believe in the Lord Jesus, and to believe at the present time. We must prepare sinners to feel the necessity of believing in Christ for salvation, by holding up the divine law as perfect and immutable; and so convincing them that they are sinners without excuse, utterly lost, and without any prospect of being saved by their own doings. We must present Christ as the object of faith, the only Savior, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. We must exhibit him as the great and perfect sacrifice for sin. We must set him forth in all his offices; must describe the glories of his character, the riches of his grace, his suitableness and all-sufficiency, and the spiritual blessings which he bestows. Unless we thus set forth the depraved, guilty, ruined state of sinners, and unless we thus preach Christ crucified, we do not prepare the way for the exercise of an enlightened, evangelical faith. And without such a faith, there is no true religion. If we would copy the example of the apostles, and most effectually promote the good of the church, we must not rest with occasionally adverting to the Savior. We must first of all preach Christ crucified; must dwell upon his character and work; must show that he is able to save to the uttermost; that there is no other name under heaven whereby we can be saved but the name of Jesus. It must be a great object with us to glorify the Son of God; to co-operate with the Holy Spirit in taking of the things of Christ, and showing them to perishing sinners. We must fully set Him forth as the end of the law for righteousness to all that believe; and must prove, to demonstration, that there is no ray of hope for any child of Adam, except what beams from the cross.

I might proceed to mention humility, love, obedience, self-denial, prayer, &c. and show what kind of preaching is adapted to promote these parts of religion. But I must pass to another point.

Our preaching must be such as to promote a religion which is complete in all its parts. If there could be such a thing as the existence of one part of religion without the others--for example, if there could be love without repentance, zeal without humility, or hope without faith,-it would be a dreadful deformity, and would derive religion of more than half its happy influence. But although it is impossible that any one part of religion should exist in the soul, without implying the existence of other parts, yet it often happens that Christians exhibit some parts in much smaller proportions than they do others. Their religion wants symmetry. Some have a large measure of the sympathetic and social affections, but are deficient in those which are more spiritual. Some are full of hope and joy, but are deficient in conviction of sin, and in humbleness and brokenness of heart. Again, some are alive and active in the more public duties of religion, but are comparatively cold and dead in the exercises of secret devotion, and the duties of private life. In these and other ways men show the want of symmetry in their religion. This fact is doubtless owing in part to some fault in our public instructions. Many preachers have certain favorite topics. They confine themselves to a part, and perhaps to a very small part of the grand system of divine truth. They do not take large and comprehensive views of the Christian religion as a whole. They do not study the whole. Of course their preaching is not adapted to promote a religion which is well proportioned and complete. Such a religion pervades all the faculties of the mind; excites to steady action all the moral sensibilities; and diffuses its sanctifying influence over the whole character and life. And those who are the subjects of it grow up to the full stature of perfect men in Christ. To produce this noble and happy effect, we must apply ourselves

diligently to the study of the Christian religion, as set forth in the Scriptures, and furnish our minds with a correct knowledge of its several parts, and of the whole; and then we must preach the whole. This is an arduous work; a very different thing from preaching a little circle of discourses on a few favorite subjects. "The priest's lips should keep knowledge;" and the knowledge we ought to obtain is like a gold-mine, that lies deep, and cannot be reached without long-continued toil. To understand the mighty range of divine truth, and to be able properly to teach it, requires great mental labor. It requires a habit of intense, patient study. It requires that we lay in large stores of sacred knowledge, and be continually augmenting them, so that we may be like the householder, who brought forth out of his treasure things new and old.

But you may ask, especially, What is the kind of preaching that is necessary to promote a revival of religion? To this important question, I reply; religion is of the same nature in a revival as at other times. Consequently, the preaching which is suited to promote religion in a revival, is for substance the same as that which is suited to promote it at other times. The heart of man

is the same; the character, the purposes, and the law of God the same; the gospel the same; the way of salvation, the necessity of being renewed by the Spirit, the nature of repentance, faith, and obedience the same. The only difference is, that in a revival all these things are seen in a clearer light, and contemplated with deeper and livelier emotions. Evidently, then, in order to meet the exigencies of a revival, we have only to exhibit these great subjects with special plainness, fidelity, and earnestness. And yet, supposing the season of revival to be of no more than the usual length, there must evidently be a selection of subjects. And a selection may be made, which will be specially adapted to such a season: that is, specially adapted to promote the conviction and conversion of sinners, and the rapid spiritual growth of believers. In my view, however, this selection should have a much larger compass than it commonly has. If I mistake not, the subjects introduced in a revival are in many instances confined within such narrow limits, that those who become real converts lose many precious benefits which they might enjoy, if their minds were, at that interesting period, furnished with a larger extent of evangelical knowledge. I would by no means undertake to give a complete list of the subjects proper to be brought forward in a revival of religion. I feel myself incompetent to this. Besides, the peculiar character and circumstances of the people in one place may render it expedient to take a different range of subjects, and a different mode of treating them, from what would be best in another place. But while I would decline the task of enumerating all the subjects which should be introduced in a revival, or of prescribing any one manner of treating them, exclusively of others, I must enter my solemn protest against the opinion, that any of the great doctrines or duties of Christianity are unsuitable in a revival. Paul declared all the counsel of God; and he declared it in times of revival. And we learn from his epistles what he considered the counsel of God to be. My dear brethren, God has not left it to us to make out, by our own reasoning, what the doctrines of religion are, nor to determine, by our own policy, which of these doctrines shall be preached, and which shall be passed over in silence. Our commission is, to preach the word of God. We must use all the powers of our minds to ascertain the meaning of God's word, and to present that meaning in the clearest light. But God never intended that it should be left to our discretion to preach or not preach the doctrines of reve

