now fills the mouths of those who reproach the living God, who is the Saviour of all men.

Another reproach, not less indicative of the peculiar character of the opposition to truth, which now rages to an alarming degree, is the accusation of impiety. It is constantly urged that our belief and trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, naturally tends to impiety. And our brethren who thus reproach us, will not allow that there can be any real sincerity in our devotions. Their confidence of this fact is so strong, that they assure us that did they believe, that God is the Saviour of all men, they would never attend public worship at all, nor yet private devotion. But do our brethren, who thus reproach us with impiety, know, that by this reproach they acknowledge that all their devotions are nothing but pretensions? Do they understand that they hereby acknowledge, that they are in the habit of drawing near unto God with their lips, while their heart is far from him? If they loved God with all the heart, would they not worship him in spirit and in truth, in the sanctuary, in the closet, in fields, in groves, and gardens? Would they not devoutly adore him for every blessing of this life; and would they not pour forth their joyful hearts in gratitude for the hope of eternal life? But being blind to the nature of these things, they offer their devotions from motives which kindle strange fire on the altar; while they boast of their frequent and fervent prayers, and reproach others for coming short in this duty. In fact, they have much to say on this subject. They make, as they seem to think, a most advantageous comparison between their piety and that of others, measuring the dif ference by the greater number of their prayers, and their greater length, and their greater ferven cy. So, perhaps, did the prophets of Baal calculate on their prayers. They prayed to their idol from morning until noon; and they gave evidence of their fervency and sincerity by leaping upon

their altar, by crying aloud, saying, O Baal, hear us; and also by cutting themselves with knives and lances until the blood gushed out upon them. How impious must Elijah have appeared to these devout servants of Baal! He, in room of being at all solemnized by their devotions, stood and mocked them, saying, "Cry aloud; for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked." Let us be admonished by him, who, knowing the hypocrisy of the human heart, knew that long prayers were often made to be seen of men, and were offered by such as devoured widow's houses.

Again, the character of this reproach, which is now suffered, by those who trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, is manifested by the accusation, that they are not zealous in the glorious cause of missions. This subject stands as a criterion, by which our opposers divide the righteous from the wicked. Whoever will give money, or lands, or anything else for missionary purposes, is allowed to be the friend of God and religion; but heavy anathemas are denounced on those who neglect this duty. But we reply to this reproach, observing that, among the items set down as duties performed to the justification of the righteous, but neglected to the condemnation of the wicked, as recorded in Matthew 25th, no mention is made of giving money or lands to support foreign missions. And we moreover refer those who reproach us on this ground, to the words of the Saviour: "Wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is made, you make him two-fold more the child of hell than yourselves."

Another accusation, with which the servants of truth are reproached, and which very evidently discovers the nature of this opposing spirit, re gards the subject of what are called revivals of re

ligion. It is contended that those who believe, and teach, that God is the Saviour of all men, not only have no revivals among them, but are enemies to revivals. They are persuaded that it is utterly impossible to get up a revival, without holding up the dreadful terrors of unspeakable torments in the future invisible world. Thousands may be delivered from the power of darkness, and be translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son; into the kingdom of light, love and peace. Societies may be multiplied, who profess the soulrejoicing doctrine of impartial grace and salvation; and houses for public worship may be builded, dedicated to God, and thronged with worshippers; but all this, is only a declension in religion; all this, in room of being a revival, is downright opposition to revivals! Nothing is religion unless it is induced by the terrors of everlasting punishment! Nothing will answer for a revival, in religion, unless it be such a revival, as that of which we have an account in the 3d of Daniel. On the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar set up an image of gold, three score cubits in height. At the dedication of this idol, all the princes and rulers in the kingdom were assembled, and a proclamation was made to the immense assembly, to fall down and worship this image of gold, as soon as they should hear the sound of all kinds of music, on pain of being cast, the same hour, into a fiery furnace. This was a wonderful revival; but it depended on the terrors of the furnace; not on any love the people felt for the idol. Was not this genuine devotion? It was, no doubt, as sincere as was ever offered for fear of everlasting punishment.

But it is time that we inquire concerning the speciality of salvation enjoyed by those who believe. St. Paul says: "We who have believed do enter into rest." And, again, he speaks of "joy and peace in believing." And who can set forth this joy and peace beyond their reality? Well

did the apostle know how to appreciate it. Once could he heap reproaches on Jesus and his disciples; once could he breathe out threatenings against the saints; once was he exceedingly mad in his opposition to the true faith; but he obtained an abundance of that grace which he had so much despised, and he prized it above all things else on earth. Our opposers now contend, that if the doctrine we profess, be true, there is no advantage in believing it. They say, they are just as well without the knowledge of it, as they would he even if they were certain of its truth. But such argument is entirely inconsistent with their own pretensions. They profess to be much concerned for the eternal salvation of their own souls; they express great anxiety for the eternal salvation of their children and neighbours, and even for the heathen. But how is it possible that in all their pretensions they can be sincere, and yet say that they should not be any more happy if they were sure that they themselves, their children and neighbours, together with the heathen, and even all mankind, were secure in him who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time?

My Christian friends, well may we esteem the speciality of salvation, enjoyed by believing, of greater value than earthly riches. It inspires the heart with love to God; it endears the name of Jesus to him who exercises it; it is intimately connected with that hope which is an anchor to the soul, entering within the vail.

May he who walks among the golden candlesticks, and holds the seven stars in his right hand, make ministers faithful unto death, that the churches may enjoy the special salvation of believing and walking in the truth.

26*

SERMON XXIII.

GOD THE AUTHOR OF ALL THINGS.

DELIVERED IN BOSTON, JULY 5, 1829.

1 SAMUEL, XXII. part 22.

"I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy Father's house.”

AMONG the numerous subjects of controversy, which have engaged the attention of polemic writers, and which have caused divisions in the christian church, no one has been more signalized, or become more prominent than the question, whether the Supreme Being can properly be said to be the author of all things, in the most extensive use of the words. While that class of doctors, which have, for ages, defended the system of divinity, which embraces the doctrine of the foreordination of all things, have found no difficulty in confounding the advocates of the opposite hypothesis, they have never been able to free their own creed from objections, no less embarrassing, than those with which they confounded their opposers.

The predestinarian, by urging the foreknowledge of God in all things, which the Arminian doctors could not deny, have been able to denomstrate the certainty of all events as clearly as this certainty is established by the hypothesis of predestination. This argument the Arminian has never been able to overcome. But though he could never satisfy the predestinarian that human agency could possibly go contrary to the divine prescience, he could put him to utter confusion by showing that by the