phrases, synonymous with the character of Christians, or good men; or, in other words, with Evangelical virtue: while the contrary phraseology is adopted every where in the Scriptures, to denote, in the same definite manner, the opposite character of sin. Nor can it be doubted, that truth, with respect to every subject, is one thing only; like its Author, the same yesterday, to-day, and forever.

"But the views, which mankind have hitherto entertained concerning religious subjects, and those of the highest importance, have been endlessly various and discordant. Among the western heathen Philosophers, Themistius declares, there were more than two hundred sects, widely differing from each other concerning these subjects. Varro was acquainted with two hundred and eighty-eight different opinions, adopted by these persons concerning the supreme Good; and with three hundred, concerning GoD. Many volumes have been written, and many more might be written without repetition, for the single purpose of reciting, and explaining, the different apprehensions of this class of mankind concerning things, of high moment in the religious system. Among the various schemes, adopted by these men, with respect to each religious subject, it is mathematically certain, that one only can be true. The rest, beyond debate, are mere collections of errors. These errors, also, are in many instanees radical: and those, who hold them, cannot, so long as they hold them, be united to the flock, or gathered into the fold, of the Redeemer. Into this flock, into this fold, no man, who is a worshipper of Jupiter, Venus, or Bacchus, can enter. It is impossible for a man to make his way to Heaven by the oblation of human sacrifices; or by relig ious suicide. He, who prostrates himself, before a calf, or a cat, or finds his god in the stock of a tree, cannot, without an entire revolution in his character, be accepted by Him, who hath said, "Confoundedbe all they that worship graven images." "When Pilate proposed to the Jewish rulers and nation to release Christ to them; they said, "Not this man, but Barabbas." When he said again, "What will ye then, that I shall do with him. whom ye call king of the Jews?" They exclaimed, "Crucify him; crucify him." When he washed his hands before the multitude, and said, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person;" they all answered, "His blood be on us, and on our children." To this day, the same spirit is retained by their descendants. They are, still, more hostile to Christ than to any other person, and to Christnity than to any other religion. The

very curse, which their ancestors invoked, appears still to rest upon them: and their hai dness of heart is, according to the prediction of their great prophet, a byeword, and an astonishment, to every nation, whither they have been driven.

"The glorious person, who was so furiously persecuted by this unhappy nation, declared to his persecutors, "if ye believ not, that I am he; ye shall die in your sins." It cannot be doubted, that this declaration exte: ds its terrible effica cy, with equal certainty, to every subsequent generation. The Jews, therefore, can never be brought into the fold of Christ, until they renounce their unbelief, and essentially change their views concerning the Savior of men.

"The Koran, so far as it is not copied from the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, is a mass of falsehoods; and its author was by way of emine ce the false prophet; the most successful, and the most mischievous, impostor, who has ever attempted to pervert the faith of mankind. Whenever men are turned unto fables, they turn away their ears from the truth. Even the sound doctrines, which their leader derived from the Bible, and pronounced to be the word of GOD, Mohammedans appear, from the beginning, to have universally disregarded, and forgot ten; and to have confined their faith to the miserable inventions of the deceiver. Christ, acknowledged by Mohummed to be a prophet from Gon, they have entirely disbelieved. His doctrines they have rejected from their creed, and his precepts from their moral code. Their faith, hope, and obedience, they have restricted to the instructions, promises, and precepts, of the Koran. This, indeed, is far from being strange. The iron and the clay, although they may seem to be parts of the same image, can never be united. The doctrines of Mohammed are only hostile to those of Christ. He, who receives the one class, will, therefore, cer tainly reject the other Besides, a judicial sentence has gone out against the im postor, and his followers. "If any man,” says St. John, "shall add unto these things; GOD shall add unto him the plagues, that are written in this book: and, if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, Gon shall take away his part out of the book of life." A change, therefore, a mighty change, must be made in the views of the Mohammedan world, before its millions can be numbered in the flock of Chrisc.

Of the Antichristian doctrines it cannot be necessary to make a very particu lar mention at the present time. The idolatry of the Romish church is even more

reprehensible than that of the heathen; and is infected with all the pollution, attributed in the Scriptures to that of the Jews. The idols are, here, set up in the temple of Goo; at the foot of the mercy seat; immediately before the' Urim and Tha mim; and in the very skirts of the Shechinab. The idolatry is practised beneath the cross; and openly insults the agonies of the Savior. The endless train of external services also, in which the whole of Religion is placed; the vain oblations; the incense, that is an abomination; the new moons, and sabbaths; the culling of assemblies, which Gon cannot away with; the solemn meeting, which is iniquity; the appointed feusts, which his soul hateth, and is weary to bear; the absolutions, and indulgencies, in which the hierarchy exalts its throne above the stars of Gon, and says, "I will be like the Most High;" force upon us an irresistible conviction, that these Augean impurities must all be washed away, before the Romish world can become clean in the sight of the Creator.

