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light of this one. Indeed this is absolutely essential to the highest and most perfect degree of communion with God. He made, and upholds, and governs the universe, to promote this cause; and we can never enter into his feelings, until we give to this subject the same place in our hearts that it occupies in his, and labor to promote it with the united energy of all our powers.

8. Give great and decided prominence to the agency of God, as essential to secure the desired result.

By this I intend, not only that we rely entirely on God, as the great efficient Agent, by whom the work of renovating the church and the world is to be done; but also that we take more enlarged views of what he is able and wiiling to do, and what we have reason from his promises to expect that he will do. This is essential to authorise a cheering and invigorating hope of success, without which no resolute and decided efforts will be made. For, indeed, when we look at the strength of human depravity, and the very imperfect sanctification of good men, and then mingle in the excitements of life, and see how soon and easily they are thrown off their guard, and reflect on the blinding influence of passion and prejudice, and the vast amount of self-flat ry and self-deception, which is practiced by good men, and the thousand ci.cumstances that lead them away from holiness and communion with God,-when we look at these things, and think of raising such Christians to such a standard of holiness, we might almost despair. And indeed, if it were the work of man to arrest the attention, and subdue the evil passions of such hearts, there would be ample and abundant reason for despair. And moreover, if there were to be no more sense of the presence of God in this world than there has been, as a general fact, in ages past, and no higher degrees of inf.uence than he has hitherto exerted on the minds of men, still our hopes would be vain of securing the end at which we aim. Nothing but a full manifestation of the presence of God can accomplish the work in question. A manifestation, such as the world has never seen, and such too, that the church shall be unable to throw off or to resist its power. After all that has been said on this subject, the church, as a general fact, has a very faint and feeble sense of the presence of God. Their levity, and worldliness, and sinful passions, and unholy and bitter controversies, show it. A holy awe and reverence of God is not the prevailing habit of their minds. They think of him as distant, and are affected but very imperfectly by a mere theoretical belief that he is omnipresent. That he is near they do not feel. But God will come nearer to the world, and his people will feel his presence, and be filled with holy awe. So it is predicted in the word of God. His terrors shall fall upon the wicked. They shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. And on his people he will arise and shine with the splendors of the noon day sun, and their sense of his presence will be constant and habitual. For it is said of the church, even on earth, that her sun shall no more go down, neither shall her moon withdraw itself, but the Lord shall be her ever lasting light. And there is no doubt that a vivid manifestation of the presence of God will be the great means of reaching the heart of the church, and causing the conviction that she must feel on this subject; for God insists upon it, and she will encounter his holy and indig nant rebuke if she refuses. The great thing then to be done in this work, is to give prominence to the idea of the presence of God, and to pray for a full, powerful, and irresistible manifestation of his feelings, wishes, plans, and purposes to his church; so that they shall come under the full influence of the almighty energies of his mind. He can make them feel and act, however sinful and dead they are; and for such a manifestation of God, by and through the Holy Spirit, should his people earnestly pray.

This is the hope, the only hope of the church and of a ruined world. Did we trust to human zeal, how dark our prospect! I know indeed, that, in comparison with none, there is much love of God on earth.

But

Oh, in comparison with the exigencies of the age, and the mighty work to be done, there is none at all. Well may we say with Daniel, Oh Lord, the great and dreadful God, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us shame and confusion of face.' And with Isaiah, 'We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf, and our in.quities like the wind have taken us away. And there is none that calleth on thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee. For thou hast hid thy face from us, and consumed us because of our iniquities.' But there is hope in God, he can plead his own cause, and when the help of man fails, his own arm can bring salvation.

Let us then implore him to do it ; to exert his own energy and put forth his almighty power. To rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains may flow down, and the nations tremble at his presence. To reveal himself in noon day splendors, rebuking his church, and thoroughly purging away her iniquities, restoring to her new life, and clothing her in the garments of salvation and robes of praise. Then shall Zion arise and shine, her light being come and the glory of the Lord risen upon her. Then shall kings behold her light, and gentiles the brightness of her rising. Then shall all the glorious things that are spoken concerning her be in all their extent fulfilled. Then shall the sun no more be her light by day, neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto her, but the Lord shall be unto her an everlasting light, and her God her glory. Her sun shall no more go down; neither shall her moon withdraw itself, for the Lord shall be her everlasting light, and the days of her mourning shall be ended.

