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THIRTY SHORT SERMONS.

THIRTY
SHORT SERMONS,

VARIOUS IMPORTANT SUBJECTS,

DOCTRINAL AND PRACTICAL.

By JOHN BOVEE DODS,

PASTOR OF THE UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY IN PROTINCZTOWN, MASS.

BOSTON:

PUBLISHED BY THOMAS WHITTEMORE,

No. 37 CoF.^HIL^

1842.

Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1840, by

John Bovee Dods,

in the Clerk's office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts.

THENEWYCRK

PUBLIC LJER^Y

ASTOR, Lt^OX AiNU
TILDEN FOUNDATIONS.

1897.

CAMBRIDGE :

STEREO^vrED BT

FOLSOM, WELLS, AND THURSTON.

DEDICATION.

To Mr. C. S. Morris,

G. C. Marchant, M. D.,
S. S. Griffin, M. D.,
Robert Anderson, Esq., and
Mr. George L. Lumsden.

Gentlemen : — In former days, it has been my
pleasing task to preach the doctrine of universal
grace and salvation in the States of Virginia and
North Carolina, and particularly in your several
sections, where it was never before proclaimed. I
have enjoyed the pleasing satisfaction of responding
with these feeble organs to the tidings of angels,
"Peace on earth, good will toward men." These
tidings, echoed by the lips of Murray and Ballou,
have broken the midnight darkness of the doctrine
of endless vengeance and woe, and dispersed the
threatening clouds and tempests which had too long
obscured the light shining from heaven, and tens of
thousands are now basking and rejoicing in its heal-
ing beams. " The day is broke, which never more
shall close." In your sections, too, the light and
glory of the Lord shine on the bright sky of mind,

VI DEDICATION.

and many can say with transporting rapture, " Glory
to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will
toward men " !

To you, gentlemen, I am peculiarly indebted for
your kindness in sustaining me, in the midst of op-
position and trial, and for that courtesy, hospitality,
and fraternal regard, which have been so warmly
and generously tendered to me by yourselves and
your amiable families. In return for all these things,
accept my grateful thanks. The history of your
kindness I have often rehearsed to my children, and
the remembrance of it shall go down with them to
their graves. And believe me, that the whole will
be held in grateful recollection by this heart till it
shall cease to throb.

For all your favors to me, and for all that you
have done for our cause, I can only render this trib-
ute of sincere and grateful recognition, and dedicate
this humble Volume to you, fervently praying that
it may do good in the world.

Fraternally yours forever,

J. B. DODS.
June 1st, 1840.

PREFACE

Eight years ago was published, at the
"Trumpet" office, a small volume, entitled
" Twenty -four Short Sermons, on the Doc-
trine of Universal Salvation.''^ I wrote
them originally for the "Trumpet," and,
being much straitened for the want of suf-
ficient time to bestow upon them, there are
evident marks of carelessness in several
instances, both in expression and arrange-
ment. Twenty of those serm.ons I have
embodied in this volume with little or no
alteration, except a few typographical er-
rors. The work was urgently called for
by my friends, and I had no time to re-
write it.

I am aware, that my views upon the
New Birth differ from those of others, and,
in one instance, have been publicly attack-
ed. But, after prayerful reflection upon the

Vlll PREFACE.

subject, and a careful examination of the
expositions of others, I must still remain
satisfied of the correctness of my views, un-
til new light shall be shed upon this sub-
ject. I fully believe with my brethren, so
far as they go, in their explanations of the
New Birth. I agree with them in the
present change, which takes place through
faith ; and agree with them, that this faith
introduces the believer into the present en-
joyment of the kingdom of heaven here on
earth. Notwithstanding this, yet I am un-
able to see how a man can be born again,
in this sense, without faith in the resurrec-
tion of the dead. If it be admitted, that he
cannot, then certainly all the new birth he
can experience in this mortal life, is only in
faith in anticipation, and not in reality. In
the same sense he now passes from death
unto life through faith, and through faith
he now enjoys eternal life.

I have thought proper to dedicate this
humble work to Mr. Christopher S. Morris,
Dr. Marchant, Dr. Griffin, Robert Anderson,
Esq., and Mr. George L. Lumsden. It is
a duty of respect I owe them for former

PREFACE. IX

kindnesses, and which this tribute of sin-
cere gratitude but poorly repays.

Mr. C. S. Morris, of Gloucester County,
Virginia, was the first in that section who
took me by the hand in 1831, when oppo-
sition against me and my sentiment was
most virulent and untiring. He is a gen-
tleman of high respectability, and has con-
tinued to this day, the unswerving friend
of our cause.

Dr. G. C. Marchant, of Indiantown,
North Carolina, has long been a believer in
Universal Salvation, and has done much for
our cause in the section where he lives. I
have spent many happy moments in his
society, and often look back upon them
with pleasure. He is a respectable gentle-
man, and one in whom our friends may re-
pose entire confidence.

Dr. S. S. Griffin, of Williamsburg city,
Virginia, and also Robert Anderson, Esq.,
of the same place, and Mayor of that city,
extended to me the same hospitality and
kindness, and sustained me when our sen-
timent there was very unpopular. They
are gentlemen who hold the first rank in

X PREFACE.

the esteem of those to whom they are best
known, and are the uncompromising friends
and advocates of equal rights and liberal
Christianity.

Mr. George L. Lumsden, of Peters-
burg city, Virginia, is a respectable gentle-
man, who long stood firm in the belief of
endless punishment, and not until lately has
he renounced that sentiment, and avowed
his belief publicly in the doctrine of Uni-
versal Salvation. This change of sentiment
he attributes to the reading of my " Twen-
ty-four Short Sermons," and it is principal-
ly through his urging their republication,
that I have been induced to present the
volume, in this enlarged and improved form,
to the public.

J. B. DODS.
June 1st, 1840.

0;^ The public may expect another volume from
my humble pen, the present summer, entitled " The
Crown of Life," containing sentiments in theology
not yet advanced by other writers.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

SERMON I.
The Bitterness of Death 1

SERMON II.
On the Death of Mrs. Morris .... 18

SERMON III.
Salvation by Faith 47

SERMON IV.
Salvation by Faith, continued .... 58

SERMON V.
Salvation by Faith, concluded .... 69

SERMON VI.
The New Birth 80

SERMON VII.
The New Birth, continued 91

SERMON VIII.
The New Birth, continued 102

SERMON IX.
The New Birth, concluded 112

SERMON X.
On a Good Name 122

SERMON XI.
On a Good Name, concluded .... 132

SERMON XII.
Mind not High Things 143

SERMON XIII.
Mind not High Things, continued . . . 154

SERxMON XIV.
Mind not High Things, concluded . . . 164

Xll CONTENTS.

SERMON XV.
y On Forgiveness 176

SERMON XVI.
On Forgiveness, concluded 189

SERMON XVII.
-; Where shall the Ungodly and the Sinner Appear? 201

SERMON XVIII.
Where shall the Ungodly and the Sinner Appear?

concluded 213

SERMON XIX.
On Longevity 225

SERMON XX.
On Longevity, concluded . . . . ' . 232

SERMON XXI.
God's Government Recognised .... 240

SERMON XXII.
God's Government Recognised, concluded . . 249

ARTICLE XXIII.
Dr. Griffin's Letter to the Author . . .259

ARTICLE XXIV.
Destruction of Soul and Body in Hell . . 261

ARTICLE XXV.
Destruction of Soul and Body in Hell, concluded 272

SERMON XXVI.
// The Second Death Illustrated . . . .282

SERMON XXVII.
The Second Death Illustrated, continued . • 293

SERMON XXVIII.
The Second Death Illustrated, concluded . . 306

SERMON XXIX.
Dedication at Amsterdam, N. Y. ... 319

SERMON XXX.
Dedication at Amsterdam, N. Y. concluded . 335

THIRTY SHORT SERMONS

SERMON I.*

\ "~ THE BITTERNESS OF DEATH.
" Surely the bitterness of death is past." 1 Sam. xv. 32.

An army of more than two hundred thousand
men marched under Saul, king of Israel, against
Agag, king of the Amalekites, and slaughtered
every individual in his kingdom, and took him
prisoner. It was, in the strict sense of the word^
a war of extermination. . Old and young, and
great and small, were swept to the grave in the
tempest of battle. Agag alone was left alive.
Among the slain, his dearest friends and connex-
ions were numbered, so that there was not a
solitary being left, to whom he was bound by
the ties of consanguinity. His government was
demolished, his subjects were consigned to one
common tomb, and the glory and grandeur of his
kingdom were eclipsed forever ! Stripped of all

* Delivered in the Universalist Church in Provincetown,
Mass., by the pastor, Sunday, Nov. 17th, 1839, on the death
of Charles Collins Parker.
1

SHORT SERMOxN'S.

his regal splendor, and solitary and pensive on
earth, he was brought a prisoner to Jerusalem.
As he was led forward to the spot of execution,
and gazed upon the fatal axe by which he was
to be cloven down, he exclaimed, in the words
of our text, " Surely the bitterness of death is
past.''^

Life, being the highest, the dearest gift of
the munificent Creator, is consequently, when
enshrined in virtue, the greatest possible blessing
to the creature ; and, in competition with it, all
other blessings dwindle into insignificance and
nothingness. It is that proud boon of inconceiv-
able worth, which stamps, at once, all other bless-
ings with value. It is the breathing spirit of the
Almighty animating an organized frame, and con-
ferring delight. As hfe is therefore sweet, so
death, its opposite, is bitter. And as death tears
us from all that w^e love and fondly cherish on
earth, — tears us from our homes and kindred, —
from the embrace of parents, friends, and chil-
dren, — from the glories of nature and the dear
light of mortal life, — so it has been, with the
soundest propriety, styled the " king of terrors."

But sweet as is life, and terrible and bitter as
is death, yet such a combination of circumstances
may transpire, as in the case of Agag, as shall
not only overpower life, but remove the bitter-
ness of death, and force us to let go our eager

THE BITTERNESS OF DEATH. 6

grasp on the world. When, by any train of pro-
vidential events or of unforeseen misfortunes,
our earthly hopes are blasted and our brightest
expectations and prospects are darkened, — if the
clouds of adversity lower and thicken around our
heads, and obscure and darken our bright men-
tal sky ; — if those, whom we loved, and by whom
we were beloved, are gone, we are then often
weaned from the objects of this momentary be-
ing, and, in view of the accumulated woes that
surround us, we can exclaim, — " Surely the bit-
terness of death is past," even before we feel its
icy hand. The moment that all the pleasures of
life are overbalanced by pain and distress, either
of body or mind, with no cherished hope of re-
lief, w^e then gladly resign ourselves to death, and
seek repose in its solemn shroud. This was the
case with Agag, who, being a heathen, entertained
no hope of a future existence through a resurrec-
tion in Christ. The bitterness of death was past
to him, because all the joys of his existence were
overpowered by distress.

Human life is a momentary dream ; an empty
shade. Like as the lightning, which writes its
fiery path on the dark cloud and expires, so hu-
man existence is but a meteor's blaze. It is of-
ten bright and dazzling in its momentary course,
is attended with many delights, but, like the light-
ning's flash, expires in the darkness of death.

4 SHORT SERMONS.

We come into existence ignorant and helpless.
The first idea of which we have any distinct re-
membrance is, that we were encircled by a moth-
er's arm, and hung upon a mother's smile. In
her society, with those toys and playthings she
gave us, was created our first Httle world. There
we received our first impressions of those pleas-
urable delights of which our natures are so sus-
ceptible. From that dear twilight of our being
we pass on to youth, — thence to manhood and
age ; and in every period we find those enjoy-
ments, which the hand of Heaven has sown in the
whole path of mortal life, from infancy to age, and
so varied those enjoyments as exactly to adapt
them to each season and period of our present
existence. But perhaps the happiest, as well as
the most interesting, period of human life is the
bloom of youth, when just ripening into manhood.
Then the bones are moistened with marrow. The
crimson current of life flows full, free, and warm,
in its destined channels. The heart beats high
with dearest hopes of earthly bliss, and the cheeks
are mantled with hving smiles. The step is firm
and elastic, and through the lustre of the eye
beams the ripening genius of the soul. Crime
has not yet stained the hands, nor guilt polluted
the fountains, of the heart. It is a stranger to
disappointment and woe. Nothing but fairy dreams
of bliss linger in its inmost recesses. The world

THE BITTERNESS OF DEATH. 5

seems a realm, whose tranquil serenity was never
disturbed by adverse storms of suffering and pain;
nor its sky overcast by clouds and darkness of
affliction, distress, and gloom.

Not only the world shines an Eden filled with
flowers of perennial bloom, but his associates and
companions seem angels, ministering to his de-
light. Wherever he goes, fond dreams of hap-
piness spring up in his imagination. Fair forms
of pleasure seem to dance in his path, and the
silken charms of affection cluster around his heart,
and in ten thousand strings of purest love bind
him to his dear sisters, brothers, and to the social
companions of his early life forever. Here all is
sunshine, — all is joy, — all is a bright mid-day
dream. Here then the mind clings to life, with
all the burning ardor of youthful fire, and natur-
ally shudders at the thought of death.

And is it possible that a blooming youth, in the
full possession of all these enjoyments, could be
brought, not only to resign the whole, but to soar
so far in moral and intellectual grandeur, — and to
feel so deeply resigned to God, — and attain such
a manly conquest over the tomb, as to reahze the
weight of our text, — " Surely the bitterness of
death is past " ? I answer yes ; it is even so. And
brother Parker, whose death we deplore, is the
youth, who has left the stage of action under such
circumstances of magnanimous triumph. And

b SHORT SERMONS.

what, it may be asked, removed from him the
bitterness of death, and gave him victory ? In
answer to this question, I would first reply neg-
atively, that it was not the loss of all those whom
he held dear on earth, as in the case of Agag.
No, — his existence was not poisoned, the sky of
his mortal life was not obscured, and the innocent
pleasures and enjoyments of his youth were not
blighted forever in the destruction of his kindred
and friends. He was not left solitary and pen-
sive on earth. No, — he had kind brothers, who
were dear to his heart. He had most amiable
and affectionate sisters, who were the light of his
abode, and a tender mother, who, to the last throb-
bing pulse of hfe, stood byhis couch of pain, and
administered to his wants. Nor was he brought
to surmount and triumph over the bitterness of
death by the pains of a wasting consumption, over-
powering the pleasures and enjoyments of life.
No, — long before his disease had made any ad-
vances, — while he was yet in his usual health and
happiness, he often mentioned to me that death
to him had no terrors, — on that subject his mind
was at rest.

The question then returns, what w^as it that re-
moved the bitterness of death from the mind of
this young man, in the very bloom of youth, with
all its fairy hopes and sunny smiles resting upon
his head ? I answer, that it was the power of his

THE BITTERNESS OF DEATH. 7

gospel faith and hope in the promise of God, re-
vealed in the immeasurable plan of mediatorial
grace through Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the
world. He was born under the doctrine of end-
less torment, and, for the first twelve years of his
life, he was taught this unhappy sentiment, which
has, for three centuries, been pouring its streams
of torment on the Christian world, more bitter than
wormwood and gall. Here his reason found no
rock on which to build, nor his meek spirit any
place of rest. He listened to the tidings of an-
gels, peace on earth and good will to men, aban-
doned the sentiment of endless torment, and em-
braced that of Universal Salvation. This remov-
ed the bitterness of death, and gave him a firm,
Christian triumph over the tomb. His spotless
life gave him not only a pure, unsulhed con-
science, but also the sweet rewards of heavenly
peace ; while his faith and hope enabled him to
resign the world, with all those fond and smiling
attractions it presents to the youthful mind, and
completely removed the bitterness of death.

As before remarked, he had resigned the sen-
timent of unending woe, and listened to the im-
mortal song of angels, sweetly stealing on the
midnight hour, and breaking the silence which
slumbered on Judea's plain. By an eye of faith
he had seen the light from heaven illuminating
the dark concave with a blaze of glory, and shep-

8 SHORT SERMONS.

herds gazing entranced upon the surpassing splen-
dor of the scene, displayed from eternity ; and
hstening to the immortal shout, — "Glory to
God in the highest, on earth peace, good will to
men." By an eye of faith, he had seen the Sa-
viour, passing from his helpless condition in a
manger, onward to that power when he stilled
the elements and awoke the dead, — passing from
a manger to a cross ; from the songs of angels to
the curses and mockeries of men, and from
crowns of thorns to crowns of glory ! He had
heard him reveal the destiny of man, and expa-.
tiate on the paternal character of God. He had
heard him bequeath the strange gift of God, —
eternal life^ — to a dying world, in the holy and
immortal nature of angels. In this nature he de-
clared, as the Son of God, that they should be
confirmed, through a resurrection, into future
scenes of changeless and unending beatitude in
heaven. There, by the power of God, they
should be made equal unto the angels, and be
the children of God, being the children of the
resurrection. He saw him manifest the divine
perfections of his Father to the world, in hving
the precepts he taught, and not by resisting evil,
but in returning good for evil. He saw him man-
ifest all the great and brilliant virtues of his char-
acter on the cross, in triumphing over the bitter-
ness of death, in its most aggravated forms. At

THE BITTERNESS OF DEATH. 9

the grandeur of the scene, he saw the sun with-
drawing his h'ght and sleeping, as it were, in the
drapery of his own clouds, and darkness solemn-
ly gathering around his cross ! He heard the
earthquake rumbling its thunders, — convulsing
the globe, — saw the rocks rending, the graves
opening, and the dead arising ! He saw nature in
majesty and terror hovering around his cross, and
there bringing to a centre all that is grand, sub-
lime, and awful in her realms, as the magnani-
mous sufferer expired.

All this by an eye of faith he beheld. He be-
held God's everlasting Son laid in the tomb.
Thence he arose, as the first-fruits of the human
harvest, and entered beyond its darkness and
gloom into the undying light of eternity. By an
eye of faith, he beheld the great Mediator en-
throned, and pledged to reign until all things in
heaven and earth shall be subdued to him, and
God shall be all in all. He firmly believed the
resurrection in Christ to be our only hope of a
future world. He cherished the faith, that, since
by man came death, by man came also the resur-
rection of the dead. He cherished the faith, that
as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be
made alive, and in him bear the image of the
heavenly, as in Adam they once bore the image
of the earthy. In fine, he believed that we
should be raised in an incorruptible, glorious,

10 SHORT SERMONS.

powerful, spiritual body, and that all human kind,

congregated beyond the reach of death and pain,
should together shout, " O death ! where is thy
sting ? O grave ! where is thy victory ? The
sting of death is sin ; and the strength of sin is
the law ; but thanks be to God, who giveth us
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Because Christ lived he believed w^e should
live also. From this world of suffering, imper-
fection, and change, he looked forward, as he lay
upon his dying bed, to the cloudless resurrection
world, from whence Christ, the bright angel of
eternal truth and hfe, arrayed in robes of heaven,
shall descend, approach, and stand before the
tomb ! — shall smite the solemn house of silence !
The cerements of the dead shall burst 1 The
solid doors of the cold prison of earth give way !
The fetters riveted by the hammer of death shall
fall ! And at the sound of his inspiring voice,
the dead shall rise ; and redeemed captives, from
sin and death and pain forever free, shall triumph
in immortal existence.

He saw this, and the bitterness of death was
past. In faith, he saw the resurrection state,
where glorified millions walk the fair banks of
crystal streams, and bathe in living fountains.
There he saw no cheeks suffused with tears ; nor
did sighs of parting friendship rise from bleeding
hearts. The parent's fondest wish was reahzed,

THE BITTERNESS OF DEATH. 11

and love and friendship reigned unbroken and
perpetual. To him the bitterness of death was
past ; and in the enjoyment of this sublime faith
and hope, and with the peace of heaven in his
soul, he fell asleep. He is now in heaven.

I am well aware, that it will now be said by the
objector, that it cannot be that the faith and hope
of this lamented youth, so completely removed
the bitterness of death ; because, that the believ-
er in endless misery, having an unshaken faith in
that sentiment, may also exclaim " Surely the
bitterness of death is past." This I deny ; for
no man ever has drawn, nor can draw, any
consolation from his faith in the doctrine of un-
ending torment. Nor can such a wretched faith
resign him to God, — nor enable him to rejoice
and triumph over the bitterness of death. Such
a believer draws all his consolation from the sal-
vation part of his doctrine, and this alone enables
him to rejoice and triumph over the bitterness of
death. While on the other hand, faith in the
wretched sentiment of undying pain, fans up a
flame of misery in the bosom, which the most ex-
alted anticipations of future glory are unable to
quench. Nothing that heaven can give, can crush
the hydra woe this deplorable doctrine creates
and fosters in the soul. It is at war with all that
.is benignant and holy in God, angels, and men.
It claims a pretended and sovereign right to stand

12 SHORT SERMONS.

the test of justice, at some final day, before the
compassionate Redeemer of the world, and legal-
ly demand its subjects of torture. This doctrine
contends, that a fallen angel will wrest them from
his once bleeding, but now glorified hand at the
very threshold of eternity ; — there tear the hu-
man family in pieces by separation, — sunder the
most endearing affections Heaven ever rooted
in the soul, — set at defiance every devout aspi-
ration ever breathed to heaven for the salvation
of the world, and thus mock at the fondest desire
of the Christian bosom. And does this remove
the bitterness of death ? No ! This doctrine
claims a pretended right to crush to atoms every
parental hope, by claiming victims out of every
family, or circle of relatives and friends, and to
change the warm current of Christian love and
compassion into stoic apathy in every celestial
bosom. All heaven thus hardened, and prepared
to feast at the sight of consummate misery, this
fallen angel, having every fibre of his infernal,
malignant heart gratified, will then descend tri-
umphant with countless millions of all ages, —
from the httle child, that could but just discern
between good and evil, up to him who dropped
in death under the weight of years, — with this
unnumbered throng he will descend to the infer-
nal regions of black despair, while those in heav-
en shout, — " glory ! " exulting in ruin, destruc-

THE BITTERNESS OF DEATH. 13

tion, and pain ! Immortal God ! is this the spirit
of heaven, that triumphs over the bitterness of
death ? No ! All that we call benevolent here,
starts with horror at the shocking scene !

The anticipation of eternal pain fills every
Christian bosom with mourning and gloom, and is
destructive of every joy. In prospect of this
unheavenly sentiment, many a father, — many a
mother, have been stripped of every consolation,
and brought down with sorrow to the grave. We
often behold parents, who have consigned an
only son to the tomb. With the most painful
emotions they scan even the virtuous life of their
child. They reflect upon his moral worth, which
endeared him to all. They trace him through
the scenes of his boyhood and youth. They
mark the sweetness of his disposition, — his ven->
eration to his parents, — and his cheerfulness and
innocency among his playmates. Nor do they
stop here. They trace their lovely boy up to
manhood, and from that to his dying day. They
contemplate the brilliancy of his mind, and that
noble rank of respectability he ever maintained.
Having diligently investigated his conduct through
life and found no stain, they pursue him in thought
to eternity, and with rending anguish of soul pro-
nounce him in the abodes of the damned, be-'
cause he met with no mysterious change this side
the grave ! And is this a sentiment, that removes

14 SHORT SERMONS.

the bitterness of death, and fills the soul with
peace and joy ? No ! Why all this anxiety and
woe among Christians ? Alas ! their bleeding
hearts will tell you why. Their teachers, instead
of comforting their hearts with the glad tidings
of that great joy, which shall be unto all people,
have torn them open with the thunderbolts of
unending damnation ! They will point you, with
a brimful eye, to the green sward that covers the
father, the mother, the child, the husband, the
wife or friend they loved, while unknown terrors
chill the soul. Instead of removing the bitter-
ness of death, what awful consequences the doc-
trine of never-ending woe involves. That we
may fully see the boasted comfort this unrighteous
sentiment gives, from the anticipation let us turn
to the supposed reality. Those children, who
have been torn from your society by death, are
yet embraced in the circle of your well-wishes
and love. Imagination often places their loved
forms before your eyes, and hears the sweet sound
of their voices yet faUing with melancholy music
on your ear. We will suppose them involved in
endless misery, while you have arisen to worlds
of light in heaven. Now look down and see
them eternally fixed in the most excruciating pain.
There, oh father and mother, are the once spor-
tive children of your arms ! There see the mis-
erable objects of all your toils, your affections,

THE BITTERNESS OF DEATH. 15

your tears, your desires, and prayers ! Do you
feel no anxiety for their welfare ; and do no
clouds of trouble rise to darken your light in glo-
ry ? Parents, will you sit on your celestial height,
unmoved at the pains and groans of your own
suffering offspring ? — or at the groans of suffer-
ing miUions, and not feel one yearning of com-
passion over their unhappy fate ? If so, I shall
not envy you your seat. You may keep it. It
would be no heaven to me. God grant, that this
bosom may never feel one aspiring wish to such
an abode.

And is this the doctrine, that gives you joy and
triumph over the bitterness of death ? If so, I
entreat you once more, by all the ties that bind
man to man, — by those of kindred blood and pa-
rental love, —by the love of God and the voice
of Christ, — by all the bowels of mercy in time
and in eternity, that can be made to move at woe,
— I entreat you to look down once more to flam-
ing worlds ! There perhaps is a friend, who in
this life was your benefactor. He saw you in dis-
tress and he flew to your relief. He saw you on
a bed of pain, and with a hand of compassion
kindly supported your aching head, and whispered
the accents of encouragement and consolation.
The hand that administered to your relief and
fed the poor is now frying in flames, and the
voice that spoke you comfort is venting ihe

16 SHORT SERMONS.

groans of despair ! Where, oh ! where, has your
mercy fled ? Where are those rehgious feelings
you experienced on earth and which prompted
you to love your enemies, and to succor the dis-
tressed ? Where has your Christian benevolence
fled ? Are you changed, hardened, and insensi-
ble to that moral flow of feehng, which we call
the true spirit of religion here ? If so, then we
are now completely ignorant of the nature of that
spirit which warms the bosoms of the glorified in
heaven, and all the religious exercises we expe-
rience on these mortal shores are but so many
deceptions, received through the medium of the
senses. But grant them to be the breathings of
the same spirit which burns in the just made per-
fect, and the sight of endless misery would un-
paradise the realms of glory and paralyze the
heavenly song of redemption. This infernal gran-
deur of woe, which in the sublime of terror in-
finitely transcends the lightning's blaze, can never
remove the bitterness of death, but on the con-
trary gives it all its chilling horrors.

We have now clearly shown, that the doctrine
of endless misery can, in no sense, sustain the
soul in the hour of death ; and have clearly point-
ed out, that in our young lamented friend it was
the sentiment of universal grace, that brought con-
solation and joy, and removed the bitterness of
death. He was an amiable young man, for whom

THE BITTERNESS OF DEATH. 17

I cherished a deep affection, and our last farewell
was painful and trying. But the dear youth is
gone ; and with triumphant composure did he
leave us, exhorting his equal-aged compan-
ions to hve to God. Never more on earth shall
we hear his well-remembered voice. But mourn-
ing mother, sisters, brothers, and friends, let us
be comforted in the pleasing hope, that we shall
meet him again beyond the storms of this ever-
changing life ! Yes, we shall meet him in heav-
en, and hear his loved voice sound immortal,
where death and parting shall be known no more.
Let us live in accordance with the faith we pro-
fess ; and cherish in our hearts the spirit of uni-
versal benevolence, so that, when we shall be
called from these mortal shores, we may not only
feel that the bitterness of death is past, but be
enabled to breathe out in resignation, —

" This life 's a dream, an empty show,
But the bright world to which I go
Hath joys substantial and sincere,
When shall I wake and find me there ?

O, glorious hour ! O, blest abode !
1 shall be near and like my God ;
And flesh and sin no more control
The sacred pleasures of the soul."

18 SHORT SERMONS.

SERMON II.*

ON THE DEATH OF MRS. MORRIS.

Melancholy indeed is the occasion on which
we are now assembled. It is no doubt to us all,
as well as to the bereaved, one of deep and thril-
ling interest. Mrs. Morris, her little daughter,
and its grandmother have been removed from
these mortal shores. The speaker, who now ad-
dresses you, has been invited by the bereaved
husband and father, who is a resident of Clinton,
Mississippi, to meet him here and preach the fu-
neral sermon of his dear fallen friends ; and to
administer the consolations of the gospel of Christ
to his bleeding heart.

Though separated by a distance of more than
1900 miles, yet we have at length met in Glou-
cester, Virginia, agreeably to previous appoint-
ment. Here we parted four years ago. But
though we shake the friendly hand of greeting and
affection in this place, endeared to us by many
pleasing recollections, yet the scenes around us,
conspire to awaken in the soul many tender emo-
tions. Nature is robed in glory as when we part-

* Delivered in the Episcopal church, Gloucester, Virgin-
ia, Sunday, July 16th, 1837, on the funeral occasion of the
wife, mother, and child of Christopher S. Morris, Esq.

ON THE DEATH OF MRS. MORRIS. 19

ed, but seems to mourn ! The woodlands proud-
ly wave ; but methinks they wave in melancholy
grandeur ! The plantations smile, and the heav-
ens beam serenity, but these seem mingled with
pensiveness ! The songsters carol their morn-
ing and evening lay, but it sounds to the bereaved
heart, like the sad requiem over friendship's
early tomb ! In you and me, all Nature's beauty
awakens no thrill of fond, rapturous delight, but
seems to mourn with us over the triple grave of
our fallen friends. Even the beautiful flowers,
which adorn these gardens, seem to speak of
withered hopes, and of blighted domestic joys.

Though sun in splendor make the morn,
Though woodland scenes with songs resound,
Though sweetest flowers the fields adorn,
Though all is now with glory crowned ;
Yet here no joy the mourner sees,
All Nature's smiles to him are gone.
The songs of birds, the sighing breeze,
Cheer not his desolated home.

Such being the melancholy light in which the
bereaved view the wonders of creation, while
contemplating the gloom of the grave, which con-
ceals the object of their affections, it becomes
my duty on this occasion, to shed upon the dark
and dreary mansions of the dead, the blessed light
of revelation, by pointing them forward to the
transcendent brightness of the resurrection morn,
when death shall be swallowed up in victory, and

20 SHORT SERMONS.

the sceptre of the monster's boasted power shall
be wrested from his iron grasp, by the strong hand
of the Lion of the tribe of Judah. In order
successfully to accomplish this work, and inspire
the hearts of the bereaved with the consolations
of this immortal hope, and the everlasting light of
Christianity, we invite your serious attention to
the following passage of Scripture.

" For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
For whether wc live, we live unto the Lord ; and whether we
die, we die unto the Lord j whether we live, therefore, or die, we
are the Lord's. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and
revived, that he might be Lord of both the dead and living."
— Romans xiv. 7 — 9.

From the language of our text we learn that
man, whether in life or death, has not the dispo-
sal of himself ; is not his own, but belongs to Je-
sus Christ, who is Lord (that is, owner or mas-
ter) of both the dead and the living. This dec-
laration naturally leads us to inquire, by what
right does he claim the human race as his proper-
ty ? This question is a very important one, and
must be settled by the Scriptures. We then ap-
peal to the law and to the testimony.

The Psalmist says, " I will declare the de-
cree : the Lord hath said unto me, thou art my
Son ; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of
me and I shall give thee the heathen for thine in-
heritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for

ON THE DEATH OF MRS. MORRIS. 21

thy possession." This scripture very naturally
gives rise to another question, viz. Has the Son,
in coincidence with this decree, asked the Father
for this inheritance ? He has, as the following lan-
guage of Christ plainly implies ; " All things are
dehvered unto me of my Father." Again ; " Je-
sus knowing that the Father had given all things
into his hands." It is further evident from the
circumstance of his being uniformly called " the
only begotten Son of God and heir of all things.^^
Hence, as he is the only Son^ he is of course
the only lawful heir to the inheritance above
mentioned. This is plainly taught in the words
of Paul, to the Hebrews ; " God, who at sundry
times and in divers manners, spake in time past
unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these lat-
ter days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath
appointed heir of all things."

These scriptures inform us, not only by what
authority and right he holds this property, but
they are in perfect agreement with our text, that
he is Lord of both the dead and the living. We
are now at liberty further to inquire. For what
purpose were the heathen given to him for an in-
heritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth
for a possession .'' Jesus answers the question
in these words ; " As thou hast given him power
over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to
as many as thou hast given him." So they were

22 SHORT SERMONS.

committed to his hands that he might give unto
them eternal life. But is there no possibility of
his finally losing any part of this inheritance ?
There is not, for Jesus declares, — " All that the
Father giveth me shall come to me ; and him that
Cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. For
I came down from heaven not to do mine own
will, but the will of him that sent me. And this
is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of
all he hath given me I should lose nothing, but
should raise it up again at the last day." From
these declarations of Jesus Christ, it is perfectly
clear, that the Father gave his Son the whole hu-
man race for an inheritance ; and that they were
his property, though lying in wickedness. Even
the abandoned, the wretched heathen nations are
not excluded, but particularly mentioned as be-
longing to him who is heir of all things.

As his inheritance was in a state of sin and
bondage when given to him, it became necessary
that it should be ransomed, and that the whole
groaning creation should be delivered from the
bondage of corruption, into the glorious liberty
of the children of God, through a resurrection
of the dead. Hence in this sense they are.

Secondly^ his by purchase. The Scripture
saith, "ye are bought with a price," — " are re-
deemed not with corruptible things as silver and
gold, but with the precious blood of Christ."

ON THE DEATH OF MRS. MORRIS. 23

" He, by the grace of God, tasted death for every
man." " He gave himself a ransom for all, to be
testified in due time." — Hence, a world, dead in
trespasses and sins, are his by gift and heirship in
time, and are his by ransom and redemption in
eternity, where sin and pain are known no more.
The apostle declares, that "he died for our of-
fences, and was raised again for our justification."
Hence, our offences will cease in death, and in
the resurrec-tion our justification will be reahzed.
His resurrection is the true pledge of ours. " He
is become the first-fruits of them that slept," and
is, therefore, " the resurrection and the life of the
world."

Do you ask for evidence, that his resurrection
is, the true likeness and pledge of ours ? The
evidence shall be given. When God showed
Moses the pattern of the ark of the covenant in
Mount Sinai, he commanded him saying, " See
thou make all things according to the pattern I
showed thee in the mount." This ark was a mod-
el of the future temple built in Jerusalem, which
God filled with his glory. So Christ was given
as a covenant to the people. He, as our first-
fruits, was shown, not on Mount Sinai, but on
Mount Zion, beyond the ruins of the tomb, as the
pattern, the true image, like unto whom all hu-
man kind shall be made. We are the materials,
which are to compose the building of God, the

24 SHORT SERMONS.

house not made with hands, the temple immortal,
which God will fill with his glory, when " he shall
be all in all.'' The apostle says, Christ as a son
was faithful over his house, whose house are we.
This building embraces both Jews and Gentiles ;
the universe. He has " broken down the wall of
partition between them, — for to make in himself
of the twain one new" man, and reconcile both un-
to God in one body by the cross, having slain the
enmity thereby." Paul adds, " Therefore we
are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-
chizens with the saints and of the household of
God, and built upon the foundation of the apos-
tles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself the chief
corner-stone, in whom all the building fitly framed
together, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord;
in whom also are ye builded together for an hab-
itation of God through the Spirit." Hence, as
Christ died for our offences, so when we die will
our offences cease ; and as he rose for our justi-
fication, so in our resurrection shall we be justi-
fied. We '' shall (as Jesus says) be equal unto
the angels, die no more, but be the children of
God, being the children of the resurrection."
We shall be like our pattern and head, and appear
with him in resurrection glory ; in fine, " we shall
be like him, for we shall see him as he is." The
spiritual temple shall be finished by heaven's Su-
preme on Mount Zion, according to the pattern

ON THE DEATH OF MRS. MORRIS. 25

he has shown us in Christ. It shall receive the
last fair touch from his immortal and all-perfect
hand, and stand in infinite grandeur, under the
meridian strength and splendor of his eternal
smiles.

The speaker humbly trusts, that you now see
the force of the text, why no man whether living
or dying is his own, or at his own disposal, but is
the Lord's, and to be disposed of as he sees fit.
And to reveal to the human race, what disposi-
tion will finally be made of them, Jesus Christ
died and rose, shed the hght of immortal life on the
darkness of the tomb, inspired the human soul
with the most pleasing hopes, mounted the me-
diatorial throne, and reigns supreme, as Lord of
both the dead and the living.