"Nor is it necessary to dwell, here, upon the vain and deceitful philosophy of Infidels, which is after the traditions of men, and the rudiments of this world; and not after Christ. The Atheist must believe, that there is a Goo; the Sceptic, that there is truth, of infinite importance to his future well-being; the Deist, that there is a Revelation; the Materialist, that

he has a soul, accountable and immortal; the Animalist, that there is good superior to sensual enjoyment, which must be sought and found, if he is ever to be happy beyond the grave; and the Practical unbeliever, that he must not only assent, but obey also, and obey with the heart; before either can be blessed in this world, or accepted in that which is to come.

"Finally, the same change of views must be found in Protestant nations. All the latitudinarian doctrines, which the ingenuity and labor of man, which the pride of Philosophy, the love of sin, the wish to perpetrate it with quiet and safety, and the earnest desire to blunt the stings of conscience here, and to escape from a terrible retribution hereafter, have forced reason to invent, or violently compelled the Scriptures to declare, will all vanish away; and with the idols of the Heathen, be cast to the moles, and to the bats; before those, who hold them, can be assembled in the fold of the Redeemer. Christ must be acknowledged, not only as a prophet, but as a Savior; not only as our example, but as our propitiation; not only as our forerunner into the heavens, but as our intercessor, also, before the throne of GOD; not only as come in the flesh, but as over all, Gon, blessed forever.

With Paul, men must determine to know nothing, as the way of salvation, but Jesus Christ and him crucified; and Ministers must feel the tremendous import of the anathema, denounced against him, who preaches any other Gospel, than that which Paul preached. Men must cease to create meanings for the Scriptures; and permit GoD to speak for himself. Universally there must be throughout the world one Lord acknowledged, one Mediator, and one faith.

"This change in the doctrines of men is indispensable to the great end, mentioned above, because the character will ultimately accord with the doctrines which are actually believed, to such a degree, that no man is better, and almost every one worse, than the doctrines which he embraces, declare; because truth only, conducts the heart to righteousness, while error leads it only to sin; and because truth is the sole instrument of our sanctification." pp. 9-15.

At the close of the discussion of the change to be effectuated in the conduct of men, the following vivid description of the general influence of religion is so admirable, that we are unwil ling to omit it.

"Then Religion will resume her proper station; and no longer be subordinated to pleasure, gain, and glory; to frantic scram→ bles about place and power, and the ag grandizement of wretches, who steal into office by flattery and falsehood, in order to riot on peculation. From Heaven will she descend, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow upon her head: her face, as it were, the sun; and her feet, pillars of fire. In her hand she will hold a little book: and that book will be opened to the eyes of all the nations of men. On its pages they will read, in lines of light, "Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our GOD, and the power of his Christ." Gon himself will dwell among the great family of Adam, and be their God; and they shall be his people. The joy, which is kindled in heaven over repenting sinners, will be renewed, not over one solitary convert, but over nations born in a day. The path to Heaven will become the great highway of mankind; not wandered over by now and then a lonely traveller, but crowded with hosts: while the broad road to perdition will be untrodden and desolate. The skies will pour down righteousness; and the earth open, and bring forth salvation. Above,

all will be sunshine, and smiles: below, all will be a paradise. The Church will be clothed with the sun; the moon will be under her feet; and upon her head a crown of twelve stars will beam with immortal splendor." p. 19.

In answer to the second question, the preacher states, in sub. stance, that the great work under consideration is to be accomplished, not by miracles, but by means; that St. Paul has given us the law of procedure, which is, that the word of God is to be sent into every part of the earth with missionaries to explain it, and accompanied by other books into which the word of God is transfused; that these missionaries are to exhibit the spirit of the Gospel as the controlling principle of their conduct; that the evangelical spirit manifested by the Gentiles will convince the Jews of the truth of Christianity; that this conviction will be succeeded by a divine influence, which will convert to God this long estranged people; and that the restoration of the Jews to their own country will awaken in all nations a conviction of the reality and excellence of Christianity, a conviction to be followed, in like manner, by a divine influence, under which the world shall be rapidly and universally renewed.

The whole of the answer to the third question, which is necessarily much more brief than we could have wished it, is as follows:

"The third question; "By whom are these things to be done?" admits but of one answer. They are to be done by Protestant nations; and, extensively, by Us. In other words, they are to be done by those, to whom Gon has given the means, and the disposition.

"On this subject there can be no debate. The time for doubt is past. The

work is begun. Missionaries already in great numbers run to and fro: and knowl edge is, even now, greatly increased. The Gospel of the kingdom is already preached in Greenland; in Labrador; in Tartary; in Hindostan; in China; in New Holland; in the Isles the Pacific Ocean, and the Carribbean Sea; in Southern America; and in the African deserts. The voice of Salvation, the song of praise to JEHOVAH, echoes already from the sides of Taurus, and trembles over the waves of the Ganges. The Bible has travelled round the Globe. The Esquimaux now turns over the pages of the Gospel, written in his own tongue: the wild inhabitant of the Cuban has dropped the Koran; and reads with wonder, hope, and joy, the tidings of the Savior: and the poor wanderer of Caf fraria listens to the hymn, sung from heaven to the Shepherds of Bethlehem. From land to land, and from sea to sea, the Word of JEHOVAH runs, and is glorisheds, like its Author, light, and life, and fied; and throughout its divine career happiness, on this benighted world.

