singularly strange and stupid people. Yet, my dear hearers, in this very thing, "there is nothing new under the sun." While the human heart retains its character, and there remains a world to allure and a devil to tempt, there will be calls to unslumbering watchfulness; there will be danger of dread revolt and of severe divine rebuke. Nay, my friends, if we see no present reason for such rebuke with respect to God's American Israel, we are inattentive or unskillful observers of "the signs of the times."

Our beloved country has been the theatre on which God has displayed the wonders of his love and power. He has opened over us the windows of heaven, and poured down blessings in rich abundance. He has come down like rain upon the mown grass. Revival has followed revival, till they have been witnessed as common occurrences. Thousands of sinners have been solemnly impressed-thousands have been converted to God. Thousands of Christians have been refreshed. And yet, revivals of religion have for the most part been of short continuance. Christians have grown cold and inactive, when they had the most reason to be warm and devoted. Serious impressions have worn off from many, when they should have been deepening Conversions have ceased just at the pointof time when they should have been multiplied. Why have these things been so? It is a cheap and easy mode of disposing of this question to say, "God is a sovereign-Jehovah has withdrawn the influences of his Spirit." I solemnly protest against thus laying the sins of men to God's charge. Let us never dive into the secret counsels of the Lord, to ascertain what his word and providence have written as in sunbeams. Reasons enough exist in the church and people of God, to account for all, in relation to this subject, with which we have any concern. To some of the reasons why revivals of God's work decline, your attention will now be directed, premising that the preacher fully admits the divine sovereignty, and the special influences of the Holy Spirit in the conviction and conversion of sinners, and the sanctification and comfort of saints. Paul went not too far when he said, "I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase."

1. The first cause of declension to which I would direct your attention is, the lack of well-directed and persevering exertion on the part of the professed followers of the Lord Jesus. God works by means in the kingdom of his grace, as well as in the kingdom of nature. He has established a very close connection between planting and watering and that increase which it is his glorious and sovereign prerogative to bestow. Although we cannot, in this thing, make one hair white or black, yet hath he committed the rich treasure to earthen vessels. He uses human agency to preach the gospel; to multiply and disseminate copies of the Bible; and to make and scatter religious tracts, those mute yet divinely eloquent messengers of the divine mercy. Human agency is also employed to provide the men and means to bear the messages of love to the perishing heathen; to conduct Sabbath schools, those nurseries of heaven, in which millions of young immortals are trained for usefulness on earth and glory in the world of spirits. And men must offer up those prayers by which the windows of heaven are shut and opened. And there has often been observed a striking proportion between the character of the means used, and the effects produced. When we sow sparingly, we reap sparingly. When the church of God is "clear as the sun and fair as the moon," she is "terrible as an army with banners." It is

otter Jake the morning cloud at the early dewy 1101 the solemnis which ormed at Sinai. Tha ther coming thither is to wash the God of Abrah They are suffed to hold a senn interview with by feeding on the manna, and stating their thirst ed from the Smitten rock. The dreadful thunk which bad appalled their sous had however awial voice, which they besought the Lord the had scarcely ceased to sound in their ears; w God of Israel, and constrained Aaron to mil Diher occasions occurre M

in prayer, and in effort, is another reason inger and spread wider. Says the Savior,

rth, as touching any thing that they shall of my Father which is in heaven." Why m all its force, to revivals of religion? Do glory? Do they not harmonize with the mercy, as declared in the Scriptures? A conlibel on the day of Pentecost, when the disise of the Father," were of one heart and stant in prayer. There is more in this than insulated individual may be able to accomvet, under God, he can do something.

Asso

me heart and mind, and you more than douincrease his courage. Elijah alone, is a very associated with seven thousand in Israel, who o the image of Baal. O, how verdant and h appear in the midst of this barren wilderrs, in harmony and concert with his fellows, little spot assigned him with care and assiduiired it, all uniting their strength and efforts! pice be heard, "Lengthen thy cords and strengeams of grace from the wells of salvation would

and more rapid current. The verdant spot until it should embrace the whole earth-and would every where spring up, and "the fruit e Lebanon," and "the leaves thereof should be ations."

our churches with a reference to this point, we nished and grieved. Even in our seasons of deepmost fervent prayer, strongest exertion, and richest at perhaps find one half of the church, perhaps in tenth, to have entered fully into the spirit of the dbe found to have been entirely unmoved. Some sition. And many who appeared most active, would

by mere temporary feeling, excited by sympathy. orking men" in the Lord's vineyard, the men of spirmuscle," the men who faint not in prayer, but "bear len of the day," "the sacramental host" who "stand der," and steadily follow "the Captain of salvation," a "little flock." Such a survey would do away our Vivals so soon cease-that so little is accomplished. Nay, Fonder that even so much is done by such feeble means. ulgence of a sectarian, or party spirit, has an unhappy revivals of religion. Many a hopeful prospect has been It is among e arrangements of Providence, that vahould exist in oned by the ol because they

church; though they have doubtless ity of man, and if good arises out of overruled by Jehovah; according to that

recorded of the people of God, that when they walked in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, they WERE MULTIPLIED.

