temporal glory and riches; if that happiness de. pends on moral qualifications; and if to form men to these qualifications is the great purpose for which the church was inftituted and endowed; then it: cannot be doubted, but that the Redeemer contin ually exercifes his fupreme dominion in reference to her edification and fafety.

This thought should give us much confolation in the darkeft periods of the church.

There are times, when from the approach of external dangers, or from the increase of internal corruptions, her state appears critical and tending to ruin. But Chrift will not forget his promife; “I the Lord do keep her, and left any hurt her, I will keep her night and day." He may visit her tranf greffions with a rod; but his loving kindness he will not take from her, nor fuffer his faithfulness to fail. He knows how to overrule the moft threatening appearances for the advancement of her purity, and the establishment of her fafety. The time is coming, when the will arife and fhine, and her glory will fpread through the earth: And those circumftances, which in humán view look most unfavorable, may, under the direction of divine wif dom, contribute to the introduction of fuch a hap py period.

We fee how criminal and dangerous it is to op pofe the intereft of the church.

As the church is Chrift's body, which he nour ishes and defends, and for which he is made head over all things, they who perfecute this, wound him in a moft tender part :-They who caufe divifions in this, make a fchifm.or rent in his body: -They who form parties in oppofition to each other, and still call themfelves members of Christ, treat the one Savior, as if he were divided into as many parts, as there are fects which affume his name: They who, by corrupt doctrines and examples, draw tender minds away from the truth as it

is in Jesus, and throw ftumbling blocks before the lame and the weak, are deftroying those for whom Christ died; and by thus finning against the brethren, they fin against Christ: They who call Christ their Lord, and yet ferve divers lufts and pleasures, are enemies to his crofs, and their end will be def. truction.

If the church is Chrift's body, let us honor it ; study to preferve unity in it; labor for its edifica tion and comfort; and, as fellow members of the fame body, exercife for each other the fame care as for ourselves.

How fafe and happy are they, who are the true members of Chrift's body, being vitally united to him by faith! They are of that felect and diftin. guished number, for whom he is made head over all things, and to whom all things under his direction, are working for good.

If Chrift is the head of the body, and filleth all in all, let us daily look to him for counfel,comfort and fupport; and, in the continual exercise of faith, derive from him all needed fupplies of grace.

If we profess to be members of his body, let us move under his influence and in compliance with his directions. Let us honor and reverence our head, and never prefumptuously lift up ourselves against it. And God grant,that, fpeaking the truth in love, we may grow up in all things into Chrift: our head, and may make increase, as his body, to the edifying of ourselves in love.

SERMON X.

EPHESIANS ¡i. 1, 2, 3.

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trefpaffes and fins; wherein in time paft, ye walked according to the courfe of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the fpirit that now worketh in the children of difobedience; among whom alfo we all had our converfation in times paft, in the lufts of the flesh, fulfilling the defires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath even as others.

IF you will carefully attend to this epiftle you will find that the thoughts expreffed in it are clofely connected, and one thought leads to ahother through the whole. Paul, both in his preaching and writing, was an accurate reafoner, not an incoherent declaimer. The thoughts in the text, and the words following, arife out of those which immediately precede. He had juft defcribed the glorious refurrection, exaltation and dominion of Jefus Chrift, which, he tells the Ephefian be lievers, were pledges and earnefts of their final glorification in heaven. "Now," fays he, "as God has raifed up Chrift your head, and fet him at his own right hand; fo he has quickened you, who once were dead in your fins, and raised you

up with Chrift, and made you fit together in heavenly places in him. That the glorious hope, the. bleffed inheritance, and the happy refurrection, of which I have spoken, will be your portion, you may learn from that, which God has already done for you. He has quickened you who were dead in your fins; he has made you mete to be partakers of the inheritance of the faints; he has raised up your head, Chrift Jefus, and has placed him, and in him has placed your nature already in heaven. And if the head is raised, the members will follow. If you believe that Jefus is rifen, you must believe, that them who fleep in Jefus, God will bring with him; for he is the first fruits of them who fleep, and be caufe he lives, they will live alfo."

That the Ephefians might have the more admiring fentiments of the power and grace of God in quickening them to a fpiritual life, and raifing them to a hope of the heavenly inheritance, he leads them to the contemplation of that difmal ftate of corruption and guilt, in which the gofpel found them. A defcription of that flate is contained in the words which I have read. The feveral expreffions, by which he describes their past condition, I fhall now explain and illuftrate. And let us remember that the defcription, is applicable to other finners, as well as to thofe ancient Gentiles. This general application the Apostle teaches, us to make.

1. He expreffes their ftate in more general terms. They were dead in trefpaffes and fins." What is here faid of them, is elsewhere faid of all under the power, of fin: "They are dead, while they live." Hence converfion is called "a rifing from the dead;" and "a paffing from death to life." Thefe expreffions, however, being figurative, muft be understood with proper qualifications.

Sinners poffels the natural faculties of men; and in their worldly affairs they often exercife fuch

prudence and activity, that our Savior once ob. ferved, "the children of this world are, in their generation, wifer than the children of light." Their deadnefs confifts, not in the want, but in the perverfion of the intellectual powers: And their recovery confifts not in the creation of new faculties, but in the holy direction of the faculties which they have. They are, then, to be addreffed as rational beings; truth is to be placed before them ; arguments are to be propofed to them; the terrors of the law are to be applied for their awakening; and the invitations of the gospel are to be urged for their encouragement. Come, and let us reafon together," fays the Almighty to a wicked and degenerate people. "Paul," in the presence of Felix, "reafoned of righteoufnels, temperance and a future judgment." His defign in his preaching: was "to open men's eyes, and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God."

We are not from this defcription to infer that finners, in a ftate of unregeneracy, are on account of their deadnels excufeable for continuing in that ftate; for as the ftate itself is criminal, continuance in it, is continued and increafing criminality. :

Nor are we from the use of fuch metaphors to conclude, that finners under the gofpel can do nothing to their converfion, more than the dead to. their refurrection; and that therefore it is im proper and abfurd to exhort them to repentance; for with fuch exhortations the fcripture every where abounds.

It is after afked, whether the unregenerate can do often any thing of themfelves, which has a tendency to their converfion? But the answer is, They who enjoy the gospel are not left to themfelves. If you fuppofe a man under the power of vicious inclinations, and at the fame time deftitute of all means, influence of religious knowledge, and without any