Indeed, I am well aware, that it is contended
with a great deal of zeal, by men of learning and
talents, that the unconverted are not Christ's, but
belong to a wicked, fallen angel. This, the sym-
pathising congregation will perceive, is in direct
contradiction to our text, and to the plain testi-
mony of sacred truth above adduced. If there
be, indeed, a fallen angel, who is to possess a
large portion of the human race as his property,
and torment them to the never-ending ages of
eternity, we then ask, is not he also an heir to a
part of this inheritance ? He is. How then can
Christ be heir of all things ? How can he, in

26 SHORT SERMONS.

this case, possess the heathen for his inheritance,
and the uttermost parts of the earth for a posses-
sion ? We cannot but shudder at the conse-
quences involved in this sentiment, and particular-
ly so while standing on the graves of those we
love. Though this subject is painful, yet that we
may see the triumphs of truth over error, let us
pursue it still further. If this fallen angel is an
heir to a portion of the Father's estate, then he
is also a son of God ! Hence, there is no way
to avoid the blasphemous, conclusion, that God
has two sons, equal heirs to the inheritance ! How
then can the Scriptures solemnly declare, that Je-
sus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, and
heir of all things ? O God, forgive the errors
of thy creatures ! The eye of faith is drowned
in tears, and the soul rent with agony, while con-
templating the absurdities involved in this doctrine,
embraced by many well-meaning men. But it
is at war with the lawful inheritance of Christ,
it is at war with the unity of his sonship, it is at
war with the record of eternal life, it is at war
with the dearest interest and well-being of man,
it is at war with the holiest affections of the soul,
it is at war with all that heaven calls good, it is at
war wuth the fondest hopes of the Christian, and
is absolutely at war with the sentiment of his be-
ing Lord of both the dead and the living.

We have already shown by what right Christ

ON THE DEATH OF MRS. MORRIS. 27

claims the human race as his property. They are
his, First, by gift or bequest, he being the only
begotten Son of God and heir of all things.
When given to him, they were in a state of sin.
Hence, we have shown that they were his, Sec-
ondly., by purchase, ransom, or redemption from
sin and death to holiness and immortal life, through
a resurrection from the dead. But on the other
hand, can as good reasons be given, that they of
right belong to another ? We go further ; — can a
single scrap of divine testimony be adduced, that
any part of the human race were bequeathed or
given by the Father to a fallen angel ? Where in
the Scriptures is he called an heir, or where is
his sonship enrolled ? Where is he ever said to
be the head of any man ; or to have given him-
self a ransom for a single human being .'' Or
where is there the ratification of any covenant
between him and the Creator ? We search the
Scriptures in vain for such melancholy testimony.
And, until such testimony can be adduced, we
shall insist, that none belong to him either by right
of heirship, gift, or purchase.

It is probable, that in view of the above, it may
now occur to the objector's mind, that Jesus
said, ^' Ye are of your father the devil, and his
work ye will do." But the candid hearer will
perceive, that they were his, not in property
or relationship, but in character, — in works.

28 SHORT SERMONS.

Whenever this scripture, or any of similar import,
occurs to the objector's mind, let him remember,
that Jesus Christ was manifested in the flesh to
destroy the works of the devil. When this shall
be accomphshed, — when the Lamb of God shall
have taken away the sin of the world, in what
sense will they then be the children of the devil ?
In no sense whatever. He will not only destroy
the works of the devil, but destroy the devil him-
self, which proves, that he is not an immortal
being. Paul says, " Forasmuch, then, as the
children are partakers of flesh and blood, Christ
himself hkewise took part of the same, that through
death he might destroy him that hath the power
of death, that is the devil," &c. Hence the devil
and his works both will be destroyed. His dark
domain shall be shaken to its base and annihilated
forever.

Having clearly proved, that Christ, as the only
begotten Son of God, is heir of all things, and
Lord (that is, master or owner) of both the dead
and the living, we will now attend to the main
point suggested in our text, which is, the resur-
rection of the dead. He died, and to this end,
that he might be owner of all mankind, whether
dead or alive, in time or in eternity. They are
his property and not at their own disposal. No
man can so live to himself as to control his own
destiny, or make himself the property of anoth-

ON THE DEATH OF MRS. MORRIS. 29

er. Living or dying he is the Lord's, and is to
be brought, by the power of God, into the resur-
rection world in just such a nature as he sees fit
to bestow. To reveal to us what that nature is
to be, Christ has died and risen as the first-fruits
of the human harvest. It is to be the nature of
angels. We are to be made alive in the moral
likeness of his resurrection, and bear the image
of the heavenly in Christ the second Adam, by
the same irresistible power, that we now bear the
earthly image of the first Adam.

Hence we perceive, that the immortal resur-
rection of the dead assumes a most important and
momentous character in divine revelation. This
resurrection is, in fact, the Gospel of our salvation
and sanctification. It is the promise God made
to the Jewish fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
of blessing all the kindreds, nations, and famihes
of the earth in his seed, Christ. It is that better
covenant, which cannot be broken any more than
his covenant with the day and the night, and is
in all things well ordered and sure, because it is
established upon better promises than the first.
It is the hope and faith of the Christian, and the
consolation of the distressed and bereaved. In
fine, the resurrection of the dead is our only hope
of an immortal being beyond the tomb. In mak-
ing the above positive declarations, the hearer
may suppose that we wholly overlook salvation

30 SHORT SERMONS.

by Christ. Not so ; for Christ declares himself
to be the resurrection and the life.

We shall now proceed to prove the above de-
clarations true. In order successfully to accom-
plish this, we shall discard all speculations in-
volved in human creeds, and shall humbly lean
upon the naked grandeur of the sacred oracles of
truth to sustain us.

First ; the resurrection of the dead is the prom-
ise God swore unto the Jewish fathers, that all
nations, kindreds, and families of the earth should
be blessed in Christ the seed of Abraham, and
it is the hope of the Christian. In proof of this
position we turn to the Scriptures.

God swore to Abraham, saying, " In thee
shall all the families of the earth be blessed."
Again, " In thy seed shall all the nations of the
earth be blessed." God said to Isaac, "I will
perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham

thy father, and in thy seed shall all the

nations of the earth be blessed." Here we per-
ceive that the blessing of all the nations and fami-
lies of the earth is not only the j^romise made, but
the oath God swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Ja-
cob. This promise is the Gospel, as saith the
apostle ; " And the Scripture, foreseeing that God
would justify the heathen through faith, preached
before the Gospel unto Abraham, saying. In thee
shall all nations be blessed." So it is not only

ON THE DEATH OF MRS. MORRIS. 31

the gospel of God, but the justification of the
heathen ; yes, of all nations. Again, Paul says",
" For when God made promise to Abraham, be-
cause he could swear by no greater, he sware by
himself. .... Wherein God, willing more abun-
dantly to show unto the heirs of the promise the
immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an
oathj that by two immutable things in which it
was impossible for God to he, we might have a
strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay
hold upon the hope set before us ; which hope
we have as an anchor to the soul, sure and stead-
fast, and entereth into that within the vail ; whith-
er the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus."
Here we perceive, that the promise sworn to
Abraham is the Christian hope, sure and stead-
fast, and involves the resurrection of the dead in
him, who, as our forerunner, entered for us within
the vail, and, in our behalf, "took possession of
our joy." It embraces all the nations, kindreds,
and families of the earth, who are here called the
heirs of promise.

As a further proof that this promise and hope
are the resurrection of the dead, we again refer
to the testimony of Paul before king Agrippa.
•' And now I stand and am judged for the hope
of the promise made of God unto our fathers ;
unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly
serving God day and night, hope to come ; for

32 SHORT SERMONS.

which hope^s sake, king Agrippa, I am accused
of the Jews. Why should it be thought a thing
incredible with you, that God should raise the
dead?" Here the same promise God swore to
the Jewish fathers, is again adverted to by his in-
spired servant, and by him is summed up as being
wholly embraced in the resurrection of the dead,
which is the only gospel hope of future existence
and immortal bliss.

Again, the resurrection of the dead is not only
called the Gospel, embracing the final blessedness
of all the families of the earth in Christ, — it is
not only the Christian hope, faith, and justifica-
tion, but it is the second covenant, embracing " the
sure mercies of David." Speaking of David as
a type of Christ, Isaiah says, "I will make an
everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mer-
cies of David. Behold, I have given him for a
witness to the people, a leader and commander to
the people." Let us now hear the apostle apply
this prophecy. " And we declare unto you glad
tidings, how that the promise which was made
unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto
us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus
again ; as it is also written in the second Psalm,
Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
And as concerning that he raised him up from
the dead, now no more to return to corruption,
he said on this wise, I will give thee the sure

ON THE DEATH OF MRS. MORRIS. 33

mercies of David." In the above quotation of
scripture, the promise of blessing all the families
of the earth in Christ is again referred to, and the
sure mercies of David, in the everlasting cove-
nant, are repeated, and the whole is clearly stated
by Paul, as meaning nothing more nor less than
the immortal resurrection of the dead.

Again, the resurrection is our salvation and
eternal life. The apostle says, " Moreover,
brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I
preached unto you, which also ye have received,
and wherein ye stand, by which also ye are saved,"
&c. The apostle then goes on to prove the re-
surrection of Christ, as the "first-fruits of them
that slept," and the consequent resurrection of all
mankind in his '' image, in incorruption, in pow-
er, in immortality, and in glory ;" at which peri-
od, sin, the sting of death, shall be no more.
Peter says, " Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his
abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto a
lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible,
and undefiled, and that fadeth not away." Here,
by the resurrection of our Lord, we are begotten
to a lively hope of an incorruptible and unfading
inheritance. But, according to common opinion,
what hope could the resurrection of Jesus Christ
give any one, if, perchance, they might be raised
3

34 SHORT SERMONS.

to a state of never-ending sin and pain ? No hope
at all. In fact, converts are never called upon in
this day to rest their hopes of salvation in the
resurrection of the dead. No, they are called
upon to rest their hopes in some change they may
experience in this life, according to their free
agency. This is the pivot on which they believe
their final destiny is suspended, and on which it
must one day turn ! Every change a person may
experience in this life for the better, I hold to be
sacred and valuable as a present salvation, but this
has nothing to do with our immortal condition be-
yond the grave, which ''is the free gift of God,
and not of works, lest any man should boast."

But, inquires the objector, does the resurrec-
tion in Christ give us new natures ? does it make
us holy ? Has not this, I ask, been clearly prov-
ed in what has been offered ? If the resurrection
is the blessing of all the nations and families of
the earth in Christ the seed of Abraham, — if the
resurrection is the only faith and hope of man, —
if the resurrection is the gospel of our salvation,
— if it is the everlasting covenant, embracing the
" sure mercies of David, being in all things well
ordered and sure," as has been abundantly proved,
why then will not all you ask be efiected ? If all
that die in Adam are to be made alive in Christ,
incorruptible, glorious, and immortal by the pow-
er of God, — if all are to bear the image of the

ON THE DEATH OF MRS. MORRIS. 35

heavenly as they once bore the image of the
earthy, and shout the victory over death, sin, and
the grave, what more, then, can be wanted to
perfect our final salvation ? Nothing. We will,
however, produce a few passages of Scripture as
to the nature mankind shall possess in the resur-
rection.

Jesus said to the Sadducees, "Ye do err, not
knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.
For in the resurrection they neither marry nor
are given in marriage, but are as the angels of
God in heaven." Again, he says, "Neither can
they die any more, for they are equal unto the
angels, and are the children of God, being the
children of the resurrection." Here we perceive,
that by the power of God, of which the Saddu-
cees were ignorant, they were, through the resur-
rection, to be made as the angels of God in heav-
en ; they were indeed to be made the children
of God by no other means, but by being made
the children of the resurrection. Paul uses simi-
lar language to the Romans. " For the creation
itself shall be delivered from the bondage of cor-
ruption into the glorious liberty of the children
of God." Here he declares the creation to be
in travailing pains, and represents their deliverance
under the figure of a birth, by which birth they
are to be introduced into the glorious hberty of
the children of God. This the apostle more

36 SHORT SERMONS.

fully explains in 1 Cor. xv. already referred to.
He says, '' The first man is of the earth earthy ;
the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is
the earthy, such are they also that are earthy;
and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are
heavenly. And as we have borne the image of
the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the
heavenly." But of how many is he here speak-
ing, who are to bear the image of the heavenly ?
This he had before answered, verse 22. " For
as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be
made ahve." To this end he arose, that he might
be Lord of both the dead and the living. And
as their lawful owner, he must reign till all are
subdued, and the last enemy, death, is destroyed.
" And when all things shall be subdued unto him,
then shall the Son also himself be subject unto
him who put all things under him, that God may

be ALL IN ALL."

We now clearly perceive why the apostles
went everywhere preaching Jesus and the resur-
rection. Christ, the resurrection and the life, is
the gospel of our salvation. The resurrection is
the only door into eternity. No one enters there
a disembodied spirit as men preach. Man, when
he resigns his breath, falls into the unconscious
sleep of death ; and were there no resurrection,
this sleep would be eternal. The apostles teach
us, that if there be no resurrection, " then is our

ON THE DEATH OF MRS. MORRIS. 37

preaching vain ; your faith is also vain, ye are yet
in your sins, and they that are fallen asleep in
Christ are perished," that is, annihilated. Hence
we see the propriety of this passage; '' Since by
man came death, by man came also the resurrec-
tion of the dead." From this sleep we are to
be raised in the last day, which means the gospel
day, and commenced nearly eighteen hundred
years ago. Hence the dead are every moment
rising in the same succession they die. The sleep
in death of our Lord was short, and will be so
with his inheritance. From it nothing but the
power of God can awake us. He aroused Adam
from unconsciousness to natural life by miracle,
and all were naturally born in him. So he arous-
ed Jesus, the second Adam, from the dead by
miracle, and we shall naturally be made alive in
him who was the first-born from the dead, — we
shall shake off the slumbers of the tomb, and as-
cend to worlds of immortal life and joy in heaven.

" In the dust I 'm doomed to sleep,
But shall not sleep forever ;
Fear may for a moment weep,
Christian courage never.

Years in rapid course shall roll

By Time's chariot driven,
And my reawakened soul,

Wing its flight to heaven !

38 SHORT SERMONS.

What though o'er my mortal tomb,

Clouds and mist be blending ?
Sweetest hope shall chase the gloom,

Hopes to heaven ascending.

These shall be my stay, my trust,

Ever bright and vernal,
Life shall blossom out of dust,

Life and joy eternal."

I should do injustice to my own feelings on this
solemn occasion, were I not to speak of Mrs-
Morris. She was a lady of a most amiable dis-
position, possessing a sweet and uniform temper
of soul. She was rather of a serious cast of mind
than otherwise, — was most circumspect in her de-
portment, and chaste in her conversation. The
smile of sweetness which seemed mingled with
resignation and contentment, often broke over her
features, and mantled her cheeks with cheerful-
ness and joy, like the morning sun gilding the
eastern sky in crimson light and glory. She was
indeed the light of her domestic altar, and around
her tender heart clustered the holiest affections to
her companion and children, and there they burn-
ed with an undimming flame, till the lamp of life
expired.

I was with her when she committed a dear in-
fant to the grave. I saw her hold its dying form,
as it lay panting for breath. I saw the fond yearn-
ings of her heart, and the affections of her soul,

ON THE DEATH OF MRS. MORRIS. 39

beaming through the lustre of her eye. I saw the
tranquil resignation, with which she surrendered it
up to him who gave it being, when it expired.
She listened with deep and thrilling interest to the
funeral services, and felt a peace which passeth
understanding, in the Christian hope full of immor-
tahty.

She was an affectionate companion, and a ten-
der, indulgent mother. She was most sincere in
her friendships. She was a bright and useful
member of society and a shining ornament to her
sex. She was a tender and faithful mistress to
her servants, and died beloved and respected by
all who knew her. And I should do injustice to
her dear memory and to the feelings of my heart,
were I not publicly to acknowledge her hospital-
ity and kindness to me from our first acquaint-
ance till we shook the farewell hand of mortal sep-
aration.

But she is gone ! That hand, so warm, is now
cold and lifeless as the clods of the valley ! Her
florid cheek has turned pale in death ! Her eye,
so full of lustre, has ceased to roll in softness on
her companion and children, and is darkened for-
ever ! Her heart, which once beat so high with
hopes of life and glory, has ceased to throb, and
her dear voice of sweetest sound is hushed in per-
petual silence !

But she left the world in peace, and her friends

40 SHORT SERMONS.

in tears ! She had a hope beyond these mortal
shores. In her was evinced the excellency of the
Gospel of universal grace to the dying. In her
it manifested its transcendent power, its peerless
majesty and glory, — its supreme conquest over
death, and its immortal light and life over the ap-
proaching darkness and ruins of the tomb ! It
was this which elevated, sustained, and cheered
her languid spirit, when the embers of mortal life
were feebly glimmering in the socket of existence.
It was this, which cheered up and brightened her
hope for a future world, and enabled her to tri-
umph in soul, and smile over the very ruins of
death. She knew in whom she trusted. She
knew that she belonged to him who is Lord of
both the dead and the living ; and by his resurrec-
tion from the dead, she knew that she was begot-
ten to a lively hope of an inheritance incorrupti-
ble, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserv-
ed for her in heaven.

Thus she fell asleep and closed her eyes forev-
er on the scenes of earth. Peace to her sacred
shade. Through a resurrection, her bright spirit
has already mounted on wings of fire, seized a
new harp, and added fresh notes to the harmony
of the redeemed. She has put on immortality,
incorruption, and glory, — and being a child of
the resurrection, she is the immortal child of God,
— can die no more ; and being confirmed in the

ON THE DEATH OF MRS. MORRIS. 41

nature of angels, she has ascended to heaven sing-
ing the song of the first-born in the resurrection,
— O death ! where is thy sting ? O grave !
where is thy victory ? Thanks be to God who
giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ. '' Even so, Abba Father, for so it seem-
eth good in thy sight."

Her little daughter, whom I never saw, has also,,
in the bud of being, sunk to rest. Peace to the
little sufferer ! Immortal glory to the once prat-
tling innocent !

" Stain not this flower with sorrow's tear.
Nought but the blighted leaf is here j
'T was taken from its earthly stem
To deck an angel's diadem."

Mrs. Morris, the aged grandmother of this
child, and the mother of our afflicted and bereaved
friend, has paid the debt of nature, and full of
years sunk to a peaceful, honored grave. She
was long on the theatre of action, but ever stood
firm at the post of maternal duty, and left the
world without a single blot on her name. She
was a kind and obliging neighbour, a faithful and
indulgent mother, a shining example to the circle
in which she moved, and a warm friend and ad-
vocate for the precepts and doctrines of Christ.

She was brought up in the belief of the doc-
trines of total depravity and endless misery. But
she burst the shackles of early tradition, and
opened her mind to conviction. She read that

42 SHORT SERMONS.

unanswerable work, " Ballon on Atonement,"
and comparing it with Scripture, she became en-
tirely satisfied of the truth of universal salvation.
In this faith she lived, in this faith she rejoiced,
and in this triumphant faith she expired. And
there is no virtue that adorns the character, but
w^iat clustered around the heart of this venerable
matron in our Israel. In regard to her, we may
well say, " The memory of the just is blessed."
My dear, bereaved brother ! Most deeply do
I sympathise with you in this triple woe. What
can I say to you by way of consolation ? Your
dearest, your fondest friends, are gone ! The
aged mother, w^ho watched over the cradle of your
helpless infancy, and sustained you in boyhood,
has sunk to her grave. She was your unchang-
ing friend, and her affections you could never
turn. No one but a mother can tell the strong
and lasting affections of a mother's soul. They
are stronger than death to the children of her
bosom. They are a noble resemblance of the
Parent fountain above. He compares himself to
the mother. " Though the mother forget her
sucking child, and cease to have compassion on
the son of her bosom, yet will not I forget." In
the hands of that glorious God your dear friends
have fallen, and are re-embosomed in more than
human affections. Yes, your child, and the dear
companion of your ways, have in rapid succes-
sion, followed your aged mother to the grave.

ON THE DEATH OF MRS. MORRIS. 43

Lover and friend has God taken from yon, and
turned your acquaintance into darkness ! Like
the scathed and solitary oak on the mountain top,
so, my dear brother, you stand alone in the world,
bereft of all you once held dear, and your bright-
est prospects of earthly felicity, seem overcast with
the shadows of death. No more shall you meet
them in your out-goings or in-comings ; yet, as
you wander with pensive step, over each favorite
spot where they have often been, imagination will
often place their loved forms before your eyes,
and hear the sweet sound of their voices yet fall-
ing with melancholy music on your ear. Your
mansion seems empty, your fireside deserted,
and the cricket in the hearth chirps solitude and
desolation. Each article of wearing apparel is a
sad memorial of their departed worth, on which
memory hangs in melancholy reminiscence.

But, brother and sister, you have heard the
witnesses, and the summing up of the evidence,
that they belong to him, who is Lord of both the
dead and the living. Hence, we shall meet them
among blood-washed millions in heaven. Though
sorrowful, yet here you can rejoice.

And now permit me, in conclusion, to say to
your little son. Dear boy, you are not of suffi
cient age to realize the loss you have sustained,
in your affectionate mother. But it is desired,
that you may remember her, and that her virtues
may never be blotted from your recollection. T

44

SHORT SERMONS.

know of no way, more successfully to accomplish
this, than to repeat to you the beautiful language
of the poet, which you will commit to memory ;
and in it you may realize the feelings and hopes
of your lamented mother, as she rocked your
infant cradle.

" Lo ! at the couch where infant beauty sleeps,
Her silent watch the mournful mother keeps ;
She, while the lovely babe unconscious lies,
Smiles on her slumbering child with pensive eyes,
And weaves a song of melancholy joy, —
' Sleep image of thy father, sleep, my boy ;
No lingering hour of sorrow shall be thine ;
No sigh that rends thy father's heart and mine ;
Bright as his manly sire the son shall be
In form and soul ; but, ah ! more blest than he !
Thy fame, thy worth, thy filial love, at last,
Shall soothe this aching heart for all the past, —
With many a smile my solitude repay,
And chase the world's ungenerous scorn away.
' And say when summoned from the world and thee,
I lay my head beneath the willow tree.
Wilt ihou^ sweet mourner ! at my stone appear,
And sooth my parted spirit, lingering near ?
Oh, wilt thou come, at evening hour, to shed
The tears of memory o'er my narrow bed ;
With aching temples on thy hand reclined,
Muse on the last farewell I leave behind,
Breathe a deep sigh to winds that murmur low,
And think on all my love, and all my woe ? "

Having tendered you, my mourning friends,
the above consolations and hopes, I bid you an
affectionate farewell. God bless you.

ON THE DEATH OF MRS. MORRIS. 45

OBITUARY NOTICE.

After attending the funeral of Mrs. Morris, on the
next Sunday, July 27th, 1837, I was called to preach
the funeral sermon of our lamented friend and brother,
John Scott. He was an aged man ; and had been,
for many years, an exemplary and Avorthy member of
the Methodist church in Gloucester County, Virginia.
I preached there in 1831, and he was among the first
who openly acknowledged his faith in the salvation of
all. He was a man of fervent piety and great benevo-
lence, and circumspect in his life and conversation. He
had no children, and hence no family to leave behind,
except an aged companion.

His great anxiety seemed to be, the welfare of his
slaves. He first thought of setting them free ; but on
mature reflection, he found that he could not do it with-
out distressing mothers and children, and rendering their
condition, on the whole, worse than to retain them in
slavery. By their consent, I believe, he gave them all,
except one, to his nephew, Mr. Thomas M. Stubblefield.
That one was his body servant, a very active, intelligent
servant, by the name of John. He desired his freedom,
and it was promptly given him, and with it five hundred
dollars in cash.

Brother Scott died in peace ; and never was there
witnessed a more moving scene of impassioned grief
than among his servants. They refused to be comforted
over the loss of their beloved master. John went away ;
but at length grew sick of freedom, returned, voluntarily
delivered up his money to Mr. Stubblefield's care, and
desired to become his body servant, and serve him as
he had his lamented master.

46 SHORT SERMONS.

Brother Scott's funeral was attended by some who
came fifteen miles. There was great anxiety, on that
occasion, to hear our sentiments defended ; and, by re-
quest of our friends, I spoke three hours. Many happy
moments have I spent at the house of our lamented
brother. But he is gone forever from our mortal sight !
He rests in heaven.

SALVATIOX BY FAITH. 47

SERMON III.

SALVATION BY FAITH.

*' For what if some did not believe, shall their unbelief make
the faith of God without effect ? God forbid ; yea, let God be
true, but every man a liar." Romans hi. 3, 4.

The doctrine of salvation by Jesus Ctirist, is
worthy the solemn consideration of all men. It
is this, that rendered a revelation necessary. It
is this, that kindled the flame of transport in
celestial bosoms, and raised that triumphant song,
'' Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace,
good- will towards men." Salvation is the doc-
trine of the Bible, and ought ever to be the theme
of the pulpit. Salvation is the oracle of heaven,
around which all denominations assemble, receive
their instructions, and believe according to the
force of evidence.

Prefaced with these remarks, we will now pro-
ceed to state what we conceive to be the Law and
Gospel^ — point out the distinction between them,
and defend the gospel doctrine of salvation by
faith.

The law was a conditional covenant between
God and man. It was predicated on works.
Under this covenant, if a man were strictly moral
in his external deportment, if he lived up to its

48 SHORT SERMONS.

letter, he was considered righteous. This cove-
nant was imperfect, because it could be kept ex-
ternally without reaching the heart. They could
exclaim, hke the young man who came to Jesus,
" All these things have I kept, from my youth
up," and still lack that one great point, charity.
Therefore, by the deeds of the law no flesh could
be justified in the sight of God. The law, being
temporary in its nature, had nothing to do with
eternal things.

Paul says, '' Sin is the transgression of the
law." — '' Where there is no law there is not the
knowledge of sin." From this it appears, that
sin, being a transgression of that law, which was
given us for the regulation of our conduct in this
life, can receive no punishment in the future
world. If sin should be committed in the future
state, then in the future state it w^ould be punish-
ed. The same argument will apply to our obe-
dience to the law, which can receive, for the
same reason, no reward in that world. ''No
flesh shall be justified by the deeds of the law."
" Eternal life is the gift of God." If so, then it
cannot be ''of works, lest any man should boast."
God, being infinite in wisdom, could not have
failed to enact a law so perfect, and so exactly
adapted to the nature of man, that obedience
would render him a rich reward, and disobedience
a condign punishment. The wise man says, that

SALVATION BY FAITH. 49

" the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth ;
much more the wicked and the sinner."

We now turn to the spirit of the law. " To
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
thy neighbour as thyself, is the fulfilment of the
law ;" and if we are not to be saved by the law,
then our love to God and each other cannot save
us ; for that is the law. By what then are we to
be saved ? Answer : by the Gospel, which is
God's love manifested to his creatures. The
conclusion then is, that we are not to be saved
by our love to God, but by God's love to us.
This, I presume, no one will dispute. Here then
we discern the difference between the law and
the gospel. God's love is the cause of salvation ;
human love is the effect. '"• Herein (says John)
is love ; not that we loved God, but that he loved
us." " We love him because he first loved us."
How many did he love ? He so loved the world,
who were dead in trespasses and sins, that he
freely delivered up his Son for us all, — he, by
the grace of God, tasted death for every man.
This is the gospel-love that God commendeth
towards us, and the love that will finally save us.

Many persons contend that we must love God
and do certain duties, or we cannot be saved.
This is preaching ourselves. It is preaching the
love of man as the cause of his salvation, instead
of the love of God. And while thus preaching,
4

50 SHORT SERMONS.

>

they will perhaps, at the same time, tell the sinner
that God is his enemy. But will the sinner's love
make God his friend ? will it cause his Creator
to love him ? No ; right the reverse of this is
the doctrine of Christ. ''We love God because
he first loved us." If w^e deny God's first love
to the sinner, we then destroy the very cause
by which alone the sinner can be made to love
God. If we make men believe that God is their
enemy and hates them, then we use all the means
in our power to drive them from the bosom of
their Father, and keep them in darkness and sin.
The sinner, in this situation, can never be
made to serve God, only by being driven to it by
terror, the same as some wretched slave is made
to cower and submit in fear and dread to some
revengeful tyrant. But this is not the service
God requires. He requires a service which is
delightful, and in which his creature feels an abun-
dant reward. We grant, that men, under the first
covenant, were called upon to fear God. The
reason of this appears obvious, when we reflect
that God had covenanted to bestow certain bless-
ings upon them, providing they would do their
duty. If they failed, then he would execute the
temporal judgments upon them, which the law
points out, and threatens. Under this covenant
men had just as much reason to fear, as they were
liable to transgress it.

SALVATIO?; BY FAITH. 51

But when an angel announced the dawn of a
better covenant, be said, " Fear not, for beheld
I bnng you glad tidings of great joy." In this
is nothing to be feared. All the fear lies in the
first, and thunders out to every sinner, " Cursed
is every one that continueth not in all things writ-
ten in the law to do them !" But John, speak-
ing in view of the second covenant, says, " There
is no fear in love ; but perfect love casteth out
fear, because fear hath torment. He that feareth
is not made perfect in love." The first covenant
is founded on works, and is conditional ; but the
second is founded on the immutable promise of
God, and is unconditional. In the law, we are
commanded to do according to the reasonableness
of its requirements ; but in the gospel we are ex-
horted to believe in view of evidence and fact.
And as no man can believe, or disbelieve what
he pleases, therefore conditions are excluded.

What is the meaning of Gospel } It is good
tidings of great joy. It is life and immortality
brought to light at the appearing of our Lord and
Saviour, Jesus Christ, who has abolished death,
by giving us the assurance of a resurrection from
corruption to incorruption and glory. It is news.
In view of news, what is the first thing necessa-
ry .'' Answer ; belief. It is impossible to work
news ; therefore the gospel is not of works. In
the law, the first requirement is to do ; but in the

52 SHORT SERMONS. '

gospel, the first requirement is to believe. The
law-covenant is therefore temporary, fallible, and
uncertain ; but the gospel-covenant is eternal, in-
fallible, and, in all things, well ordered and sure.
The first rests on the obedience of the creature,
but the second on the promises of Jehovah. Paul,
therefore, calls it a better covenant, established
upon better promises.

Perhaps some one may feel disposed to ask,
whether faith is all that is necessary ? We reply,
that it is the cause which produces its efiect.
Paul answers this question, thus ; " We conclude
that a man is justified by faith without the deeds
of the law. Do we then make void the law
through faith ? God forbid ; yea, we establish
the law." Here let the question be asked. How
do w^e establish the law by faith 9 Answer ;
" Faith will have its perfect work." But what
is .that perfect work, which faith produces .'' An-
swer ; Faith works love in the soul ; and if we
love God we will keep his commandments. And
faith, love, and keeping the commandments are
the three exercises, that form the Christian char-
acter. Faith is the foundation ; works are not.
We cannot begin to build on works. Instead of
being the first, they are the last Christian grace.
They are the visible effects of an inward, living
faith.

Faith, and faith only, is the seed rooted and

SALVATION BY" FAITH. 53

grounded in the truth, and, to use a Bible figure,
it becometh a tree, and produces all the fruits of
the spirit, — love, joy, meekness, temperance,
long-suftering, forbearance. This is what the
apostle calls the " righteousness of faith," in con-
tradistinction to "the righteousness of the law,"
produced by fear. Paul compares faith to a good
olive tree. The Jews, through unbelief, were
broken off, and "thou (the Gentile) standest by
faith." Jesus says, " If ye have faith as a grain
of mustard-seed, ye shall say unto this mountain,
remove hence to yonder place, and it shall re-
move." Here, in parable, faith is represented
as removing mountains of sin. He further says,
" Thy faith hath made thee whole " ; not thy
works. Paul exclaims, " Faith works by love,
purifies the heart, and overcomes the world."
John says, " And this is the victory that over-
cometh the world even our faith."

It is a certain fact, that none of these salutary
effects are ascribed to human works. The apos-
tles in no instance say, that works purify the heart,
or overcome the world, — or that this is the vic-
tory, even your works. The whole is ascribed
to faith; because that is the^Jiving tree on which
the good fruits grow. Works are, in Scripture,
called fruits. "By xhe'ir fruits ye shall know
them ;" that is, by their icorks. " A good tree
cannot bring forth evil /rm7." To carry out this

54 SHORT SERMONS.

figure, we would remark, that fruit can have no
existence till the tree is first produced. There-
fore, in a gospel sense, no good works, accepta-
ble to God, can be produced without a true and
living faith. The apostle declares, ••' Without
faith it is impossible to please God." The gos-
pel being good tidings, or news, are you satisfied
that faith is the first thing necessary ? I presume
all denominations will assent to the fact, that faith
is the first religious exercise of the creature.
We shall then obey the command of the apostle,
and "contend earnestly for the faith once deliver-
ed to the saints."

But, asks the reader, what matter is it which
is first in order, whether love^ jaithy or works 9
I reply, that it is a matter of vast importance ;
and without understanding this fact, we cannot
come to the knowledge of the truth, even though
we should be ever learning. If these three Chris-
tian graces, faith, love, and works, are preached
in a confused and mixed manner, we cannot ar-
rive at a true understanding of a gospel salvation,
neither can we tell the difierence between law
and gospel. The law is of works, and the gospel
is of faith. And no man can fulfil the spirit of
the law, without faith in the gospel. When the
sinner exercises faith in the love and goodness of
God in freely giving him eternal life, which infi-
nitely transcends all other blessings, that moment

SALVATION BY FAITH. 55'

faith works lov^e in his heart, and causes him to
rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
He then loves God because God first loved him.
And when the sinner loves God, he is passed
from death unto life, and that love is the fulfilment
of the law.

We are now led to see the consistency of
faith being the first step. It is the very cause
that produces love to God ; and love induces us
to keep the commandments. " Faith works by
love," and "If ye love me," says Jesus, "ye
will keep my commandments."

We will now introduce an example, which will
plainly show the distinction between the law^ and
gospel, and in what manner they affect the sinner.
Suppose a king to sentence six of his subjects to
imprisonment during life, and to command them to
spend their days in hard labor. They are put in
confinement, refuse to obey his commands, refuse
to labor, and, in the midst of their miseries, curse
his name. They are now in disobedience under
the condemnation of the law.

The king says to his only son, I love those
subjects, and I covenant with you to set them hee
in three years. The son says. Father, I delight
to do thy will. Let me go and reveal to them
the glad tidings of this covenant promise. The
king answers, My son, in the fulness of time I

56 SHORT SERMONS.

will send you. Let them remain, one year, under
the law. But, says the son, they are now trans-
gressing your law, and need instruction. The
king replies, I will send my servant to enforce
that law. Let him go and inform the prisoners,
that I am angry with them for their conduct ; and
if they will obey my commands, and labor faith-
fully, they shall have excellent food and good
clothing as a reward. But if they will not com-
ply, they shall be chained, and kept on bread and
water, as a punishment for their disobedience.

The servant goes and delivers to them this
message. Three of those subjects, for fear of
the punishment and in hope of the reward, obey
the king, and outwardly respect his commands,
but perhaps have litde or no love for him. [Here
we see the righteousness of the law, which is not
acceptable to God.] They accordingly receive,
day by day, the promised reward. But the other
three prisoners despise these conditions and re-
fuse to obey. They are chained, fed on bread
and water, and meet their deserts.

Here, then, are six prisoners laboring under
the law, and groaning in bondage, with no hopes
of deliverance. The law knows of no deliver-
ance, no redemption. It simply serves as a
schoolmaster, to teach them the difference be-
tween right and wrong, — to teach them the will

SALVATION BY FAITH. 57

of the king, and thus prepare them to receive a
better covenant, which is to be revealed to them
by the king's son. But under the covenant they
now are, they have no motives to prompt them to
obedience, but the fear of punishment and the
hope of reward. In our next, this will be fully
illustrated.

58 SHORT SERINIONS.

BE RM ON IV.

SALVATION BY FAITH.
[Continued.]

We resume the argument, in this discourse,
concerning those prisoners brought forward in our
last. We left them in bondage under tlie sen-
tence of the law, with no hopes of deliverance.
The first year rolls away. The king says, My
son, the time has come ; go, and reveal my love
to these prisoners, by bringing the promise of
their redemption to light. The son flies on wings
of love, enters the prison and exclaims ; I bring
you good tidings of great joy. My father, the
king, is your friend. He loves you ; and that
love has induced him to proclaim your liberation
as a free gift. He has promised (and he cannot
lie), that in two years from this day you shall be
free. This covenant, so far as concerns its ful-
filment, is unconditional. Believe, and you will
be saved, by faith in the promise, from your
present fears and condemnation under the law. ^

Those stubborn prisoners see a sufficiency of
evidence to believe the promise. They exercise
unshaken faith, in this second covenant between
the father and son. This faith works by love in
their hearts, and purifies them from disobedience.