Now it has often been observed, that when the Spirit is poured out from on high, and the work of the Lord revived, not only is the gospel preached with unusual frequency, pungency and affection, but the prayers of God's people are offered up with unwonted fervency and importunity; there is a beauty and consistency about their lives, which exemplifies the religion they profess; and an affection and urgency about the instructions and invitations they address to sinners, which render them deeply impressive. They become anxious, and are often heard to inquire what they must do to be saved; and at such times many are convinced, and converted unto God.

After a while, new cases of awakened interest and serious impresssion diminish, and at length cease, and many who have been impressed gradually decline and fall back. Now, if you inquire, you will find that there has been not only a simultaneous, but a preceding declension on the part of professors of religion. One and another has begun to absent himself from the praying circle. One and another has lost his fervency in devotion. One and another has ceased to feel for sinners, and exert himself as he once did. And before the church is aware of her danger, the work of God has ceased, and the harp is hung upon the willows. The probability is that if the church had maintained her ground, the work of God would have progressed with increased interest and strength. Let Christians weigh this matter well; for if they cannot prove that they are straitened in God, who has never said to the seed of Jacob, "Seek ye me in vain," they have a tremendous responsibility.

2. Another reason for the declension of revivals is, the self-sufficiency of men. God, as we have shown, works by means. We are accustomed to see what we denominate the means of grace, attended with wonderful effects in the conviction and conversion of sinners. We find a connection established between them in the word of God, and are imperceptibly led to lose sight of the efficient cause-so far, at least, as to forget our entire dependence. Against this proud delusion, neither ministers of the gospel nor private Christians are always on their guard. Those to whom their labors may have been blest, often assist the delusion. It is not an easy thing to repress pride, vain glory and selfsufficiency, when we believe, or are told, that such a sermon, exhortation, admonition, or prayer, was the means of conviction, conversion or comfort to souls. We can easily be made to believe that it is so, and then to feel no small degree of complacency arising from it. In such a state of mind, we may easily be led to expect more from our efforts than facts will warrant, and look for the results of faith from the exercise of presumption. While God honors the faith which is the fruit of his own Spirit, he frowns our presumption into the dust. Is not this a reason why we are left to gather the apples of Sodom while we are vainly expecting the fruit of the tree of life? If we imbibe any portion of that spirit in which Nebuchadnezzar cried, "Is not this great Babylon which I have built for the house of the kingdom?" we may expect his reward. Samson had exercised his great strength so long that he forgot where it lay, and went out with his locks shorn, yet saying, "I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself; and he wist not that the Lord had departed from him."

Such a spirit is much more frequently exercised, it is to be feared, than

that which animated Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, when, after one of his splendid victories, in passing through a village, he was greeted with more honor than he thought due to any mortal, he rebuked the multitude by saying, "If ye treat me as a god, God will soon show you that I am no more than a man." When we do not act under the influence of such a spirit of humble dependence, God will write his "Ichabod" upon our efforts, and leave us to the weakness of our own strength. From this we may learn why our clouds often produce so little rain, and why the chariot of the gospel frequently stops short in the midst of its course. In this work, peculiarities of modes are comparatively nothing; humble reliance upon God, in the use of means which he has appointed, every thing. Let us beware how we mar God's work by using our own untempered mortar. Let this be every minister's motto-every Christ"Son of man, can these dry bones live? O Lord God, thou

ian's motto,

knowest."

3. There is another cause of a directly opposite nature to the last, which exerts an unhappy influence on the progress of revivals: I mean a professed dependence on God not warranted by his word. In this way the doctrines of the divine sovereignty and the influences of the Holy Spirit are sadly abused. The thorough Antinomian is continually on the rack lest he should dishonor God by the use of means in the accomplishment of the purposes of divine love and mercy. Sometimes also there appears to be so little of human agency in the production of revivals, that men of better principles and better feelings have, before they were aware of it, fallen into the same spirit, and sunk down into a state of inactivity and apathy. Thus the devil leads men to pervert the truth concerning the sovereignty of God, and to pamper their sloth by pretending to honor Jehovah, when in fact they are only excusing their own sins.

Now there may be very little visible human agency in the commencement of some revivals. There may be nothing more than the ordinary preaching of the gospel, and still sinners, in greater or less numbers, may be awakened and converted to God. And it is sometimes as it were the salvation of a church, that the Lord should thus come; otherwise the church might die, or sink in deep disgrace. But most certainly this is not God's ordinary mode of proceeding in a revival. And even if he thus commence his work, he does not thus carry it on. No one ever yet witnessed an extensive and long continued work of grace, where a church remained cold or inactive. With her declension the work has declined. If God said, Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord," it was immediately added, "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward." We cannot hope in God, except we use the appointed means. He has promised good to Israel; but he has also said, "I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them." While he will have us trust, as if we felt that all our sufficiency was of him, he will have us act, as if all depended upon our efforts. A contrary course has caused many a hopeful prospect to vanish away. O when shall we learn true wisdom?

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4. The very enjoyment experienced in a revival of religion is sometimes the cause of its declension. The cup may appear to be so full, that we do not feel the necessity of having it replenished. We are easily led to think, that after our toils and labors have been so abundantly blessed of the Lord, we may now sit down and enjoy the pleasant fruit in peace and quietness. We are now rich and increased with goods, and have