be to erect trophies to God's grace on the ruins of his providence. The God of grace is in perfect harmony with the God of nature, and while we establish christianity, we should be cautious of advancing any thing to subvert it. The question we ask now, is, not whether a man can become a christian without supernatural aid; but whether he can be a good heathen? By what power did the heathens practise so many praise worthy actions? Whence came their modesty, probity, chastity, and fidelity? from the spirit of God, or the dictates of conscience? from the latter no doubt: from that light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world St. Paul calls natural religion the truth of God, and says, the Gentiles which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law. What if the bulk of the heathens changed the truth of God into a lie? it is the truth of God still as far as it goes. Alas! did not the Jews render the law of no effect by their traditions? and have not the bulk of christians vitiated the pure religion of Jesus too? But to return, what the heathens could do who knew not God, that surely you may do; that we solemnly charge you to do, lest Sodom and Gomorrah should rise up in judgment against you.

But what is moral virtue? It is a conformity to that relation which we bear to every being about us, and to that reverence which we owe to ourselves. A little reflection will soon inform a boy that he consists of body and soul; that the well being of the body depends on temperance, chastity,

industry, and so on; that the excellence of his mind is intelligence, and its happiness a certain superiority over those passions that tumultuate and excruciate the bosoms of fools: to each of these speculations he will perceive a practice annexed; these practices are branches of moral virtue. Again we bear a relation to God, as creatures dependent on a creator from whom we have received all we enjoy, from whom we hope to receive much more; on these accounts as well as for his own inexpressible grandeur and beauty, we owe him the highest admiration, the profoundest reverence, the most unbounded confidence, with constant acknowledgements of prayer and praise. Once more: we bear the relations of children to our parents, of brethren to our brethren, of neighbours to our neighbours, of subjects to our prince, of fellow creatures to all our species: some of these relations are distant, some are near, but all have duties belonging to them, and the discharge of these is moral virtue. This moral excellence, this piety towards God and benevolence to men, this, which the heathens call virtue, and which our scriptures, especially the book of Proverbs, term wisdom,* is so well dictated by your own consciences, that I need only at present refer you to them.

Pagans indeed carried morality far, but the church of God always exceeded them. What pro

† Τας τέσσαρας ΑΡΕΤΑΣ, η παρ ημιν ΣΟΦΙΑ.

Clem. Alex. Strom. L. vi.

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fane history presents such characters to view as our patriarchs, prophets, princes, and apostles The former were mere shrubs; the latter trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord; the heathens rough unhewn stones; the people of God corner stones polished after the similitude of a palace. And no wonder, the church had advantages which heathens were destitute of; these advantages are yours young people, and let nobody frighten you from them, under pretence that works done before conversion are sinful: ever believe that these things are good and profitable to men, and that though after all in some sense you will be unprofitable servants, mere heathens and not christians; yet if you neglect these things, you will be worse than the filthy heathens whom the land spued out before you.

We wish you to excel the whole heathen world; we pray that you may become solid, amiable christians, and would fain by you transmit the precious gospel to posterity. This everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure, was all David's desire for his family, as well as all his salvation for himself. He foresaw the Lord always before his face, rested in his flesh, rejoiced in his heart; was glad with his tongue, because God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne: to complete our text therefore, we do not doubt but he prayed for the strength and beauty of true christianity. Will you prevent me by saying, this is God's work, we grant it. But what do you infer

from that sound maxim? that you may riot in a tavern, or sleep in a bagnio; if God wants he can call you? abominable inference! detestable reasoning! turning the grace of God into wantonness. Alas, poor souls! Is it thus you understand your bibles! hear the prophet Ezekiel. A new heart will I give you, and I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and you shall lothe yourselves for your abominations not for your sakes saith the Lord God do I this, be it known unto you. Is this orthodoxy? hear what follows. Thus saith the Lord God, I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them. What God hath joined together let no man put asunder.

You are therefore to pray for the blessed spirit the soul of Christ's mystical body, the church: and that you may the better know what to pray for, attend to these few hints. Christianity begins in self-knowledge, and if God imparts his holy spirit to you, it will fill you with a clear conviction of the blindness of your understandings, the obstinacy of your wills, the irregularity of your passions, in a word, of the depravity and corruption of your hearts from the fullest evidence you will lament the crown is fallen from our head: wo unto us that we have sinned,

The blessed spirit will teach you the nature and use of the law that it requires perfect obedience; that to suppose the contrary is to make God the author of sin; that it extends to the thoughts and intents of the heart, that the whole world is there

fore guilty before God; that it convinceth of sin, but that by the deeds of the law no flesh shall be justified in his sight.

The hand that thus wounded will proceed to to heal you, by exhibiting the glorious redeemer, (be his name ever venerable to us!) in the dignity of his person, the merit of his obedience and death, the prevalence of his intercession; in a word, in all that glorious assemblage of qualifications which renders him a sinner's surety. In view of this, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so would we lift up the Saviour in the ministry. And as we may suppose a tender parent, in that distressed camp, would carry in his arms a dying, serpent bitten child, and point his eye to the remedy, so have your parents brought you hither this day, hark! It shall come to pass that whosoever looks shall live. The Lord help you to believe and be saved!

Faith, repentance, love, and every grace is begun, maintained, and compleated by the same spirit. If you have these pray for their increase. It is the harmony of these that forms the real christian, all are essential to his character, and the want of one proves the absence of all without faith it is impossible to please God, and without love the most unbounded liberality, the deepest penetration, the zeal of a martyr, and the tongue of an angel would be nothing in the sight of God.

The holy spirit also teacheth his disciples to add to their faith, virtue; to virtue, knowledge; to

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