heaven, which consisteth in thy love: and if thou suffer this unsteadfast heart to depart from thee now, will it not be the forerunner of that dreadful doom, "Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity, I know you not:" and if for the love of transitory vanity, I now deny thee, what can I then expect but to be finally denied by thee? Come, Lord, and dwell by thy Spirit in my soul, that I may have something in me to take my part, and may know that I shall dwell with thee for ever: if now thou wilt make me thy temple and habitation, and wilt dwell by faith and love within me; I shall know thee by more than the hearing of the ear, and thy last appearing will be less terrible to my thoughts. Thou wilt be health to my soul, when my body lieth languishing in pain: and when flesh and heart fail, my failing heart will find reviving strength in thee: and when the portion of worldlings is spent, I shall find thee a never-ending portion. Why shouldst thou come down from heaven to earth in the days of thy voluntary humiliation, but to bring down grace to dwell where God himself hath dwelt? If the Eternal Word will dwell in flesh, the Eternal Spirit will not disdain it, whose dwelling is not by so close a union, but by sweet, inexpressible inoperations this world hath had the pledge of thy bodily presence, when thou broughtest life and immortality to light; O let my dark and fearful soul have the pledge of thy illuminating, quickening, comforting Spirit, that life and immortality may be begun within me! Thy word of promise is certain in itself; but knowing our weakness, thou wilt give us more: thy seal, thy pledge, thy earnest, will not only confirm my faith, as settling my doubting mind; but it will also draw up my love and desire, as suited to my intellectual appetite; and will be a true foretaste of heaven. How oft have I gazed in the glass, and yet overlooked, or not been taken with, the beauty of thy face! But one drop of thy love, if it fall into my soul, will fill it with the most fragrant and delectable odor, and will be its life, and joy, and vigor. I shall never know effectually what heaven is, till I know what it is to love thee, and to be beloved by thee, for what but love will tell me what a life of love is? If I could love thee more ardently, more absolutely, more operatively, I should quickly know and feel thy love. And O, when I shall know that prosperous life, and live in the delicious entertainments of thy love, and in the sweet and vigorous exercise of mine,

then shall I know the nature of heaven, the wisdom of believers, and the happiness of enjoyers! And then foretaste will do more than foresight alone, and will make me love the day of thy appearing, and long to see thy glorious love. Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen.

What is man that thou shouldst magnify him? and that thou shouldst set thine heart upon him?-Job vii. 17.

WHAT is religion? It is that by which almighty God, in his infinite goodness, magnifies man, morally magnifies him, and makes him truly great. By this view we may test our religious pretensions.

1. By the noble and elevating knowledge which it imparts, does God magnify man by religion. Is this the effect with us? Do we rest in the barren and ill-understood generalities of doctrine, looking into the perfect law of liberty, as a man beholding his natural face in a glass, and going away, and forgetting what manner of person he is; or do we "continue therein "? Do we 66 meditate on these things"? Are we led out by a hallowed curiosity to inquire "what is that good, and perfect, and acceptable will of God," and knowing it, do we often return to feed upon this truth in holy musings? Are these the subjects to which our spirits fly with affectionate ardor from the little vanities of life? Do we catch their spirit? Do we take the impress of their sanctity?

2. True religion makes great by the relation it gives us to God, the relation of "sons." Is this our character? Have we so "believed on his name," that we can claim this "power," right, privilege, "to become the sons of God"? And do we wear in our spirits this abiding testimony that " we are the children of God"?

3. By the restoration of our nature to the Divine image, are we thus magnified? Has the image of the earthly passed away, and given place to the new, the heavenly impress? Look into your hearts are the characters of the new man there visible and distinct? Look into the course and tenor of your life: does the fullness of the renewed principle pour its sanctity and

odor through your meek and healing speech, through your righteous and beneficent actions?

4. By the new and elevated ends for which it teaches us to live. How low are the objects and pursuits of worldly men! For, gild and adorn and hide them as they please let them give to trifling the air of business, and to selfishness the aspect of public good, and regard to the social benefit of others; the whole may be resolved into the Epicurean maxim, "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die; a selfish and temporary gratification and interest is the sole epitome. But the ends of living proposed in our religion, and which are seriously kept in view by every true Christian, are of a kind as ennobling as those of worldly men are debasing and destructive ;-the approbation of God; regard to his will as our only rule in all things, living not for ourselves, but for others; and the final acceptance of our persons, in "the day of his appearing." By these ends true religion magnifies man; but have they caught our eye, and do they fix our undeviating regards?