lation. As Protestants, and as Christians, we profess to believe that the BIBLE, with all it contains, was intended for use. To say that any doctrines of the Bible are unfit to be preached in a revival, is to make ourselves wiser than God. For, by the publication of His word, He plainly signifies that He regards all its doctrines as proper to be publicly taught, and as adapted to do good to the souls of men. Guided by wisdom from above, we are faithfully to explain and inculcate the great truths of revelation, and to present them in the best order we can. But to exclude or conceal any of them as not proper to be preached,-what is it but to act the part of Papists and infidels ?

I wish there were no occasion for these remarks. But are there not some, who show great zeal for the conversion of sinners, but who think that certain doctrines, which they admit to be doctrines of the Bible, particularly the doctrines of election and divine sovereignty, and the special influence of the Spirit in the conversion of sinners, should never be preached, certainly not in a revival of religion? I cannot now discuss such a subject as this. But I would just inquire,-how keeping back these truths in preaching can answer the purpose intended, seeing the hearers have the Bible, and will not fail to find the doctrines there. When the Holy Spirit is poured out, and sinners are excited to attend to the concerns of their souls, one of the first things they will do is to search the Scriptures. If we are faithful, we shall exhort them to do this, and to do it with great seriousness and docility, and to receive what they find in the Bible as the truth of God. Now if they follow our advice, and give themselves to the reading of the Scriptures, as they ought, they will soon come to passages which teach the doctrines of election and divine sovereignty, and the special influence of the Spirit.

If, then, we withhold these doctrines in a revival, as being unsuitable to be preached, and as of hurtful tendency in relation to the work of God's Spirit, to be consistent, we must exhort our hearers to take care, when they read the Scriptures, to pass by those places which contain such doctrines; or, to make it surer still, must have an expurgated edition of the Bible, in which the passages referred to shall all be omitted.

My present position is, that we should make it our object in preaching to promote true religion in all its parts; and in order to this, exhibit all parts of Divine truth; and exhibit them, as far as may be, in the manner and proportion in which they are exhibited in the word of God. I maintain, that the system of doctrines contained in the Bible is adapted to produce the very best effect; that man in his present state requires the influence of all these doctrines, as the means of giving him a completely renovated character; that if any of them are omitted, and a religious character is formed without their influence, it will want symmetry and completeness. I maintain, in short, that the whole range of gospel doctrines must be used to promote the beauty, the strength, and the growth of the new man; and that if only a partial view is taken of Divine truth, the religion of converts, yes, of real converts, and of ministers too, will have something weak and sickly, or out of proportion. That religious experience is best which takes place under the combined influence of all the grand doctrines of revelation; and any one who has this experience, will need no array of arguments to prove the truth or consistency of all the doctrines of revelation. His experience demonstrates both their truth and their consistency. These doctrines are designed for sanctification; and he finds that every one of them has a sanctifying effect. His heart had various disorders, and their complete cure required the influence of every one of these heavenly

truths :-one for this purpose, another for that. Look to those Christians whose faith in the doctrines of the Bible is defective, leaving out a part; and you will undoubtedly discover a corresponding defect in their religious character. will find some of the ingredients of moral excellence wanting. What are we, then, that we should be wiser than God? What are we, that we should think ourselves competent, by our philosophy or our policy, to mend his holy word? By attempting to do this, we shall certainly hinder or mar the work of God's Holy Spirit.

But I have still another remark, namely-that the object of preaching is to promote a religion which shall be solid and permanent. There is a religion like the seed which fell on stony places, and which sprung up very quick, but soon withered away, because it had no depth of earth. The very reason why it sprung up so quick was, that it had no depth of earth. Far be it from us to countenance any thing like this. For what is that religion worth, which is like the transient mist of morning.