SALVATION BY FAITH. 59

Their souls melt in view of the love and good-
ness of the king, revealed to them by his son.
In fine, they love him because he first loved
them. They are now saved by faith in his prom-
ise, from not only all their miseries and sorrows,
but from their disobedience, and look forward
with joy, to the day of redemption. Here we
perceive the ^' righteousness of faith, ^^ which far
exceeds the ^'righteousness of the law.'''' They
now delight to obey the king, because they are
under the influence of love.

Here let the question be asked, — are these
three men to be let out of prison, at the appoint-
ed time, because they believe the promise or love
and obey the king ? They are not. Their re-
demption depended on the truth and faithfulness
of the king's promise, which he made to his son,
and that promisc'would have been fulfilled, even
if it had not been revealed to them, till the day
of their deliverance. They are not to be set
free, as a reward for their faith, love, and obedi-
ence. They have great peace and joy in believ-
ing that promise. They are in the happy enjoy-
ment of a salvation by faith, and that is all the
reward they deserve, or have reason to expect.
We here perceive, that these three men are made
to establish the law of their king, by faith, in the
good news he sent them by his son, which is to
them a gospel. We now see the propriety of the

60 SHORT SERMONS.

apostle's language. " We conclude that a man is
justified by faith, without the deeds of the law.
Do we then make void the law through faith ?
God forbid ; yea, we establish the law." We
also perceive, that these three men are not to be
liberated from prison, because they believe the
promise, or love and obey the king. But on the
contrary, it is the king's love and promise to them
which sets them free.

Let us now notice the other three prisoners.
One says, I do not believe that we shall ever be
released from prison. It is too good news to be
true. .Well, shall his unbelief make the king's
promise of none effect ? The king forbid ; yea
let the king be true, but that man a liar. But let
it be remembered that he cannot be proved a liar,
unless he is liberated. Would you now go and
tell that man, Sir, because yon will not believe^
you shall never come forth from prison .'' But
do you not perceive that by so doing, you would
give the king the lie .'' It would be saying that
his promise was good for nothing, unless the man
would believe it. It would be contending that
the unbelief of this prisoner will make the king's
promise of none effect.

The other two prisoners exclaim, we believe
this second covenant, but it must bear some re-
semblance to the first, which is conditional. We
believe that we shall get out of this prison, if we

SALVATION BY FAITH. 61

continue to serve the king as we have heretofore,
by keeping his commandments. Here are two
men, trusting in the first covenant for deliverance.
They are trusting in the law. They are depend-
ing on their own love and faithfulness to the king
for redemption, and not on the king's love^ prom-
ise^ and faithfulness to them. Here then we see
the righteousness of the law in those two prison-
ers ; in another we see the effect of unbelief; and
in those three who remained disobedient under
the first covenant J we see the righteousness which
is of faith, when they heard the glad tidings of re-
demption in the second covenant.

At length the day of their redemption dawns.
They are all brought to the knowledge of the
truth. Those three prisoners, who w^ere saved
by faith in the promise, during those two years
of suspense, now find their faith lost in certainty.
Their salvation by faith has come to an end.
And so has the unbelief, condemnation, and doubl-
ings of the other three prisoners. In one w^ord,
the belief and unbelief of the six are lost in knowl-
edge, and they burst out in songs of deliverance.
So we perceive that a salvation by faith, and a
condemnation in unbelief, can last no longer than
till we come to the knowledge of the truth in
eternity.

Let us now apply this to the Scriptures. Man
sinned, and not only involved himself in guilt and

62 SHORT SERMONS.

misery, but was sentenced to that very death with
which God threatened him ; " Dust thou art and
unto dust shalt thou return." Here was the end
of the first covenant, and the termination of all
the miseries of life. It is evident from revela-
tion, as well as reason, that man at death drops
to a state of insensibility, and knows no more till
he is made alive in Christ, who is himself the
second covenant. The language of Scripture is,
the dead know not any thing, they sleep, — and
the apostle (in 1 Cor. xv.) reasons that if there
be no resurrection, then there will be no future
existence ; that they which are fallen asleep in
Christ are perished, that preaching was vain, —
faith was also vain, and that the Christians were
yet in their sins. On such language as this, I can
put no other construction than that the resurrec-
tion is our salvation and eternal life, our deliver-
ance from sin and imperfection. Under the first
covenant, the resurrection in Christ was not re-
vealed to the human family, and they remained
of course under the sentence of condemnation,
with no hopes of a future existence. " By the
offence of one judgment came upon all men to
condemnation." Obedience to the law was en-
forced by threatenings on the one hand, and prom-
ises of temporal rewards on the other, which were
communicated to the fathers by the prophets.
But God has in these latter days spoken unto

SALVATION BY FAITH. 63

US by his Son, and through him revealed the
second covenant, in which he "gave him the
heathen for an inheritance, and the uttermost parts
of the earth for a possession," and declared him
to be the resurrection and life of the world. If
in the divine counsels no Christ had been pro-
vided, the human family, it appears, would have
remained in eternal slumber. They would have
known but one covenant, which would have re-
warded and punished them according to their
deeds, and consigned them to the regions of the
dead. '' But since by man came death, by man
came also the resurrection of the dead."

God saw fit to keep the human family, for four
thousand years under the first covenant, without
the knowledge of eternal life, through the resur-
rection of the dead. But it was, at length, " made
manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus
Christ, who hath abolished death, and brought life
and immortality to light through the Gospel."
Yes, he first brought it to light, and through his
apostle declared, " In hope of eternal hfe, which
God, that cannot lie, promised before the world
began, but hath in due time manifested his word
through preaching." This promise of eternal hfe
all men are called upon to believe. The moment
they believe, they are saved by faith, and are at
peace ; and they that doubt are damned ; they
are alreadv under condemnation. But shall their

64 SHORT SERxMONS.

unbelief make God's promise of eternal life, of
none effect ? God forbid ; yea, let God be true,
but every man a liar. " For he hath concluded
them all in unbelief that he might have mercy
upon all."

We have now noticed the two covenants, —
the law and gospel, have pointed out the distinc-
tion between them, — shown that all conditions
are confined to the law, and that the gospel is un-
conditional, and justly requires our faith and confi-
dence. We will now bring to view the scripture
doctrine of salvation by faith, and show that di-
vine truth must have an existence before we can
be called upon to believe.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is based upon eternal and unchanging truth.
Truth is one of the attributes of Jehovah, and
the unshaken pillar that supports the throne of
eternity. In truth and righteousness he governs
the world, and by an omnipotent arm wields the
destinies of men. Truth is the sun of divine rev-
elation, pouring its beams on intelligent creation,
and calling upon all men to believe. If a man
assert that which does exist, it is a truth ; but if
he assert that which does not exist, it is a false-
hood. Whatever has an existence in the compass
of reality, is a truth to be believed, and what-
ever has no such existence, is a falsehood not to
be believed. It is beyond the power of man to

SALVATION BY FAITH. 65

create one solitary divine truth. All that he can
do, is to declare the existence of that which may-
be hidden from others, or relate some circum-
stances respecting that which does absolutely ex-
ist. An absolute truth must, therefore, be pre-
sented to the understandings of men, before they
can be called upon to believe it, or before they
can be called believers for embracing it, or un-
believers for rejecting it. No man can be an
unbeliever for rejecting that which does not exist.
We now commence plain argument, by using
great plainness of speech. In preaching the Gos-
pel of Jesus Christ, truth must be the foundation.
If, then, truth must exist before men can be called
upon to believe, the question arises, what is that
truth, which the second covenant reveals for the
behef of mankind : Answer, it is the record
God hath given of his Son. But what is the
record 9 Let John answer, "This is the record,
that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in
his Son." It then follows, that we are to beheve
that God has given us eternal life, in his Son, be-
fore the world began, and unchangeably promised
it. Paul says ; " In hope of eternal life, which
God, that cannot he, promised before the world
began." If we believe the record, we are in the
Scriptures recognised as believers, and are saved
by faith, and will of course exhibit in our life and
conversation, the righteousness of faith.
5

66 SHORT SERMONS.

The great error of many, who read the Bible,
consists in supposing there is but one salvation.
But there are two. The first is a special salva-
tion by belief in the promise, and the second is
our eternal salvation beyond the grave, where we
shall be brought to the knowledge of the truth,
involved in the promise, and to know shall be life
eternal. Faith shall then be lost in certainty.
Now, if we disbelieve the record, will that make
it false ? No ; our unbelief cannot alter the truth.
Let the record, then, be proclaimed to every
creature, saying, God has promised and given you
eternal hfe in Christ, before the world began, and
calls upon all to beheve it. But suppose they
should all reject it, saying. We do not believe one
word of it, would their unbelief make the prom-
ise or record false ? No. Would not then the
record prove true ^ It would. Then, the whole
world would, of course, receive that eternal life,
which is promised and given them in Christ.
No, says the objector, they will not believe. But
can their unbehef make God's promise of none
effect ? Can it put that truth out of existence,
and make it a falsehood ? We would ask the ob-
jector, what will they not believe ? Answer ;
they will not believe, that God has given them
eternal life in his Son. Very well ; then the
whole amount of the objection is, that God has
given them eternal life in Christ, but they will not

SALVATION BY FAITH. 67

believe it, and because they will not believe it,
tbey never shall obtain it ! Then we must con-
tend (if they never obtain it), that it was never
given to them, and if not given, then the record
is false ; because the record declares, that God
has given them eternal life in his Son. It then
follows, that their unbelief can make the faithful-
ness of God without effect, by rendering the
record he has given false.

But, says the objector, it ought to be stated
conditionally as follows, — God first calls upon
men to beheve, and if they will believe, then
Christ will become their Saviour, and then they
will receive eternal life in him, and 'not before.
But does not the objector see, that he has stated
no truth for them to believe, in order to make
Christ their Saviour ? 1 ask, what does God call
upon them to believe ? There must be some
truth presented, before men can be called upon
to beheve. God calls upon men to believe,
what ? That Christ is their Saviour ? But you
said he was not their Saviour, till after they be-
lieved. It then follows, according to the objec-
tor's statement, that he is not the Saviour of un-
believers. Now, do you not perceive, that if
you should call upon them to believe, that he was
their Saviour, you would call upon them to be-
lieve a lie ? — that you would call upon them to
believe what did not exist ? And what does not

68 SHORT SERMONS.

exist, cannot be true. Grant, says the objector,
that he is the Saviour of the world, still, as many as
do not beheve in him, shall never be saved. But
how can he be the Saviour of a man he never
saves .'* Two individuals are drowning in the
water ; you exert all your power to save them,
but fail. Can you call yourself the saviour of
those two men, from temporal death ? Impossi-
ble. In order for Christ to be called the Sa-
viour of the world, he must save the world ;
otherwise, there is not a shadow of propriety in
giving him that name. And John says, " We
have seen, and do testify, that the Father sent the
Son to be the Saviour of the world, " — " We
know, indeed, that this is the Messiah, the Sa-
viour of the world."

In our next, we will conclude this subject, and
trust we shall do it to the satisfaction of our rea-
ders.

SALVATION BY FAITH. 69

SERMON V.

SALVATION BY FAITH.
[Concluded.]

We now resume the argument in reference to
Christ the Saviour of men, as we proposed in our
last. We here inquire of the objector, — do you
then grant that he is the Saviour of all men, — the
Saviour of the world, as the Scriptures declare.^
If so, we assure you that he will save the number
of whom he is declared to be the Saviour. But,
replies the objector, he is not the Saviour of any
man till he believes. We ask, — till he believes
what ? Why, replies the objector, till he believes
that Christ is his Saviour, — if he believes so, it
will be so. Let us understand this ; — you say
he is not the Saviour of an unbeliever ; still he
must believe that he is, and that will make him so.
Then he must first believe a lie and that will cre-
ate a truth. This is (as Paul says) "^turning the
truth of God into a he." But let us notice the
record. " This is the record, that God hath given
to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." Do
you grant, that God has given eternal life in Christ
to every man ? No, says the objector. Very
well, then they cannot be called upon to believe
it. Finally, says the objector, grant that he has.

70 SHORT SERMONS.

This being granted, we would ask, whether they
will not come in possession of it, if God's promise
stands ? Certainly. But, replies the objector, it
is not theirs, till they believe. Then the record
is not true till they believe it ; because, on this
principle, they must first beheve, that they have
eternal life in Christ before it exists, and beheving
this lie will create it.

But, replies the objector, it is impossible that
any man has eternal hfe given him in Christ, till
he believes. We then ask, what truth do you
wish him to believe, so that he may obtain this
eternal life ? The fact is, there is none. He
must believe this truths itself, because it is the
record ; but this^ you have taken from him. You
cannot call upon a man to believe, till you admit
the existence of that very truth you wish him to
believe. In order fully to expose the inconsisten-
cy of this conditional salvation, we will introduce
an example. Suppose a father tell his servant, I
have a son in London, nineteen years of age, who
is in poverty and distress. I have given him in
my will five thousand dollars, and I promise that
it shall be put into his possession in two years.
It is recorded, and that record is true. Go, my
servant, and proclaim to him these glad tidings of
great joy, and call upon him to believe, so that he
may enjoy a salvation by fahh during those two
years of suspense, and be made happy, even

SALVATION BY FAITH. 7J

amidst his wants, by looking forward to the day
when it shall be put into his possession.

The servant sets out on his mission, and hon-
estly believes that he understands his errand. Be-
ing arrived, he addresses him as follows, — Son,
your father is very rich, and he has not willed you
five thousand dollars, nor given it to you on rec-
ord ; and he never will, unless you will first be-
lieve that he has. But, replies the son, according to
your message, if I should believe that he has giv-
en me five thousand dollars, I should believe a lie.
Let my father first give the money, deposit it in
some bank, send me evidence of the fact, and
with joy I will believe him. Well, replies the ser-
vant, you are a disobedient, stubborn unbeliever !
because, if you would only believe so, it would
be so, and you would have the money in two
years.

You perceive, dear reader, that this servant
has presented no truth for this son to believe.
He wishes to give him the impression, that the ob-
taining of this fortune depends on his believing^
and not on the testament record, and faithfulness
of his father. In fact, he denies the existence of
the father's will, and the record, and requires the
son to believe a lie so as to create the truth.
The servant does not understand his message, and
the son does not know on what certainty to rest
for the money.

72 SHORT SERMONS.

In the same manner we are called upon to se-
cure an interest, an eternal life, in the Saviour.
They will not admit its existence till we believe.
Then belief must create it. But may we spend
our last breath in convincing poor sinners that it is
already secured in Christ for them, so that they
may believe, and live by faith on the Son of God.

This father sends another messenger. He tells
this son of the goodness of his father, and that he
has willed him five thousand dollars, that the will
is put on record, and that this fortune will be put
into his possession in two years. The son does
not beheve it. Now he is an unbeliever. But
does his unbelief alter the truth of the will or of
the record. No. The certainty of his obtain-
ing the money, rests on the faithfulness of his kind
parent. This servant perseveres, uses convincing
arguments, and the son at length believes the rec-
ord, is saved by faith from all his miseries, and
rejoices with joy unspeakable. But his believing
does not make the record any more true than it
was before he believed it. It simply alters his
present condition by kindhng in his bosom the joys
arising from faith and anticipation. — We have
now answered the objections that would naturally
be brought forward by those who believe that our
eternal salvation is predicated on conditions. As
loorks are not the requirements of the Gospel, only
so far as they flow from faith in the truth, and as

SALVATION BY FAITH. 73^

faith must precede works, therefore the truth of
our eternal life in Christ must exist previous to
our believing. Consequently all conditions are
excluded from the gospel covenant.

We will now meet the objector on the doctrine
of election and reprobation, the substance of which
is as follows, — After man fell, God was pleased
to provide a Saviour for a part of the human fami-
ly. That elect number he chose in Christ before
the foundation of the world, gave them eternal life
in him, and for them only he tasted death. The
Gospel is now to be preached to the whole world,
and as long as they reject it, they are unbelievers.
But the elect shall, sooner or later, all be brought
to believe.

We will examine the foundation on which this
statement rests. To bring it clearly before you,
we will take an example. Suppose there is a con-
gregation of one hundred persons. Fifty of them
were elected to everlasting life, before the founda-
tion of the world, — were secured by a Saviour,
and the rest were reprobated to endless woe.
For them no Saviour was designed, and no eter-
nal hfe ever has, or ever will be, given them in
him. Suppose a sermon is preached to those one
hundred ; and the fifty, who are elected, believe
the record of their eternal life, are brought to the
obedience of faith, while the other fifty remain
unmoved. The preacher turns upon them and

74 SHORT SERMONS.

pronounces them unbelievers. But In what sense
are they unbelievers ? There has been no truth
presented to them, which they disbeheve. Must
they believe that Christ is their Saviour, or that
they have an eternal life in him ? But they would
in such case believe a lie. If they believed right
the reverse of the elect, — believed that God was
their enemy and that Christ was not their Saviour,
they would be believers. But if they believed
what the fifty converts did, they would be unbe-
lievers. We here repeat one premiss laid down
in our last discourse, — viz. In order for any
man to be styled a believer or unbeliever^ there
must first be presented some truth for him to em-
brace or reject.

Now either God has given us eternal life in
Christ before the world began, or he has not. If
he has, then we are unbelievers if we reject it.
If he has not given it, and should we still believe
that he has, we would then beheve a lie. But
neither our belief or unbelief can ever alter the
truth.

God has " chosen us in Christ before the foun-
dation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before him in love ; having predes-
tinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure
of his will." **=***'' Having made known
unto us the mystery of his will according to his

SALVATION BY FAITH. 75

good pleasure^- which he hath purposed in himself;
that in the dispensation of the ftdness of times, he
might gather together, in one, all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven and which are on earth,
even in him." Some apply the above to the
elect. But it embraces all things in heaven and
earth, which are to be gathered together in Christ,
and be new creatures. In addition to this, we
will introduce two more passages. " Who hath
saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not
according to our works, but according to his own
purpose and grace which was given us in Christ
Jesus before the world began." " In hope of
eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised
before the world began." In these Scriptures we
are assured ^irs^, that God chose us in Christ, be-
fore the foundation of the world ; secondly, that
he saved us according to his own purpose and
grace, before the world began, and thirdly, that he
promised eternal life before the v/orld began.
These things being embraced in his original plan
and purpose, their performance is therefore as
certain as that the whole plan of God will be car-
ried into execution.

There is, in my humble opinion, a strange in-
consistency in the common doctrine. They con-
tend that on account of the transgression of our
first parents, all mankind were fallen creatures, and
even came into existence totally depraved. To

76 SHORT SERMONS.

show the justice of God in this constitution of our
nature, they contend that Adam was our covenant
head, and had he maintained his original purity,
we should also have stood perfect in hohness, and
no one would have had any reason to complain.
Now since Adam has fallen, and involved us in
ruin, it is equally just in God, that we should share
the fate of our covenant head in the one instance
as in the other. But if we make use of this same
argument in relation to Christ, the second Adam,
— if we contend that he was the covenant head
of every man, that the covenant was not made
for this, but for the future world, — that this cov-
enant of grace being made between the Father
and the Son, was to stand independent of man, — •
that eternal life was promised and given us in him
before the world began, — that as our covenant
head, he resisted all temptations, and perfectly
fulfiled the law, — that he died, and appeared
alive beyond the tomb, free from temptation, and
in a holy and immortal constitution. If wecontend
for this, making use of their own arguments, say-
ing that it is just as rational that we should appear
in the image of Christ in the future world as that
we should come into this world in the image of
Adam, they will pronounce the argument, so far as
apphcable to Adam, sound logic, but so far as
this same argument of theirs is applied by Univer-
salists to Christ, they pronounce it perfect jargon.

SALVATION BY FAITH. 77

But, says the objector, there is one point you
have not settled, and I will here rest the whole
of my argument upon it. It is this, — God has
in no instance promised eternal life to unbelievers ;
and, unless you can prove that the promise does
extend to them, your arguments must fall like
rottenness to the ground. We have certainly
proved this, and to attend to the objector's re-
quest would but be, in some measure, going over
the ground already occupied. We will, however,
just touch this point again. We will introduce
the following words of Paul to Titus. " In hope
of eternal life which God that cannot lie promised
before the world began."

If God promised his creatures eternal life be-
fore the world began, w^ill they not obtain it ?
They will, for this passage says that he cannot lie.
But, says the objector, he has not promised it to
the unbeliever. We would then inquire, what is
it that constitutes him an unbeliever 9 Why do
you call him an unbeliever 9 Do you say because
he disbelieves the truth of God's promise ? Then
you must, of course, admit the truth of God's
promise to him. If so, it must stand, for God
cannot lie. You cannot call upon a sinner to be-
lievCj until you admit the existence of that very
truths you wish him to believe ; God's promise of
eternal hfe in Christ, is the gospel we are called
upon to believe, with a sincere heart. If you con-

78 SHORT SERMONS.

tend that it is promised to an elect number only,
and not to the reprobates, then if they should all
be brought to the knowledge of the truth, what
would they believe ? Ans. The elect would
believe the promise of eternal life was made to
them, the reprobates would believe right the re-
verse of the elect, and all would be believers !
No, says the objector, the reprobates ought to
believe just as the elect do. But in this case,
they would believe, that they also had the prom-
ise of eternal life. This v/ould be believing a lie,
because you say, God has not made them that
promise. How would you preach to such per-
sons ? If you call upon them to believe the truth
of the gospel, which is eternal hfe, you would
call upon them to beheve a lie. How can you
extricate yourself from this difficulty ? But, in-
quires the objector, how do you know, that God
has promised this eternal life to all ? Ans. Be-
cause the Scriptures do call all men either believ-
ers^ or unbelievers, in view of the promise, that
God has made. Take away that promise, and
belief or unbelief respecting it can no longer
have an existence. Believers and unbelievers
would be no more.

But, says the objector, this is not proof, that
eternal life is promised to an unbeliever. Well,
I am surprised at this assertion of my opponent !
First, I ask, what do you call a behever ? Ans.

SALVATION BY FATTH. 79

One who believes, that God has promised and given
him eternal life in Christ, before the world began.
Then of course an unbeliever must be one, to
whom God has also jDromised, and given eternal
life in Christ before the world began, but who
will not believe it. But, says the objector, this
cannot be. I would then ask whether eternal life
was not promised, and given in Christ to the be-
liever before he believed it ? Certainly. It must
have been a truth before he could believe. Well,
what was he at that time ? An unbeliever of
course. Then eternal life is promised to all, be-
cause it is the lack of faith, in that never failing
promise of Jehovah, that constitutes an unbeliev-
er. But, says the objector, a man "must do so
and so," or he cannot be saved. This is not
correct ; he must believe or he cannot be saved.
We are saved by faith in the promise, and are
permitted to look forward with satisfaction and
joy to an immortal existence, where we shall
be free from sin, sorrow, and pain. This faith
and hope fill the soul with love to God, and in-
duce us to break off our sins by righteousness.
So a salvation by faith can only be enjoyed in this
life, and is to end, when faith and hope are lost
in certainty, and in joy. Though only few are
saved by faith, yet all shall know the Lord from
the greatest to the least, whom to know is life
eternal.

80 SHORT SERMONS.

SERMON VI.

THE NEW BIRTH.

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God." John hi. 3.

As we have, in the last three sermons, dwelt
particularly on a salvation by faith, we will take
the liberty to introduce the subject of the new
birth next in order, as it will be more readily re-
tained by the reader in this connexion than other-
wise. Indeed, it bears a strong resemblance to
them so far as the subject of faith is concerned
in our present exposition. But whoever is a
careful reader of the New Testament will dis-
cover, that the subject of faith, and the genuine
repentance which that faith produces, are not of
trivial moment.

There is no subject of divine revelation, on
which more has been said, preached, and written,
than the one which we are now about to consider.
It has been brought forward by men of talents and
erudition, as an insuperable barrier against Uni-
versal Salvation, and their several adherents have
taken it for granted, that it can never be explained
in harmony with the sentiment, that all men shall
eventually obtain eternal life through the Redeem-

THE NEW BIRTH. 81

er of men. But these impressions have arisen
from the fact, that they have taken their own
views and explanations to be scripturally correct,
and from these premises, they have drawn con-
clusions utterly opposed to the final hohness and
happiness of God's intelligent creation. They
have supposed the new birth to be some mysteri-
ous change, produced by some mysterious opera-
tion of the divine Spirit on the mind, and that it
is in substance a miracle.

One denomination has contended, that if a man
once obtained this change he was safe, could
never " finally fall from grace," but would, event-
ually, land in the kingdom of immortal glory.
Several other denominations admit the new birth
to be the same change already noticed, but con-
tend, that the subject may fall from grace and be
finally lost. Here, then, the man who was, ac-
cording to their views, born again, might still
never see the kingdom of God beyond the grave.
On this principle, the new birth would be no se-
curity, that any one would obtain heaven. Ac-
cording to this sentiment, a man might be born
again, fall away, and be bom again, " until seven
times," and in the end not see the kingdom of
God. Those who advocate this sentiment, be-
lieve that faith and repentance are prerequisites
to the new birth, and also believe in the salvation
of infants.

6

82 SHORT SERMONS.

This being so, it will come to pass, that half of
the world will be saved, inasmuch as about that
number die in what may be justly termed an in-
fant state. But of those who come to years of
accountability, they believe but few will be saved.
So the greater proportion of those who will final-
ly surround the throne of God, will be those,
who have never been born again, according to
their views ! It will not, I presume, be contend-
ed, that infants who, they believe, are totally de-
praved, ever exercise faith, or experience the
new birth in this life.

From the above views, I shall take the liberty
to dissent, and may probably differ some from
the expositions given by Universalists. It is
evident, that Jesus Christ, in his instructions, fre-
quently brought forward some natural fact, plainly
understood by those whom he addressed, in order
more clearly to illustrate his subject, and then
made his illustrations so nearly resemble that nat-
ural fact, that no man could possibly misunder-
stand him, unless he had been led into tradition
by Wind guides. In the context, he makes allu-
sion to natural birth, of which every man knows
the meaning, and says to Nicodemus, " That
which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which
is born of the Spirit is spirit."

Natural birth presupposes the perfect formation
of the human body by that secret energy of na-

THE NEW BIRTH. 83

ture, God only can comprehend. But that form-
ation, itself, is not birth. Birth is that operation
which introduced us into this world. We are
now flesh and blood, which cannot inherit the
kingdom of God. What is born of the flesh is
flesh. We must now be born again, from mortal
to immortality, otherwise we could not see the
kingdom of God.

Must not man be born of a woman in order to
see this world ? Can he look upon the beautiful
objects of creation, or contemplate these count-
less wonders of the Almighty, before he is born
into being ? He cannot. All without exception
will admit, that it is impossible for any man to
enter this natural world, in which we live, with-
out birth. So it is equally impossible to enter the
kingdom of God, without being born again in the
strictest sense of the word. A man cannot " be
born again " ten, or twenty years, nor even one
day, before he sees the kingdom of God, any-
more than he could be born twenty days, before
he came forth out of the womb. As natural birth
cannot take place any given time, before we en-
ter this world, but is the very thing that introduces
us, so a second birth cannot take place any given
time, before we enter the kingdom of God, in
the next world, but is the very thing, that shall in-
troduce us into it ; and the moment we shall be
born again, we shall see it, — we shall be spirit,

84 SHORT SERMONS.

and beyond the dominion of death and sin. He
that is born of the flesh is flesh, so long as he
lives ; and he that is born of the Spirit is spirit.
As we now "bear the image of the earthy,"
through a na^itra/ birth, "so we shall also bear
the image of the heavenly," through a spiritual
birth. And as no man in this world is a spirit,
so no man has in reality, passed the new birth.
When we were born into this world, we were
brought from insensibility to an existence entire-
ly new. So in order to enter the kingdom of
God, which is not of this world, we must be
born again, from the insensibihty. of death, into
a new and happy existence beyond the grave.

The question now arises, when shall this new
birth take place ? We reply, when this mortal
shall put on immortality, through a resurrection.
When we shall be aroused from the sleep of death
to a percipient existence in heaven, when we
shall awake satisfied with the likeness of God.
Paul, in 1 Cor. xv., plainly states, that the spir-
itual body shall be put on after death. Birth
then must/oZZoMJ, not precede, that spiritual body.
It is impossible, that birth should take place, till
the body is first prepared. Man's natural body
is organized in the womb, and then born into this
world. He drops to a state of insensibility, in
death ; the organization of the spiritual body
takes place, to the natural eye imperceptible,

THE NEW BIRTH. 85

and in its nature indestructible. It is brought
forward through a resurrection, similar to the
grain of wheat to which Paul compares it, is
awakened to a conscious existence, and bears the
image of the heavenly, as it once bore the image
of the earthy. The resurrection is therefore
every moment going on, and every man is raised
in succession.

But, says the reader, if the resurrection be the
new birth, then Christ himself must have been
born again in order to enter the kingdom of
God ! Certainly. But, inquires the reader, where
do the Scriptures teach, that Christ was ever born
again ? In Colossians i. 15, are these words, —
" Who [Christ] is the image of the invisible
God, the first-born of every creature." This
cannot mean, that he was the first born into this
state of existence ; but he was the first one whom
human eyes ever saw alive beyond the destruc-
tion of death, to die no more, and the only one
that mortal eye will ever see, for he arose in his
natural body, (being the only true witness, ap-
pointed of God,) to bring life and immortahty
to light through the Gospel.

But that passage, says the reader, does not
satisfy me, that Christ was born again. Then
listen once more, — verse 18, " who is the be-
ginning, the first-born from the dead, that in all
things, he might have the preeminence." Rev.

86 SHORT SERMONS.

i. 5. " Jesus Christ the faithful witness, and the
first-begotten from the dead." Here, it is plainly-
stated, that he is ^' the first-born from the dead,"
" the first-begotten from the dead." These
Scriptures, in connexion with several others, that
might be quoted, prove that Christ was born
again, and that the resurrection is called birth.

It is evident, that man falls to a state of insen-
sibility in death, and remains in sleep, till the
spiritual body is formed by the power of God,
out of those subtle materials, that at death pass
into hades; and when the organization is com-
pleted, the new being is born into the kingdom
of immortal glory. A drowning man, we know,
falls to a state of unconsciousness. Fainting, —
yes, even a night's sleep proves, that the mind is
susceptible of faUing into insensibility, or sus-
pending its mental operations, and disproves the
notion of its entering a future state, only through
a resurrection of the dead. This fact is not only
substantiated by reason, but it is the doctrine of
Revelation. The wise man says, " the dead
know not any thing." Paul, in 1 Cor. xv., pre-
dicates the truth of our resurrection on the fact,
that Christ rose from the dead ; and on this
ground he reasons, that if there be no resurrec-
tion, then preaching is vain, faith is also vain, the
Christians were yet in their sins, and they, that
were fallen asleep in Christ, were perished ; and

THE NEW BIRTH. 87

concludes by saying, " let us eat and drink, for
to-morrow we die." Suppose a Christian should
this moment die, and, according to common opin-
ion, enter immediately on an immortal existence.
Could we now say, if there be no resurrection,
he is fallen asleep in Christ, and perished ? No,
because, instead of being perished, that is, annihi-
lated^ he would remain in infinite happiness and
glory, even if there should never be any resur-
rection. So you perceive, that Paul did not be-
lieve any one could enter eternity only through
a resurrection. He believed, they would fall
asleep in Christ, and in that sleep remain, till in
Christ they were made alive. He embraces the
whole in the following words, — " Since by man
came death, by man came also the resurrection
of the dead."

When the sentence of death was pronounced
upon Adam, which was to pass upon all men, the
promise of a Saviour then made, was, it appears,
not understood. Their posterity looked forward
for a temporal king, and had no idea of an im-
mortal existence beyond the "narrow house."
Death, the king of terrors, was not yet disarmed
of his sting, by the resurrection of our triumph-
ant Redeemer. This truth was not yet revealed
to men. Here the human family were without
hope, and trembling at the darkness, the seven-
fold darkness, of the tomb. No ray of light and

88 SHORT SERMONS.

joy beamed from beyond that cheerless mansion
to ease the aching heart, or dispel that melan-
choly gloom, which pervaded the parental bosom,
when gazing for the last time upon the struggles
of a dying child.

Here was a world born into existence, under
the certain sentence of death, and groaning, in the
bondage of corruption, without any hope of be-
ing delivered from it, by an immortal birth, " into
the glorious liberty of the children of God." In
this period of anxiety and distress, the glad tid-
ings were proclaimed to the shepherds on the
plains of Judea, announcing the birth of the Sa-
viour of the world. A new birth, which is not
mentioned in the old Testament, was at length
proclaimed by a Saviour in the neio. He died
on the cross, and was " the first-born from the
dead."

He is the head of every man, by the grace of
God, tasted death for every man, and rose again
for their justification. The Scriptures declare,
that " we shall be saved by his life ; " that he is
"the bread of God, that cometh down from
heaven, and giveth life to the world." He is our
way, our truth, and life, and " because he lives we
shall live also." " As in Adam all die, even so
in Christ, shall all be made alive," or be born
from the dead. And he that is made alive in

THE NEW BIRTH. 89

Christ is a new creature ; old things are passed
away, all things are become new.

But, says the reader, though the resurrection
of Jesus is set forth by a birth from death, yet
the resurrection of the human family is never so
represented. You mistake. Out of the many pas-
sages that might be adduced, we have room, in
this discourse, for only one. It shall, however,
be satisfactory. In Romans, 8th chapter, Paul
says, " Because the creature itself, also, shall be
dehvered from the bondage of corruption, into
the glorious liberty of the children of God ; for
we know, that the whole creation groaneth and
travaileth in pain together until now." [We
would remark, that the word creature, is nrlaig in
the Greek, and is the same that is rendered cre-
ation in the next verse.] In this quotation, you
perceive, that Paul represents the whole creation
as groaning in travail pains, and declares, that the
whole creation shall be delivered from the bon-
dage of corruption, into the glorious hberty of
the sons of God. He compares them to a wo-
man travailing in pain, ready for delivery ; and
that they are delivered from corruption to incor-
ruption at the resurrection is certain. 1 Cor. xv.
42. It is sown in corruption, &c.

You now understand what I mean by the new
birth. It is to pass from death to life and im-
mortality, in Christ, beyond the grave, where

90 SHORT SERMONS.

flesh and blood can never enter. For that which
is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is
born of the Spirit is spirit.

We have now pointed out the new birth, and
shown that it bears some resemblance to the nat-
ural birth, with which Jesus compared it. And
how truly sublime and cheering the thought, that
the great family of man, who are all born into ex-
istence under the certain sentence of death, are
to receive a second birth, into an existence en-
tirely new, and that the whole of this dying fam-
ily are to be made the children of Jesus Christ
by adoption. So that he will at last say, here
am I and the children thou hast given me.

In our next, we shall notice the change we ex-
perience in this life, called in Scripture the new
birth, and explain the term, '' kingdom of God."

THE NEW BIRTH. 91

SERMON VII.

THE NEW BIRTH.

[Continued.]

In our last we have shown, that the spiritual
birth bears some resemblance to a natural birth,
with which Jesus compared it ; and as the first in-
troduced us into this world, so the second will
introduce us into the future and immortal world,
at the resurrection, where we shall be as the an-
gels of God in heaven, " be the children of God,
being the children of the resurrection.'^^ There,
we shall be completely free from sin and pain.
There, the gushing tear of sorrow shall cease to
flow, and the brow of disconsolate humanity be
ruffled no more.

We will now attend to the present effects, that
the truth of this birth has upon us here, and no-
tice, at the same time, the phrase, " kingdom of
God.''

The question now arises ; do not some expe-
rience the new birth in this life ? They do. But
in what sense do they experience it .'' Ans. by
faith. In this world we pass from death to life ;
not that we have actually been in the grave, and
brought to hfe beyond it ; but the behever ex-
periences this by faith. And this faith has a

92 SHORT SERMONS.

most powerful and happy influence on his affec-
tions, and consequently on his life and conduct.
All that God has revealed for the salvation of
the world ; our justification, our sanctification, our
new birth, our heaven, our all ; yes, all these im-
portant and heavenly changes are summed up,
and embraced in our immortal resurrection, and
will actually take place through death ; and while
in this world we can embrace them only by faith.
The Scriptures declare, that "• we walk by faith
and not by sight." Paul says, " the life which
I now live in the flesh, I hve by the faith of the
Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself
for me." Paul knew, that he had eternal life
given him in Christ, before the world began, and
faith in that glorious truth produced a happiness,
a divine life in his heart, called the kingdom of
God within. Let us notice these several points.
First; " Christ rose again, for our justification."
Our justification, then, exists in our resurrection
state, and will there, in all its reality, take place.
But cannot a man be justified here 9 Yes ; he
can be justified through faith in that truth. Sec-
ond ; " By the which will, we are sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ,
once for all." Our santification, then, by the will
of God, will take place through death. But,
cannot a man be sanctified while here 9 Yes ; he
can be sanctified through faith in that truth.

