ond and fourth divisions, will give a view of the bearing and scope of the whole sermon.

"2. The preciousness of the soul may be argued from its exalted and ever-expanding powers. Certain it is that 'there is nothing more noble or improvable than the human soul.' Its faculties are capable of immense expansion, even during the brief period of mortal existence, and under all the disadvantages of that existence. Its powers in an infant are discovered to be feeble; but they grow with its growth and strengthen with its strength. Every acquisition of new knowledge expands its capacities, and prepares it for still further investigations. Nor can any acquisitions, however extensive, satisfy its lofty aspirings; it is continually soaring after acquaintance with objects which it has not yet attained. And the wider and deeper its researches, the more are its powers strengthened, and the better is it qualified to make still more exalted attainments. Such is the soul of man in this incipient state of its being. "But, is it reasonable to conclude that this power of expansion, this power of rising higher and yet higher in intellectual greatness, will be limited to the present life? If the soul is endowed with intelligence, as one of the prominent ingredients of its being; and if, in this dark and miserable world, united to its cumbrous clay, it is susceptible of continual progress in knowledge and improvement, will not this susceptibility be inconceivably augmented when the soul shall be freed from its prison of clay, and enter the eternal world? There, where its noblest powers will be continually tasked to prepare it to grasp the elevated and elevating themes and objects that will occupy its contemplation, will not those powers receive an expansion of which

we can at present form but a very inadequate idea?

Let

it be prepared by the grace of God for the mansions of the blest, where every thing is adapted to awaken the highest interest, and call forth its mightiest energies; and who can conceive the elevation to which the soul will arrive, as the ages of its happy being shall roll endlessly onward? In such circumstances, man, in his intelligence, will be continually approximating towards the image of the all-wise God, until it shall surpass all that the saints in glory and the angels of light have ever yet attained! O, how exalted intellectually will the soul of man become in that eternal world of joy; ever expanding under circumstances the most felicitous, during the ages of its immortal existence !

"But this is not all. Man possesses moral as well as intellectual powers; and these too are susceptible of immense improvement. High moral excellence is attainable during his present state of existence. Let the truth and spirit of God renovate his powers, let the soul be created anew 'in righteousness and true holiness,' and the moral excellence of man's primeval state is restored to it, the image of God is again enstamped upon that soul. And, dark as may be this world, and numerous as may be evil influences on every hand, the child of God may continually grow in grace, till he arrives to the stature of a perfect man in Christ Jesus'; till he shall be filled with all the fullness of God.' And if divine grace can so adorn the soul, can impart increasing excellence to it, in this world, where sin abounds, and innumerable temptations exist; what may we not expect, when it shall enter the Paradise of God, behold the Redeemer as he is, witness the unvailed glories of God, and experience the transforming efficacy of that bless

ed vision? Ah! when the ransomed soul shall see him as he is, he shall be like him. He leaves all his imperfections, as well as sorrows, at the grave, and enters the eternal world a holy and happy being. But there his moral excellence is not to remain stationary. As intellectually, so morally, he will be continually rising higher and higher in beauty and glory for ever and ever. If this be true, then is it not reasonable to suppose that there will come a period in eternity, when a single ransomed soul shall possess an amount of excellence and glory surpassing that of the highest seraph that now adores before the eternal throne? How inconceivably exalted then are the powers of the human soul; and how precious must be a soul possessed of such endowments. What is the world, yea, what is the material universe, in comparison with such a soul?" "4. We may look at the preciousness of the soul in the light of the price paid for its redemption. And here we frankly acknowledge the utter inadequacy of our powers to comprehend such a subject. Could we ascend to heaven. and behold the majesty and glory of the Mediator, with powers adequate to comprehend such a being; then, by the dignity of the victim sacrificed, might we judge of the value of the sacrifice.

"This infinite being, 'God over all, blessed forever,' paid the price of the soul's ransom by inconceivable agonies in the garden and on the cross. If a less sacrifice could have accomplished the object, God would never have taken his only and beloved Son, and made his soul an offering for sin. Among men, the preciousness of any thing is measured by the price paid for it. So we infer the great price of that pearl which the merchant went and sold all

he had, and bought. On this principle, we learn the value of the soul. The greatest work which God has ever performed, and the mightiest sacrifice he has ever made, have been for the souls of men. This is a subject of the deepest mystery, and of overwhelming interest. But this much we can understand, that he has done nothing like this for the angels that kept their first estate; and he has done nothing like it for the angels that did sin, and need redemption as much as ourselves. This interposition and sacrifice stamp the preciousness of the soul beyond all calculation, and beyond all other considerations. If, then, for their redemption, God has sacrificed the most exalted and excellent being in the universe, is there any thing on earth too great to be given up for their welfare? Shall any be so charmed with the trifles of earth, that they will be willing for them to sacrifice the interests of their souls? Could we gain the whole world, and enjoy it during a period as lasting as the earth's existence, what would it all be, contrasted with the loss of the soul? The titles of sovereign, monarch, emperor, would naturally charm little souls like ours. Sumptuous palaces, superb equipages, a crowd of devoted courtiers, bowing before us, and all that exterior grandeur which environs the princes of the earth, would naturally fascinate such feeble eyes, and infatuate such puerile imaginations as ours.' But what are they? Could they mitigate the pangs of the second death? Nay, would they not rather heighten by contrast those pangs? As one observes, 'Death puts an end to the most specious titles, to the most dazzling grandeur, and to the most delicious life: and the thought of this period of human glory reminds me of the memorable action of a prince, who, although he was a

heathen, was wiser than many professing Christians; I mean the great Saladin.' After he had subdued kingdoms, and 'performed exploits more than human, in those wars, which superstition had stirred up for the recovery of the Holy Land; he finished his life in the performance of an action that ought to be transmitted to the most distant posterity. A moment before he uttered his last sigh, he called the herald, who had carried his banner before him in all his battles, and commanded him to fasten to the top of a lance, the shroud in which the dying prince was soon to be buried. Go, said he, carry this lance, unfurl this banner; and, while you lift up this standard, proclaim, This, this is all that remains to Saladin the Great, the conqueror, the king of the empire, of all his glory.'

"Every Christian minister is called to perform the office of this herald; to hold up before men, sensual and intellectual pleasures, worldly riches and human honors, and reduce them all to the price of the shroud in which they will shortly be buried. How sad the thought that any, for such trifles, should sacrifice their eternal welfare! Let that soul, then, which is infinitely precious, be duly regarded by all; and let none rest, till they have satisfactory, scriptural evidence that it is prepared for the immortality of the heavens."

§ 6. REV. SAMUEL B. SWAIM.

The church, left without a pastor by the dismission of Mr. Aldrich, engaged Mr. Swaim to supply the pulpit, in November, 1838. In April of the year following, he assumed the pastoral relation with the First Baptist