I say, then, we must constantly aim to promote a religion which is solid and permanent. And what is the kind of preaching suited to do this? In reply to this question I can only venture a few remarks, involving the principles on which I think a proper answer must depend.

It is a well known fact, that we are susceptible of various emotions which have no necessary connection with character. Persons may be strongly and tenderly moved by fictitious scenes of distress; but what connection have these strong and tender emotions with their principles of action? None at all. They are common to the good and the bad; to the humane and the hard-hearted. How many can weep at imaginary distress who are unmoved at the reality of suffering, however great! Their emotions, though highly raised, involve no active principle,-nothing which is solid or lasting in character. It is the same as to our spiritual interests. We may so present the things of religion, as to excite various emotions of fear and hope, grief and joy, gratitude and love; and these emotions may be very strong; and yet they may all be of a temporary, transient nature, having nothing to do with religious character. The sacred writers often refer to these superficial and transient emotions, and warn us against their deceptive influence. I do not mean to signify that emotions of this kind are in themselves wrong. In their place they are right, and are doubtless designed for important purposes, just as all our animal appetites and animal susceptibilities are. But they are not religion. They do not contain the elements of religion. Let me not be understood to complain of these transient emotions on account of their being too highly raised. What I mean to say is, they are not of the right KIND. They are, in their nature, below the holy standard of religion. They are, indeed, but little superior to the instinctive feelings visible in mere animals; whereas, the affections which we ought to have, are those which will bring us into alliance with the inhabitants of heaven, and fit us for the employments of heaven. Now there is a manner of speaking on religious subjects; and there is a manner of treating the concerns of religion, which is calculated merely or chiefly to excite that class of emotions which I have described-superficial, transient, animal emotions, nowise connected with character, and infinitely below the spiritual and exalted nature of true religion.

It is one of the inquiries which I feel it a sacred duty to make respecting any means used for the conversion of sinners and the prosperity of the churchWhether Christ appointed them, and his apostles employed them; or, whether

they are additions to the simple institutions of the gospel? Respecting this or that mode of preaching, I inquire,—is it like the preaching of Peter on the day of Pentecost? Is it like the preaching of Paul? Is there reason to think that

either Christ, or the apostles, preached in such a manner and for such a purpose? We may, perhaps, be inclined to say that we have attained to superior light. In the warmth of our zeal we may become tired of attempting to convert the world by the mere preaching of the gospel in the manner of the inspired teachers, and by seeking the influence of the Holy Spirit to bring sinners to repentance. We may indulge the thought that we have made great improvements upon primitive preaching, and that Christ and his apostles might have had much greater success in converting men, had they known what we know at the present day. And we may imagine that we can drive on the work of saving sinners faster than can be done by the plain, humble, simple method prescribed in the word of God. On this subject, involving the eternal welfare of souls, I would speak with all seriousness, and with the utmost tenderness. But I cannot help thinking that the introduction of any mode of preaching or any means for converting sinners, essentially different in its nature and tendency from those which are sanctioned by the example of Christ and the apostles, is a manifest departure from the commission God has given us. Indeed, it is a manifest violation of the principles for which Protestants have contended in opposition to the church of Rome. What is the grand objection which our fathers made, and which we make, against Popish rites and ceremonies? It is this:-They are an essential departure from the simplicity of the gospel. They are additions to the Divine institution. They are human inventions-of the nature of those "commandments of men" which Christ everywhere reprobated. Now, for us to adopt any thing of this kind would plainly imply that we look upon the simple, unostentatious institutions of the New Testament, as defective, and verily think that some additions, devised by human wisdom, are necessary to produce the best effect.

All such additions, suggested by mere human policy, are a dishonor to the great author and finisher of our faith. He knew what was in man. He knew human nature perfectly; and gave us a system of doctrines, precepts, and promises and prescribed means of conversion and sanctification, perfectly suited to mankind in all ages. And it is a fact, that where the doctrines and institutions of Christianity have been guarded with the greatest jealousy, and kept most free from human admixtures, there religion has been most pure and most prosperous. But as soon as ministers have begun, in any place, to depart from the simplicity of the gospel, and to introduce their own inventions, either as to doctrine or practice, there the church has been gradually corrupted, and there religion has declined.

I must, therefore, conscientiously object to any means for the promotion of religion, which are not evidently authorized by Christ and his apostles. And one of my reasons is-it would be a virtual impeachment of the wisdom of Christ; as it would imply that he had failed to give us a perfect system of means, and that what he intended for universal and perpetual use in his church needs some amendment. Another ground of objection with me, is, that it would open the door to endless additions and corruptions. If one is at liberty, as his own inclination or fancy may dictate, to adopt means not authorized by the Scriptures, because he happens to think them better adapted to convert men than scriptural means; another may adopt other means; and so the door will be open for endless changes in the means of promoting the salvation of