THE NEW BIRTH. 93

Third ; Christ was '' put to death in the flesh,
but quickened by the Spirit." So in his resur-
rection he passed from death to life, and thus re-
vealed the truth, that we shall also pass from
death to life, by the power of God, and be hke
him who is the ^' first-fruits." But, cannot a man
pass from death to hfe, while on earth ? Yes ; he
can pass from death to life, through faith in that
truth. Jesus says ; " He that heareth my word
and believeth on him that sent me hath everlast-
ting life, and shall not come into condemnation,
but is passed from death unto life." Fourth ; our
eternal life will be realized beyond death. " The
things that are not seen are spiritual and eternal."
But, can we not enjoy it here ? Yes ; " He
that beHeveth on the Son hath everlasting life ; "
that is, he enjoys it by faith. Fifth ; Christ was
the "first-born from the dead." So we, also,
shall pass the reality of the new birth. But can
we not enjoy it here ? Yes ; John says, " For
whatsoever is born of God overcometh the
world, and this is the victory, that overcometh
the world, even our faith.''''

Thus it is evident, that a man ma)^ in this life
be justified^ sanctified^ pass from death to life,
may enjoy eternal life., and be born agaiuj through
faith in these several correspondent truths. His
faith, however, can make them no more certain ;
because they must exist, and be solemn and unal-

94 SHORT SERMONS.

terable truths, before he can be called upon to be-
lieve them. If we are not, in our resurrection,
to be justified, sanctified, born again, and obtain
eternal life, then we cannot he justified, sanctified,
or born again here, through faith in those truths ;
because there would be no such truths in exis-
tence for us to exercise faith in. If the objec-
tor will not allow these truths unalterably to ex-
ist previous to believing, what then will he call
upon us to believe ? Will he call upon us to be-
lieve, that we have an eternal life in Christ, when
no such truth exists, and contend, that our be-
lieving this he will create the truth ? This would
be the most ridiculous absurdity.

But the truth exists, and the believer by faith
enjoys it beforehand. He enjoys it by anticipa-
tion, not in reality. It can be brought to his un-
derstanding or experience no other way only
through the gospel medium of faith. I challenge
the objector, to show me, between the lids of the
New Testament, any regeneration, new birth,
justification, or sanctification, that has already
taken place in any other sense than through faith.
All these things in their reality, are to take place
in our resurrection, when we shall be like the an-
gels of God, and by faith we bring them present
to our minds, and enjoy them here. Dr. Watts
says,

THE NEW BIRTH. 95

" Faith brings distant prospects home.
Of things a thousand years ago,
Or thousand years to come."

Paul, therefore, exhorts us to forget the things
that are behind, and reach forward to those that
are before, to press to the naark, &c., because
the reahty, the object of our faith, hes before us.
But persons, who do not understand the opera-
tions of faith on the mind, in view of its corre-
spondent truth, and who honestly believe, that the
new birth has in reality already taken place with
them, are always looking back to the time they
were born again, and telling over their " old ex-
periences." Now this is right in them, if they
have passed through the reality ; for every man
ought to look to the substance, in which he exer-
cises faith and hope. But certainly the Scriptures
exhort us to look forward, and anchor our faith
and hope within the vail, where our forerunner
hath for us entered. It is therefore certain, that
the reality exists there, and is yet to come.
Such persons, then, in looking back to their ex-
perience, are mistaking the birth produced by
faith, for the real birth itself. This is just as un-
reasonable, as it would be to suppose that the
foretaste we sometimes enjoy of immortal life, was
that life itself. It is true, we at times enjoy a
heaven on earth. But, as it respects the kingdom
of immortal glory, '' eye hath not seen, ear heard,

96 SHORT SERMONS.

neither hath it entered into the heart of man to
conceive the glory, that shall be revealed in us."
The reality is therefore yet to come, and by faith
we receive only an antepast of its joys.

From the above observation we infer, that the
resurrection is the only gospel faith and hope of
a future, happy conscious state of being. When
our minds are enhghtened to see the mighty
changes, that we mortals are represented in the
Scriptures of truth as destined to experience, by
being raised in a holy and deathless constitution,
we are then led to consider the resurrection as
embracing all those realities, which we are called
upon by Jesus Christ and his apostles to embrace
by faith and enjoy in this life. So great and
sublime is the gift of God, and so far surpassing
thought does it magnify the perfections of the
divine character, and in so amiable a light does
it manifest his love to the children of men, that
a hving faith in its reality cannot but exert a
salutary influence on our hfe and conversation.
So much stress did the apostles lay upon its im-
portance, that they went everywhere preaching
the resurrection of the dead, as the Gospel of
Christ.

There is one point, we will here notice. All
denominations acknowledge, that for any man, by
faith^ to pass from death to life, is a change for

THE NEW BIRTH. 97

the better. If so, then the reality^ namely, to
pass from the sleep of death to an immortal exis-
tence, must be a change for the better. Because
it is by believing that future reality we are said
to have passed from death to life here. The
conclusion is, unavoidable, that the reality must
correspond with its antepast enjoyed by faith.
To understand this, let us reverse it. Suppose
it should be an established law in the nature and
constitution of things, that all mankind should
pass from death to immortal misery in the future
world. Let this be revealed and proclaimed as
an unchanging truth. As many as beheved it,
would of course pass from death to immortal
misery in faith^ which would lead them to curse
the Being who made them and destined them to
this unhappy end. It would be a change for the
worse.

Our subject is now so far plain (according to
our views), that the phrase '-'- kingdom of God^^
will be readily understood. Though it has, by
different writers, been made to bear many differ-
ent significations, yet we shall take the liberty to
contend, that it has only tico^ and simply means
as follows. First, an immortal existence beyond
the grave, brought to light by the resurrection of
Christ ; and, second, a belief in that reality is
the kingdom of God we here enter and enjoy
7

93 SHORT SERMONS.

by faith. Into this kingdom infants, idiots, heath-
en, and unbelievers do not enter, because faith is
the only condition. This is the kingdom of heav-
en that men, blind leaders of the blind, shut up.
They neither enter themselves, nor suffer those
that would enter to go in. They keep the evi-
dence of the reality out of sight, so that men
cannot look beyond the vail to its brighter glo-
ries, and enjoy its peaceful reign in their hearts by
faith. When faith is lost in certainty, then this
kingdom will be delivered up, and to know, shall
be life eternal. This definition we beheve will
hold good, and apply to any passage in the New
Testament where it may occur. Though some
contend, that it very seldom has reference to an
immortal existence, yet we strenuously contend,
that there is no propriety in the phrase, only in
connexion with such an existence. We cannot
enter, or be born into the kingdom of God by
faith, unless we admit the reality in the first place
to have an existence, any more than we could, by
faith, enjoy eternal life, unless there is such a re-
ality as eternal hfe beyond the grave. The above,
the reader will please to fix in his mind.

We now perceive, that man drops into the
sleep of death, and that the resurrection or new
birth is his only hope of a future happy state of
existence, and is the only change that can free

THE NEW BIRTH. 99

him from imperfection and sin, and make him a
new creature, in a new and immortal existence
beyond the grave.

We will here introduce an example to make
our argument so far plain. Suppose you were
now in ignorance respecting the doctrine of life
and immortality, through a resurrection. You
know you must die, and sincerely think, that death
will terminate your existence forever. You see
your children, one after another, laid upon their
dying bed, and with distraction shake the farewell
hand of eternal separation, and, with the most
solemn melancholy and woe, look forward to the
period, when you must follow them down to the
chambers of eternal silence, and cease to be.

In this moment of dread, solemnity, and gloom,
suppose some kind angel should appear at the
bedside of your last expiring child, and kindly
inquire, why are you troubled .'' You answer,
because ray children have fallen ! the last of my
infant train lies panting for breath, and the dread-
ful hour has come, when all those silken affec-
tions, which bind our hearts in love, must be rent
asunder, and, in the awful bosom of death, be
extinguished forever ! Suppose your guardian
angel, smiling over the ruins of death, should point
you far beyond these changing scenes, and with
rapture exclaim, You shall meet this darling child

^IL^^O

100 SHORT SERMONS.

again and commingle with your little fallen flock
in glory ! You and they and all mankind shall
be born from the dead into the kingdom of God,
and be new creatures, free from sin and pain, and
"be the children of God, being the children of
the resurrection." Jesus your Lord "was the
first-born from the dead," and you shall pass from
death to life and live forever.

Now suppose you positively believed his words ;
could you not say in the Scripture form of the
expression, that through faith you were already
"passed from death to life ".^ that you were born
of faith, and by faith were in the kingdom of God ^
You certainly could, and it w^ould in every sense
of the word be true. Through faith you would
be justified, through faith sanctified; through faith
you would enjoy eternal life, in fine, through faith
you would be saved. This faith would give you
love unmeasured to your Creator, and fill your
soul with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
" Faith works by love, purifies the heart, and
overcomes the world."

Reader, do you not love the Lord for his won-
derful goodness to his children ? What glorious
hopes are here ! " and he that hath this hope in
him purifieth himself even as he is pure ; " you
now see why the Gospel rings whh the word faith
from one end to the other.

THE NEW BIRTH. 101

The world, previous to the coming of Jesus
Christ, had no knowledge of immortality through
a resurrection into the kingdom of God. The
phrase " born again j^^ is not mentioned in the
Old Testament, and of course means something
more than conversion. This subject will be con-
tinued in our next.

102 SHORT SERMONS.

SERMON VIIL

THE NEW BIRTH. '

[Continued.]

The literal rendering of this passage seems to
be, — except a man be born above. The word
above being substituted for again, more forcibly
demonstrates the correctness of my views in the
two former discourses.

Many charge the Universalists with denying
the necessity of a new birth, or regeneration. But
take from me my faith and hope in that glorious
truth, and I must at that moment resign the salva-
tion of every human being. Convince me that
not another child will be born into this world, and
you will, at once, convince me that this world will
shortly be destitute of every solitary inhabitant.
Convince me that a man will not be born again,
and you will not only convince me that no one
will ever enter the kingdom of God, but that the
many souls, that have already passed from the
stage of mortal being, and those that shall hereaf-
ter follow, will alike be consigned to eternal silence!
Endless misery is out of the question. That
could have had no existence, even had there been
no resurrection in him who is the life of the
world ; but death would have terminated the ex-

THE NEW BIRTH. 103

istence of all. Such a punishment is not threaten-
ed in all the writings of Moses and the prophets.
And we cannot reasonably suppose, if such were
a principal truth in revelation, that God would
suffer four thousand years to elapse without warn-
ing his creatures of such an awful doom. Upon
our first parents, for transgressing the law, he
pronounced all the miseries of life, and uttered
the closing sentence, " Dust thou art and unto
dust shalt thou return." Here the doctrine of
endless misery (if that be the sentence of the
violated law) ought to have been clearly stated
to the '' covenant head " of our race, so that the
same sentence might pass upon all that have sinned,
unless they complied with the conditions set before
them.

But we leave this point, and will notice the
5th verse, which may, perhaps, be considered as
an objection to my views, and urged as proof
that the new birth is wholly confined to this life.
"Except a man be born of icater, and of the
spirit," &c. What is here meant by " water " 9
Ans. Baptism by immersion. This, instead of
being an objection to my views, strengthens them.
Baptism in water is nothing more than a figure
of our death and resurrection, by ichich we mani-
fest our faith in the resurrection of the dead, by
which faith our hearts are baptized into the spirit
and truth of the gospel of Christ.

104 SHORT SERMONS.

Paul says, 1 Cor. xv. 29, " Else what shall
they do, which are baptized for the dead, if the
dead rise not at all .'' why are they then baptized
for the dead ?" Baptism being a figure of our
death and resurrection, is perhaps, in a gospel
sense, of as much consequence to Christians in
the present as in former days.

Christ went to John and was baptized of him
in Jordan. His being put under water signified
his death, when the condemning power of the law
under the first dispensation should lose its force,
— and his being raised out of the water signified
his resurrection from the cold Jordan of death to
immortal life in the kingdom of God, where the
victory shall be sung over death and sin ; and
over the law, which '' is the strength of sin.''
Having passed in figure through his own death and
resurrection, and having manifested to man that he
was baptized by the Holy Spirit into the faith and
" powers of the world to come," he perfectly
lived up to his obligation, by never committing
one sin. He went through life free from trans-
gression, as though he were already in eternity.
When his crucifixion hour approached, he said,
[Luke xii. 50,] " I have a baptism to be bap-
tized with, and how am I straitened " [Greek,
— pained] " till it be accomplished." Here he
had reference to his being buried in death, and

THE NEW BIRTH. 105

rising again from it, which would be the reality
of which his baptism in Jordan was but a figure.

To be put under water signifies our death, and
to be raised out again signifies our resurrection.
A person who is baptized ought therefore to
endeavour, as much as in him Hes, to live as though
he were already in his resurrection state. Enjoy-
ing in faith the baptism of the " Holy Spirit and
of fire," he ought to consider himself as dead to
the world and alive to God, walking in newness
of life.

Let us introduce Rom. vi. 3, 4. " Know ye
not, that so many of us as were baptized into
Jesus Christ, were baptized into his death .''
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism
into death ; that like as Christ was raised up from
the dead, by the glory of the Father, even so we
also should walk in newness of life." Here we
perceive they were baptized into his death, and
were rejoicing in hope of the resurrection, having
their hearts purified by faith in the reality. Acts
xxii. 16 ; '' And novv why tarriest thou ? arise, and
be baptized, and wash away thy sins," &c. Now,
it is not only a Scripture doctrine, but all denomi-
nations acknowledge, that baptism in water is an
emblem of the washing away of our sins. We
then ask ; are our sins to be washed in a stream
of water ? No. Where then ? The objector
saysj our sins^are taken away in this life, by the

106 SHORT SERMONS.

baptism of the '' Holy Spirit, and with fire."
This cannot be ; because Paul told the believers,
that if there were no resurrectfon, their faith was
vain, and they were yet in their sins. [See 1
Cor. XV. 17.] This proves, that behevers receive
the forgiveness of their sins in this life by faith
only, not in reality.

The question returns, are our sins washed away
in a stream of water ^ No. Where then ! Ans.
Through death and the resurrection, for that is
the real baptism. And it is certain, that the re-
ality must embrace all that the figure in water
teaches. We then solemnly ask the reader, if
baptism in water is a figure of our death and res-
urrection, and if that water baptism signifies the
washing away of our sins, will not then our sins
be washed away through death and the resurrec-
tion } Yes ; otherwise the figure in water has no
meaning.

Thus we perceive, that being born of the wa-
ter is no objection to our views of the new birth,
but affords them an unshaken support. If any
one contend, that the sins of our race are not to
be taken away through death, we would then ask,
where will the Christian's sins be washed away .''
The Scriptures declare, that "there is not a just
man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not,"
and if there is no change through death, then
there will not be a just' man beyond the grave,

THE NEW BIRTH. 107

that doeth good and sinneth not. But the bap-
tism with 'Uhe Holy Spirit, and with fire," in all
its solemn and interesting reality, will take place
through death and the resurrection ; and to exer-
cise a living faith in that truth, so as to influence
our life and conduct according to the spirit of the
Gospel, is what the Scriptures term being baptized
with the Spirit, and with fire, in this life. But this
present enjoyment is not the reality^ but an ante-
past of that reality ; because " we walk by faith,
and not by sight." It is immaterial whether the
Scripture speaks of pardon, of justification, of
sanctification, of redemption, of regeneration, or
baptism '' with the Holy Spirit and with fire," it
simply means, that those facts in the divine coun-
sels unchangeably exist, and will burst upon the
whole groaning creation in the resurrection world,
while the believer only enjoys them in this state
of being through faith, which baptizes him into
the spirit of Christ, But, if there be no resur-
rection, and nought is presented to our anticipa-
tion but the dreary prospect of a beamless eter-
nity, then " preaching is vain," "faith is also
vain," "Christians are yet in their sins," "and
they that are fallen asleep in Christ are per-
ished."

The taking away the sin of the world by the
Lamb of God, who is the resurrection and the
life, is through death. Through death, to our

108 SHORT SERMONS.

faith and hope, he has destroyed " him who hath
the power of death, that is, the devil." The
washing away of all sin, by the power of God,
is through death and the resurrection. Then^ and
not till then, shall the song of triumph be sung by
redeemed millions, — '' O death ! where is thy
sting ? O grave ! where is thy victory ? The
sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is
the law," &c.

All the figures of baptism point to death, all
the sacrifices for sin, slain under the law for four
thousand years, point to death, declaring that
without the shedding of blood there is no remis-
sion. There the reahty. lies. There we are
called upon to anchor our faith and hope, even
within the veil. And it must be a certain truth,
that our sins are to be washed away through the
Jordan of death, before we can be called upon
to believe it. It must be a certain reality, that
sin is there to be purged away, before we could,
with any propriety, use baptism in water as a
shadow of it ; because the shadow cannot create
the substance.

We have now shown, that as man is naturally
born into this world, so he shall be spiritually born
into the kingdom of God. We have shown by
comparison, that except a man be born of a wo-
man he cannot see this w^orld ; and, as this does
not mean, that he must be born twenty days be-

THE NEW BIRTH. lOQ"

fore he comes forth from the womb, as a prepar-
ation for entering this world, so the expression,
" except a man be born again he cannot see the
kingdom of God," does not mean, that he must
be born twenty days before death as a preparation
for entering a future existence. The new birth,
no more means a reality, that is to transpire here,
than natural birth means some change we under-
went prior to our being brought forth into life.

I believe in all the reformation or new birth
here, that others do, and believe in much more
to come. That change here, which they call the
new birth, I call the new birth in faith, or being
born of faith, while the solemn reality is yet to
transpire, and that is to be born from the dead in
Christ our head. These facts we will now make
plain to every reader by the following example,
so that our views on this subject may not be mis-
represented.

Suppose that before we were born we had
been able to conceive ideas. And suppose it
had been spoken to us by the Son of God ; Ex-
cept you are born of the flesh, you cannot see
the natural world, which is most beautiful to be-
hold, having sun, moon, and stars, and songsters,
fields, and groves. It has never entered your
heart to conceive the glory to be revealed in you.
Now suppose some of us had believed this reve-
lation, we would, that moment, have been born

110 SHORT SERMONS.

of faith, and rejoiced in hope of the glory to be
revealed in us ; and by faith have looked forward
to the reality. This, however, would not have
made our birth any more certain, because it must
have been an absolute truth before we could have,
with any propriety, beheved it. Suppose, fur-
ther, that some of us had rejected it ; would this
circumstance have prevented our being born ?
Certainly not. All of us, who believed, would
have been born of faith, having an earnest of the
reality, and the unbelievers w^ould have come
short of that enjoyment by faith ; but their unbe-
lief could in no sense make the truth of none
effect. The moment w^e were born, behef and
unbehef would be lost in certainty.

Now suppose, that some of us had said, the
Son of God has declared, "except we are born
of the flesh, we cannot see the natural world."
This must mean some great change we are to ex-
perience in the womb ; we must be born some
number of days before we enter the natural world,
as a preparation, otherwise we can never see it.

We now ask the reader, whether it would not
be folly to give to the word birth, such an expla-
nation ? The conclusion is unavoidable. We
then ask, whether it does not involve the same
folly to contend, in view of our text, (" except
a man be born again, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God,") that it means, he must be

THE NEW BIRTH. Ill

born again in this world, as a preparation for
another ? It certainly does.

We once more repeat it, that as natural birth
was the very thing that introduced us all into this
world of imperfection, sorrow, and pain ; so the
spiritual birth will be the very thing that shall in-
troduce us all into another, where imperfection,
sorrow, and pain shall be no more.

The poor heathen, and infants, and all, will
therefore be born again into the kingdom of God,
and " be equal unto the angels, die no more, and
be the children of God, being the children of the
resurrection.^^ The only advantage we enjoy
above them is, that we have heard the good
news, believed it, are " born again, not of corrup-
tible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of
God which liveth and abideth forever," and
*'• have entered into rest." We are rejoicing in
hope of the glory of God to be revealed in us,
while they are groping in darkness, inasmuch as
they cannot believe in him of whom they have
not heard.

112 SHORT SERMONS.

SERMON IX.

THE NEW BIRTH.
[Concluded.]

In our last three discourses we have endeav-
oured to lay our views of the new birth, thus far,
plainly before the reader, and wish him to bear
in mind, that the three sermons preceding those
on the new birth, are also to be read, and care-
fully kept in view, so that, from the whole con-
nexion, the Gospel doctrine of salvation by faith
may be made clear to his understanding. We
have dwelt so long, and laid so much stress upon
faith^ because it is the first Christian grace we
are exhorted to put on, and is the first assent of
the mind, to the great and interesting truth reveal-
ed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is life
and immortality for the human family.

We have shown, that the new birth has a high-
er signification, than simply to be converted from
the evil of our doings, as was required under the
first dispensation. The new birth, so far as it
concerns the present existence, embraces not only
conversion^ but the whole spiritual life of the
Christian's soul, denominated the kingdom of
heaven within. This mental felicity, this " weight
of glory," cannot be enjoyed, but by the exercise

THE NEW BIRTH. 11^

of a living faith in Christ. Such a faith begets a
sincere obedience in our life and conversation.
It is a faith "that works by love, purifies the
heart, and overcomes the world." The great
apostle to the Gentiles exclaims, " The hfe that
I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the
Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for
me." We, therefore, "walk hy faith, not by
sight. ^'

We have shown, that Christ was the '^first-
born from the dead," to show light to the people
and to the Gentiles, and that the whole creation
is groaning in travail-pains, and that it shall be
delivered from the bondage of corruption into the
glorious liberty of the children of God, and that
we shall then be as the angels of God in heaven.
We have shown, that all mankind, infants, idiots,
and heathen, shall be brought to realize this birth,
and that the believer, only, can enjoy it in this
state of existence through faith in the truth, and
that this faith has a most powerful influence on
his hfe and conversation, "being born of incor-
ruptible seed, by the word of God, that hveth and
abideth forever." We have shown, that neither
this birth, nor any of the spiritual changes, can
be experienced in this life only through faith in
their correspondent truths, even as they are re-
vealed to us in the Gospel of Christ. We have
shown, that by the phrase, " kingdom of heaven,"
8

114 SHORT SERMOi\S.

we were to understand, first, a holy, happy, and
immortal existence beyond the grave," incorrupt-
ible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserv-
ed for us in heaven," and which, with all its per-
fections and joys, was revealed to us by Jesus
Christ ; and, second, a sincere and living faith in
this interesting reality, produced that divine en-
joyment, called "the kingdom of heaven within
us," the kingdom of heaven among men, &c.
This kingdom the Pharisees "shut up," they
"neither entered it themselves, nor suffered those
that were entering to go in." That is, they pre-
vented the people from believing those interest-
ing realities, those sublime doctrines of a future
world, that their Messiah had brought to light
through the Gospel, for the present happiness of
men.

We have shown, that water baptism is but a
figure, a shadow of our death and resurrection,
or of the washing of regeneration and renewing
of the Holy Spirit, and that this figure is impor-
tant to us even in this present day. In fine, we
have shown, that if there were no future exist-
ence, if nought were held up to man, but the
di'eary prospect of a beamless eternity, he could
not be justified, sanctified, born again, pass from
death to life, or enter the kingdom of God through
faith, because in such case the objects of his faith
and hope would be annihilated, his faith would be

THE NEW BIRTH. 115

vain, he would be yet in his sins. In this view
of our subject, we perceive that Christ is but
the ''author and finisher of our faith," having
been ordained of God " to bring Hfe and immor-
tahty to hght," to set us an example for our imi-
tation and happiness here below, and to die and
rise in attestation of the truth involved in his
mission. Consequently his kingdom will be de-
livered up when faith and hope shall be lost in
certainty and joy.

It now remains, that we urge the importance
of the new birth through faith in the truth. And
here we shall probably meet with one objection
from the reader, viz. as we argued in Sermons
III., IV., and v., that faith was the first exercise
of the creature, and that no one could believe or
disbelieve what he pleased, the reader may then
ask. What necessity is there of urging the impor-
tance of the new birth through faith in the truth,
inasmuch as faith cannot be exercised at the
pleasure^ or simply at the loill, of man ? And
here we would remark, that the guilt of unbelief
does not consist in rejecting a truth after patient
investigation, by collecting all the evidences in
our reach ; but it consists in rejecting a truth
without examination of its evidences. For in-
stance, let the Gospel be preached to a heathen,
who rejects it without attempting to acquaint him-
self with the evidences upon which its truth is

116 SHORT SERMONS.

based. He is condemned for not believing, be-
cause he neglects the only means by which he
might be convinced of the truth. He declines
searching for evidence. Of the truth of this re-
mark we have a striking instance in the Scrip-
tures. Paul preached at Thessalonica, but they
heeded not his words. He preached also at Be-
rea, and the inspired penman says, " These were
more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that
they received the word with all readiness of mind,
and searched the Scriptures daily, whether these
things were so." It is our duty to search the
Scriptures prayerfully and "labor to enter into
that rest that remains to the people of God, lest
any of us through unbelief should seem to come
short of it." It is our duty to search for evi-
dence of the truth, at least, on all subjects relating
to our present happiness, and particularly those
that appertain to the future world. They are too
momentous to be treated with indifference.

There is nothing more important than that we
should exercise a living faith in a future and hap-
py existence beyond the grave. This alone can
afford the mind "joy unspeakable and full of glo-
ry." There is in every human bosom an unceas-
ing uneasiness, an aching void, that nothing on
earth can satisfy or fill. Old and young, ignorant
and learned, heathen and Christian, feel the same
dissatisfaction with the objects of momentary du-

THE NEW BIRTH. 117

ration. The heathen, in the midst of all his self-
denials and self-tortures to appease his gods, and
in the conscientious discharge of all his devotional
duties, is still a dissatisfied and miserable being.
God has so constituted the human mind, that it
cannot repose in error, however sincere may be
the faith it exercises. There is still a gnawing
vacuum within, that nothing but the powers of
truth can fill. Philosophy has endeavoured to
search out that system of moral duties, in the
rigid performance of which, that happiness, peace,
and joy might be found, for which all mortal be-
ings pant, with the same aspirations of strong de-
sire, but has sought in vain. From the earhest
ages, one system after another has been invented,
and in succession abandoned, but all have come
short of discovering any thing solid on which to
rest their hopes of earthly felicity.

Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our
faith, has alone accomplished what all the penetra-
tion of Pythagoras, and all the moral lessons of
Seneca and Socrates, failed to discover. AVith a
bold, firm, and untrembling hand he has drawn
aside the curtains of the tomb, and pointed the
human family to a second birth from the dark womb
of death into mansions of incorruptible felicity in
the kingdom of God, where they shall die no
more, and where all the inquietudes, appertaining
to this fleeting existence, shall be unknown. This

lis SHORT SERMONS.

future state of being he has not only revealed,
but has demonstrated its certainty by those incon-
testible evidences, which can never be shaken by
all the powers of infidelity combined. He has
burst the icy bands of death and risen triumphant
beyond its solemn shade, and begotten in us those
lively hopes, those fond desires, that ease the ach-
ing heart, — that communicate unbroken peace
amidst the various ills of life, and afford it divine
consolation and joy in the trying moment of death.
In those interesting truths the believer confides,
and in every condition in life is enabled to rejoice
in the hope, that when " this earthly tabernacle is
dissolved, he has a building of God, a house not
made with hands, eternal in the heavens. " In
this faith, man's countless wants are satisfied, in-
asmuch as God has secured his dearest interest.
In this faith the believer is entered into rest, is
born of God, and is translated into his kingdom.
He knows, that by faith he has passed from death
unto life, for his soul is filled with love to God
and man. This love, this divine enjoyment, is
the natural effect of faith, inasmuch as it works
by love, purifies the heart, and overcomes the
world. He is not only at rest respecting himself,
but at rest respecting his children and dear friends,
w4iom he may be called to follow to the land of si-
lence and the shadow of death. He stands at
their dying bed and whispers to them consolation,

THE NEW BIRTH. 119

in the joyful assurance, that he shall meet them
again beyond the dominion of death and pain in
the regions of glory. His bosom is the mansion
of those pure and holy affections and of those
subhme hopes, that none can know but those who
are thus born into the kingdom of God.

Reader, you must die. How important then
that you should faithfully and prayerfully examine
the Scriptures, so that tormenting fears, distraction,
and despair may not In that solemn moment, rend
the peace of your bosom to atoms. A sweet
peace and composure of soul in that trying hour,
are of incalculable worth. It is enough to strug-
gle with physical pain without the addition of men-
tal woes, which present neglect, and your igno-
rance of the truth and consolations of the gospel
of Christ, are sure to bring upon you. Perhaps
you are a father, and may be called to stand at the
death-bed of a beloved child. That child may-
call upon you as a parent to administer consola-
tion to Its departing spirit. He chngs to life, or
ardently desires to live forever in the mansions of
rest beyond the grave. But what consolation can
you impart, if you are yourself ignorant of the
doctrines of the gospel of Christ ? The heart-
rending prospect of endless wo, or the gloomy
horrors of annihilation, could afford no consola-
tion to that mind, which has the principles of glo-
ry deeply rooted in its nature, and which nothing

120 SHORT SERMONS.

but the continuance of existence can rationally
satisfy. As you value unbroken peace in the
hour of dissolution, and as you value the happi-
ness of these dear pledges heaven has lent you,
study for the evidence of Christian truth, search
the Scriptures, and labor to enter into that rest
that remains here to the beheving people of God,
who are born again and specially saved through
faith in the truth.

This labor is not only important in view of the
solemn hour of death, but important in view of
the Hfe you here live in the flesh. Happiness is
the ultimate pursuit of all mortal beings. They
vainly imagine, that it can be found in riches,
honors, and titles ; yes, even imagine that it can
be found in the hard ways of the transgressor.
Though sensible, that v/orlds before them have
failed, and gone down to the grave with the pangs
of disappointed hope, yet man is so strangely in-
consistent as still to believe, that these earthly
pursuits contain some hidden charm, which he
flatters himself he shall find, even though all be-
fore him have failed. Here is the delusion, kind
reader, of which you are cautioned to beware.
There is no happiness but in the path where the
hand of mercy has sown it, no happiness but in
the objects where God has placed it. It is no-
where to be found but in the enjoyment of the
religion of Christ. This will sweeten every earth-

THE NEW BIRTH. 121

ly pursuit, make every burden light, afford solid
enjoyment in life, and divine consolation in the
hour of death. Flatter not yourself that there
is any happiness beneath the sun, aside from this.
" There is no peace, saith my God, to the wick-
ed," and he who says there is contradicts Jeho-
vah, and is yet " in the gall of bitterness and in
the bond of iniquity." A speculative faith is of
but httle consequence, so long as it does not in-
fluence our life and conversation for the better.
We must believe to the saving of the soul from
the evil of the world. " Then shall thy light
break forth as the morning, and thy righteousness
shall go before thee, and the glory of the Lord
shall be thy rere-ward."

122 SHORT SERMONS.

SERMON X.

ON A GOOD NAME.

" A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and
loving favor rather than silver and gold." Prov. xxii. I.

A GOOD name involves all that can render man
exalted and amiable, or life desirable. The good
opinion of mankind has, in all ages, been consid-
ered as a blessing of the first magnitude, and has,
in various ways, been sought for by all. There
is no man so dishonest, but that he labors to im-
press upon others the conviction of his honesty ;
no man so deceptive, but that wishes to be con-
sidered sincere ; nor cowardly, but desires to be
reputed brave ; and no man is so abandonedly
vicious, but that he desires to be considered virtu-
ous by his fellow-creatures. All choose a good
name in preference to a bad one. This being a
fact, the appearance of virtue is kept up where
the reality is w^anting, and the shadow is often
mistaken for the substance.

There are many at heart insincere and false,
who pass in society generally for persons of sin-
cerity, candor, and virtue, while their real princi-
ples are known only in their own families, and
among their confidential friends. They desire a
good name, and outwardly maintain it, while they

ON A GOOD NAME. 123

in reality but little deserve it. In order to know
what a man really is, we must be acquainted, not
only with his public but his private character.
In his own family every man appears what he
really is. There the heart, word, and action are
in unison. They embrace each other. In pub-
lic, they too often separate ; and the word, or
action, speaks what its divorced companion, the
heart, does not feel.

Such not only literally choose, but often bear,
a good name. But this is not the choice suggest-
ed in the text. All men, even the most vicious,
in some sense or other, choose a good name.
But the passage under consideration has a higher,
a nobler aim, than a mere choice^ unconnected
with virtuous principle and action. It has a high-
er aim, than to encourage men to be rotten at
heart, and by an outward, hypocritical manoeuvre,
maintain a good name among their fellow-crea-
tures. By the text, we are to understand, that a
man should early cultivate, in his heart, a virtu-
ous principle, as the pure source from which all
those outward actions spring, that justly merit the
esteem of mankind, force approbation even from
the vicious, and thus entitled him to that good
name, which is far above all price. This will not
only afford its possessor unbroken peace, arising
from the inward consolations and joys of virtuous
sincerity, but it will also open to him another rich

124 SHORT SERMONS.

fountain of felicity, arising from the consideration,
that he enjoys the confidence and esteem of the
great and the good^ with whom he is conversant
in hfe, of his intimate friends, of his companion
and children, and above ah, the smiles of kind
heaven and the approbation of his God. His
life is calm ; his sleep is sweet and associated
with golden dreams. No fearful spectres haunt
his brain, but the kind angel of mercy is ever at
his side. He looks forward to death undismayed,
yes, with satisfaction and composure looks be-
yond that dark scene, to brighter worlds and more
substantial joys. He feels the assurance, that
even when he shall be here no more, his name
shall live in the hearts of those he left behind, be
embalmed in the memory of the just, and that it
is beyond the power of rolling ages to sully it.
This is what we understand by choosing a good
name, as stated in our text.

Of the truth of this, there can arise no misappre-
hension when we compare it with the subsequent
phrase, with which it is contrasted; "a good
name is rather to be chosen than great riches,
and loving favor rather than silver and gold.^^ By
the choosing of riches, we are to understand, not
only a desire to obtain them, but, that this desire
shall be sufficiently strong to prompt us to use all
the honorable and efficient means in our power
to accumulate them. The wise man did not

ON A GOOD NAME. 125

mean, that every man had the offer of a fortune,
and could possess himself of it by simply making
choice of it, independent of means. No, his
choice must be manifested by industry and econ-
omy. The means must be used to secure the
end. Just so in acquiring a good name. The
person desirous of obtaining it, must pursue that
upright and virtuous course of conduct, which
alone could insure it. And just as well might a
man expect riches by being indolent and extrav-
agant, as to expect a good name by indulging in
every species of vice. We are therefore to un-
derstand our text thus ; A good name^ through
pursuing a virtuous course of conduct, is rather
to be chosen than great riches, through the plans
and means by which they are obtained.

Man is a being of many wants, and, to supply
them, he is too much inclined to forsake the path
of virtue, and resort to dishonorable means to
obtain wealth.

In view of this master-passion for earthly splen-
dor and greatness, Solomon uttered the words of
our text, to recall the giddy mind from its chase
of shadows, and turn it to the only source of un-
mingled felicity, in the pursuit of virtue. This
would afford the mind those rational delights, that
wealth, w^ith all its dazzling splendors, cannot im-
part. It does not possess the charm to convey
unbroken peace to the heart.