And

In view then of results so glorious, is it not your duty and your privilege to devote yourself with all your powers to this great enterprise? Look at the signs of the times. Do not all things proclaim that the kingdom of God is at hand? Is he not reproving the apathy of his people, and holding up before them the wants of a dying world? Does he not demand new energy, new devotedness, new zeal, in the great work of saving a lost world? will you not rise at once to the effort? The path of duty is plain. There is a mighty work to be done, and each can do his part. Those to whom God has given intellectual power over the public mind, can throw all their energies into this enterprize, and hold it up in every form. Others can circulate sermons, addresses, and tracts on the subject, and enlist the whole power of the press in the glorious cause. And the work can be done. God is for it; all Christians can unite in it; earnest united prayer can be poured forth; and the whole energy of the church be called into action. And shall it not be done? Yes, it will. Whoever may slumber, God will not. Whoever may refuse to come up to the work; it will go on. But if any do refuse, let them not hope to escape the rebuke of God. He is not, and will not be indifferent to apathy on this subject. He requires, nay, he demands the aid of his people; and all who refuse it, will incur his indignant rebuke. Soon will he reveal himself in awful majesty and power, to expose alike the crimes of his enemies and the sins of his friends; and judgment will begin at the house of God. Let then all beware lest he take them by surprise. His advent is near; let all ponder his warning words,--Behold, I come as a thief: blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame!

But would you escape the shame and terror of such an hour, and have part with God, and with rejoicing millions, both here and hereafter? Obey then, at once, his spirit-stirring call-Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem; loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

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THE TRUTH, IN RELATION TO CHRIST AND HIS SALVATION, THE GREAT BOND OF HOLY FELLOWSHIP.

I. JOHN, i. 3. That which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

FELLOWSHIP in the moral system depends on a congeniality of views, feelings, and pursuits. Were these alike throughout a universe of minds, it would effectually secure their harmony, and render discord impossible. But the fellowship of the moral system has been broken in upon, and very discordant views are now entertained, even concerning matters of such high consequence, as the Creator's right to rule over his intelligent creatures, and their obligation to obey his commands. Discordant views and feelings on these points, interrupted the fellowship of angels; for a part of their number became disaffected with the government of God, while the other part remained steadfast in their attachment to it. This made a wide breach between them, which never will be healed. The first parents of our race took the side of the disaffected angels, and withdrew their allegiance from the Most High; in consequence of which we all find our native character is that of rebels against the divine government.

This interruption to the harmony of the moral system, occasioned by the apostacy of angels and men, was a dark and gloomy event. But a wise and benevolent God will bring light out of this darkness, and order out of this confusion. Through the mediation of his Son, he is recovering from their apostacy a precious number of our fallen race; whom he receives back into favor in such a way, that the bonds of fellowship between Him and them, and also between themselves, will be more closely drawn than they could have been, had no separation ever taken place. Since the apostacy, in connection with redemption, has made way for a clearer exhibition of His perfections, and of the dependence and obligation of His creatures, it has given a more interesting character to those things which lay the best foundation for preserving a permanent and holy fellowship in the moral system. Though it has lessened the number in fellowship, the number of VOL. 10. No. 3.

friendly minds, (since some of the apostates will remain alienated forever,) still it may augment the sum of holy friendship. For such an augmentation thanks are due, not to rebel angels nor to rebel men, but to God alone.

Fellowship between kindred minds, namely, between such as are redeemed by the blood of Christ, and between them and their Redeemer, is the subject which the beloved disciple presents in the passage before us. Having in the two preceding verses made a brief statement concerning the person and incarnation of the Redeemer, together with the great opportunity afforded the apostles of gaining the most intimate acquaintance with him while he tabernacled in the flesh, he proceeds in the text to say: "That which we have seen and heard," (seen of Christ, and heard from his own mouth,) "declare we unto you, that ye may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." Christian fellowship is here supposed to be very desirable, and susceptible of improvement by clearer exhibitions of Jesus Christ, and him crucified; implying that the more entirely his followers harmonize in their views of him and his salvation, the more perfect will be their fellowship with each other. And is it not also implied, that their communion with God himself, is promoted by the same means, namely, the similar views which are entertained by him and them, concerning Christ and his salvation? For, the same kind of fellowship which they had among themselves, they are said to have with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. If I have not mistaken the import of the text, it furnishes this interesting instruction:

That the truths relating to Jesus Christ and his work in saving sinners, lay a foundation for the most perfect fellowship between those that are saved, and also between them and the God of their salvation.

