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and ye shall know that I the Lord have poured out my fury upon you."

Whoever will compare this prophecy with the history of the siege and destruction of Jerusalem will see how well prophecy and events agree.

The hearer is requested to notice that in the language of prophecy, and the scriptures of the Old Testament, great afflictions are represented by the similitude of a furnace. This being understood, why should we use this language differently, when we read it in the New Testament, from what we understand it in the old? Egypt and Jerusalem are denominated a furnace in the passages which we have noticed. Why then must the furnace mentioned in our text be in a future state? Both Egypt and Jerusalem are in this world; and it does not occur to recollection, that any other place is figuratively called a furnace in the whole of the scriptures.

Respecting a furnace, it should be remembered that it is never prepared by our heavenly Father but for the purpose of refining. The tyrant of Egypt did not afilict Israel for the benefit of the afflicted, but "God does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men." The King of Babylon once prepared a furnace to burn those to death, who would not worship the image which he had set up, and it seems the common doctrine on the subject of our labours this evening, has prepared a furnace of eternal torment for no better motives than the furnace on the plains of Dura was prepared.

Though we have not time to be particular on all parts of our subject, there is one question which may be proper to consider, before we close. As it seems by our text, that the wicked, who were to be cast into this furnace, were such as had come into the possession of the gospel, this passage does not so naturally apply to the destruction of the Jews, who, generally speaking, rejected even the name of Christ.

Our reply to this we obtain from the words of the Saviour, in Matt. xxiv., where he informs his disciples, that if an evil servant "shall say in his heart, my Lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites and unbelievers; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." In the preceding chapter, Jesus called the religious people of the Jews hypocrites and a generation of vipers, and denounced on them the judgments written in their law and here he informed his disciples, that if those who should profess him, should depart from a watchful life and indulge in that which was forbidden, they would have their portion with those hypocrites and unbelievers. The subject now appears clear. The Saviour never indicated that a mere profession of his name would secure men from the judgments which were coming on the land; but such were blessed who heard the word of God and kept it.

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We may now conclude, applying our subject to ourselves, as St. Paul has taught us by example, in words which have been noticed. "Now all these things happened unto them for our ensamples; and they are written for our admonition." In all ages of the world God has rewarded men according to their works, he continues to do so, and he will never fail in his faithfulness.

But my friends, we have the consolation to believe that our heavenly Father's mercy extends infinitely beyond all his threatenings, and that though "weeping may endure for a night, yet joy cometh in the morning."

SERMON X.

THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.

DELIVERED IN BOSTON ON THE SECOND SABBATH IN MARCH, 1820.

EPHESIANS V. 25, 26, 27.

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word; that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy, and without blemish.”

A VIRTUOUS, fixed, and steady conjugal affection is the same to the sacred family circle, as the sun to a garden of fruits and flowers; for as the genial warmth of the sun quickens and calls forth to life every latent principle of vegetation, presenting the garden in robes of enameled beauty, teeming with ripe and luxuriant fruit, so does the gentle power of conjugal love warm, quicken, and cause to increase all the domestic virtues which are never barren of those fruits which render life and its various cares a blessing. But where this indispensable virtue is wanting, the expectation of sweet content and domestic felicity is as sure to meet with disappointment, as an expectation to find Arabian spices on fields of eternal ice.

The virtuous affection which the apostle here recommends, and which is known to be of such incalculable interest to man in society, is designed to lead our minds to the contemplation of the love of Christ, a subject infinitely greater. To this subject the attention of the hearer is most earnestly invited.

The passage read for consideration seems to suggest the following subjects for examination and illustration.

I. The Church.

II. The love of Christ to the church. And,

III. What the love of Christ to the church induces him to do for it.

As the labours which we propose to bestow on our subject this evening are designed to favour the doctrine of universal, impartial salvation, the hearer is requested to keep a careful watch, with a view to observe how each argument may bear on this great subject. Not only is it of importance that we endeavour to possess ourselves of a knowledge of the evidences on which universality of salvation depends, but it is of equal importance that due attention be paid to understand the nature of this salvation, than which nothing can tend more to remove existing objections from the candid mind. Pious, candid people all fervently desire the salvation of all men; but not having a clear understanding that the salvation of all stands inseparably connected with the holiness of all, and supposing that those who vindicate universal salvation, do not, at the same time, and to the same end contend for universal righteousness and sanctification, they reject the doctrine as tending to impiety, irreligion, and even to licentiousness. It is confidently believed that a true sense of the passage under consideration will operate favourably in tending to remove all doubts of this nature; therefore do we the more earnestly recommend a most watchful attention to this subject, and to what we may be enabled to offer upon it. Nor can the reasonable hearer think it strange that we should endeavour to remove the unfavourable views of our fellow citizens from their minds, concerning the doctrine we profess and promulgate, were it only for our own benefit. Universalists have been looked upon and spoken of as a people who have embraced the rankest of all heresies, the most impious tenets, and

as a people destitute of vital religion, and entire strangers, and even enemies to genuine virtue and morality.. On this account, my friends, you will acknowledge that if there ever were a people who had a just reason to call on the candor of the public to hear their defence of their doctrine, and to judge impartially on the subject, such a claim is ours. It is natural, and even laudable to desire the favourable opinion of our fellow creatures, but this should be sought by deserving it. Had we hypocritically secreted our belief for fear of censure, we might have received the approbation we did not deserve, and escaped the bitter reproaches which an honest declaration of our real sentiments has brought upon us. But we have never doubted that time would do us justice, and that better information would efface all the slurs which a want of charity has cast on our name.

Respecting the church the following particulars may be distinctly noticed.

1. That mankind was the church of Christ before he gave himself for the church.

2. That all men belong to this church, and 3. The moral state which the church was in, when Christ loved it and gave himself for it.

On carefully examining our text we shall easily discover the truth concerning the three particulars here suggested.

First. Christ could not have loved the church until he had one, nor could he give himself for his church until he had one. But our text says; "Even as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it." Thus it is evident that mankind was the church of Christ before he gave himself for the church.

Secondly. That all men belong to the church of Christ is proved from two arguments furnished in our text, in connexion with other scripture testimony. First, it is indicated in our text that Christ loved the church and gave himself for it; and the same apostle is particular in stating that Christ

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