126 SHORT SERMONS.

But there is a strong inducement to engage in
a virtuous course, because it is the surest road to
weahh and honor. The thief and robber were
never rich, nor could they be happy if they were.
x\n excellent writer observes, the importance of
a good character in the commerce of life seems
to be universally acknowledged. To those who
are to make their own way either to wealth or
honors, a good character is as necessary as ad-
dress and ability. Though human nature is often
degenerate, and corrupts itself by many inven-
tions, yet it usually retains to the last an esteem
for excellence. But, even if we arrive at such an
extreme degree of depravity as to have lost our
native reverence for virtue, yet, a regard to our
own interest and safety will lead us to apply for
aid, in all important transactions, to men whose
integrity is unimpeached. When we choose an
assistant or a partner, our first inquiry is concern-
ing his character. When we have occasion for a
counsellor, an attorney, or a physician, whatever
we may be ourselves, we always choose to trust
our property and lives to men of the best char-
acter. When we fix on the tradesman, who is
to supply us with necessaries, we are influenced
by fair reputation and honorable dealing. Young
men, therefore, whose characters are yet unfixed,
and who consequently may render them just such
as they wish, ought to pay great attention to the

ON A GOOD NAME. 127

first Steps they take on entrance into life. They
are usually careless and inattentive to this object.
They pursue their own plans with ardor, and
neglect the opinions which others entertain of
them. By some thoughtless action or expres-
sion, they suffer a mark to be impressed upon
them, w^hich no subsequent merit can entirely
erase. Every man will find some persons, who,
though they are not professed enemies, yet view
him with an eye of envy, and who would gladly
revive any tale to which truth has given the slight-
est foundation.

Though a good name is rather to be chosen
than great riches, and is the surest road to wealth,
yet there are thousands.^ who pay but little atten-
tion to possess themselves of so valuable a treas-
ure. They turn a deaf ear to that hallowed voice,
which pleads with them in behalf of their dearest
interest, and take the downward road of dissipa-
tion and vice, and, by their wretched example,
lead other thousands to the dark abodes of sor-
row, grief, and pain. Enchanted by the siren
voice of false and fleeting pleasure, they hurry to
that tremendous precipice, where reputation and
fortune lie in broken ruins. There they drag out
a wretched existence in disappointed hope, sati-
ety, and disgust. They pay their devotions at
the shrine of ignominy, where the dark and stag-
nant waters of guilt and damnation roll. There

128 SHORT SERMONS.

the sweet voice of heaven-born peace was never
heard, and the beauteous feet of religion never
trod ! There dwells the family of pain ; there is
the hell we are cautioned to avoid. This is not
an illusion of fancy, it is no reverie of the brain,
but a reality too visible in the pathway of human
life.

Thousands, in this condition, are hurrying to a
premature grave, and go down to that dark abode
covered with infamy, having robbed themselves
of all the substantial joys, that a virtuous conduct
and a good unsullied name are calculated to awak-
en in the heart. Dissipation darkens the bright-
est prospects of life. It rolls its floods of mis-
ery indiscriminately over the dearest earthly
hopes of companions, children, and friends, and
paralyzes every pulse of joy, that beats in the hu-
man bosom. Many a child has been spurned
from the presence of its brutal father, and been
beaten for asking bread to satisfy its hunger. In-
temperance stupifies man to the moral impressions
of the Gospel, and hardens the heart with the
touch of its benumbing powers. It is the giant
of human woe, that slays his thousands and pros-
trates the happiness of man. This champion of
human war draws his sword of vengeance against
the balmy repose of public and private life, and
his fatal touch withers the brightest flowers of
domestic hope and joy, and mingles the poison-

ON A GOOD NAME. 129*

ous bowl with the bitter drugs of misery. His
government is absolute monarchy, and his sub-
jects the most contemptible slaves. When he
lays upon them his cursed hand, they reel to the
ground. When he strikes the stunning blow,
they drop insensibly to the earth. The oppres-
sions and scourges of the most wretched slave
are enviable, in comparison with those severe
wounds inflicted by this merciless tyrant, this in-
fernal scourge, of the human race. Intemperance
is a monster, that may well be personified. He
frolics through the blood, preys upon the vitals,
ploughs up the brain, dethrones reason, and laughs
at the feeble resistance of the best constitution,
and finally bears down all opposition before him.
Like the devouring flame, he presses on with
irresistible force, urging his deadly siege, till he
consumes all that is fair and lovely in the eye of
virtue. His present gifts are poverty, misery, and
distress, and his capital prize a premature grave.
This champion is ravaging our beloved coun-
try, and seducing her sons of freedom to the dis-
graceful ranks of slavery and oppression. In-
temperance is that tyrant, that has under his con-
trol many formidable evils that infest the world.
His boasted labor is to hurry on thousands of
victims to the commission of crime, and bring
down upon them the many misfortunes that attend
man in this mutable world. Intemperance in-
9

130 SHORT SERMONS.

volves public broils, tumults, and disturbances,
and donnestie discord, misery, and strife.

We trust the number among our readers is
small, who are so regardless of a good name as
to have abandoned themselves to the intoxicating
bowl, or who have sundered all the ties of moral
obligation, determined to tread the downward
path of vice to a disgraceful tomb. We hope
they have a higher regard to the invaluable w'orth
of a good name ; and we pray, that they may
venerate its price far above the momentary glitter
of silver and gold. That shall live, when wealth
shall have lost its lustre ; that shall flourish im-
mortal, when gold shall have corroded to dust.

Blasphemy is another unreasonable vice, against
which the public speaker or writer should raise
his voice. And let no one flatter himself, be-
cause we believe in the universal and unbounded
goodness of God, that a man may go on as he
please. So long as a Being of infinite wisdom
is enthroned in the heavens and governs the uni-
verse, so long he can never fail to measure out to
every oflience its adequate punishment, and has
all the means at his disposal to bring it unavoid-
ably upon the head of every transgressor. He
who flatters himself that he can sin with impuni-
ty, is ignorant of the government of his God,
and has never reflected upon human life in all its
varied lights and shades. Do you profess to be

ON A GOOD NAME. iSl

a Universalist, and yet treat with irreverence the
name of HIM, who made you, and whom you
acknowledge to be a faithful Creator, an indul-
gent Father ? Your professions are nothing.
" He that hath this hope in him purifieth himself,
even as he is pure." That very breath by which
he inflates the lungs, can you breathe it back in
blasphemies against his holy name, which angels
never pronounce but with veneration and awe ?
Choose, O choose a good name, which can only
be obtained by choosing a virtuous course of con-
duct. However lightly you may treat your own
station in life, or however much you may disre-
gard the dignity of your nature, yet remember the
station you hold, however obscure, is stamped
with responsibility. You are surrounded by a
generation of youth, among whom are your own
children, ready to imitate your example. Do
you wish them well ? Then guard your heart
and life, by setting a reasonable value on a good
name, and remember you cannot move without
touching some string, that may vibrate long after
your head rests on its cold pillow of earth.

132 SHORT SERMONS.

SERMON XI.

ON A GOOD NAME.
[Concluded.]

In this discourse, we shall more fully show why
" a good name is rather to be chosen than great
riches."

Though wealth is desirable, and in many in-
stances conducive to human happiness, because
it puts it in our power to relieve the wants and
distresses of our fellow-creatures, yet it does not
possess the charm to convey unbroken peace or
solid joy to any bosom. The value of any thing
within the range of human action, is to be esti-
mated by its usefulness in promoting the happi-
ness of man. That, which pours the most nu-
merous and refined enjoyments into the soul, is
to be considered of the greatest worth ; and that,
which has a tendency to bring upon us the most
alarming miseries, misfortunes, and woes, is of
course the most worthless. The one is to be
fondly chosen, and pursued in proportion to its
worth in administering to our enjoyments, and the
other is to be avoided in proportion to its unhap-
py effects in multiplying our sorrows. This be-
ing an undeniable fact, the superlative value of
a good name, procured by a virtuous course of

ON A GOOD NAME. 133

conduct, appears, at once, to transcend all other
considerations. A pure, unsuUie-d conscience be-
fore heaven, is the most permanent bliss that a
rational being can enjoy, and is of that enduring
nature which no earthly power or misfortune can
destroy. It supports us in the hour of adversity
and trial ; it comforts us in the dark hour of sor-
row ; it remains unmoved amidst the storms of
life, and lights up the smile of satisfaction on the
lips of the dying.

Nor is this all. It affords us other unruffled
streams of unmingled felicity in the common in-
tercourse of life. The approbation of the wise
and the good, the confidence and esteem of our
friends and associates, and the good opinion even
of the vicious, are consideration of no ordinary
moment. They awaken emotions in the heart
of the most pleasing gratification, and open in the
soul all the avenues of heaven-born felicity, im-
parting that peace, which this world can neither
give nor take away. But as it respects wealth,
we would remark, that though it may communi-
cate happiness by enabling us to relieve the wants
of our fellow-creatures, and afford us many joys
in the indulgence of our benevolence, yet it can-
not of itself communicate happiness, but virtue
can. A wicked and unprincipled man is wretch-
ed, though he roll in all the weahh and splendors
that earth can give. He feels in his bosom a

134 SHORT SERMONS.

burning flame^ that all the streams of wealth can
never quench, and a craving desire^ that nothing
on earth can gratify. If his "great riches " af-
ford him any enjoyments, yet these are by no
means permanent and lasting. The desolating
flame may lay them in ruins, the storms on the
ocean may sink them in its waves, the famine or
blighting mildew may wither them forever, and
leave him stripped of all his fancied joys. But
nothing of this can happen to virtue That re-
mains forever unharmed amidst the shocks of
earth. A good name is, therefore, of inconceiv-
ably more value than riches, and rather to be cho-
sen than silver and gold.

We are formed for society. God in the be-
ginning said, " It is not good that man should be
alone." This being a fact, which all past expe-
rience, and the history of our whole race demon-
strate, it is, therefore, equally true, that our dear-
est enjoyments flow from the social affections and
from a sincere cultivation of the social intercourse
of life. There is, perhaps, not a human being in
existence, who would accept of all the wealth of
the Indies on the condition, that he should not be
respected by a single individual on earth. This
circumstance shows us, in noonday light, the su-
perior value of a good name above all the glitter-
ing appendages of wealth. Every man is be-
loved, and esteemed in proportion to his good-

ON A. GOOD NAME. 135

ness and usefulness in the world, particularly by
those with whom he associates in life. If, then, to
love and to be beloved depend on our conduct in the
world, and if, at the same time, our happiness is
derived from the exercise of reciprocal attectiorl,
we see the importance of pitching upon that
course of life, which alone can secure those sol-
id pleasures resulting from a well spent life.

Too many persons suppose they can be happy
in sin ; yes, even in criminal indulgence. But
that transgressor was never yet found, who could
point to a single wicked act in his life, the re-
membrance of which ever imparted one solitary
gleam of joy to his heart. They may fancy there
is happiness in sin ; but here is the deception.
It is immaterial what some may preach about the
pleasures of sm, and the satisfaction the trans-
gressor often takes in a wicked course^ yet all this
amounts to nothing, so long as the voice of heaven
declares, " there is no peace, saith my
God, to the wicked." Infinite wisdom must
know^ and infinite wisdom has given the decision,
and that decision is stamped with immortality, and
from it there is no appeal. If we impress the
sinner with the idea that he is not punished and
rewarded here^ but that the whole is to be settled
in the future world, then we, in the same propor-
tion, weaken the force of virtue and strengthen
the cause of vice. And this is one obvious

136 SHORT SERMONS.

reason, why men continue in sin, as long as they
dare, expecting at some future day to repent and
escape all punishment. They go on from day
to day, and from year to year, with all the thun-
ders of endless and immortal pain sounding in
their ears, and even believing it true, yet continue
to indulge in sin. Would they run such an awful
risk, unless, by a certain course of education, they
had been made to believe that there was hap-
piness in transgression ? No. If they believed
that sin had nought to impart but misery, they
would abandon it for its oion sake ; because hap-
piness is the object of all men.

They have, therefore, by some means or other,
been led to the strange infatuation, that sin possess-
es some secret charm to communicate that hap-
piness to the soul, for which every bosom throbs.
This fancied happiness, they vainly imagine, they
can obtain by wallowing in the dark waters of
iniquity, be happy here, then repent at last, and
be happy hereafter. As they pass along in their
wretched career, expecting every moment to grasp
the fancied pleasure, yet the fond, anticipated
phantom flies from their embrace and leaves them
in the ruin pf their joy. Though disappointed
again and again, yet firmly believing that there is
happiness in sin, they again push on, and thus far
attribute their want of success to some miscalcu-
lation. Insensible of the nature of sin, blinded

ON A GOOD NAME. 137

and self-deceived, they go on in pursuit of pleas-
ure, while golden dreams of false felicity fire their
imaginations, till at last, age places them on the
verge of the grave ) their object no nearer attain-
ed than it was the day they set out, while habit has
fixed them in a course, that has yielded them
nothing but sorrow and pain, and vanity and vex-
ation of spirit. Stung with remorse, and pierced
through with many sorrows, they breathe a repent-
ance which the nature of their condition forces
upon them, are perhaps pronounced converted^
and they sink into the darkness of death ! Their
names, covered with infamy, are soon blotted
from the remembrance of the living !

We observed, a moment ago, that the idea of
holding up a retribution in the future world weak-
ens the force of virtue, and strengthens the cause
of vice. This has, perhaps, been abundantly
shown in the arguments already offered, as being
manifest in the daily conduct of men ; yet we
will, in a word, bring the subject plainly before
you. To persuade a sinner, that he is to be
punished in the future world for his sins in this,
is plainly saying, that sin has many pleasures
and conveniences here, and so far as it failed of
rendering him his due desert, the balance is to be
made up in another state of being. Because the
balance of punishment due him there, is to make
up the deficiency of punishment, which sin did

138 SHORT SERMONS.

not pay him here. And certainly, so far as sin
did not pay him kere^ he must have been happy
in its commission. And the expectation, that he
should be happy in it here, was the very cause
that induced him to continue in transgression,
with the expectation of repenting and escaping
punishment hereafter. Thus he flattered himself
that he could sin with impunity, and escape its
punishment in this world and the world to come.

And to satisfy a man that he is to be rewarded
in the future world for his righteousness In this,
is but persuading him, that virtue is attended with
misery, and that so far as it failed to reward him
here, the balance is to be made up hereafter. Be-
cause the balance of happiness due to him there,
is to make up the deficiency of happiness which
virtue did not pay him here. And so far as vir-
tue did not pay him here, he must have been mis-
erable in Its practice. And the impression, that
sin Is productive of many enjoyments, and that
righteousness Is attended with misery, has a ten-
dency to make him choose the former and reject
the latter, and trust to a future repentance.

We often hear it proclaimed by those, who
profess to be the guardians of the public morals,
that the righteous have a hard course in warring
against the corruptions of their hearts in the ser-
vice of God, while the sinner goes on unconcern-
ed and easy in the pleasures of sin. In doing

ON A GOOD NAME. 139

this, they defeat the very object they are striving
to obtain, which is the conversion of the sinner.
These very impressions are one obvious reason
why so many continue in sin and reject the path of
righteousness and peace, which alone conducts to
a good name, that is of more worth than great
riches, and more durable than silver and gold.

As, then, there is no happiness in vice, as all its
allurements are deceptive and vain, how impor-
tant that we should shun it, and pursue that bright
path of virtue and peace, which will lead to the
invaluable possession of a good name. Engaging
in the cultivation of all the better affections of the
heart, we shall by habit so refine our natures, that
'' loving favor " will take entire possession of our
minds, and mould them into the spotless image of
heaven. This loving favor is rather to be chosen
than silver and gold, for these will corrupt, and at
last crumble into dust, while this shall survive the
ruins ^of death, and flourish in those peaceful
realms, where our felicity will be unbroken and
perpetual.

Flatter not yourselves with the vain hope, that
there is one solitary thrill of joy in the indulgence
of sin. He who indulges in dissipation and vice,
he who slanders his neighbour, who wrongs his
fellow-men, or even utters one oath against the
unsullied name of his Maker, is a most profound
unbeliever in the sentiment we proclaim. He

140 SHORT SERMONS.

who possesses a hope so full cf immortality as to
believe, that God will finally save from sin, and
bless him and all his fellow-men, will cleanse his
hands and wash them in innocency. Tell me
not that you are a Universalis!, when the very
oceans of God's goodness do not affect your
heart, nor lead you to repentance. He who is
satisfied that there is no happiness in sin will
abandon it. He who deliberately pursues a vi-
cious course expects to find happiness in it ; and
it is impossible that he believes in God's univer-
sal grace. It is absolutely impossible, in the very
nature of things, that he can be a Universalist.
A salvation from sin is the doctrine of the Bible,
and holiness itself is heaven. He who believes
such a salvation to be happifying, will abandon
sin, as the enemy of his peace, and seek righ-
teousness, which alone can afford him tranquillity.
Jesus says, the kingdom of heaven is righteous-
ness and peace. If you wish to satisfy men that
you really desire the whole human family to meet
in heaven, then show your sincerity by being
righteous yourself.

A sincere Universalist believes sin to be the
cause of many mental woes that darken the world,
and the principal cause of the greater proportion
of sufferings that fall to the lot of man. He be-
lieves that a virtuous course of conduct, guided
by the burning lamp of revelation, leads to those

ON A GOOD NAME. 141

joys that time cannot sully, nor the hand of death
extinguish. A conviction of this truth leads him
to hate sin, forsake its dark dominions, and enter
those fields of felicity, where the brilliant beams
of virtue shed a cloudless day. Here he walks
and enjoys an antepast of heaven. Its paths are
the paths of peace. All its ways are pleasant-
ness and delight. Its crystal streams are pure and
sweet ; its breezes healthful, and its fruits deli-
cious. He believes God to be the Father of his
creatures, that he governs the world in wisdom
and mercy, that he created with a benevolent
intention, and that he is not disappointed in the
workmanship of his hand, but presides over just
such a world as he designed it should be. He
beheves that this order of things, though dark to
him, is designed for good, and shall terminate in
the happiness of all. He believes that all rewards
and punishments are instituted for some benevo-
lent end, and that this end will be brought about
in such a manner as to manifest to all the divine
perfections in the clearest light, and shed unfading
glory on the supreme Majesty of heaven. This
faith gives him confidence in his heavenly Father,
and fills his heart with gratitude and veneration.
It leads him to look upon the human family as his
brethren, and to do them good. He seeks their
happiness, and thus chooses and merits a good
name.

142 SHORT SERMONS.

At peace with all mankind, his mind irradiated
with light, and enlarged with the most noble con-
ceptions of the divine character and government,
he at length lies down in peace and composure
upon his dying bed, and gently breathes out, —

" Farewell, conflicting joys and fears,

Where light and shade alternate dwell;
A brighter, purer scene appears,

Farewell, inconstant world, farewell ! "

He sweetly sinks to rest, and leaves behind
him a good name, that can never die, and an ex-
ample, for others to imitate, worth more than
fortunes in gold. His memory shall survive,
when the tomb on which it is inscribed shall
crumble into ruin, and his example be a light to
future generations.

MIND NOT HIGH THINGS. 143

SERMON XII.

MIND NOT HIGH THINGS.

" Be of the same mind one towards another. Mind not high
things, but condescend to men of low estate." Romans xii. 16.

That mysterious and incomprehensible Being,
who gave us existence, has sown in our nature
the seeds of mortality. By the irresistible laws
of his empire, which he has, from the beginning,
established for the regulating of the animal crea-
tion, we are soon to be carried to the silent grave.
All, without exception, are formed out of equal
clay, are subject to the same hopes and fears,
joys and sorrows, while on earth, and are all des-
tined to the slumbers of death, where we must
exhibit the emblem of perfect equality. Imma-
terial how far one may exalt himself above anoth-
er, while passing through this momentary exist-
ence, — immaterial how far he may rise above
his fellow-men, in the scale of intellect and refine-
ment, — immaterial how exalted the station he
may have obtained, — how brilliant the powers
of his imagination may sparkle, or how soft and
sublime his eloquence may flow, — immaterial how
nobly soever he may dazzle in the sunny smiles
of fortune, or how secure he may repose in the
fond embrace of friends, yet it is a melancholy

144 SHORT SERMONS.

truth, that he must, sooner or later, resign the
whole, let go his eager grasp on all those pleasing
joys, bid an everlasting farewell to those exahed
splendors, and descend to the dark shades of
death, where the rich and the poor, the servant
and his master, the oppressor and oppressed, all
lie mouldering and forgotten together.

This solemn consideration, it seems, when for-
cibly presented to the mind, ought to be sufficient
to check the levity of man, — to soften his bosom
to his fellow-beings, — to moderate his desire in
pursuit of wealth and greatness, and completely
to unarm him of all hostile feelings towards those
with whom he associates, and with whom he is so
soon to lie down in death. ■ This, it seems, is
sufficient to make us of one heart and mind in
promoting each other's happiness and welfare in
the world, and to make us obedient to the exhor-
tation of the text, not to mind the high things of
earth, but to condescend to men of low estate.
But such is the strange infatuation of man, that he
acts as though his residence on earth were eternal,
and as though the whole errand of life consisted
in providing for an eternity below.

We are capacitated for enjoyments of a higher
and more perfect nature than we can attain to on
earth. Of this we are sensible, from the fact,
that there is no condition in which we can be
placed here below, that is so adapted to our na-

MIND NOT HIGH THINGS. 145-

ture as to afford us permanent satisfaction. Un-
interrupted felicity is not a plant of earth. It
cannot flourish in a clime where the blighting
storms of malice and envy wither all that is fair,
sweet, and blooming. And though we are sensi-
ble that such is the fact, yet, deaf to all that ex-
perience, example, and observation conspire to
teach, we are exerting all our powers to obtain it
here below, where the united voice of earth and
heaven assure us it cannot be found. We cast
our eyes around us, and see the human family in
every varied condition of life, from the beggar on
his bed of straw, up to the king in regal splendor
on the throne of nations ; but in defiance of this
immense distinction, they alike breathe the deep
sigh of discontent. We also cast our eyes over
the historic page, and scan the general fate of man
in by-gone ages ; but here, too, w^e learn the same
lesson, that no external condition has ever added
to the rational enjoyments of the soul. We see
the same uneasiness, the same longing desires
pervade every bosom. Our object is happiness ;
and amidst all the various pursuits of life, what is
the reason so many fail of obtaining it ? The
answer is readily given. We make riches, honors,
and the high things of the earth our chief pursuit
and aim, and fondly imagine that our happiness
lies in them. Here is our error. Man is destined
to a world of mental felicity, where those external
10

146 SHORT SERMONS.

pursuits of fortune will be unknown ; where all
that he here pursues with so much eagerness will
be removed from his desires forever, and where
all the channels of the soul will be opened to the
true fountain of felicity, and completely ravished
in its flowing streams. In order, therefore, to
enjoy that happiness, in this momentary state of
being, which God has placed within our reach,
we must make mental felicity the main pursuit of
life, and the riches and conveniences of earth our
secondary pursuit. We must completely reverse
our conduct in order to obtain those rational en-
joyments that flow from virtuous habits and dispo-
sitions. We must, as Jesus says, " Seek first
the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and
all these things shall be added unto you."

Food and raiment are all that we can enjoy of
the external comforts of life. All other enjoy-
ments must be of a mental character. Secure
first your mental joys, a pure unsullied conscience
in the punctual discharge of all your social and
relative duties to mankind, and be you rich or
poor, you will be happy. The righteous dis-
charge of this first great duty will not embarrass
you in obtaining the comforts of life, but, on the
contrary, aid you. A peaceable and honest course
of conduct towards others, — a condescension to
men of low estate, — a due respect for the opin-
ions and rights of others, will endear you to all,

MIND NOT HIGH THINGS. 147

and not only foster in your bosom the seeds of
peace and contentment, but will conduct you in
the surest path to wealth and honor. The men-
tal powers of the soul are all that exalt our capac-
ity for happiness above the brutal creation. And
if our chief happiness lies in gold, which can only
administer to our animal wants, then the brutes
can vie with us in all the solid enjoyments of life.
In fact, they can go beyond us. They graze the
turf, and drink the unmingled stream, free from
anxiety and care. While man, the lord of this
lower creation, has to toil and gain the same en-
joyments by the sweat of his brow.

But what a groveling thought, to bring our ex-
alted natures and capacities for happiness down
to a level with theirs ! On this principle, he who
is the most wealthy is the most happy. Virtue
is but a name, and all the exalted principles of ^
noble and godlike action, are but the reveries of
fancy, and to practise them is but a visionary
dream. No, my friends, wealth supplies our an-'
imal wants, and if virtue be wanting, it leaves our
minds in wretched starvation, and our brightest
joys in night ! Happiness is equally attainable
by the rich and the poor. It consists in a union
of heart among mankind, in a union of action in
the pursuit of virtue, and in the kindlier feelings
of our nature. In fine, it consists in a willing obe-
dience to the exhortations of our text : " Be of

148 SHORT SERMONS.

the same mind one towards another. Mind not
high things, but condescend to men of low es-
tate."

To each of these exhortations we will give a
candid and solemn consideration. In this ser-
mon we will attend to the exhortation ; '■'' Be of the
same mind one towards another.''^ By this, we
are not to understand, that men are to be of one
heart and mind in pursuing the same occupation
or profession in life, but of one mind in endeav-
ouring to promote each other's happiness, in every
condition in which they may be placed ; of one
mind in the practice of Christian duty, and in the
exercise of charity. Selfishness produces many
jarring interests among mankind, burst the bands
of brotherhood asunder, and weakens the strength
of that nation, society, or family among which it
exists, and in proportion to the opposition it pro-
duces among its individual members. " United,
we stand, divided, we fall," is a maxim full of
wisdom, and is not only applicable to nations, but
to communities, societies, and even to families.

A family in discord is a sight over which an-
gels might weep, but when united in one heart
and mind, it is a picture over which heaven
smiles. The fond and doating father, the tender
and affectionate mother, and obedient children,
all united in peace and harmony, present to the
mind those pleasing conceptions of the reconciled

MIND NOT HIGH THINGS. 149

family immortal, that cause us to feel all the burn-
ing emotions of which the heart is susceptible.
In such society as this are enjoyed the happiest
moments of our existence ; moments unmingled
with the bitterness of regret, unsullied by the cor-
roding hand of time, unruffled by the perplexing
cares of life, and undarkened by the tempests of
indisposition. Is such a father absent, far dis-
tant on land or ocean, where duty calls ? The
heart of his family goes with him, and he too
leaves his heart lingering behind. His compan-
ion counts the moments as they slowly roll, is
faithful to his interests, makes preparation to re-
ceive him, sighs for his safe return, and welcomes
him home with those emotions of ecstatic joy,
which cause him to forget his past labors, toils,
and dangers. Is he stretched upon a bed of
pain ? Unwearied she sits beside him, hushes
every sound that might interrupt his broken slum-
bers, and watches every breath he draws. She
whispers to him the soothing words of encour-
agement and consolation, gives neither sleep to
her eyes, nor slumber to her eyelids, but is the
guardian angel of his pillow.

When all human aid has failed, when the pulse
beats faint, the once sparkling eye grows dim, and
rolls faint and languid in its socket, she stands
mute and pensive at his dying bed. Her whole
soul is absorbed in the interest of the scene and

150 SHORT SERMONS.

rent with agony. She wipes the cold sweat of
death from his face, gazes with exquisite anx-
iety till the last dreadful struggle is over, and
breathes to the throne of mercy the prayer of
affection for the repose of his spirit. And so
feels the kind husband over his companion, indul-
gent parents over their dying children, and dutiful
children over their parents.

But it is a lamentable circumstance, a painful
consideration, that there are too many unhappy
divisions in the domestic circle. Yes, it is a
painful consideration, indeed, that those, who are
so nearly allied to each other, should, even for
one moment, indulge in feelings of acrimony. It
is but a short time, at longest, that we can be to-
gether, and such unhappy divisions must render
the parting scene, at the bed of death, doubly
painful. Thoughtless, giddy, or oppressive as we
may be to those, wdio are near to us in life, while
blooming health is their lot, yet righteous heaven
has so constituted our natures, that the most pain-
ful reminiscences will force themselves upon the
mind when the injured object, to whom we have
given distress, is upon a dying bed. Every un-
kind word, every harsh treatment, the whole dark
picture of our ungenerous conduct, will present
itself to the imagination, in all its naked w^oes.
And be that dying one a parent, a companion, a
child, their very silence, as they turn upon us a

MIND NOT HIGH THINGS. 151

languid eye fading in death, will harrow up every
painful recollection. O ! if we wish to tread up-
on their graves with an unsullied conscience be-
fore heaven, let us be of one mind, live in peace,
and discharge to them those sacred duties of
kindness and affection, which the ties that bind
them to us enjoin.

This world is too much made up of appearances.
Many a family, which Vv-e suppose to be the abode
of union, peace, and joy, is distracted with the
voice of discord, and is dragging out an existence
in secret, concealed grief. Many a husband and
wife, who, we suppose, are of one heart and mind
and passing their days in the sunshine of peace
and love, are torn by secret broils, and whose
mansion stands overcast with the dark shadows
of discontent and misery. Little do we dream
of the secret woes, that rend many a worthy
heart concealed behind a smiling countenance.
The husband is perhaps stern and unrelenting,
and will, in no case, yield to the wishes of his
companion. Discouragement and anger may per-
haps at times take possession of her heart. In
such a case, instead of treating her kindly, he
rouses into a passion himself, and a private con-
tention ensues. This is a wretched practice, for
instead of extinguishing the flame, it adds fuel to
the fire, and consumes all that is fair and lovely
in matrimonial and domestic life. Much misery

152 . SHORT SERMONS.

might be avoided by observing the following rule.
When the one is melancholy, let the other be ra-
tionally cheerful, and endeavour to divert the at-
tention from the subject that causes gloom.
When the one is angry, let the other keep a per-
fect equanimity and a benign composure of coun-
tenance. Then watch the opportunity, and in
some future day, when the offended one is most
cheerful and kind, then bring forward the subject,
and expostulate most feelingly on the impropriety
of indulging a wrathful spirit to a bosom friend.
Speak of the shortness of life, and point each
other to the silent grave and to the parting scene,
and vengeance, anger, and discontent will soon be
strangers in your habitation. Your dear children,
from the very dawnings of intellect, will take the
example, grow up in harmony and affection, with
perfect rule over their spirit, and thus you will
not only secure your own domestic peace, but
will bequeath those sacred enjoyments to your
posterity ; enjoyments that infinitely outweigh a
thousand fortunes in gold ! Let others toil to
leave their offspring wealth, be ours the joy to
bequeath them this. We ask no more.

We are not only to be of the same mind one
towards another in our families, but in our reli-
gious societies. Here all selfishness ought to be
discarded, all private interests sacrificed, all hostile
feelings subdued, and the whole offered on the

MIND NOT hIgH THINGS. 153

altar of general good, and thus the harmony,
peace, and prosperity of the whole body consult-
ed. The permanent security of these depend on
the individual conduct of the members. By unit-
ing ourselves in a religious body, we express the
necessity of living a sober life, maintaining a
union of heart, and a respectful conversation to-
wards all with whom we associate in life. Let
us not dream, that heaven will prosper us above
others, if we also blaspheme the name of Him,
who gave us life and sustains us in being. Let
us lay aside every evil, that has a tendency to
disunion, and live soberly and righteously in the
world, doing good unto all as we have oppor-
tunity.

154 SHORT SERMONS.

SERMON XIII.

MIND ]\0T HIGH THINGS.

[Continued.]

Having from the commencement of these ser-
mons confined myself to prescribed limits, I had
no room in my last to pursue the first division of
my subject so far as I intended. I will there-
fore here resume it.

'* Be of the same mind, one towards another. '^^
We have thus far confined our attention to family
union, and have just glanced at the necessity of
union in religious societies. This is a day of in-
quiry and hght, when the most keen and search-
ing glances are sent into every creed. Many de-
nominations, that have walked together heart and
hand for many years, each repelling the assaults
of those, who attempted to extinguish their ism,
have at length been separated by internal divis-
ions, and formed two opposing parties, even
though they once believed the same creed, and
advocated the same church government. The
present is a trying period, and it stands us in hand
to endeavour to " keep the unity of the spirit in
the bonds of peace." Let us not dream of re-
ligious union and prosperity, unless we allow each
one to think for himself in matters of Scripture

MIND NOT HIGH THINGS. 155

interpretation. Nor let us dream of prosperity,
if there is among us more theory than practice.
It is true, Universalists are as moral as any other
denomination ; but this is not enough. They
ought, in kindness and benevolence^ to transcend
other denominations as far as their doctrine of
universal benignity transcends the doctrine of un-
ending woe.

Neither are we to dream of religious union and
prosperity, unless we raise our united voices
against those, who revel over the flowing cup of
intoxication, which pours so many streams of
misery and disunion on the world. Let no one
fancy to himself, that the drunkard's toast, '■'■here
is health and success to «5 .' " has any charm to
avert his ruin, or to stay the judgment of heaven.
The more frequently that toast has been uttered,
while smiling upon the cup of inebriation held in
a trembling hand, the further have health and suc-
cess been removed from the deluded victim, and
the more swift and deadly have misfortune, sick-
ness, distress, and pain fallen upon him. Intem-
perance is a demon, that sows the seeds of dis-
cord among all ranks, orders, and conditions of
men. Beneath his crushing hand creation reels,
and fortunes fall in broken ruins ! and peace, the
sweet angel of mercy, flies these turbulent skies,
and lights on realms unmoved by the hand of com-
motion and discord. At his approach, blooming

156 SHORT SERMONS.

health is driven back from its warm abode, and
the fairest flowers of domestic love, hope, and
joy are withered forever ! Let this frightful foe
of discord and confusion be barred from our sa-
cred heritage, and peace be within our borders.

We are not only to be of one heart and one
mind in resisting profanity and intemperance, but
in resisting tale-bearing. Let us not speak evil
of others. This is beneath the character of a
gentleman, and certainly beneath that of a Chris-
tian ; consequently, no gentleman or Christian will
indulge in it. It is the employment of /om>, ill-
bred minds, and therefore none will engage in it,
but those who are destitute of reputation them-
selves. This vice has no excuse, and must
therefore originate in the basest motives. They
intend to bring their fellow-creatures down to a
level with themselves, and thus lessen them in the
good opinion of others, and destroy their peace.
And though they may effect their object, so far
as the good opinion of the virtuous is calculated
to give us happiness, yet the approbation of a
good conscience, arising from the conviction of
innocency, can never be rooted out from the
heart of its possessor by all the calumnies of
earth. This God has secured in the secret cham-
bers of the soul, and forever barred it against the
breath of slander. There he takes up his abode
and holds communion with the contrite spirit.

MIND NOT HIGH THINGS. 157

The real merits and consolations of virtue, are
secured to the possessor by the impartial legisla-
tion of righteous heaven. Intemperance in its
effects, compared with slandering, is harmless ;
at least so far as producing discord is concerned.
The peaceable drunkard, compared even with
that church member, who is continually sowing
discord in society, is an angel. Slander is but
the infectious breath of a foul spirit, that poisons
the healthful atmosphere wherever it is breathed,
and breaks the quiet repose, the calm serenity, of
neighbourhoods and families, as it were, with an
electric shock.

Political slander is as infectious and destructive
to the harmony of the nation, and the security
of our government, as private slander is to neigh-
bourhoods and societies. No sooner is a candi-
date held up for office, than all the party dogs
of war on both sides are let loose and set to bark-
ing. Immaterial how fair may be his character,
how inviolable his veracity, or how unsullied his
honor and integrity, they will make him appear
to be an outcast from society, covered with the
darkest blots of infamy. Immaterial how great
may be his qualifications, or how splendid his
talents, they will, by that species of logic for
which slanderers are famous, prove him to be a
fool. These dissentions do not expire when the
candidates are elected. They are carried to the

158 SHORT SERMONS.

capitol of our common country, and blown out
in more than wordy war. There, w^e have rea-
son to fear, the volcano is gathering, and that the
day is not distant when it will disembogue in
more than the thunders of Etna, wrap our politi-
cal heavens in a blaze, and melt its elements with
fervent heat. Anarchy and confusion will seize the
reins of government, and drive us to the oblivious
shades of departed empires. If we continue to
go on in our political slanders, as a nation, los-
ing sight of our common welfare, and sacrificing
the general^ on the altar of partial interest, the
day of our ruin is not remote. Its awful morn has
already, it seems, dawned with streaks of malig-
nant light, like ill-fated Troy, ominous of the
purple streams, the crimson blood, that watered
the Trojan plains where mighty Sarpedon fell,
where Hector lay slain by the sword of Achilles.
Heaven forbid, that our national sun, that rose so
fair, should go down in blood, and shroud our
temple of Liberty in everlasting night ! To
avert such a catastrophe let us reform, and do
our duty as individuals. The safety of any body
politic depends on the conduct of the individuals
who compose it. And God grant, that these dis-
sentions may cease, that poliiical peace and harmo-
ny may become perfect, and our government may
stand immovable on its basis, like the rock, that
remains unshaken by the furious storms that agi-

MIND NOT HIGH THINGS. 159

tate the ocean. May we, as a nation, be of one
mind in resisting every species of immorality, in
studying the happiness of our fellow-creatures ;
of one mind in obtaining a knowledge of the
character of our Creator, in studying his parental
and benign government, and his divine attributes
and unchanging perfections ; and be of one mind
in acquainting ourselves with his beautiful works,
which swarm around us and afford us so many
rational delights. Let us store our minds with
useful knowledge, practise the precepts of Christ,
labor for mental emancipation, and contentment
and peace will be our lot.