"In such an enterprise, all, who engage in it, must be united. Consider how vast the

work is; over what an extent of the earth it is to spread; what countless millions it is to reach; what a multitude of hands must be employed; what a multitude of hearts; what a multitude of prayers; what extensive contributions are necessary to supply the expense; and how many heralds of salvation must proclaim the glad tidings of great joy. In such a work, should all Protestant nations unite; and all the individuals, which those nations contain; how imperfectly sufficient would their labors ful accomplishment of an enterprise so appear to the human eye, for the success

vast, a consummation so divine?

"If Christians do not unite their hearts, ing. Solitary efforts will, here, be fruitless. and their hands, they will effectuate nothDivided efforts will be equally fruitless. Clashing efforts will destroy each other.

"It is a shame, for those, who wear the name of Christians, not to unite with other Christians in such a purpose, as this. ' It is not the purpose of a sect, a party, or a name. It is not a purpose of superstition, bigotry, or enthusiasm. It is a purpose of Gon; an object of the highest complacency to Infinite wisdom. Shall not those, who have been made to drink into one Spirit, show themselves, while professing to aim at such an object, to be of one accord, and one mind? Shall not forms, and modes, here be forgotten; and, so far as the attainment of this mighty end is concerned, all names be lost in that of Christian, and all diversities amalgamated by the piety and beneva

the deliberate opinion of a grave statesnian, who had his mind principally intent upon the temporal improvement of the Hindoos. If such a man thought it the duty of every individual in a country professing itself to be Christian, to promote the happiness of pagans in this life, by laboring to proclaim Christianity among them, how much more will this duty be felt, if the mind be directed to the everlasting glory of which all genuine converts from idolatry will participate.

The remainder of the sermon is occupied in urging 'the motives to engage in this honorable enterprise.' The first of these we cannot abstain from quoting entire.

"1. The work to which you are summoned, is the Work of Gon.

"My brethren, it is the chief work of Gon, which has been announced to mankind. It is the end of this earthly creation. It is the end of this carthly Providence. It is the glorious end of Redemption. It is the subject of the first prophecy, ever delivered to man. It was repeated in the second. It was reiterated in the long train which followed, in a thousand varieties of sublimity and rapture. The eye of the seer, extending a divinely 'enlightened vision down the vale of futurity, beheld, at an immense distance, this glorious object, dimly ascending above the horizon. Remote as it was, and obscurely as it was seen; it warmed his mind with wonder and transport. The prophet Isaiah, sublime beyond any other writer, accustomed to thoughts, fresh from heaven, and speaking with a tongue which emulates that of Angels, rises, whenever this subject is presented to his view, above himself; and lifts his wing for a loftier flight towards the angelic world. And shall not we, to whom this dispensation is nigh, even at the doors, catch a portion of his fire, and glow with a share of his ecstasy? We profess to love God. Shall we not unite with all the heart, to further the divine purpose, for which he made the earth and the heavens? We profess, that we have believed in Christ. Shall we not advance with our utmost powers the ex

alted end of his labors and sufferings? Here, He, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, is bringing many sons unto glory. Here the Redeemer is multiplying the trophies of his cross, and the many crowns of his final triumph. This is the great harvest of the world. He is now about to send his angels, to gather Who his elect from the four winds. would not unite himself with such laborers in such an employment?" pp. 24, 25.

The second motive is thus stated: "The present is the proper ing." The preacher having obtime for this glorious undertakserved, in substance, that aimost all judicious commentators agree, that the millennium cannot be very distant; and having sketched out, with a masterly pencil, some of the principal features of the wonderful transformation to be experienced by mankind; bursts forth in the following eloquent strain, descriptive of the universal piety to be witnessed on the Sabbath:

"How astonished must the earth be, how delighted the heavens, to behold the Sabbath dawn with serenity and peace upon Japan, and moving slowly, and solemnly, round this great world, shed its evening lustre upon California; and see the earth, one vast altar, and the sky one magnificent temple of JEHOVAH; perfumed with incense, offered up by the immense congregation of man? Who does not discern, that the centuries, which will expire before the specified date, will be a stinted period for the accomplishment of such a work as this? Who will not rejoice, and take courage, when he hears it proclaimed from heaven concerning this very work, 'I, JEHOVAH, will hasten it in its time.” p. 27.

This passage is succeeded by additional reasons for considering the present as the proper time. They are worthy of the most diligent attention.

"The present is the proper time, also, because this work is actually begun; and begun upon an astonishing scale. How wor