I. Permit me to state some of the leading truths relating to Jesus Christ, and his work in saving sinners.

1. I will begin with the union of the divine and human natures in his person. This was the truth on which the apostle now had his eye directly fixed. He begins this epistle, as he does his gospel, by asserting both the divinity and humanity of his Savior. In his gospel, he calls him "the Word," and "the Life;" in the epistle he joins them together, and calls him "the Word of life." In the gospel he says, "the Word was with God," which is here explained by his being "with the Father." There he says, "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory:" here he says, "the Life was manifested, and we have seen it-that eternal Life which was with the Father was manifested unto us." It is evident in both his gospel and epistle, that he describes the Savior as having two distinct natures, the one original and eternal, and the other assumed in time; the one divine, and the other human. And with this agree the words of scripture in general. The Savior is sometimes described by names exclusively divine, and then by those which are human; also by attributes and works of both classes, infinite and finite. At one time supreme homage is paid to him, while at another, he is found among the lowliest of worshippers, falling on his knees and on his face before God. In him these two natures, which are infinitely diverse, are so united as to constitute one person. Paul, in the ninth chapter of his Epistle to the Romans,

speaks of Christ, as being in one of his natures an Israelite, while in the other, he was the supreme and blessed God. Both natures unite to make the Lord's Christ, and the sinner's Savior. The union was such as to render it proper to call the blood which was shed by the man Christ Jesus, not blood that God had provided merely, but "his own blood."

2. Another leading truth concerning Jesus Christ, is the perfect holiness of his character. The divinity of which he is possessed, must undoubtedly have been free from moral impurity; and this was equally true of his human nature. The holiness of the manhood was not, like that of the Godhead, infinite, but it was entire. In this dependent nature he was "holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners." In infancy he was distinguished from others of that age, by being called "that holy thing." He was also "the holy child Jesus." This character he maintained through his whole life, from the manger to the cross. He challenged his eagle-eyed enemies to convict him of a single fault: "Which of you convinceth me of sin?" Even the enemy of all righteousness was constrained to bear witness to the purity of his character: "I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God."

3. No truth concerning Christ is more important than that which relates to the object of his advent. This object was complex, and yet one, since all the purposes designed to be answered by it are of a common nature. All were holy, benevolent, and every way consistent. Nothing can be more manifest than this; that Christ intended by coming into our world, to effect the salvation of sinners. And Christ himself tells us, that he came to seek and to save that which was lost: and that he came to give his life a ransom for many. But this statement, that he came to save sinners, does not reveal the whole object of his incarnation. It is important that we should be informed in what way their salvation is to be accomplished. Is it to be in a way which prostrates the law, or in a way which honors it? This is a material point; for a licentious mob in making an assault on a prison where some of their comrades are confined, are seeking to save transgressors from punishment, but they are seeking to do it in defiance of the laws of their conntry. A salvation of this character is a perfect. contrast to that which is effected by the coming of Christ. It was manifestly one object of his coming to act the part of an umpire between the supreme government, and this revolted world. The revolt was of long standing, and had been obstinately adhered to by a great majority of the race. After examining the claims of God, and the complaints of men, he declared his full conviction, that God was good, and that men were wicked-that his claims were righteous, and their complaints groundless--that they hated him without a cause, while he had just cause for abhorring them, and even for casting them into hell.

It has always been controverted in our world, whether it was right and fit to have one general government over the whole moral system; and whether the Creator has an inherent right, without the suffrages of his creatures, to, set up his dominion over them, and require their obedience to his laws. To decide this point, was one of the most important objects of Christ's mission. And how did he decide it? Manifestly in this way: That such a universal moral government was indispensable; that God had the most perfect right to establish and

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