In the great duties of religious obligation, let
us be of one heart and mind. Let us live like
brethren, not only among ourselves, but among
other denominations. It is not long, that we are
to be together. We are fading hke the flower
of the field, and ought to bear in mind, that death
will soon lay our heads equally low in the dust,
and the worms shall cover us. We glitter for a
moment like the bubbles borne on the bosom of
the ocean ; they break and mingle again with the
parent fountain. We toil and heap up wealth,
pass like empty shadows over the plain, and van-
ish forever ! Generations that covered the earth
are gone, and unremembered by the living. They
strove to gather wealth and honors, they met
each other in the hostile field ; rolled garments in

160

SHORT SERMONS.

blood, bedewed the widow's and the orphan's
cheek with tears, and filled their peaceful habi-
tations with the voice of lamentation and woe.
Thousands lived in clamors and discord, and one
seemed destined to be oppressed by another.
But the fields of war are still, the noise of battle
is hushed, and the voice of lamentation and woe
is heard no more ! Hark ! All is still as the cham-
bers of eternal silence ! Where are they .'' In
the shades of death ! Kind reader, this is the
doom of us all ! And so it will soon be said of
you and me ! Let us then be of one mind. Let
us live like brethren. Let us not lay the cursed
hand of oppression upon one another. Let us
do good by visiting the fatherless in their affliction
and keeping ourselves unspotted from the world.

We have now considered the fact, that real
felicity consists in mental pleasures and gratifica-
tions, and that these alone exalt our nature and
capacity for happiness above the brute creation,
and have directed your attention to virtue and
peace, as the only condition in which that hap-
piness can be found. W^e have brought to view
the propriety of being of one heart and mind
towards each other in our families, in our re-
hgious societies, in the community, and in our
national concerns. We have set before you the
evils resulting from intemperance, and from pri-
vate and poHtical slander.

MIND NOT HIGH THINGS. 1611

We will now, in the second place, take into
consideration the negative and affirmative con-
sequence resulting from them on the morals of
the community, so far as the causes leading to in-
temperance and crime are concerned.

Many discourses have been delivered, during,
the three past years, on intemperance, pointing
out its ruinous effects on the morals of society,
while but few discourses have been put into the
hands of the public pointing out the causes leading,
to this destructive vice, and those few have not
in my humble opinion traced it to its true source.
Much has also been said about intemperance lead-
ing to crime, which in many respects is true.
But all this is not coming to the fountain head,
from whence these turbid streams flow. We
will take the liberty to differ on this subject with
all that has as yet fallen upon our ear, and inde-
pendently give our opinion, as to what we con-
ceive to be the original cause from whence these
baneful effects spring. We will endeavour to
show, that the poorer class of society are driven
to intemperance and crime by the conduct of the
rich ; (those whom the fashion of the world calls
respectable and great ;) yes, by the conduct of too
many, who are even attempting to reform them.

First, then, we would remark ; that man is a
creature of want, which is the first cause of all
action. Had he no wants, he would never seek
11

1'62 SHORT SERMONS.

to supply them, either by honorable or dishonor-
able means. To this self-evident proposition, all
will, without hesitation, assent. We will now
attend to our general character as a nation, for it
will be admitted on all hands, that actions speak
louder than words. As a nation, we enjoy much
liberty ; but public opinion, either of a political
or religious character, may become so popular as
to erect itself into an engine of oppression, and
so formidable, that many an honest man dare not
dissent, nor independently raise his voice in de-
fence of what he believes to be truth, but will
tamely submit himself a slave to the opinions and
doctrines of others. This is probably the case with
the greater proportion of the American people.

Again, though we profess to value every man
by his integrity or moral worth, yet it is a fact,
that in conduct we make a man's reputation de-
pend principally on his purse. I yield the point
without controversy, that in books, in newspapers,
in preaching, and in words, we profess to esteem
a man, and rate his standing in society, by his in-
tegrity. But what do words and books, and news-
papers, and preaching amount to, while mankind
in conduct practise right the contrary of all these
ostentatious professions ? They amount to nothing
but hypocrisy, or ridiculous nonsense. Does a
man's standing, in these days, depend on his con-
duct ? By no means. Let us introduce an ex-
ample. Suppose there were two individuals of

MIND NOT HIGH THINGS. 163

equal talents, and both possessed an equal educa-
tion. Their moral characters are the same. But
one of them falls in possession of an immense for-
tune, while the other is poor indeed. Now will
public conduct place them on an equality .'' No.
Will they both move in the same social circle ?
No. Will they both be treated with the same
politeness and attention by their neighbours r
No. Should they propose a public measure for
the good of the town, would the one be listened
to with the same attention as the other ? No.
Would he possess so much influence in society ?
No. Well, what can be assigned as the reason,
why this rich man stands so far above the other in
the public opinion ? Ans. Tt is because his
character is measured by the length of his purse,*
and the weight of his influence is determined by
the weight of his gold.

It is not a thing of rare occurrence, that the
rich are thus distinguished from the poor, but it
is a fact so notorious that it has long since passed
into a proverb. This being the course of conduct
which men practise, the impression has therefore
become general that reputation, influence, and
power depend on wealth. Hence the great in-
quiry, uppermost in every mind, is, " How shall
I get rich, so that I may stand high in the esti-
mation of men, and exert a powerful influence in
society, and be numbered among those who move
in the higher circles of life ? "

164 SHORT SERMONS.

t

SERMON XIV.

MIND NOT HIGH THINGS.
[Concluded.]

Even a man, who is in many things unprinci-
pled, if he is at the same time wealthy, takes a
station in the higher circles of life, where the
poor, but honest man, would not be admitted.
This course of conduct is not only practised by
what are called men of the world, but by pro-
fessors of religion of about all denominations, by
both preachers and people.

The middling, and the poor class, seeing no
encouragement, or even possibility, of rising so
as to associate with those, who move in the higher
circles of life, by any virtuous course of conduct
they may pursue, and sensible that wealth alone
possesses the charm to give them virtue and notice
in the world, they are thus driven to various dis-
honorable means to obtain it. Multitudes are
driven to the crimes of counterfeiting, theft, and
even robbery and piracy. They commence their
wretched course, with the intention to abandon
it, as soon as a competent fortune is obtained.
Other thousands are driven to gambling ; and even
those, who are called respectable, take every
possible advantage in trade and bargaining. Their

MIND NOT HIGH THINGS. 165

pursuits are various, but their object is one and
the same, namely, to gain wealth, so that they
may obtain a high standing and influence in society.
Thousands, thus driven into crime, are detected,
lose their reputation, and abandon themselves to
intemperance. Their evil example has a per-
nicious influence on the morals of those children
and youth, who may, by various circumstances,
be placed in their society, and thus the pesti-
lence, in all its frightful horrors, gathers force and
spreads.

There are thousands of virtuous persons, whom
poverty excludes from the higher ranks of life,
who are doomed to seek the converse of those,
who are in a measure corrupted, and, by associat-
ing with them, are at length involved in habits of
dissipation and obscenity. Man is a social being,
loves society, and, rather than spend his life in
solitude, will seek the converse of the vicious.

If we would obey the injunction of the text,
— " Mind not high things, but condescend to men
of low estate," these evils would be in a great
measure removed. If we, as a community, would
itrip away the fancied reputation, which wealth
attaches to the human character, and, independent
of property, place every man on an equal footing,
according to their moral and mental worth, and let
their power and influence in society be according

166 SHORT SERMONS.

to their conduct, it would give a noble tone to
public feeling and moral grandeur.

By the " high ihings,^^ mentioned in our text,
we are to understand that vain popularity which
one man wishes to enjoy above another, in a re-
ligious or political sense. It is one of the ruling
passions of the day in which we live, to be con-
sidered of high standing among our fellow-crea-
tures, and to possess a larger share of influence
over the minds and opinions of men, than those
whom we consider our rivals. Those, who pos-
sess this desire, and at the same time feel a
haughty spirit towards those, whom they consider
in the humble walks of life, are certainly not the
men who are entitled to our esteem, nor are they
to be looked up to as examples of magnanimity.
So far from possessing true greatness of soul, or
being entitled to veneration, they are certainly
below those whom they affect to despise. A
truly great and good man, has no desire to dazzle
but to be useful in the world. He sees the miser-
ies under which thousands groan, and desires to
relieve them, but with no wish to be considered
great for discharging those duties of kindness and
humanity. But it is a lamentable consideration,
that too many, in performing those acts of mercy,
seek to stand on an eminence above the crowd
they wish to benefit, and proclaim their intentions
to men through the loud-sounding trumpet of fame,

MIND NOT HIGH THINGS. 167

but, at the same time, will not even stoop to con-
verse with the very beings they profess such a
warm desire to aid. Every thing must be done
on a high scale, and in the manner they dictate,
otherwise they have no wish it should be done at
all. It is a matter of regret, that this spirit, so
desirous of minding Ijgh things, has been cairied
into the sanctuary, — in fact, has been carried
to the solemn gates of death, — yes, even into
eternity.

We have witnessed what are commonly called
*' revivals of religion," in which two or more
denominations united, apparently, heart and hand.
They publicly declared, that, as they saw their
fellow-creatures exposed lo the burning wrath of
God in the future world, they had no motive in
view but their conversion and escape from that
awful doom ; — that it was to them a matter of
indifference with what church they united them-
selves, pro\ icied they would only repent and turn
to God. All this passed on well till the reforma-
tion ceased. The next thing to be determined
was, what doctrine do you believe, and what
church will you join ? This was a trying point,
and its settlement filled them with animosity to-
wards each other. And why ? Because each
desired the honor of converting them to their
faith, and of bringing them into their church, or
else, that they should not be converted at all.

168 SHORT SERMONS.

Though this has been done by some, yet it is no
evidence that all will do this, or even approve
it. There are those, who, we believe, are actuat-
ed by nobler motives in the cause of truth, and
who are not aspiring to stand high, nor striving
"who shall be greatest." One denomination
has labored to assume the entire honor of reform-
ing the public morals, — has labored to become
incorporated by an act of legislature into an
American Temperance Society, and were un-
willing to admit Universalists and Unitarians to
cooperate with them in this work of reform.
This is but aspiring after high things, instead of
manifesting the meek and lowly spirit of Christ.

But we would more particularly remark, that
it is this very course of conduct of any man, or
class of men, exalting themselves above others
on account of their wealth or external circumr
stances, that discourages the poor, who are not
only called but treated as the lower order of
society, and drives thousands of them to the in-
toxicating cup, as a relief from the mortifications
of poverty, and drives other thousands into crime,
as the only means to obtain that wealth by the
omnipotence of which, they alone can rise to
eminence, respectability, and influence among
men. Preachers of the Gospel, as well as others,
give sanction by their conduct to these false
notions of respectability and greatness. They

MIND NOT HIGH THINGS. 169

will seek the society, and court the favor, of the
rich in preference to the poor, even though the
latter may exceed the former in integrity and
moral worth. This, we say, is the most power-
ful incentive to drive men into a state of dis-
couragement, intemperance, and crime. It is a
fearful precipice on which we stand, as a re-
ligious community. Instead of estimating a man's
standing by his virtuous principles, it is too much
estimated by his dollars.

So did not Jesus Christ, our great example.
He mingled with the lowest class of society. He
associated with and visited most among those
he wished to reform, so that his meek, mild, and
heavenly example might exert a salutary influence
upon their hearts, and cast a restraint upon their
conduct. He was a friend to publicans and sin-
ners, and ate and drank with them. He went
among them, as a physician, to give them life and
health, and to conduct them by encouragement
and persuasion to the paths of righteousness and
peace. His presence was not needed among
those who were whole. He was of course sel-
dom found in their society. He did not desire
to rank with the rich, self-righteous pharisee So
ought those, who profess to be the servants of
Christ, to go among them who are most in need
of their aid. " The servant is not above his
Master." They ought, therefore, to condescend

170 SHORT SERMONS.

to men of low estate, and visit the abodes of
poverty and want.

But instead of this, they stand aloof, even from
the respectable, because they are poor ; and in-
stead of visiting those, who indulge in dissij)alion
and vice, and trying to lead them to the paths of
virtue and peace, are heaping upon them the most
opprobrious epithets. By esteeming the rich
and associating with them, they practise a course
of conduct, which has rooted the impression deep
in every mind, that to be esteemed, and to rank
with them in the social -circle, they must be rich.
This has driven many a virtuous man into crime,
many into bad company, and finally into dis-
couragement and intoxication. This no one can
deny. What, we ask, is the reason, that there
is so large a proportion of the middle and lower
class of society, compared with the rich, who
indulge in crimes and intemperance 9 Why is it,
when misfortune falls upon the rich, that they, so
often, resort to the intoxicating draught .'' The
mystery can only be unriddled in the stubborn
fact, that wealth, more than virtue, gives a man
a reputation in the world, and this destructive
vice involves thousands in ruin.

If every man were assured that, be he 7'ich or
poor^ he could associate with those who are
wealthy and respected, and move in the higher
ranks of life, if he only maintained his integrity,

MIND NOT HIGH THINGS. 171

and that he would be esteemed in proportion to
his moral virtues and mental acquirements^ every
man would be induced to merit a good name ;
and their good opinion would operate as a con-
stant check upon his conduct. Every man, by
early attention to his deportment, can become re-
spectable, but every man cannot become wealthy.
Did the rich esteem the poor, and admit them
into their social circle solely on the ground of
moral worth, there would be but little danger of
these poor ever forfeiting their standing, by plung-
ing into the floods of intemperance and crime.
And did they reject from their circle the rich
who were vicious until reformed; in fine, did they
only strip away from wealth its fancied charm, to
make them either respectable, or influential, did
they confine it to its due limits, as being only
necessary to satisfy our animal wants, and did
they with one consent declare, that an improved
mind and virtuous worth should be the only cri-
terion, by which men should take their stations in
social life, intemperance and crime would soon
cease. Men would then be as much engaged in
striving to merit a fair reputation, as they now are
in striving to obtain wealth. It is, therefore, the
conduct of the great, by falsely attaching charac-
ter and influence to wealth, that is driving their
fellow-creatures into crimes to obtain it, and other
thousands into discouragement and intemperance.

172 SHORT SERMONS.

From this charge preacliers are not exempt.
They too respect and visit the rich more than
the poor, and thus indirectly lend their influence
to drive them from a virtuous hfe, to a course of
dissipation and crime. And when once they get
them there, then they wish to devise some great
means to bring them back to the paths of sobriety
and virtue. Do they endeavour to effect this, by
ceasing to mind high things, and by condescend-
ing to men of low estate ? No, but instead of
going among them, and taking this unhappy class
of our fellow-creatures by the hand, and leading
them by encouragement and persuasion to the
paths of temperance and reformation, they have
in substance, said, '' Stand by thyself, I am holier
than thou." They have minded high things, by
placing themselves on an elevation above them,
and made them out to be worse than murderers,
thieves, and robbers, by ascribing all the crimes
that are committed to the use of rum ! This
has discouraged and exasperated many, and made
them feel, that reformation would be of no avail
to raise them to be the associates of those, who
appeared so anxious to reform them. Their lan-
guage has in substance been, you must reform,
giving us the credit, but must stand where you are
in the lower circles of life, obey our exhortations,
and look up to us as your benefactors, but you
cannot expect to rank with us, because you have

MIND NOT HIGH THINGS. 173

no cash to introduce yourselves into our circles.
And as all men desire society, they have remain-
ed with their companions in iniquity.

For any class of society to take a station above
others, and endeavour to force men to abandon
the cup by passing votes, or enacting by-laws
that no spirits shall be sold them, is but exciting
their rage, and causing the intemperate to drink
the more out of revenge, and causing those that
are already temperate to increase the quantity as
an act of defiance. It is a fearful precipice on
which we stand as a religious community. Esti-
mating a man's standing in society by his immense
wealth, or learned profession, rather than by his
integrity and virtue, is attended with the most
dangerous circumstances, as we have already no-
ticed. Men cannot be reformed by force, nor
by declaiming what a low, mean, unworthy, de-
graded part of the hum.an race they are.

There is too much pride in our world. We
ought to bear in mind, that death will soon lay
our heads equally low in the dust, and " the
worms shall cover us ! " O the folly of human
pretensions to greatness ! Let us not mind high
things, but condescend to men of low estate. By
preachers and people of all denominations obey-
ing the exhortation of our text, mankind would
in a great measure be restrained from crime, and
certainly from being openly intemperate. If, then,

174 SHORT SERMONS.

we sincerely desire to reform them, and to hold
a powerful check upon their conduct, and prove
ourselves the benefactors of our race, let us be-
gin the work by adhering most scrupulously to our
text, which exhorts us to be of the same mind
one towards another, to mind not high things, but
to condescend to men of low estate.

It is the duty of preachers, in particular, to be
meek and lowly in spirit; to be humble, and watch
over the moral maladies of mankind ; to break
down the arrogant distinctions, which the fashions
and riches of the world have set up ; to esteem
men purely for their moral and intellectual worth,
independent of the gifts of fortune, and to visit
those who are given to intemperance, and, by gen-
tle, persuasive measures, endeavour to lead them
to habits of sobriety. And when this is effected,
treat them according to that respect which their
virtues merit. God is kind to the evil and to the
unthankful, and ought we to be unkind to them ?
Heaven forbid.

We have now set before you what we con-
ceive to be the principal cause leading to in-
temperance, dishonesty, and crime. True, there
may be some exceptions to this, but we are
conscious, that it is the conduct of those very
men, who are declaiming against intemperance
and crime, that first drives their fellow-creatures
mto those deplorable haunts of vice. They do

MIND NOT HIGH THINGS. 175

this indirectly, and perhaps innocently. They do
it by giving too much reputation and influence to
the wealthy class of the community, by paying
too much homage and respect to gold, and by
withholding from the virtuous poor, that respect
which their conduct merits. We cannot set this
truth before you in a more forcible light, than by
relating from memory, an anecdote of Dr. Frank-
lin, with which we will conclude. The rich mer-
chants and professional men in Philadelphia pro-
posed to form themselves into a social circle from
which all mechanics were to be excluded. The
paper, drawn up for the purpose, was presented to
Dr. Franklin for his signature. On examining its
contents, he remarked, that he could not consent
to unite his name, inasmuch as, by excluding me-
chanics from their circle, they had excluded God
Almighty, who was the greatest mechanic in the

176 SHORT SERMONS.

SERMON XV.

ON FORGIVENESS.

" And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one
another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." —
Ephesians IV. 32.

A TENDER heart is the boon of kind heaven,
and forgiveness is a virtue too little exercised in
the common intercourse of life. Men are too apt
to be in character Pharisees. They are too apt
to love those that love them, and to hate their
enemies. Retaliation is inconsistent with the
spirit of the Gospel, and is a vice deeply to be
stigmatized and deprecated by all lovers of peace
and morality. By retaliation, we are to under-
stand the injuring of another because he has in-
jured us. This spirit of revenge betrays a con-
tracted mind, in which the feelings of compassion
and forbearance never found a permanent abode.
A man of a peevish, irritable, and revengeful tem-
perament, is to be pitied, instead of being injured
in return. By retaliating the evil he may have
done, you involve yourself in the same condition
of meanness, and in your turn become the in-
jurer.

All those men, whose names are rendered il-
lustrious and immortal, have been distinguished

ON FORGIVENESS. 177

for a spirit of forbearance, kindness, and nriercy.
Were there no examples of rashness, no faihngs
and imperfections among men, there would then
be no opportunity to distinguish ourselves by a
spirit of forgiveness. God has so constituted the
present existence of his creatures, that the per-
fections of his divine character might be mani-
fested to them in the unchanging exercise of his
paternal compassion and forgiveness ; and thus
afford them an opportunity to imitate himself in
the exercise of those exalted feelings, which
emanate from heaven.

We are not, however, to understand, that ten-
derness of heart and forgiveness are to be exer-
cised to the utter exclusion of the principles of
honor and justice. If our children offend, or our
dearest earthly friend do wrong, we are to mani-
fest the feelings of tenderness and forgiveness,
but these ought not to induce us to overlook their
crimes or faults, by remaining silent in regard to
their vices. This would be suffering our com-
passion to degenerate into weakness. It would
in fact be hardness of heart. It would betray a
spirit of indifference to their dearest interest, as
by our silence, they might remain in blindness to
the demerit of their deeds, and hurry on to the
ruin of their reputation, and consequently, of
their earthly happiness. True tenderness of
heart makes us watchful over the conduct of
12

178 SHORT SERMONS.

those we love, and with whom we are connected
in hfe ; moves us to lay naked before them their
feults, so that they may early correct them, and
thus inspire their hearts with tenderness, and
prompt them to regard the happiness, feelings,
and welfare of others. It is immaterial how near
and dear your friend may be, you should, by the
feelings of mercy, be induced to tell him his faults,
however much it may wound his heart. The
wise man says, " the wounds of a friend are faith-
ful ; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."
Too many parents, for want of determination of
character, and for suffering their compassion to
degenerate into weakness and remaining blind to
the faults of their children, have seen them come
to some disgraceful end, — a state prison, or even
a gallows. This, instead of being true tenderness
of heart, was infatuation, and the worst species
of hardness and insensibility to the welfare of
their offspring. On the other hand, we ought
never to suffer a spirit of revengeful indignation
to slumber in our bosoms, ready, on every trivial
occasion, to awaken into resentment and retalia-
tion. In fine, we ought to imitate our God in
feelings and conduct towards each other, as it is
expressed in our text. But many suppose, that
God is filled with feelings of revengeful indigna-
tion towards his creatures, and that the period is
rolling on, when he will cease to be merciful, and

ON FORGIVENESS. 179

will commence torturing us in the future world
for the sins committed in this, and that too, when
punishment can do no good to the sufferer, when
reformation will be out of his reach. To tor-
ment a frail, dependent creature, under such cir-
cumstances, would be the most degrading species
of revenge. i\.nd if this is the conduct of God,
then w^e must practise the same, because we are
commanded to imitate him. Our text says, " Be
ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving
one another ; even as God for Christ's sake hath
forgiven you."

In this passage, our Father in heaven is held up
to the world as that model of kindness, tenderness,
and forgiveness, which mortals are to imitate.
God is the moral standard to which every bosom
ought to aspire. The highest perfection and love-
liness of man, fall infinitely short of the intrinsic"
loveliness and divine perfections of Jehovah.

If he is that standard of moral excellence
which we are to imitate, then w^e must admit,
that the copy far exceeds the imitation. If man
is called upon to act like God, in order to im-
prove his character and affections, then God is
better than man, and every opposing objection
must forever fall to the ground. Perhaps it may
be said, that all denominations of men allow him
to be so. This is not correct. It is true, they
say this, in so many words. But words are one

180 SHORT SERMONS.

thing, and what a doctrine involves is quite anoth-
er. I might beheve, and most rigidly maintain,
that an earthly father had prepared a palace of
comfort for his five obedient children, and a fur-
nace of fire to torture his five disobedient chil-
dren ; and suppose he had dealt with his ten chil-
dren as above designed ; with what propriety could
I step before the public, and contend, that he was
the best man in America ? Even were I persuad-
ed, in my own mind, and firmly believed him to be
the best man in existence, would either my belief or
acknoioledgment make it a fact ? No ; every man
of common sense and common humanity would
think me deranged. My saying that he was good,
and even believing him so, could not alter the
awful reality, but would be an evidence of my
want of consistency and propriety. He would
still be a bad, unfeeling man, and In no compara-
tive sense so good as that father, who should
punish his children In mercy, and for their future
amendment and benefit.

But what is all this compared with that charac-
ter, which thousands ascribe to the God who
rules above ? It Is no more than a drop to the
unmeasured ocean ; because those five children
would soon cease to suffer ; but God, they con-
tend, will torture without mercy or end, millions
on millions of his poor dependent creatures for
the sins of a short life ! The most abandoned

ON FORGIVENESS. 181

and unrelenting savage, who roams the American
forest, — the worst wretch in human form would
not do this, but release, at length, the sufferer
from pain. And those, who contend that God
will not release, but, on the contrary, involve the
victim of his ire deeper in woe, attribute to him
a character infinitely worse, than that of the most
cruel and degraded of our race, and no argument,
to the contrary, can be, for one moment, main-
tained. If a man desire the holiness and happi-
ness of all his fellow-creatures, and would bring
them to a glorified state of beatitude in heaven,
had he the power, and still contends, that God
will not, it is elevating his goodness far above the
goodness of God. And for any man to come
forward with this acknowledgment on his lips,
and yet address the benignant Parent of all, and,
in prayer, acknowledge him to be the best of all
beings, is only using words without propriety or
meaning. There is no sense, no reason, in such
logic. It completely contradicts itself, and what
is contradictory cannot be true.

Would you save all men from sin and its atten-
dant misery, if you could ? O, yes, is the an-
swer ; I would, and carry them all in the arms
of unbounded benevolence to glory. Well, has
God the power to do it ? Yes, is the reply.
But do you believe that he will exert his power
so as to accomplish it .-^ No, says the objector;

182 SHORT SERMONS.

I believe, that he will sentence a large portion of
his erring offspring to endless and inconceivable
woe. Very well ; then you are the belter being
of the two. And it is a melancholy circumstance
to those unfortunate creatures, that you are not
on the throne of the universe. If this be so,
then our text ought to be reversed. God ought
to copy your tenderness, and forgive men as you
do ! We are certainly called upon to conform
our conduct to the best standard, and to imitate
the best being. If you are the best^ then God
and man ought to be called upon, and entreated
to imitate you ! No, says the objector ; God is
superlatively the best being in the universe. You
may talk, and tell me so, till the morning sun
sinks beyond the western hills, and yet your creed
will contradict every word you utter. What you
have just acknowledged, unchangeably stares you
in the face. You say, that you would forgive all,
save them from sin, and raise them to a blessed
eternity, if you had the power. This power,
you say, God possesses, and yet you believe, and
contend, that he will not do it. It is certainly an
unfortunate circumstance to the human family, if
their Father in heaven is destitute of that good
ness which you feel ! From whom did you re
ceive all those compassionate feelings of heart
Why, says the objector, God gave them to me
But how can God give you what he has not him

ON FORGIVENESS. 183

self ? If you possess more benevolence than
God, you could not have received it from him ;
because, on this principle, he did not have it in
possession to give. Surely, he could not com-
municate to you, or any other being, what he did
not originally possess. From what source, then,
did you derive so much tenderness and love ?
There must, certainly, be some being in the uni-
verse in whose bosom are rooted as much benev-
olence and love as you feel, or how could it have
been communicated to you from another ^ Now,
where did you get it ? God gave it to me, says
the objector. This cannot be, because your doc-
trine proves, that you have more love than the
God who made you ! If you insist, that he has
given it to you, has he not, in such case, given
you more than he originally possessed ? He has.
If so, endless misery may be true ; for on this
principle he has none left !

The Scriptures teach, that "God is love";
and all his works speak the same language, say-
ing, " The Lord is good, and his mercies endure
forever." But how good is he ^ The doctrine
of endless wrath says, he is not as good as you.
You are but a small stream from an infinite ocean
of love ; and yet this little stream is greater than
the ocean from which it issues, and rises far above
its fountain head ! Can this be true ? Impossi-
ble. O, do you not perceive how your own feel-

184 SHORT SERMONS.

ings, which you daily experience, contradict your
creed ! You feel, desire, and pray for the salva-
tion of all men, and if you had the power, all your
feelings, prayers, and desires would be carried
into execution. And yet your doctrine denies,
that God, the fountain in which all your affec-
tions originate and live, will do it ; and, at the
same time you say, that you have no love only
what he gave you ! What inconsistencies, con-
tradictions, and blindness are here ! Man, a
small drop from the benevolent fountain God, is
wilhng to do what the source from whence he
came is unwilling to do ! Then a drop of love,
in the human bosom, is more tender and benevo-
lent, than an ocean in that God who placed it
there !

We all know, that the fountain must be more
extensive than the stream it sends forth, — yea,
larger than all its running streams put together.
This we know to be correct, as well as we know
that the sun enlightens the world. Let us then
collect these little streams into one. Bring, if
you please, into one body, the love and benevo-
lence of men and angels, of cherubim and sera-
phim ; — stretch your thoughts to unnumbered
worlds, extract the love from countless bosoms,
and condense the whole into one being. How
great, lovely, and adorable, would that creature
be ! Then, let the question be put to him^ From

ON FORGIVENESS. 186

whence did you derive all those noble qualities of
love, mercy, and goodness? He replies, /rom
my Father, God ! Now, we must grant, that
God far exceeds him in goodness, because this
noble creature is but an emanation from him ;
and the good desires of this creature would be
equal to the good desires of the countless mil-
lions of men and angels in all worlds ; and could
have no other intentions only those which good-
ness and mercy dictate, and goodness itself can
do nothing contrary to its own nature, any more
than ice can burn, or fire freeze. This creature
would desire the happiness of all ; and yet even
he is but a small rivulet flowing from the crystal
FOUNTAIN of life and being ! This creature
would institute a government perfectly merciful ;
and mercy would, of course, require, that the
disobedient should be punished to bring them to
obedience, and perfect them in the same state of
glorification and love with that being itself.

" God is /oi;e," and it therefore follows, that
he is love to every creature he has made, and it
is utterly impossible that he can do any thing con-
trary to his own nature. '•' He cannot deny him-
self." He will, therefore, do all that love dic-
tates. It is consistent with parental love to pun-
ish for the good of its ofi^spring, but not to punish
unmercifully. But, inquires the objector, does
God punish for the good of his creatures ? We

186 SHORT SERMONS.

will let Paul settle this question ; Heb. xii. 6-11.
*' For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and

scourgeth every son whom he receiveth But

if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are par-
takers, then are ye bastards and not sons. Fur-
thermore, we have had fathers of our flesh, which
corrected us, and we gave them reverence ; shall
we not much rather be in subjection unto the
Father of spirits, and hve ? For they verily for a
few days chastened us after their own pleasure ;
but he for our profit, that we might be partakers
of his holiness. Now no chastening for the pres-
ent seemeth to be joyous, but grievous ; never-
theless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit
of righteousness unto them which are exercised
thereby." Now show us, if you can, any pun-
ishment which God inflicts, that contradicts his
paternal goodness. It cannot be done. He has
threatened and inflicted everlasting punishment
upon nations, as such, but not a solitary passage
can be produced from Genesis to Revelations,
where he has threatened any individual with ever-
lasting punishment.

God is the adorable Fountain of all tender-
ness, love, and compassion, and no mother's soul
was imbued in the fount of mercy like his, who
was " the brightness of his glory and the express
image of his perfections." True, her yearnings
over the babe of her bosom are great ; still they

ON FORGIVENESS. 187

bear but little comparison to the love of him who
breathed those feelings there. God compares
himself to the mother. " Can a woman forget
her sucking child ?" Woman, being of a more
delicate formation than man, possesses a mind
susceptible of more fine, deep, and lasting im-
pressions than his. The affections of her soul,
when fully roused into action, and fixed upon
their object, are deeper than those of man, extend
far beyond the compass line of his, and range
those sequestered haunts, those delightful fields
of mental felicity, where his finest afl^ections
never penetrated. Let her heart once become
fixed upon its darling object, and it is immaterial
in what situation in fife we contemplate her, —
whether prosperous or adverse, we behold the
same unshaken constancy, the same bright and
burning flame. Her love to her children is pure
as the dew drops of the morning, high as the
heavens, and unchanging as the sun. It scorns
dictation, bids defiance to oppression, and never
for one moment loses sight of its object. No
disappointments that cross her path, no scenes of
adverse fortune that darken her sky, can wrench
it from her grasp, obscure it from her vision, or
tear asunder the silken cord, that binds it to her
heart.

The truth of these remarks we see verified in
that unwearied watchfulness and care, which she

188 SHORT SERMONS.

exercises over her children, in supplying their
countless and ever varied httle wants ; in allay-
ing their little griefs, in soothing their tender
hearts by the soft whispers of encouragement and
love, in hushing them to repose, and in watching
over the slumbers of their pillow. Are her chil-
dren exposed to danger, and full in her view .''
Then no devouring flame, that wraps her dwell-
ing in destruction, no rolling surges, that lash the
foaming main, can, in such a moment of peril,
overawe her spirit, or deter her from rushing into
the very jaws of death to save them. Are they
sick? Sleepless she sits beside their bed, and
watches every breath they draw. Are they rack-
ed with pain ? Her soul inhales the pang ; and
freely drinks at the same fount of agony, and
breathes over them the prayer of mercy. Love
is that attribute in her nature to which all the
others are subservient. It is the shrine at which
they all bow, the centre to which they all gravi-
tate. If her children do wrong, she freely for-
gives.

Has God given the mother all these noble af-
fections, and does he feel less to his helpless,
sinful, and erring children.^ Let God answer.
" Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she
should not have compassion on the son of her
womb ? yea, they may forget, yet will not I for-
get thee."

ON FORGIVENESS. 189

SERMON XVI.

ON FORGIVENESS.
[Concluded.]

In our last, we showed that the compassion,
tenderness, and love of our Father in heaven, are
the origin of all the sublime affections in the hu-
man bosom, and from this acknowledged fact,
have shown that he is infinitely more regardful of
the welfare of his offspring than the tender moth-
er, with whom he compares himself, is of the
welfare of her sucking child. We now resume
the subject.

In our text, we are called upon to forgive one
another, as God has forgiven us. In examining
this point, we are to be guided by what he has
revealed. The question here arises. How many
does God command us to forgive ? He com-
mands us to forgive all, even our enemies. This
then must be forgiving them as he does. He
therefore forgives all. He commands us to bless
them that curse us, and to pray for them that de-
spitefully use us, and persecute us, that we may
be the children of our Father in heaven. Does
God command us to do more than he is willing
to do himself } No, he lives up to his own com-
mand. If God requires us to forgive, even as he

190 SHORT SERMONS.

does, and then commands us to love and forgive
all, then he loves, and forgives ally otherwise he
would violate his own command ; and then there
would be no resemblance between his forgiveness
and ours. Even as God, for Christ's sake, hath
forgiven you, so ought ye also to forgive one
another.

Would you forgive all, and bring them home
to glory ? Yes. Will God ? No, says the ob-
jector, he will not forgive his enemies, but his
friends only. Then you must not forgive all.
Do you ask why not ? Because you are to for-
give, even as God. He is the standard you are
to imitate. If you forgive more than God, you
are better than he. He cannot command you to
do different from himself. If God require you
to love and forgive all, while he himself will for-
give only a part, then God acts contrary to his
own command. We are exhorted in the text to
be kind, tender-hearted, and forgiving, even as he
is. Does your kindness, tenderness, and forgive-
ness extend to all, and desire the happiness of
the universe ? Yes. Then also does that of
God, or else you are, in every sense of the
word, better than he. You differ from instead
of imitating God. If so, you are doing wrong,
because you are violating the text. He com-
mands you to be kind, tender, and forgiving only
as he is ; — and you contend that his kindness.

ON FORGIVENESS. 191

tenderness, and forgiveness, extend to a part only,
and that all the rest he will torture, world without
end.

But, says the objector, God is now kind, ten-
der, forgiving, and merciful to all ; but he will
not be so, when they enter eternity, for " the
doors of mercy will then be shut." How do
you know that ? — who told you so ? Will God
change in some future day ? If he change, he
will not be the same being, he is now. I thought
he was the same yesterday, to-day, and forever,
without variableness or even the shadow of turn-
ing. I thought he was the same Jehovah in all
worlds. Do you intend to make him kind, ten-
der, and forgiving here, but unkind, unforgiving,
and hard-hearted to a part of his offspring here-
after 9 If you intend to change both the nature
and character of the Almighty in the future world,
then you and myself are done arguing. That
doctrine is, certainly, in a pitiful condition, which
drives its advocate to the necessity of changing
the Almighty wholly into another being to support
itself. " God so loved the world," even when
*' dead in trespasses and sins," as to deliver up his
Son to " taste death for every man." And being
unchangeable, he could never hate them. In our
text, God commands us to forgive as he has for-
given. How many does God forgive ? Ans. As
many as he commands you to forgive. How

192 SHORT SERMONS.

many is that ? Jill, even your enemies, — to bless
and curse not.

