and right that he who could at so small an expence relieve them, should relieve them, and he did so. Observe, I do not say that there was no mercy, no more than I say that there was no wisdom in all this; I only say that the actions of our Saviour were as just as they were good; as righteous as they were wise;

and that is the point we are upon this evening. Consider

Further. The RIGHTEOUSNESS of the gospel appears in the purity of the DOCTRINE OF CHRIST.

I have read some books, and seen some men, who have pretended to doubt the gospel; and when I come to sit down calmly and reflect,"What is it to be doubted? You say the gospel. What do you mean? Do you doubt this,-Whatever you would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them? Why, there is nothing here to be doubted; you do not doubt whether Jesus Christ spoke it or no you do not doubt whether it be a just sentiment; you do not doubt whether it be happy and pleasant for mankind to submit to this golden rule. At length I find that infidels and infidel writings have made a false statement. It is not the gospel, but it is some circumstances that accompany the gospel. For instance; I cannot make out, says one, how it comes to pass, that in the first chapter of Matthew, in the genealogy of Christ we are told that from such a one to such a one there are fourteen generations; and from such a one to such a one there are fourteen generations; and when I come to reckon up names, I can make but thirteen in one of the lists, and so on. Now, supposing that we could not supply that name; supposing that we could not answer that objection, on account of the loss of that one word, (the fault perhaps of a transcriber, perhaps no fault at all) you will say you doubt the gospel.-I defy you: you cannot

doubt the truth of the gospel, except you be a bad man or a weak man; for by the gospel we mean righteousness, that righteousness that runs through the doctrine of Christ; and of which allow me to give you an example.

Let us not start from the point. Is there, or is there not a GOD? If there be, (and it is impossible to maintain your ground if you affirm there is not; for then every thing about you would be a greater wonder than the nature of God himself,) if there be a God, such a worship as Jesus Christ proposed, was a just and righteous worship: for what was that worship? It was this. Here is my soul; Jesus Christ stands before me with all the authority of a legislator; I listen with all the docility of a disciple, and he says to me, Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbour as thyself. And this I call, on a subject of such importance, a little all; a great all; he could say no less, he need say no more; and thus he secures my reverence and esteem for God.

Again: suppose man a social creature, naturally connected with other creatures; we insist upon it there is a righteousness, a strict and perfect equity in all the religion of Jesus Christ, as it relates to that state. Would you have a cup of cold water that you could spare, and see a fellow creature who was in want of it, and not administer to his relief? Would you subvert that law? Surely no. Which of Christ's laws there