through the divine blessing, to vital piety and eternal life. But there are many who know not in their day the things that belong to their peace; and there are also many, who, though not altogether unacquainted with the truths of the gospel, yet never reflect upon them with serious ness of mind, nor apply them faithfully to their consciences and hearts. Thus the design of the gospel is frustrated; and thoughtless souls perish for ever. This fact is too obvious to be denied ; and its consequences are so inexpressibly fatal, that it must be deeply deplored by every mind which feels at all alive to the great concerns of the glory of God, and the happiness of immortal souls. It is not improbable that this paper may fall into the hands of some individual, who is deeply implicated in the charge of inconsideration. It is not necessary to suppose that this character is connected with avowed infidelity, or open profligacy of conduct. If any man allows his mind to rest in a settled disbelief of christianity, while he has never paid any attention to the subject, nor examined those evidences on which the claims of the gospel to a divine origin are founded, that man must be self-condemned; his conduct is inexcusably criminal; and, if there exists a bare possibility that the christian religion is true, it is marked with absurdity, proportioned to the magnitude of the interests at issue. It is not easy for a man, till after he has long been inured to habits of vice, to indulge in open immorality, and at the same time avoid reflecting on his conduct. The young profligate must suffer many a pang, before he can effectually silence the voice of that unwelcome monitor in his own breast, which remonstrates against his conduct, and tells him he is wrong. And when he does succeed in fortifying himself against reflection and remorse, how fatal the victory which is thus obtained! It is the victory which a man obtains over his own conscience ;-a victory, which produces at most the delusive peace of a moment, and which seems to render the loss of the soul for ever, inevitably sure. The character then to which the present observations are addressed, is neither that of an infidel, nor a libertine. A man may profess in general a regard for religion, and maintain a character externally decent and respectable, and yet be included in the number of those who consider not with practical attention, the interesting truths revealed in the gospel. Engrossed from day to day, in the various pursuits of ambition, of business, or of pleasure, no time is reserved for sober reflection. The circumstances of the coudition, in which the individual is placed, and the influence of the examples with which he is surrounded, may be unfavorable to seriousness; and by the effect of habit, the mind seems, at last, to lose the power as well as the inclination, of fixing its thoughts on any object, beyond the business or gratification of the moment. In order to rouse men from this fatal inconsideration, it is difficult to offer any thing new, or more impressive, than has 66 temporal splendor and empire; and the meck and lowly Jesus of, Nazareth was far from an. swering their fond and vain imaginations of the Son of David. Having heard from his disciples the opinions of the people, our Lord proceeded in his inquiry. "He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?" This was the point chiefly in view. It was not so much to the various opinions of others, as to their own opinion of him, that he had respect; and his intention was to bring them to an explicit avowal of their faith. "And Simon Peter answered and said,THOU ART THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD. A glorious confession this; and happy indeed it is for all, who in truth and sincerity, and with correspondent affection and confidence can make it.. Peter was a man of a ready and forward spirit, and on him it very commonly devolved to speak in behalf of the twelve. It was thus on the present occasion. It was not in his own be half only, but evidently also in behalf of his fellow disciples, that he made this confession, which it was the intention of our Lord to have thus made; and to this confession they were all considered as giving their consent. "THOU ART THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD." This was an explicit acknowl. edgement of Jesus in his true character, both in his messiahship and in his divinity. Christ, in Greek, and Messiah, in Hebrew, are one and the same name, or names of the same import; and both signify Anointed. As prophets, and priests, and kings were anciently anointed, on their induction into office; so the Son of God, the great Prophet and Priest, and King of Zion, was "anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows," He received the Spirit with. out measure; and in him it pleased the Father that all ful mess should dwell. By way of eminence, therefore, he is called THE MESSIAH, THE CHRIST, THE ANOINTED. This is the name by which he was distin. guished in the ages before his advent; the name by which he was designated in ancient prophecy and promise; and the name most commonly given by the Jews to the great Deliverer, for whom they had been so long and so ardently looking. Notwithstanding the errone ous notions and expectations entertained among the Jews, it is a fact not to be disputed, that the better, the more spiritual part of the Jewish church, who were waiting for the conso. lation of Israel, were accustom. ed to contemplate, the expected Messiah, as a person or being truly divine: the Son of God in such a sense as no mere creature could be. the By the Word of God," so often mentioned in their Scrip. tures the ancient Jewish Paraphrasts, almost invariably, un. derstood the Messiah; by (6 the Angel of the Lord," or Angel Jehovah," who, so of ten appeared to the patriarchs, they understood also the Messiah; and to this glorious person, they allowed all the characters of the Divinity. Nay, they even found proofs of the divinity of the Messiah in many passages of the Old Testament, which have not, by Christians, been usually =alledged for this purpose. This, did our limits permit, might be shewn at large; but it may here suffice to refer the reader to the first book, of Dr. Jamieson's excellent Vindication of the Doctrine of Scripture, and of the Primitive faith." With perfect safety, then, it may be affirmed, that a belief in the divinity of the Messiah was the true, the orthodox, and established faith of the ancient Jewish church. It was for a divine Savior, a Messiah, invested with all the glories of the everlasting God, that the faithful of ancient ages looked; and in such a Messiah, in such a Savior only, did they rest their eternal hopes. Hence, when Peter confessed, "THOU ART THE MESSIAH, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD" he, indubitably, acknowledged Jesus in his di vine character, or according to the true and established faith of the ancient church. His confession then amounted to no less than this: Thou art the Messiah, the expectation of ages; the Seed of the woman, graciously promised in Paradise, to bruise the serpent's head; the angel Jehovah in whom the Patriarchs trusted; the hope and the Savior of Israel in times of trouble, to whom all the prophets gave witness; the Lord, whom all the faithful have sought, and the Messenger of the covenant, in whom they have delighted; the Son of David and of