We will now introduce the question, — If God
has not forgiven a man to-day, will he ever for-
give him ? I answer no, for he is unchangeable.
We are too apt to think that our Creator is al-
together such an one as ourselves, — that he
loves one day, and hates the next, — that he is in
reality angry one hour, and pleased the next, —
or that he holds a grudge one moment and for-
gives the next, if we only ask him to do so.
But all such ideas are calculated for children, —
for babes in Christ. The Scriptures come down
to the weakest capacity ; but this is no reason
we should always continue children, but rise in
knowledge to the strength of manhood. We
ought not to be " ever learning and never able to
come to the knowledge of the truth." Paul said
to his brethren, " when for the time ye ought to
be teachers, ye have need that one teach you,"
&c. " When I was a child, I spake as a child,
I understood as a child, I thought as a child ; but
when I became a man, I put away childish
things."

The Scriptures are calculated for every capac-
ity,— for a child as well as a philosopher. We
must rise from one degree of glory to another.
We are not to fasten our minds down on the in-
ventions of men, and live and die children. No ;

ON FORGIVENESS. 193^

we must "forget the things that are behind, and
reach forward to those that are before." As fuli-
grown men, we are not to suppose that the prayer
of any mortal can move the Almighty to pardon
him. But, says the objector, if we sincerely ask
God to do thus and so, he will certainly grant
our requests. Very w^ell, admit this for a mo-
ment. God, you say, will answer every sincere
prayer. Now suppose two armies are to meet in
battle, one from France and the other from Hol-
land. The hour when the engagement is to com-
mence is precisely one month from to-morrow
noon. Every individual, of the two belligerent
powers, is informed of the fact. Every day,
there are millions of sincere prayers offered to
God to give them the day. Holland, with one
voice, prays for victory and for the preservation
of her subjects ; and France, with united suppli-
cation, prays right the contrary. How, we ask,
are all those sincere opposing petitions to be an-
swered ^ Impossible. Again, each denomina-
tion prays for the prosperity of its cause, and for
the destruction of error. And as each believes
all others to be in error, of course, pray for their
downfall. If the Lord answered their petitions, all
denominations, of course, would fall ! One man
prays for rain, and another that it may not rain.
If God answered all these petitions, he would be
13

1'94 SHORT SERMONS.

as changeable, not as one man, but as the whole
human family together.

As it respects God's pardoning the human
race, I contend that this pardon existed from the
beginning. Do not the Scriptures declare that
God chose us in Christ before the foundation of
the world ? Yes, for " he calleth those things
which be not as though they were." Well, could
we be chosen in Christ without being pardoned ^
No, for the apostle says, " he that is in Christ is
a new creature ; " and, certainly, a man cannot
be a new creature in Christ without being par-
doned in the mind of Deity. If then in the om-
niscient mind of God, to whom there is no future,
they were chosen in Christ before the foundation
of the world, then in his mind, they must also
have been pardoned before the world began.
God never does a new act. By pardon we are
not to understand the clearing of a guilty man
from deserved punishment, but an entire deliver-
ance from a disposition to sin. The period
when we are to be released from sin, is through
death, where the earthly nature, with all its wants
and temptations to sin, falls, and the heavenly na-
ture rises in incorruption and glory through a res-
urrection from the dead. Is not this the day of
redemption, when we shall be set free .'' Yes, so
saith the Scripture. Well, do not redemption, re-
mission, and forgiveness mean the same thing ^

ON FORGIVENESS. 195

They do. Then our pardon^ remission^ or re-
demption will be realized through death and the
resurrection. We will produce the Scriptures.
" In whom we have redemption through his blood,
even the forgiveness of sins, according to the
riches of his grace." Here forgiveness and re-
demption are used synonymously, and are declared
to be through the blood of Christy that is, through
his death, as a sacrifice for sin. Sin cannot ex-
ist beyond the sacrifice designed to take it away.
He is represented as taking away the sin of the
world, under the figure of a Lamb. Sin will
come to a finish, under the first covenant, exact-
ly where Christ said "it is finished, " at which
moment the vail, concealing the " holy of holies,"
will be rent in twain, and the second covenant be
opened. If we step beyond what Christ has said,
we may as well give up the Scriptures, and trust
to our own vain imaginations. There sin will
end ; and that is dismission, pardon, or redemp-
tion from it. " O death ! where is thy sting ?
O grave ! where is thy victory ? The sting of
death is sin, and the strength of sin is the laio,
but thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory,
through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Now, here it is represented, that our victory
over sin and death, is to be when we shall rise to
immortal glory. Our victory over sin is to be at
the same instant with our victory over death ; and

196 SHORT SERMONS.

who will deny, that our victory over death will
be at the resurrection ? The objector may as
well deny our victory over death at the resurrec-
tion, as to deny our victory over sin at that period.
The whole is said to be "through Christ." He
was our "forerunner " and " first-fruits," to rep-
resent our condition there. When he expired
he was free from pain, and when he arose he
was free from temptation. So when we pass the
same scene, we shall be like him who is our
" resurrection and life," otherwise the harvest
will not be like " the first-fruits."

God, then, pardoned the human race, in Christ,
when he made them. How ? Ans. By order-
ing their existence in such a manner, that they
should be freed from sin through death and the
resurrection. That is the day of our final dis-
charge, the day when the prisoner shall be set
free, the day when our redemption shall come.
But, asks the objector, are we not to realize our
pardon in this world ? Ans. Only through faith
in the reality. We look forward, and anchor our
hope within the veil of death, and enjoy our par-
don, or redemption, only by an eye of faith.
This " faith works by love and purifies the heart."
It causes us, in a great measure, to break off our
sins by righteousness. But this has no influence
whatever over the sins already committed. For
them we must still continue to feel miserable. Pun-

ON FORGIVENESS. 197

ishrnent is certain. From the sins that are com-
mitted, we only enjoy our pardon or redemption
from them through faith in Christ, the resurrection.
Paul told the believers, that if there were no res-
urrection, their faith was vain, they were yet in
their sins. This proves that they only enjoyed
the pardon of their sins through faith in the res-
urrection, otherwise I see no force in his lan-
guage.

But, inquires the reader, why do you pray that
God would pardon our sins ? Ans. I do not
pray to turn the Almighty from his will and pur-
pose ; but humbly trust, that I spend my days in
searching out what *' that perfect will of God is,"
and then pray in reconciliation to his revealed will.
It is wicked to pray what we do not believe.
'' Whatsoever is not of faith is sin." I believe
that God pardoned us from the beginning, and
that this pardon will be realized through death and
the resurrection. And when I pray that God
would pardon our sins, I mean that he would
grant us an evidence of that pardon, which un-
changeably existed in his eternal mind, by enlight-
ening our understanding in the Scriptures of truth,
and giving us correct views of his character as a
Being of tenderness and compassion to the chil-
dren of men. So when we say, God has par-
doned us, we do not mean that he has been moved
by our petitions to do a new act ; but that through

198 SHORT SERMONS.

the appointed means, he has so far enlightened
our minds, that we have received an evidence of
that pardon which existed with him from the be-
ginning, and by faith we look forward, believing it
will take place through death and the resurrection,
as Christ has proved. By this faith we perceive
the love of God, and break off our sins by righ-
teousness. But while in the flesh, we feel a thorn,
a hell of conscious guilt, for the sins we have com-
mitted, and though the penitent may beseech
God, that this messenger of Satan, buffeting him,
may depart from him, yet the answer will be,
" My grace is sufficient for thee."

We now perceive how God pardons sin, and
yet punishes us for it. The misery sin brings
upon us is our just punishment, and to be re-
leased from it, by the free grace of God, through
death and the resurrection, is our pardon and re-
demption. For example, we say, in a cloudy day,
" the sun does not shine ; " but still he does.
The clouds, just above our heads, prevent his
rays from shining upon us. The change is not
in the sun. The clouds disperse, and we say,
" the sun shines," while in fact he is ever the
same. The Scriptures say, " our God is a
sun." He is unchangeably the same in all his
brilliant perfections. '' Sin like a cloud, and
transgression like a thick cloud," rise over the
mind, and darken the understanding. Through

ON FORGIVENESS. 199

this dark medium we look up to God, and think
he has changed, that he is angry, and that thun-
ders are roHing from his hand, while in fact the
whole change is in us. The moment our minds
are enlightened by the beams of truth we rejoice,
and say God has forgiven us. We receive an
evidence of pardon, and enjoy it through faith,
while God has remained unchangeably the same.

While we are children in Christianity, we speak
and act like children ; and think if we all join
together, and pray as loud as we can, as though
the Lord were " deaf, or asleep, or on a journey,"
that we can prevail, and make him do as we wish.
And while we are children, if we sin, we think
the Lord is our enemy, and is angry. Now, this
is all well enough for those, whose experience has
gone no further. We are not to '' despise the
day of small things," but kindly receive such an
one as a babe in Christ, and feed him with milk.
But still it does appear to be a pity, that thou-
sands, under the Gospel, should live and die chil-
dren.

" Be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted,
forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's
sake hath forgiven you." Now, we are to forgive
as God does. How is that ^ To hold a grudge
one day, and if they ask our pardon, to forgive
them the next ? No, we must uniformly possess
a kind, tender-hearted, forgiving spirit, laying up

200 SHORT SERMONS.

nought against any one. Forgiveness does not
consist in laying up a store of malice and ven-
geance, till our enemy come and formally ask our
forgiveness. No ; he might never come, and then
we could never forgive him. We are commanded
to love and forgive our enemies, whether they ask
it or not. So did our Saviour on the cross, and
we are to exercise the same spirit of benevolence
and meekness. We must, as our context says,
put away all malice, wrath, and evil-speaking from
among us, and be kind, tender-hearted, and for-
giving.

Our Father in heaven is the most lovely and
adorable of all beings ! Under the light of his
character, every uncomfortable thought vanishes,
and the dawn of a blessed eternity bursts upon
us in a flood of glory. By faith we penetrate the
veil of immortality, and read our pardon and
justification in letters of blood. Within that veil,
we anchor our hope. Faith triumphs over the
ruins of death, smiles at the darkness of the
tomb, and through Christ within, the hope of glo-
ry, bids defiance to the crushing hand of death,
and lights up its dreary mansions with the cheer-
ing beams of immortal day.

WHERE SHALL THE UNGODLY APPEAR? 201

SERMON XVII.

WHERE SHALL THE UNGODLY AND THE SINNER
APPEAR ?

" For the time is come, that judgment must begin at the house
of God ; and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them
that obey not the Gospel of God ? And if the righteous scarcely
be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear 1 " — 1
Peter iv. 17, 18.

Upon this passage, the behevers in endless
misery lean for the support of that sentiment,
and on many occasions it is quoted with an air of
triumph, as though the passage itself, without
comment, were sufficient to silence all objections.
Here they have one advantage of Universalists ;
and of this advantage they do not forget to avail
themselves ; namely, the prejudices of early edu-
cation. But we sincerely call their application
of this passage in question, and shall stand forth
in defence of the triumphs of Jesus Christ over
all sin, and pain, and death, fully believing, that
the hand of heaven " shall wipe tears from off all
faces." We will attempt to show, —

First, What we are to understand by judgment
beginning at the house of God.

Second, Who were the righteous^ and in what
sense they were scarcely saved.

202 SHORT SERMONS.

Third, Show who were the ungodly, and where
they appeared.

First, What we are to understand by judgment
beginning at the house of God. Jesus Christ
chose him twelve disciples, and commenced the
great work the Father sent him to do. To them
he disclosed many events, that God would in a
future day bring upon the world. He pointed
them forward with more than human accuracy in-
, to the approaching revolutions of time, and paint-
ed out in noonday light, those astonishing disas-
ters, that would one day burst like a thunder-clap
on the thoughtless nations. He marked their cer-
tainty, and warned them accordingly. Among
the many things, that lay buried in the vista of
future years, was the destruction of Jerusalem.
This was a point that most solemnly concerned
the disciples of Jesus. It was no less than the
destruction of their nation.

Christ was with his disciples in the temple,
that splendid edifice which was forty and six years
in building, and, in their presence and for the last
time, addressed the stubborn Jews. He pointed
out the many crimes, of which they and their fa-
thers had been guilty in shedding the blood of the
prophets, and persecuting those who were sent
unto them as the messengers of Jehovah. They
had also made void the law of God through their
traditions. While pointing out these things, and

WHERE SHALL THE UNGODLY APPEAR ? 203

setting them home Hke a thunderbolt to their
hearts, he pronounced them hypocrites, bhnd
guides, devourers of widows' houses, and de-
clared, that all the righteous blood shed upon the
earth should be required of that generation.
While rehearsing these things to them, Jesus had
a perfect view of all their approaching sufferings.
Many of them were to be starved to death. He
saw by a prophetic eye the indulgent father and
fond mother weeping over their infant train, who
were begging for bread, but had no way to procure
it. Eleven hundred thousand he saw in a state of
starvation, who were to fall by famine, sword, and
pestilence. He saw their cruel enemies surround
the walls of their city, who would allow no sus-
tenance to be given them, but determined to re-
duce them by hunger and sword to one common
grave. All these things, that were coming upon
them, rushed at once upon the mind of the com-
passionate Redeemer of the world. The affect-
ing scene moved so strongly upon his heavenly
feelings, that he dropped the melancholy subject
and burst into a flood of tears. He beheld the
city and wept over it; "O Jerusalem! Jerusa-
lem ! thou that killest the prophets, and stonest
them which are sent unto thee, how often would
I have gathered thy children together, even as a
hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but
ye would not ! " He then left the temple for the

204 SHORT SERMONS.

last time ; but as he was departing from it, his
disciples, astonished at his denunciation, and re-
gretting that such a magnificent edifice should be
destroyed, exclaimed ; " Master, see what man-
ner of stones, and what buildings, are here ! And
he said unto them, there shall not be left here one
stone upon another, that shall not be thrown
down." The disciples immediately asked him
saying, " Tell us when shall these things be, and
what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the
end of the world ? " By the end of the world,
we are to understand the end of the Jewish age.
As they asked him the signs^ portending this ter-
rible destruction, so that they might know when
it was nigh at hand, he immediately proceeded to
point them out, and warned them to flee to the
mountains of Judea for safety.

The signs were as follows ; many false Christs
should arise, there should be wars and rumors of
wars, nation should rise against nation, kingdom
against kingdom, and there should be famines,
pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places.
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted,
and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated of all na-
tions, for my name's sake. Then shall there be
great tribulation, such as was not since the be-
ginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever
shall be. The most prominent sign he gave
them, and one that more immediately concerned

WHERE SHALL THE UNGODLY APPEAR ? 205

his disciples, was, that they should deliver them
up to be afflicted, and they should be brought be-
fore kings and governors for his name's sake.
'^ But (says Jesus) when they persecute you in
one city, then flee ye to another."

Christ gave his disciples plainly to understand,
that when the Jews began their persecutions
against his followers, then the destruction of Je-
rusalem was nigh at hand. After giving these in-
structions to his disciples he laid down his life,
and on the third day he arose, triumphing over
death and leading captivity captive. His disci-
ples soon after commenced the spread of the
gospel of peace, and waved the banners of the
cross over kings and subjects, calling upon them
to bow to the reign of Jesus Christ, who was
King of kings, and Lord of lords. They pro-
claimed a religion so contrary to the partial no-
tions of the Jews and the traditions of the el-
ders, that it began at length to meet with violent
opposition. The disciples, agreeably to the di-
rection of Jesus, fled for safety from city to city,
till the tumult and opposition became general.
Christianity gathered force and popularity so rap-
idly, that the Romans, it appears, gave permis-
sion to the Jews to imprison and take life. The
disciples and Christians had now no place of safe-
ty to flee to, from the gathering storm of perse-
cution and death. Amidst these disastrous scenes,

206 SHORT SERMONS.

Peter called to mind the learnings and signs his
risen Lord had pointed out as a solemn pre-
monition, that the destruction of Jerusalem and of
their persecutors was nigh at hand, and in view
of the approaching calamity over which Jesus
wept, Peter exclaims, " The time is come, that
judgment must begin at the house of God, and
if it begin first at us, what shall the end be of
them that obey not the gospel of God ? " Thus
we see, that what is meant by judgment beginning
at the house of God, is persecution beginning at
the Christians^ which persecution was a sign to
them, that the destruction of that nation was nigh
at hand. The reader will perceive, that what the
apostle calls '' house of God,^^ he afterwards calls
" W5," in the same sentence, and must refer to
the Christians, who are in many scriptures called
the house, temple j and building of God. [See
Heb. iii. 6. Eph. ii. 21, 22.] That the per-
secutions were stated by Christ as a sign of the
impending judgment of God upon the Jews, is
evident from the words of Paul, 2 Thess. i. 5,
where he call them, '' a manifest token of the
righteous judgment of God " upon the unbelieving
Jews, the persecutors of the Christians.

Second, — Who were the righteous, and in
what sense they were scarcely saved. The righ-
teous, mentioned in the 18th verse, mean the same
persons called " the house of God,^^ and "ws,"

"WHERE SHALL THE UNGODLY APPEAR 1 207

in verse 17th, and has reference to those Chris-
tians only^ who lived previous to the destruction
of the temple, and not to any Christians that lived
subsequent to that event ; much less does it refer
to all the righteous that have ever existed, or shall
hereafter exist, as common opinion asserts.

Under this head, we were also to show in
what sense these righteous w^ere scarcely saved.
It could not mean that their salvation in the future
world was scarce or uncertain ; for it is certain
in the counsels of God, and in all things well
ordered and sure. He has given to his Son the
heathen for an inheritance and the uttermost parts
of the earth for a possession. And all that the
Father hath given him shall come unto him, and he
will raise them up at the last day. He is mighty
to save to the uttermost all that come unto God
by him ; and no one will deny that the righteous
come unto him. How then can their eternal
salvation be denominated scarce 9 Impossible.
How then are the Scriptures to be reconciled
with our text, when they declare eternal life to
be the gift of God, — that we are saved by g;race,
— that help is laid upon one mighty to save, —
that his arm is not shortened, that it cannot save ;
and that the power of God is to be exerted at the
resurrection in making them equal unto the angels }
The answer is easily given, — our text has no
reference whatever to the immortal world, to a

208 SHORT SERMONS. ^

judgment at the end of time, nor to the final con-
dition of the human family ; but simply refers to
the narrow escape of the Christians from the de-
struction of Jerusalem, when they fled, with their
lives in their hands, to the mountains of Judea
for safety.

In the 24th chapter of Matthew, Jesus clearly
describes the dreadful scene. He says, — " Then
let them which be in Judea flee into the moun-
tains. Let him which is on the house-top not
come down to take any thing out of his house.
And woe unto them that are with child, and to
them that give suck in those days ! " [Why ?
Because they could not remain in the mountains,
during the period that the city was besieged by
the Romans.] " But pray ye that your flight be
not in the winter neither on the Sabbath day."
[Why ? Because in the winter you would perish
with cold, — and if your flight from the city be
on the Sabbath day, the Jews will stone you
to death for travelling more than three miles.]
" For there shall be great tribulation, such as was
not since the beginning of the world to this time,
no, nor ever shall be. And except those days
should be shortened there should no flesh be
saved ; " [Saved from what ? Ans. From death.]
" but for the elect's sake those days shall be
shortened." That is, for the sake of the Chris-
tians who fled to the mountains, God shortened

WHERE SHALL THE UNGODLY APPEAR ? 209

the days of the siege. Let us hear Dr. Adam
Clarke, a Methodist commentator, on this, —
" Josephus computes the number of those who
perished in the siege at eleven hundred thousand,
besides those who were slain in other places ; and
if the Romans had gone on destroying in this
manner, the whole nation of the Jews would in
a short time have been entirely extirpated ; but
for the sake of the elect, the Jews, that they
might not be utterly destroyed, and for the Chris-
tians particularly, the days were shortened. These,
partly through the fury of the zealots on the one
hand, and the hatred of the Romans on the other ;
and partly through the difficulty of subsisting in
the mountains without houses or provisions, would
in all probability have all been destroyed, either
by sword or famine, if the days had not been
shortened."

Let us hear Clarke explain how these Christians
were scarely saved. " But he that shall endure
unto the end, the same shall be saved." " It is
very remarkable, that not a single Christian per-
ished in the destruction of Jerusalem, though
there were many there when Cestius Callus in-
vested the city ; and had he persevered in the
siege, he would soon have rendered himself mas-
ter of it ; but when he unexpectedly and un-
accountably raised the siege, the Christians took
that opportunity to escape." Clarke says, *^ unto
14

'210 SHORT SERMONS.

the end " means, " to the destruction of the Jewish
polity." Therefore, when Peter says the righ-
teous are scarcely saved, he had reference to the
dreadful judgment which was coming upon the
wicked and ungodly inhabitants of Jerusalem for
shedding the blood of the righteous, and from
this destruction the Christians escaped vvith their
lives in their hands to the mountains of Judea for
safety, as Jesus had directed them. They but
just escaped, — they were scarcely saved.

The Christians also suffered persecution from
the Jews ; and Peter draws this inference from
it, — If we, who obey the gospel of God, have
to endure so many persecutions from the Jews,
— if this judgment begins at us, how much sorer
punishment will our enemies have to endure, who
obey not the gospel of God ? And if we, the
righteous, are scarcely saved from this long-pre-
dicted destruction, where will the ungodly and
the sinner appear ? But how did Peter know
that it was at hand ? Because the persecutions,
which Jesus had given them as a ^'' sign^'' or
^^token^^ had then commenced at the house of
God. The reader will now perceive, that Peter
was not speaking of a judgment at the end of
time, because the judgment of which he was speak-
ing had then commenced, — " The time is come."*^
Neither was he speaking of Christians generally,
nor of salvation in the future world ; but of those

WHERE SHALL THE UxNGODLY APPEAR? 211

Christians only who lived previous to the destruc-
tion of the Jewish polity, and of their being sav-
ed with difficulty by watching the signs and flee-
ing to the mountains of Judea, as Jesus had fore-
warned them.

Luke records the language of Christ more plain-
ly to be comprehended than that of Matthew.
" In your patience possess ye your souls. And
when ye shall see Jerusalem encompassed with
armies, then know that the desolation thereof is
nigh. Then let them which be in Judea flee into
the mountains, and let them which are in the midst
of it depart out, " &c. We should be led to sup-
pose, that after the walls of the city were surround-
ed by an army, it would then have been too late
for the Christians to Save themselves. But Christ
as a prophet knew^ that Cestius Callus would raise
the siege, and fall back to make preparations for
a more decisive attack, and thus afford the Chris-
tians an opportunity to escape. It is evident to
every candid reader, that Luke expresses, in chap.
xxi., all that Matthew does in chap. xxiv. and
XXV. And that Luke does not refer to a judg-
ment at the end of time is certain from the man-
ner in which he concludes, which is as follows :
"And take heed, lest at any time your hearts be
overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and
the cares of this life, and so that day come upon
you unawares ***** Watch ye, therefore,

212 SHORT SERMONS.

and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy
to escape all these things that shall come to pass,
and to stand before the Son of man. " Here we
perceive, that not the least allusion is made to a
judgment at the end of time ; because there would
be no propriety in warning his disciples not to be
drunk or overcharged with the cares of life at a
judgment day thousands of years after their death.
The day when the Christians were " to stand be-
fore the Son of man " was at the destruction of
the Jewish polity, and it was to take place in the
lifetime of some of the disciples. Christ says,
"There be some standing here, that shall not taste
of death till they see the Son of man coming in his
kingdom." The day of Christ was therefore at
hand, and the apostles were warned to keep it in
view, and watch the signs that were to precede it.
Peter was faithful to these warnings, and when he
saw the signs^ presaging its near approach, he ex-
claimed, — '' the time is come^ " &c. This was
the day of tribulation, when the Christians were
scarcely saved from the dreadful fate that over-
took their own countrymen, who remained blind
till the things that made for their peace, as a na-
tion, were hidden from their eyes.

WHERE SHALL THE UNGODLY APPEAR? 213

SERMON XVIII.

WHERE SHALL THE UNGODLY AND THE SINNER
APPEAR 1

[Concluded.]

[n our last, we have attended to the first two
divisions of our subject, — namely, what we
were to understand by judgment beginning at the
house of God, and who were the righteous, and
in what sense they were scarcely saved. We
now invite the attention of the reader to the re-
maining division of the subject. Third, who
were the ungodly, and where they appeared. By
the ungodly and the sinner^ we are to understand
the unbelieving Jews, the murderers of Christ,
and the persecutors of his followers. It has ex-
clusive reference to them and not to the ungodly^
who hved subsequent to the destruction of Jeru-
salem, much less does it refer to all the wicked
that have ever existed, or shall hereafter exist, as
common opinion asserts. This needs no further
explanation.

Under this head we were also to show where
the ungodly and the sinner appeared. We have
already had occasion to state, that Peter, in our
text, refers to the destruction coming upon the
Jews. The time was come when that judgment

214 SHORT SERMONS.

of persecution, which began at the Christians,
was to be returned upon the heads of their per-
secutors, in sevenfold vengeance and suffering.
Their city and nation were to be destroyed, and
their magnificent temple, where their devotions
were offered, was to be laid even with the ground.
Not one stone was to be left upon another, but the
whole was to become one general heap of ruins.
Then, according to the prediction of Jesus, was
there to ''be great tribulation, such as was not since
the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor
ever shall be." Then was " wrath to come upon
them to the uttermost." Then was he to " take
vengeance on them that know not God, and obey
not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." Then
were '' the children of the kingdom to be cast
out into outer darkness, where there was wailing
and gnashing of teeth." Then, as a nation, were
" they to go away into everlasting punishment ; "
for " these were the days of vengeance, when all
things that were written might be fulfilled,"
and " all the righteous blood shed upon the earth,
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zacharias,
should come upon that generation."

Titus led the Roman army against them, sur-
rounded the walls of the city on the day of the
Passover, where a great part of the Jewish na-
tion were then assembled, and to which others
had fled for refuge, being driven by the terror

WHERE SHALL THE UNGODLY APPEAR? 215

of his arms like chaff before the whirlwind.
Here they appeared ! Husbands and wives,
parents and children, brothers and sisters, (one
promiscuous throng,) were gazing in breathless
solicitude, while consternation and dismay were
depicted in every countenance, and fearful ex-
pectation pervaded every bosom ! Death, a long
lingering death, was gathering around them in
all its horrors ! Old men and young, maidens,
matrons, and little children poured forth their
lamentations to heaven, invoking the protection
of the God of Israel. But, alas ! " the things
that made for their peace (as Jesus forewarned
them) were hidden from their eyes ! " Their
hour was come, and the triumphant shouts of the
enemy were heard around their stubborn walls,
which (massy as they were) dropped to the ground
under the subduing power of the battering-rams
of war. With these massive engines of destruc-
tion, they laid the first two walls in ruin ! But
the third and last wall it was not in the power
of the enemy to gain. The Jews fought with
desperation, and by valiant exertions kept the
enemy at bay, and for a while seemed to triumph
in the fond hope of victory over the foe. The
Roman army was driven to great extremity, and
even to hesitation, while many of their most
valiant men fell in action, and impending victory
seemed to hang doubtful. In this moment of

216 •SHORT SERMONS.

suspense, they came to a determination to make
no further attack upon the city, but guard it and
reduce its inhabitants to submission by famine.
All suppHes were accordingly cut off, and every
avenue blocked up by the vigilant Romans. In
addition to this, intestine divisions, civil wars,
and pestilence raged within the walls of the city.
Having no employment in fighting the enemy,
they fell to butchering each other. These things
proved their ruin, and their national sun went
down in blood. Every day thousands closed
their eyes in death through famine and pestilence ;
and thousands, by endeavouring to escape to the
enemy and surrender themselves up as prisoners
for safety and protection, were either cut down
by the Roman sword, or met the same fate from
their own countrymen. Here they appeared !
All hopes of life cut off, nothing presented itself
to their view, to end their woes, but the certain
prospect of an untimely tomb ! Fathers, mothers,
brothers, sisters, gazing upon each other in silent
expectation, saw death gradually advancing in all
its horrors. They were driven to the most dread-
ful extremities, until (as Josephus informs us)
''thev devoured whatever came in their way;
mice, rats, serpents, lizards, even to the spider,"
— and lastly, mothers were driven to eat the flesh
of their own children ! Here were lamentation and
woe indeed! — such tribulation as our Saviour

WHERE SHALL THE UNGODLY APPEAR? 217

says never was, and never will be. In imagina-
tion, the mind runs back to the period and to the
fatal spot. It surveys the painful scene, charac-
terized by nought but moral and physical woes,
— madness and revenge, cruelty and carnage, pes-
tilence and famine, and all the mingled horrors
of war ! It surveys the starving child, clinging
to the maternal bosom for help and protection,
but alas ! that bosom becomes its grave. Here
the ungodly and the sinner appeared in deep de-
spair ! Unfeeling mortal, do you say that their
punishment and sufferings were not sufficiently
great, without adding that of immortal pain in the
future world ? Are you not satisfied, without
arguing that they ought to suffer endless misery
in addition to their woes ? Look with an un-
jaundiced eye over this scene of distress ; and,
as you gaze, let justice (if not compassion) once
more take the throne of the heart, and then pro-
nounce the shocking sentence of your creed if
you can.

That their sufferings were overwhelming is
evident from Scripture as well as from history.
In Lam. iv. the prophet Jeremiah says, — " The
hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own
children, they were their meat in the destruction
of the daughter of my people." In Lev. xxvi.
Moses describes their sufferings as follows, —
" And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall

218 SHORT SERMONS.

avenge the quarrel of my covenant : and when
ye are gathered together within your cities, I -will
send the pestilence among you, that shall make
you few in number ; and ye shall be delivered into
the hand of the enemy. And when T have broken
the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your
bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you
your bread again by weight ; and ye shall eat and
not be satisfied. And if ye will not for all this
hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me ;
then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury ;
and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for
your sins. And ye shall eat the flesh of your
sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye
eat." This did come upon the sinner and the
ungodly, and it was "according to their sins."
Moses, Jeremiah, and Jesus spake particularly of
the sufferings of the Jews in the destruction of
their city, and they all agree in concluding their
chapters. Moses, in conclusion, says, "and they
shall accept of the punishment of their iniquities,
even because they despised my judgments, and
because their soul abhorred my statutes ; and yet,
for all that, I will not cast them away, neither will
I abhor them to destroy them utterly and to break
my covenant with them, for I am the Lord their
God." And Jeremiah, after describing their
sufferings, in the 4th chapter of Lamentations, con-
cludes with these words, — "The punishment

WHERE SHALL THE UNGODLY APPEAR? 219

of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of
Zion," &c. And Jesus, after denouncing upon
them the judgments of heaven, in Matt, xxiii., con-
cludes thus : " For I say unto you, ye shall not
see me henceforth, till ye shall say. Blessed is
he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Thus
we see that they agree in testifying to the same
fact, that the punishment of the ungodly and the
sinner, which mean no other than the Jewish
nation, in their overthrow and dispersion, as we
have already noticed, shall end.

I see therefore no arguments, that can be drawn
from our text, to prove a future judgment or
endless misery in the immortal world. If the
objector can see a shadow of evidence in this
passage to support such a sentiment, yet I must
frankly acknowledge that, for myself, I cannot.
There is certainly no word in the text, that has
the most distant allusion to the final condition of
man. The judgment began at the apostles and
Christians. But is the " last judgment ^^ to begin
at them } Certainly not. But, admit that it is ;
we would further inquire, did the last judgment
begin as early as the days of Peter ? Impossible.
Then he could certainly not have had any allusion
to such a day, for he exclaims, " t/ie time is come,
that judgment must begin at the house of God."
Here the judgment to which he refers had com-
menced, or at least the signs portending it had

220 SHORT SERMONS.

commenced, and it was to end upon the ungodly-
inhabitants of Jerusalem. This fact is evident
from the context, — "Beloved, think it not
strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try
you, as though some strange thing had happened
unto you ; but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are par-
takers of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory
shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with ex-
ceeding joy." From this quotation there can
arise no misapprehension as to Peter's application
of the text, nor of the persons it involves. They
were the persecutors of the Christians, and no
one will dispute that these were the Jews.

If then this judgment was at hand, it cannot of
course refer to a period at the end of time ; and
it is in this case, equally certain, that the scarce
salvation of the Christians can have no reference
to the immortal world. These facts being irresist-
ible, the argument must be wholly given up, that
" the ungodly and the sinner " were to appear
in a state of inconceivable torment beyond the
grave, because the condition of " the ungodly"
stands in contrast with the scarce saltation of the
righteous, and this salvation or deliverance was
to be in a day nigh at hand, and from a tribula-
tion or judgment in which their adversaries and
persecutors were to be involved ; and the signSy
by which the aposde was admonished of its prox-
imity, had already appeared when he wrote the

WHERE SHALL THE UNGODLY APPEAR? 221

words of our text. The meaning of his words,
I humbly conceive, is simply this, — The time is
come when the persecutions, predicted by Christ
as a sign of the approaching destruction of Jerusa-
lem, must begin at us. And if we the righteous,
who are innocent, have to endure so many " fiery
trials," what will the dreadful punishment be of
our disobedient persecutors ? And if we are
scarcely saved from this impending destruction,
by fleeing to the mountains of Judea, where will
our thoughtless and sinful nation appear ? We
have endeavoured to show you where they appear-
ed, — have pointed out the narrow escape of the
Christians, who were ^' scarcely saved," and re-
ferred you to the signs by which Peter knew this
judgment was at hand. It is therefore unneces-
sary to offer any thing further in defence of our
views, as the text is, no doubt, plainly understood
by every reader.

We close this discourse by noticing one very
common objection, made by our religious oppo-
sers, to our application of several scriptures. 1
do this, because I am not aware that it has been
done by any Universalist as a designed answer
to the objection. The substance of the objec-
tion is this : — There is not a passage in the JVew
Testament which speaks of a day of judgment, of
the end of the world, and of the coming of Christy

222 SHORT SERMONS.

but what Universalists apply to the destruction of
Jerusalem. Then, they contend, " every man
was rewarded according to his works,'''' conse-
quently, all subsequent nations are not to he re-
warded, nor are they to experience a day of judg-
ment. In reply to this objection I would remark,
that we are not answerable for the many passages
which the Saviour and his apostles applied to that
event. But if we make a wrong application of any
scripture, why do not our opposers point out the
error ? We will now show why the apostles wrote
so much in reference to that period. They do
not so frequently speak of that event merely on
account of the destruction of their temple, city,
and nation, (though that might justify their fre-
quent recurrence to it,) but there were circumstan-
ces of a more imposing and momentous charac-
ter to attract their attention to that catastrophe.
These were the abrogation of the Mosaic rituals
and the introduction of a new order of things by
Jesus Christ, of whom Moses and the Prophets
wrote. This was a period when every Christian
was to be delivered from the persecution of the
Jews, and the spread of the Gospel was to be re-
tarded no longer by their opposition. The Jews,
as a nation, were to be punished for their deeds
of blood, and that spiritual reign or judgment
commence, which should pass upon all subsequent

WHERE SHALL THE UNGODLY APPEAR ? 223

generations of men, rewarding every man accord-
ing to his works. The gospel reign is called
'' the judgment of the world " by Jesus Christ, in
the same sense thai Moses judged the world fifteen
hundred years by the law. Jesus says, '^ Think
not that I will accuse you to the Father, for there
is one that judgeth you, even Moses, in whom ye
trust." From this it is evident, that Moses was
then judging the Jews. But this covenant was
abolished at the destruction of Jerusalem. Paul
says, "he taketh away the first that he may
establish the second.''^ The word of God, in
this covenant, is spiritual and sharper than any
two-edged sword, — it is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart, while that of
Moses was outward, and took cognizance of the
conduct only. The objections of our opposers
are therefore unsound. And though ^\e apply
those passages, which speak of a judgment, to
the destruction of the Jews, yet that judgment or
reign of Christ which then commenced, is yet
going on, and will continue till all are subdued
to himself. He then came in his kingdom, and
will continue to reward every man according to
his deeds till his kingdom ends. So we this day
experience the effects of his coming, and of his
judgment or reign, and are justified or condemned
according as we embrace or reject the words of

224 SHORT SERMONS.

everlasting life. We see, therefore, the propriety
of the apostles' dwelling so much upon that great
event, which should witness the passing away of
the types and shadows, and the establishment of
the gospel of Jesus Christ.

ON LOxXGEVITY. 225

SERMON XIX.

ON LONGEVITY.

" What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days that
he may see good ? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from
speaking guile ; depart from evil and do good 3 seek peace and
pursue it." Psalm xxxiv. 12-14.