5. It magnifies him, by its singular principles of faith and love. By its faith; which is not the mere assent of the judgment, but the trust of the heart. It is the evidence of unseen things, that which makes visible the invisible God, as Witness, Ruler, Judge, and Saviour, "near at hand and not afar off;" so that we learn to walk with God, and to fear nothing but him, and to hope in nothing but in him. It is that which unvails too the invisible world, as well as the invisible God, and teaches man to try all present things by measures taken from eternity, and to refer all actions to their fruits and effects. By love; as singular a principle, and as peculiar to Christianity as faith for it is not a philosophic approbation; it is not admiration of God merely, nor esteem for his perfect and holy character; but it is ardent attachment to him as the supreme Excellence; it is an infinite gratitude to him as to an infinite Benefactor; it is delight and joy in him as our Father; it is the principle which leads to intercourse and communion with God through the Holy Ghost, and which sensibly unites every soul, made vital by regenerating grace, with the vital influence of God. It is not necessary to stay to point out what is so obvious, that such principles must, wherever they vigorously exist, be the source of great and high thoughts, purposes, affections, powers, and en

joyments. But do these magnifying principles exist, and operate, and abide in you?

These are all points of serious and most important inquiry; for if the goodness of God is expressed in his gracious purpose to magnify us by the instrumentality of religion, and we are unexalted and unrenewed, his kindness has hitherto been frustrated by our own obstinacy and resistance. Art thou, then, who now readest this declaration, " that God has magnified man, and set his heart upon him," in the midst of a religious system where all is magnificence and purpose, mean and grovelling still? Is thy spirit dark amidst this splendor? dead, though often the voice of the Son of God has invited thee to live? in bondage, when thou mightest walk in liberty from sin? a slave, when thou art called to be a son? earthly in thine affections, when the spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus are arranged and displayed to excite desire and effort? What " part or lot hast thou in this matter"? Boast not of the truth of the gospel; for the light by which thou walkest not, only discovers the more clearly that thou art "ignorant and out of the way;" a base worldling with a Christian name; a miserable selfdeceiver, taking words for things, and saying unto Christ, "Lord, Lord," without one operative principle of abiding faith, love, and obedience. Take away the vail of thy religious profession, and see and feel that thou art poor, and miserable, and blind, and naked; and, withal, that thou hast been so besotted by the deceitfulness of the world, the flesh, and the devil, as to have said to this moment, "I am rich and increased in goods, and have need of nothing." Yet if thou awakest fully to thy danger, despair not. Upon thee, even thee, false as well as sinful as thou hast been,-false to thyself, false to the Church, false to Christ,-God hath "set his heart." He remembereth that thou art man, an immortal man, one whose sins were laid upon him who was "delivered for thy offenses, and raised again for thy justification; " and he wills not that thou shouldst perish. His hand is upon thee for mercy, and not for judgment: suffer him to raise thee, to "set thee on high," to put thee among the princes of his people, to make thee great in his salvation. Hear his voice with thy inmost soul, calling thee to "glory, honor, and immortality; "to-day "hear it, and "harden not thy

heart."

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.— James iv. 17.

If we are to attain to the kingdom of heaven, it is not enough to abandon wickedness, but great exercise of the virtues is required also. To be delivered indeed from hell, we must abstain from wickedness; but to attain to the kingdom we must cleave fast to virtue. Know ye not that even in the tribunals of the heathen, when examination is made of men's deeds, and the whole city is assembled, this is the case? Nay, there was an ancient custom among the heathen, to crown with a golden crown, not the man who had done no evil to his country, for this were in itself no more than enough to save him from punishment; but him who had achieved signal benefits. It was thus that a man was to be advanced to this distinction. But what I had especial need to say, had, I know not how, well nigh escaped me.

For as I was saying that the departure from evil is sufficient to prevent our falling into hell, whilst I was speaking, there stole upon me a certain awful sentence, which does not merely bring down vengeance on them that dare to commit evil, but which also punishes those who omit any opportunity of doing good. What sentence then is this? When the day, the dreadful day,

he saith, was arrived, and the set time was come, the Judge, seated on the judgment-seat, set the sheep on the right hand, and the goats on the left; and to the sheep he said, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungered and ye gave me meat. So far, well. For it was meet that for such compassion they should receive this reward. That those, however, who only did not communicate of their own possessions to them that were in need, that they should be punished, not merely by the loss of blessings, but by being also sent to hell-fire, what just reason, I say, can there be for this? Now most certainly this too will have a fair show of reason, no less than the other case: for we are hence instructed, that as they that have done good shall enjoy those good things that are in heaven, so they, who, though they have no evil indeed to be charged with, yet have omitted to do