God, divinely annointed as king upon the holy hill of Zion, and as the Redeemer and Savior of the world; the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace. Such was the confess. on ion of Peter and his brethren, this memorable occasion; and with this confession our Lord was well pleased. "And Jesus answered, and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in Heaven. In this beatitude, so graciously pronounced by the Savior, much, very much, was implied. It is implied, that Jesus was indeed all, which Peter acknowledged him to be; and that the faith, which in his own behalf, and in behalf of his fellow disciples, Peter had so amply confessed, was the true faith, in contradistinction to all the diverse opinions of the people. No blessing was pro. nounced, no plaudit was bestowed, by our Lord, on those, who supposed him to be John the Baptist; nor on those, who supposed him to be Elijah; nor on those, who supposed him to be Jeremiah. Their opinions of of him were not correct; their faith in him was not genuine. But on Peter who acknowledged him to be the Messiah, the Son of the living God, according to the ancient faith of the church, he pronounced a divine bene diction. "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona." He was blessed because he had that knowledge of the Messiah, and that faith in him, with which eternal life was then, as it still is, certainly connected; that knowledge and that faith, which were not the result merely of human reason, but of the gracious teaching of God. The great truth, con. tained in his confession,, was been frequently urged by faithful ministers, and by serious writers. But this paper may perhaps attract the notice of some readers, altogether unaccustomed to such admonitions; or it may prove instrumental, through the blessing of God, in awakening the attention of others, by whom more energetic and persuasive addresses have been disregarded or forgotten. Inconsideration is highly irrational, and unworthy of the nature of man.-Brutes which are not endowed with reason, and discover no sense of moral obligation, fulfil the law of their nature when they yield to the impulses of instinct and appetite; and are liable to no blame, when they raise not their views above the earth on which they grovel. "But there is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty hath given him understanding." Reason and conscience are essen. tial to his nature. These noble faculties were not conferred in vain; but were designed by the Creator to be exercised about suitable and worthy objects. While we continue in this world, the ordinary affairs of life must necessarily engage a certain por. tion of our regard. But there is nothing connected with the world and time, that is entitled to appropriate, exclusively, the whole attention of man. The faculties of the mind themselves indicate the objects to which they ought chiefly to be directed. The understanding is qualified to rise to the contemplation of the great Creator, and to the perception of his ineffable beau. ty. The heart is capable of feeling the attractions of divine love, and of returning the prop er tribute of affection and grati tude. The conscience recogni zes the will and authority of the heavenly Lawgiver and Sovereign, and anticipates the righteous de cisions of the Supreme Judge. The truths therefore that respect the character of God, his relations to his creatures, the condition and duties of man as the subject of his government, our true happiness, and prospects for futurity, undoubtedly demand our pre-eminent regard. To disregard these great objects is unworthy of a rational being. The man who does so, debases his nature, and reduces himself to a level with the beasts that perish. How worthy, then, of the supreme attention of all to whom they are made known, are the peculiar discoveries of christianity! The views which they unfold of the majesty and benignity of Jehovah, of the character and state of man as a fallen and ruined creature, and of his recovery by the mediation of Jesus Christ, evidently possess a transcendant importance.The doctrines of salvation are not taught in the forms of ab. stract science. They are deliv. ered in terms level to the plain. est capacity. And for the most part, they are founded on certain well known and undoubted facts; a circumstance, which gives great additional interest to the sublimest truths, and serves to carry them with more evidence and power to the under. standing and the heart.-In the whole of this wonderful plan, the love of God shines with surpassing splendor. In the unspeakable gift of his Son, the love of God was manifested in all its greatness. Thus he was pleased to "shew the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kind. ness towards us by Christ Jesus." These displays of divine love, are addressed to the ingenuous feelings of human nature; and while they call our attention to our true interests, they are at the same time calculated to engage the confidence, and excite the gratitude of those who know the grace of God in truth.-The work of redemption furnishes the subject of profound research to the highest orders of intelligent beings; and opens to them sources of the noblest delight. "Angels desire to look into @ these things; the principalities and powers of heaven learn from the church the manifold wisdom of God." Shall we then refuse to attend to the heavenly doctrines revealed in the gospel? We, the children of men, for whose benefit the wondrous plan of redeeming grace was formed! We, for whom the Son of God came down to earth, took part of our nature, and died on the cross! The conduct of thoughtless sinners betrays, unquestionably, a worse than brutish stu pidity and ingratitude. To them is strongly applicable that affecting charge, which God, by the prophet Isaiah, advances against his ancient people; "the ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.”* may study or neglect as they choose. The gospel proceeds from God, and is enforced by his authority. This is the address of the wisdom of God, "To you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of men." "God who at sundry times, and in divers manners, spake un. to the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son." He hath said "they will reverence my Son." And he hath testified by a voice from the excellent glory, saying, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." It is "his commandment that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ." Hence it becomes our duty to attend with the most serious regard to the grounds and objects of faith. This duty no man is at liberty to decline. Inattention to the doctrines of Revelation indicates a persuasion that the gospel is either untrue, or insignificant; it is nothing less than to arraign the wisdom of God, to reject his testimony, and to make him a liar. On so obvious a point it is unnecessary to multiply words. Know then, O inconsiderate man, that thy conduct too plain. ly manifests a presumptuous opposition to divine authority, an insulting contempt of the Majesty of heaven. Inconsideration discovers an entire disregard of our true and noblest interests.-Such is the degeneracy of human nature, that there are many individuals on whose minds the considera. tions of reason and duty, however forcible, produce no im. pression. But men are gener ally governed by a regard to their interest. In this respect, 2X |