Self-preservation, and the desire of protracting
the momentary span of life, is the first principle
of our nature, or is at least so intimately interwo-
ven with our constitution as to appear inherent.
So powerful is this desire, that in defiance of
pain and misery, it seldom quits us to the last mo-
ments of our existence. To endeavour to length-
en out our lives is not only desirable, but is a du-
ty enjoined upon us in the Scriptures, and is most
beautifully and forcibly expressed in our text.

We might here introduce many observations,
of a philosophical character, on air and climate^
meat and drink^ motion and rest.^ sleeping and
toatching^ <^'c., and show how sensibly they con-
tribute to health ; and we might furnish many ex-
amples of long life ; but we pass these, and pro-
ceed to notice the affections of the mind, upon
which our text is grounded.

The due regulation of the passions contributes
more to health and longevity, than climate, or
even the observance of any course of diet. Our
15

226 SHORT SERMONS.

Creator has so constituted our natures, that duty,
health, happiness, and longevity are inseparably
blended in the sanae cup. To suppress, and
finally subdue, all the passions of malice, anger,
envy, jealousy, hatred, and revenge, and to exer-
cise (till they become familiar) all the noble pas-
sions of tenderness, compassion, love, hope, and
joy, is a duty that heaven solemnly enjoins upon
us, and in the performance of which our years
will be multiplied. But we must guard not only
our moral natures from the ravages of the corrod-
ing and revengeful passions, but also our physical
natures, by observing the strictest rules of tempe-
rance in eating, drinking, cleanliness, and exer-
cise.

The book of God commands us to "be tem-
perate in all things." The observance of this du-
ty gives us a firm constitution, robust health, and
prepares us to participate in all the innocent and
rational enjoyments of life. Here we may wit-
ness the goodness of the Divine Being in uniting
our duty, happiness, and interest in one ; and so
firmly are they wedded together, and so absolute-
ly does each depend upon the other, that they
cannot exist alone. They are alike laid in ruins
the moment they are separated. If we trace this
idea still further, we witness the same wise ar-
rangement, and the same incomprehensible skill
and goodness, of the Author of our being, in the

ON LONGEVITY. 221

constitution of our mental natures. In these, also,
he has nobly united our duty, happiness, and lon-
gevity in one. Jesus says, " Love your enemies ;
bless them that curse you, do good to them that
hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use
you and persecute you, that ye may be the chil-
dren of your Father in heaven." Pdil says,
" Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and
clamor, and evil speaking be put away from yen,
with all malice, and be ye kind one to another,
tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as
God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you."

Here, then, is our duty plainly pointed out. If
we will exercise this spirit of benignity to our en-
emies, subdue all our revengeful passions, and in-
dulge a spirit of love and friendship, of meekness
and cheerfulness towards our friends and neigh-
bours, we shall not only be as happy as our natures
can bear, not only revel in all the rational enjoy-
ments this life can impart, but we shall, in the
common course of providence, live to old age.
All those, with very few exceptions, who have
lived to eighty, ninety, and one hundred years,
have been remarked for their equanimity. They
were mild-spirited, kind, cheerful, and of such a
temperament, that neither misfortune, nor any out-
ward circumstances, that agitated the world, could
disturb their heaven-born repose.

Thus we see, that the path of duty, enjoined in

228 SHORT SERMONS.

the sacred Scriptures, is not only the path of peace
and joy, but conducts to a good old age. The
goodness of the Divine Being is most strikingly
exemplified, in uniting health and temperance,
happiness and longevity, and our duty to our fel-
low-creatures, all in one.

Long life and good days, however, depend
more upon the state of our minds than upon al-
most any other circumstance. He who lives in
fear and trouble, arising from any cause whatever ;
whether from contemplation of endless misery in
the future w^orld, or from the apprehension that
his earthly prospects will be blasted, and his for-
tune laid in ruins, — or if he is continually in-
volved in quarrels, broils, and tumults with his
neighbours, has but httle prospect of living to old
age, and certainly no hope of seeing good days.
He is in a constant hell. Here, then, we see the
beauty and propriety of our text : " What man
is he that desireth life, and loveth many days that
he may see good ? Keep thy tongue from evil,
and thy lips from speaking guile ; depart from evil
and do good ; seek peace and pursue it."

The first condition for a long life is, " keep thy
tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking
guile." But the question arises, in what sense
can the violation of that condition have any effect
upon the length of life } The answer is at hand ;
the slanderer is ever a busy body in other men's

ON LONGEVITY. 229

matters. He is secretly endeavouring to injure his
neighbours. He circulates falsehoods about them,
from house to house. One and another hears the
reports put into circulation. They call upon the
author for an explanation of his conduct. In-
volved in trouble, arising from fear, guilt, and mor-
tification, he tells a thousand falsehoods to clear up
one. All this preys upon his inmost vitals, while
perhaps with another, whom he has slandered, he
is- involved in a quarrel, and it terminates in a set-
tled hatred ; and a third case becomes an incur-
able distemper of rancor and revenge. Here is
a man who by slander has rendered his existence
wretched. He is like the troubled ocean, whose
waters find no rest.

There is but little hope of his reaching the
common age of man. Instead of seeing good
days, he is walking in the regions of night and woe.
Says the wise man, "where there is no fuel the
fire goeth out, so where there is no tattler, strife
ceaseth." Yes, "where there is envying and
strife, there is confusion and every evil work."

Violent anger excites powerfully the caloric in
the human system, boils the blood, and in this
state throws it suddenly upon the brain. The
powerful shock propels it instantly to the exterior
surface, and, torrent-like, contracts it back again
in redoubled fury upon the brain, and leaves the
countenance pale and ghastly. It deranges in a

230 SHORT SERMONS.

great measure the mind, and unfits it for useful ac-
tion. It darts its electric fire of vengeance along
the optic nerve, expands the retina, and gives to
every object a magnified and false appearance,
while the very eyeballs, by a vi^ild and savage
glare, proclaim the dreadful storm that is raging
within, and pouring the poisonous streams of pre-
mature death through all the healthful channels of
existence ! It suddenly braces the nervous sys-
tem, and then on the opposite extreme leaves it
depressed and w^eakened. It gradually brings on
rheumatic complaints, and lays the whole system
open to the most formidable and painful disorders,
that afflict the human race. It cannot have
escaped medical observation, that fevers and con-
sumptions are much more frequent among per-
sons who are very irritable, and exercise little
or no rule over their passions, than among those
who are of a mild temperament, either naturally,
or from early restraint and education.

There is a connexion between the mind and
the body, so subtile that it has hitherto eluded the
eagle-eye of Physiology, and will perhaps remain
Inscrutable forever to human comprehension. But
that this connexion exists is fully demonstrated
by medical experience and observation. Many
bodily disorders derange the mind, and have in
many instances totally destroyed it. So, on the
other hand, diseases of the mind affect the body

ON LONGEVITY. 231

in return, and griefs despair^ and melancholy have
so preyed upon the vitals as to emaciate the
body, and bring it to the grave. It is not un-
common, that consumptions are brought en by
trouble of mind, by guilty and by melancholy and
grief. And many instances have occurred, where
persons in excessive violent anger have dropped
down dead. What is so dreadful, when carried
to extreme, must be very injurious to health,
and long life, when indulged frequently and even
moderately.

There being, then, such an intimate connexion
between the mind and body, and so many thousands
of ways in which one akernately acts upon, and
affects, the other, and brings millions to an un
timely grave, we see at once the propriety of not
only guarding our health by temperance in eating
and drinking, but more particularly by avoiding
troubles of a mental character. These are gener-
ally brought upon individuals, families, and neigh-
bourhoods, by the bad use of the tongue. Would
you live long, that you may see good days ? Then
keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from
speaking guile ; seek peace and pursue it. Avoid
every species of iniquity that would have a tend-
ency to blast your own or the peace of others.
Avoid it as you would the poisonous exhalations
of the Bohon Upas, and fly it as you would the
dreadful Samiel of the Arabian desert.

232 SHORT SERMONS.

SERMON XX.

ON LONGEVITY.
[Concluded.]

We have shown in our last number, that the
truth of this text is based upon philosophy, and
verified by experience and observation ; that noth-
ing is more destructive to health and longevity
than to indulge in the revengeful passions of our
nature ; and that constant fear, grief, and melan-
choly are also destructive to the human constitu-
tion, and withering to the dearest joys of life.
We have shown that violent anger, revenge, and
most of the malignant passions, originate from the
bad use of the tongue ; and that, if we would live
long and see good, we must give heed to our
ways by following the injunctions of the text.
We now propose a further discussion of this sub-
ject, addressed particularly to the young.

A single spark of fire has often WTapped a city
in conflagration. Great effects not unfrequently
flow from small causes. The apostle James says,
see chap. iii. — " Behold also the ships, which,
though they be so great, and are driven of fierce
winds, yet they are turned about with a very
small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
Even so the tongue is a little member and boast-

ON LONGEVITY. 233

eth great things. Behold how great a matter a
little fire kindleth ! And the tongue is a fire, a
world of iniquity ; so is the tongue among our
members, that it defileth the whole body, and
setteth On fire the course of nature, and is set
on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts and of
birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea
is tamed, and hath been tamed, of mankind. But
the tongue can no man tame ; it is an unruly
member, full of deadly poison." The apostle,
in the above quotation, has reference to those
who have so long indulged in evil speaking that
it has become, as it were, an incurable habit. If
any man makes a practice of slandering his neigh-
bours, and disturbing the peace of the community,
it is immaterial to what church he may belong,
or what ostentatious professions he may make,
he is, notwithstanding all this, destitute of Chris-
tianity.

It is a painful fact, that the religion of the present
day is too much accommodated to the fashions
and customs of the world. Let a man, for in-
stance, use profane language, or get intoxicated,
and he will readily be suspended from the com-
munion of the church. But let him slander his
neighbours, and little or no notice is taken of his
conduct. And let him slander other denomina-
tions, and it becomes, as it were, a virtue ; where-
as the fact is, that the latter, according to the book

234 SHORT SERMONS.

of God, is much the greatest crime. It is there-
fore wise to lay, in early youth, a foundation for
a tranquil, virtuous, and long life.

Thus you see, my young friends, that virtue
and happiness, temperance, prosperity, and lon-
gevity, are inseparably connected by the Author
of our being, who has made them to depend in
a great measure upon our conduct. You have
also seen, that sin and misery, intemperance in
body, and also intemperance in mind, such as
evil speaking, violent anger, commotions, griefs
and troubles, and a premature grave, are likewise
inseparably and wisely connected.

And now, my young friends, which will you
choose ? If you love life and desire to see many
days, let me exhort you to choose the former^
and to drink freely out of that golden cup in
which every earthly joy of unbroken felicity is
mingled by the unerring hand of divine mercy ;
and let me warn you to reject the latter^ for in
it are mingled the bitter drugs of misery. Be
temperate in eating and drinking. Be temperate \n
all your pursuits in life, and in all your desires.
Be temperate in your conduct ; and "pitch upon
that course of hfe which is the most excellent,
and habit will soon render it the most delightful."
Avoid not only every word and action that may
lead to discord and contention, but, as our text
says, depart from evil and do good^ seek peace.

ON LONGEVITY. 235

and pursue it. Let us do good to all our fellow-
creatures, and endeavour to overcome their hatred
with love, and their evil with good.

Yes, my young friends, affectionately and sol-
emnly would I urge you to begin early to curb your
passions, and to study sweetness of disposition.
It will soon become to you perfectly natural, and
thus you will lay the foundation for a virtuous
and tranquil old age. But, asks the youth, shall
I live longer for subduing my passions and doing
good, for seeking peace and pursuing it ? Certain-
ly. Our text teaches this ; so does philosophy,
and so do the Scriptures generally. Jesus Christ
says, " Blessed are the meek^ for they shall in-
herit the earth." That is, they shall long enjoy
it. " Blessed are the peace-makers, for they
shall be called the children of God." The fifth
commandment says, " Honor thy father and thy
mother, that thy days may be long upon the land
which the Lord thy God giveth thee." By honor-
ing our parents, we are to understand a filial and
submissive obedience to their precepts, by not
departing from that way in which, with many ex-
hortations, prayers, and tears, they sought to train
us up. In this case, honoring them would of
course require us to walk in the paths of virtue
and temperance, and to live an honest, quiet, and
peaceable life, which would insure the promise,
and give us many days.

236 SHORT SERMONS.

Not only do the Scriptures promise long life to
the peaceable, temperate, and meek, but they, on
the other hand, just as solemnly declare, that " the
wicked shall not live out half their days." This
passage has occasioned much dispute among re-
ligious denominations ; one affirming, that every
man's time is appointed in the counsels of heaven
by the decree of God, who " declares the end
from the beginning ; " and another affirming, that
it is not^ for the above passage teaches that the
life of man may be shortened. But there is no
occasion for dispute on this point, for they are
both right, as v»'e have seen in the course of our
remarks. This passage is but the counterpart of
our text. It is the decree of God that the wicked,
the abandoned, shall not reach the extreme of
human life, because they indulge in those very
crimes, which, in the constitution of things, must
inevitably carry them to an early tomb. Of the
truth of this, we see thousands of instances in the
world. And God has decreed, that the meek,
the peaceable, shall reach the extreme of life, be-
cause they pitch upon that happy course of con-
duct which naturally leads to it. All that we
are to understand by his decree^ is, that he has
inseparably connected the end with the means, by
so constituting our natures, and so ordering his
providence, that sin, dissipation, anger, and re-
venge shall not only destroy happiness, but short-

ON LONGEVITY. 237

en life, so certain as men pursue such a wretched
course. And that the opposite course of conduct
shall not only communicate happiness, but pro-
tract life, so certain as they engage in it.

Here then, my young friends, you may readily
perceive how God punishes vice and rewards
virtue. He does not do it by any abstract law,
or arbitrary mode of procedure, but he has in
infinite wisdom interwoven the whole in the very
constitution of our natures, so that the wicked
cannot go unpunished, nor the righteous unre-
warded. To teach, that man can indulge in vice,
and yet escape its punishment by future repen-
tance, is not only dangerous to the morals of
society, but is a direct impeachment of the
divine administration, as it must in such case, be
defective. And to teach, that men may live
righteously and godly and yet go unrewarded,
is equally dangerous to the morals of the com-
munity, as it is but discouraging them from en-
gaging in a virtuous course of conduct. To
teach, that men are to be rewarded in a future
world for their goodness here, is but in substance
saying that virtue is attended with mental misery,
and so far as it fails of rewarding its possessor
Aere, the balance is to be made up hereafter.
And to teach, that men are to be punished in a
future state for their badness here, is but in sub-
stance saying, that vice is attended with some

238 SHORT SERMONS.

mental joys, and so far as it fails of punishing its
possessor here, the balance is to be made up
hereafter.

It is readily granted, that the righteous may
suffer. But we ought ever to make a plain dis-
tinction between afflictions and punishments, for
the Bible does this. It is impossible, in the na-
ture of things, that punishment can exist except
in connexion with guilt. Paul and Silas were
cast into prison and fastened in the stocks, on
account of their religion. But nothing could
disturb their mental peace, — their heaven-born
repose. They joyfully sung psalms, and lifted
up their voices in prayer to God in the calm en-
joyment of a pure, unsullied conscience. They
suffered afflictions that were, under the govern-
ment of God, to work out for their good. There
were no doubt others in that prison justly suffering
for their crimes. To them it was punishment.
Hence we see the distinction between them.
The Scriptures say, " Great peace have they that
love thy law ; and nothing shall offend them."
"^ There is no peace, saith my God, to the
wicked ; " and he who says there is, contradicts
Jehovah.

If you would, my young friends, avoid punish-
ment, avoid sin. If you would be happy, and
enjoy a long and tranquil life, follow carefully the
directions of our text ; for rest assured, that a

ON LONGEVITY. 239

contrary course of conduct will not only involve
you in misery and wretchednessj but bring you to
a premature grave. Let us then take warning,
and not become our own executioners. Let us
make the most of life we may, and not turn our
present existence, which is one of heaven's choi-
cest blessings, into a curse. Let us do good in
our day and generation, and render ourselves bless-
ings to mankind, by living soberly, righteously,
and peaceably in the world. Let us do justly,
love mercy, and walk humbly with God ; " visit
the widow and the fatherless in their affliction,
and keep ourselves unspotted from the world."

240 SHORT SERMONS.

SERMON XXL

GOD'S GOVERNMENT RECOGNISED.

" And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall
be with the beasts of the field ; and they shall make thee to eat
grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou
know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giv-
eth it to whomsoever he will." Daniel iv. 32.

That reason, as well as revelation, teaches an
overruling providence, very few deny. There
must exist in nature an omnipotent and benevolent
Being to keep all her works in harmony ; to touch
all, even the most secret and subtile springs of the
vast machinery of the universe ; to regulate seed-
time and harvest, summer and winter, day and
night ; and to throw the enrapturing charms of
countless variety not only over the landscape, but
over all that we behold in the heavens above, or
in the earth beneath. Globes roll in the paths as-
signed them, and by some unseen hand are wisely
kept from interfering in their orbits, and dis-
turbing each other's motions. These facts de-
monstrate the existence of an omniscient, om-
nipotent, and Benevolent Being ; and every event,
transpiring in the government of the world, pro-
claims an omnipresent Jehovah.

He not only works in the majesty of the light-
ning, and in the grandeur of the storm, regulating

god's government recognised. 241

and directing the whole in its sublime career, but
he notices the fall of a sparrow, and numbers the
very hairs of our head. Events, the most trivial
in their nature, are the objects of his notice, as
well as those of the most momentous character.
Were not this the case, universal disorder and ru-
in would soon find their way into his works, break
the chain of events, and reduce all, that we now
admire, from its present harmony and glory,
down to its original confusion and chaos. This
conclusion is unavoidable, because some of the
greatest events that have transpired in the world,
owe their existence to something of a very triv-
ial nature.

If God did not, in the general government of
the world, direct also small events, then he could
not be the author of those great events which flow
from them. On this principle there might trans-
pire countless events of the greatest magnitude
without the direction and superintendence of De-
ity. The admission of this is but practical Athe-
ism. It is acknowledging a God in words, but in
works denying him. It alike makes chance the
governor of the world to those who acknowledge
such a God, as to those who wholly deny his ex-
istence.

In our text a presiding Deity is solemnly rec-
ognised by the prophet Daniel, and his suprema-
cy over the affairs of men is throughout the whole
16

24:2 SHORT SERMONS.

chapter most strikingly set forth before the Assyr-
ian king. He had dreamed a dream, which none
of the wise men of Babylon were able to inter-
pret. Daniel was called to him ; who, after mak-
ing known to that proud monarch his destiny, in-
volved in that dream, expostulates with him on
his conduct. He did not threaten him with end-
less punishment in the immortal world, but in-
formed him that there was a God that ruled the
heavens, and presided over the affairs of men ;
and exhorted him to forsake his iniquities. This
is his language : " And whereas they command-
ed to leave the stump of the tree roots, thy king-
dom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt
have known that the heavens do rule. Wherefore,
O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee,
and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine
iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, if it may
be a lengthening of thy tranquillity. All this came
upon the king Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of
twelve months he walked in the palace of the
kingdom of Babylon. The king spake, and said,
Is not this great Babylon, that 1 have built for the
house of the kingdom, by the might of my power
and for the honor of my majesty ? While the
word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice
from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar,
to thee it is spoken, the kingdom is departed from
thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and

god's government recognised. 243

thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field ;
they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and
seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know
that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men,
and giveth it to whomsoever he will."

Nebuchadnezzar was the son of Nabopolasser,
and the second king of x\ssyria. He was regent
with his father in the empire 607 years before the
birth of our Lord, and the next year he raised a
powerful army, marched against Jerusalem, and
took Jehoiakim, king of Judah, prisoner. While
making preparations to carry him and his subjects
into captivity, in Babylon, Jehoiakim solemnly
promised submission, and begged the privilege of
holding his throne under the sceptre of Nebuchad-
nezzar. This favor was granted, and he was per-
mhted to remain at Jerusalem. Three years af-
ter this, he made an unsuccessful attempt to throw
of the Assyrian yoke and regain his former inde-
pendence. This brought on the general captivi-
ty of the Jewish nation, which lasted 70 years.

Nebuchadnezzar extended his conquests till he
subjugated the Ethiopians, Arabians, Idumeans,
Philistines, Syrians, Persians, Medes, Assyrians,
and nearly all Asia to his sceptre. These splen-
did conquests, and being now king of kings, lifted
up his heart with pride, that he caused a golden
image to be reared on the plains of Dura. He
issued a royal edict, and commanded the princes

244 SHORT SERMONS.

and rulers of all these nations, as well as their
principal subjects, to assemble ; and being assem-
bled, he commanded them to fall down and wor-
ship his golden god. Daniel's companions refused
to do this, and were cast into the fiery furnace.

From this circumstance, he was brought to
acknowledge a Supreme Being, and even issued
a decree, that any one who spoke amiss against
the God of Shadranh, Meshach, and Abednego
should be cut in pieces. But, as he was gazing
upon the massy walls of Babylon, — a work of
gigantic achievement ; as he was surveying, from
the height of his palace, the hanging gardens and
lofty towers, (an aerial world !), as he was admir-
ing his own magnificence, by the sentence of that
God whom he had not glorified, he was driven
from men, and, in the Hebrew style of ex-
pression, is said to have eaten grass like oxen.
By this we are to understand, that he was sudden-
ly seized with a disease, called by the Greeks
lyconthrophy, and which is known among phy-
sicians at the present day by the name of hypo-
chondria. It is a species of madness, that causes
persons to run into the fields and streets in the
night, and sometimes to suppose themselves to
have the heads of oxen, horses, dogs, or fancy
themselves to be like some other animal, and
doomed to fare like them. And some have imag-
ined themselves to be made of glass. At the

god's government recognised. 245

end of seven years Nebuchadnezzar's understand-
ing returned to him, and he was restored to his
throne and glory. He died 562 years before
Christ, in the 43d year of his reign.

It is our intention to consider this text, in a
moral point of view, as apphcable to all men of all
ages, and in all conditions in life. While pursuing
the various occupations to which our inclination
or fancy may lead, we are too apt to lose sight of
that Being who holds our destinies in his hand ;
and more particularly so in seasons of prosperity,
when blessed with health and other sublunary en-
joyments. Strange as it maj'^ seem, yet it is sub-
stantially true, that in proportion as man is suc-
cessful in the accomplishment of his plans, he
becomes arrogant and haughty in his feelings ; and,
instead of acknowledging his dependence on God,
and feeling the bursts of gratitude for the favors
and enjoyments heaven scatters in his path, he
loses sight of the benign hand that blesses him,
and, like the proud Assyrian monarch, ascribes
all his prosperity to his own plans, and to the
effect of his own peculiar management. He sur-
veys the lands he has purchased, the beautiful
buildings he has erected, the wealth he has
accumulated, and in view of these achievements
of his hand, as he is floating on the full tide of
prosperity, he is ready to breathe out in exultation,
— '^ is not this great Babylon, which I have built

246 SHORT SERMONS.

for the house of my kingdom, by the might of
my power and for the honor of my majesty."

When success becomes common, man forgets
his dependence on Him who rules in the armies
of heaven, and over the affairs of men. It is our
duty as intelligent creatures to exercise our reason
in viewing things as they really are. He, who
will not do this, but goes through life thought-
lessly, so far resigns the man, and assumes the
brute. Even some, who bear the Christian name,
proclaim against reason, call her carnal, and pros-
trate her, as it were, at the shrine of enthusiasm.
They lean upon certain frames and feelings of
the animal nature. They are so far driven from
men. I say it is our duty, as rational intelligences,
to hold our station in the scale of being, and to
exercise our reason in viewing things as they are.
We ought candidly and solemnly to weigh the
blessings of God, and consider the relation in
which we stand to him as our Creator and Bene-
factor. Who can tell the value of existence, or
nunjber its countless enjoyments ? What a won-
derful production is man ! He has given us the
most beautiful symmetry of parts, — has moulded
our limbs with accuracy, and freely bestowed
these admirable lineaments of form ! He has
formed the ear for sound, and awakened in its vo-
cal chambers the flowing charms of music, the
harmony of rejoicing nature, the dear voices of

247

parents and children, and the sweet whisperings
of love and friendship ! He has moulded the
transparent eye, bedded it in its bony socket, and
on its retina painted the universe ! He has bid it,
not only to disclose all tiie varied passions of the
soul, but to roll with softness and affection on the
fond companion of our ways, on the countless
beauties of nature, and bid it with infinite ease
sweep the entire vault of heaven. He has set in
motion the warm current of life, that rolls through
our veins, pouring nourishment, health, and an-
imation through all the channels of existence. It
is he who throbs the heart, who heaves the lungs,
and who bids the ten thousand complicated parts
of this organized frame move on. In all this, his
goodness is every moment felt, and yet we are
thoughtless of these manifestations of his loving
kindness. They are so common, that we have
ceased to prize them. When sickness and dis-
tress come upon us, it is then we learn the value
of health and ease, and are often awakened to the
reality that the Most High rules.

In view of the trials incident to life, we hear
the Psalmist exclaim, " Before I was afflicted I
went astray, but now have I kept thy word."
This seems to be the lamentable condition of man.
When rolling in the calm tide of uninterrupted
prosperity, and rejoicing in the vigor of health,
he forgets there is a God, or becomes thoughtless
that the heavens do rule, and begins, like the

248 SHORT SERMONS.

king of Babylon, to ascribe all his success to
his own power, foresight, and management, and is
practically an atheist. But, however thoughtless
men may be, yet there is a God who governs
the world, and will so order and direct his prov-
idence, that every one who goes counter to the
principles of rectitude is doomed^ inevitably
doomed, to suffer the consequences.

There is too much practical atheism in the
world. By this we mean, that there are too ma-
ny of those who acknowledge a God in words,
that deny him in conduct. Every one, who lives
upon the bounties of heaven, who enjoys the
sweets of existence, and remains thoughtless of
God, is practically an atheist. As saith Paul,
'' They profess that they know God, but in works
they deny him, being abominable and disobedient,
and unto every good work reprobate." He who
goes on in the ways of transgression and multi-
pHes his iniquities, must either believe there is no
God, or else conclude that he does not rule over
the affairs of men ; and on this ground flatters
himself that he shall escape punishment. And
not only so, but in opposition to the express dec-
laration of Jehovah, he believes that he shall en-
joy a degree of happiness in the indulgence of
sin. All such are driven from those rational reflec-
tions and moral principles, which virtually con-
stitute the man, and have yet to learn, " that the
heavens do rule."

god's government recognised. 249
SERMON XXII.

GOD'S GOVERNMENT RECOGNISED.

[Concluded.]

Every man, who believes that the path of vir-
tue is thorny, and that of vice is pleasurable, is
not only deceived, but has not yet learned, that
the Most High holds the reins of government,
and dispenses to his creatures their rewards and
punishments. It is evident, if every man solemn-
ly believed that a course of sin would bring upon
him certain and unavoidable misery, and that ev-
ery species of dishonesty would lessen his fortune
in the world, he would abandon his course, and
turn his feet to the testimonies of God. The
transgressor is therefore deceiving himself, is
resting under a strong delusion, and is yet igno-
rant that the Almighty rules throughout his vast
dominions. Certain it is, that a wicked man was
never happy while remaining in that condition,
and it is equally certain, that no one ever yet went
unpunished.

To this point we intend to invite your serious
attention in this discourse. The expression in
our text, " till thou know that the Most High
ruleth in the kingdom of men," does not only
imply a knowledge of the existence of a Supreme

250 SHORT SERMONS.

Intelligence, who governs the world, but an obe-
dience to the moral laws of his empire. On this
proposition we purpose to offer a few rational,
and not only rational, but irresistible arguments.
We will first notice the condition of those who
are guilty of heinous crimes, and then come down
to the common walks of life, and bestow a few
remarks on those who are indifferent about their
condition, and who only guard their conduct so
far as comports with the customs and manners
of that portion of the community, who have no
higher principle of action than to be considered
respectable among men.

Though we come before the public to defend
the doctrines of Christ, yet, my friends, you will
bear in mind that it is also our duty to enforce his
precepts, and exhort to the obedience of the
Gospel. That we should point out the road of
sin, error, and misery, and also endeavour to
throw the light of heavenly truth on the pathway
of human life.

We will begin with the murderer, who wanton-
ly imbrues his hands in the blood of his fellow.
So far as he has violated the laws of his country,
he is a subject for public execution, and has noth-
ing to hope for, at the tribunal of human justice.
His misery, whether it arise from the contempla-
tion of an ignominious death, from the fear of
detection, or from the consciousness of having

god's government recognised. 251

violated the moral principles of his nature, is alike
insupportable, as well as indescribable.

Is he detected ? Shut out from the world and
confined in his loathsome cell, he is left to his
own reflections, and to all the horrors of the
gathering storm. But even admitting that he
should escape detection, and be left to his own
meditations on his deed of blood, he would, like
Cain, breathe out in agony of soul, " My punish-
ment is greater than I can bear ! " He might,
indeed, mingle with the busy throng, — he might
even smile, and wear a face of pleasure, but be-
hind this mantled mask he would conceal a heart
of pain. He might, indeed, gaze upon the land-
scape, listen to the songs of the grove, and con-
template the glories of nature, but the charm, that
once gave him ecstatic delight and solid joy, is
vanished from his sight ; and all, that once w-as
fair and lovely, wears the frown of darkness and
indignation. He gazes upon little children, and
hears their artless and innocent prattle, reflects
what he once was, and every joy that sparkles
in their eyes sends a dagger to his heart. The
rustling of a leaf strikes him with terror and alarm,
and every passing breeze bears to his tormented
soul the groans of the dying man, and conscience
forces him to listen to the heart-rending tale of
woe. Fain would he fly from himself, and enjoy
one hour's repose ; but alas ! that God, who rules

252 SHORT SERMONS.

in the kingdom of men, lias written a law in his
heart, where he reads and feels his condemnation,
and where conscience sits on the judgment-seat,
constantly holds him arraigned at her tribunal,
and fans up in his bosom the burning flames of
hell ! He may lie down on his pillow, but spec-
tres haunt his brain ; and awake, asleep, at home,
abroad, he finds that he has rendered his own
existence a curse. He lives in misery, and in
darkness expires.

Let us next notice the thief, who plunders our
property. His crime is of less magnitude than
the above, but his guilt is in proportion. No one
by such means has ever enriched himself. He,
who obtains property by dishonorable means, is
ignorant of its value, and will dishonorably spend
it. He has forgotten, that God governs the world.
Our state-prisons and penitentiaries not only (so
far as human laws are concerned) reveal his fate,
but speak his woes. But suppose he escape
detection, and is only exposed to the naked and
fearful grandeur of that law which God has written
in the heart. He hears its thunders, and he feels
its nies. He has taken from some fellow-being
his hard earnings, and sees him, and perhaps his
children, mourning their misfortune and suffering
the miseries of adversity. Guilt takes possession
of his soul, and misery, which the hand of time
cannot extinguish, rolls its dark waves of damna-

253

tion upon him, and drowns his dearest joys, while
poverty marks him for her own.

God has so constituted his plans in the govern-
ment of the world, that the plunderer cannot pros-
per. Inward horrors and fears of detection ab-
stract his mind from the proper duties of life, so
that misfortune and defeat find their way into his
plans, which might otherwise by calm dehberation
have succeeded ; and disappointment and misery,
satiety and disgust, and all the evils that are the
offspring of his iniquity, commingling in a thou-
sand ways, render his existence wretched. Re-
lying upon dishonesty for support, he becomes
but a midnight beggar. His slumbers are haunted
by frightful dreams ; and fear of detection, prisons,
and dungeons are torturing his imagination and
incessantly sporting with his broken peace. He
is a stranger to the solid joys arising from the
practice of virtue, is doomed to encounter all
the miseries that attend his ill-chosen career, and
to drink every drug of wormwood and gall that
heaven has mingled in the cup of dishonor. He
lives a nuisance and pest to society, and dies
covered with infamy.

In all this we shall see the truth of our text
exemplified, that God rules in the kingdom of
men, and brings punishment, not only upon a
haughty monarch, seated on the throne of nations,
but upon every transgressor, however obscure

254 SHORT SERMONS.

may be bis condition in tbe walks of private
life. Tbe sovereign decree of his empire is,
— " Though hand join in hand, yet shall
the wicked not go unpunished."

But we lake our leave of flagitious crimes, and
proceed to notice men in the common walks
of life. Every man who makes riches, or public
honors the chief end of all bis pursuits, and gives
all bis attention to tbe attainment of bis object,
and overreaches in bargains whenever an oppor-
tunity offers, or sets various prices on his mer-
chandise, according to the person with whom he
deals, — such a man will never feel himself filled
with riches, nor satisfied with honors. The
reasons are obvious. He commences his career
under the impression that happiness, contentment,
and all the rational enjoyments of life, consist in
wealth, and in human greatness. He soon finds
himself in possession of as large a fortune as he
first supposed would make him happy. But his
desires for more having imperceptibly expanded,
he finds within an increased restlessness, and even
greater desires for more than when be first set
out. He still believes, according to his original
impression, that happiness lies in gold ; and that
the only reason why he has not obtained those
solid joys in possession which be first anticipated,
is because he still needs more. But though wealth
may flow upon him in oceans, his cravings for

god's government recognised. 255

more will ever swell beyond what earth can 8;ive,
and leave him a more wretched being than he was
at the commencement of his course. Here is his
loss, — here is his punishment. God has not
placed happiness in wealth.

" A competence is all we can enjoy,
O, be content, where heaven can give no more."

Or let him rise to that station of honor, which he
now believes will satisfy him, and his ambition
would aspire to one more exalted. Let him gov-
ern one kingdom, and he would desire to subju-
gate another, till the whole world bowed to his
nod. And were every star an inhabited world,
and did he possess means to invade them, his am-
bition would continue to soar till he ruled the uni-
verse; and, were there no object left to which he
might still direct his ambition and continue to
soar, he would sit down in despair, and, like
Alexander the Great, weep and sigh for more
worlds to conquer.

All this restlessness and misery arise from false
notions of happiness, — from not realizing that
the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, —
and from a want of confidence in his word, which
points alike the rich and the poor to that noble
path of virtue and religion, where true happiness
and unbroken peace forever reign. By men em-

256 SHORT SERMONS.

bracing virtue, and in their feelings and actions
ever acknowledging the supremacy of Jehovah,
inevitably lead to happiness and contentment.
But in doing this we are not to deprive ourselves
of the enjoyment of honest gotten wealth, nor of
the rational pursuits and interchanges of social and
domestic life. Religion was not given to deprive
us of the common comforts and conveniences of
life, but to sweeten them. Our Redeemer says,
" Seek first the kingdom of God and his righ-
teousness, and all these things shall be added unto
you." Sin and misery in this world are insepara-
ble ; so are righteousness and happiness. If they
are not, then it remains for the advocates for a fu-
ture retribution to show how men are to be suffi-
ciently rewarded and punished in the future world.
There is, my friends, no solid happiness, no per-
manent satisfaction, but in the contemplation that
God governs the world, and in the practice of
pure and rational piety. This you may know by
studying your own bosom. Have any of you
thus far spent your days in striving to find perfect
bliss in the various pursuits of life ? Have you
aspired to one object, abandoned it, and taken up
another ? If so, can you say that you have found
the happiness you anticipated, and so earnestly
sought ? No ! What is the reason ? There is
one thing needful. Whatever may be your pur-

257

suit, if you are thoughtless that God gov^erns the
world, and, if instead of rendering him the honaage
of a grateful heart, you blaspheme his name, or
are selfish and regardless of the happiness of your
fellow-creatures, you must, according to the es-
tabhshed laws of his empire, remain in that same
restless and dissatisfied condition till you know
by experience that the heavens do rule, — till you
bow to the subhme requirements of his word.
That dissatisfaction, varied according to the con-
dition of moral character, is the punishment God
sends upon us for our indifference. From this
indifference we may rise to that unquenchable
thirst for riches, already noticed, and our suffer-
ings will receive new accessions according to our
moral light. And from this we may rise to a de-
sire for honor and power, till we are hurried on
by ambition to conquest and slaughter, where we
are doomed to suffer all the miseries a Bonaparte
endured. From this we may rise to dishonor,
fraud, and theft ; and as we rise in crime, our mis-
eries increase in degree, till we imbrue our hands
in innocent blood, and thus render our bosoms a
hell, and our very existence a burden.

Every man is in a condition of uneasiness,
suffering, guih, hardness of heart, and blindness
of mind, exactly in proportion to his moral con-
duct. Let us then be wise ; — and if we desire
17

258 SHORT SERMONS.

happiness, let us seek it in that course where the
unerring word of God assures us it can alone be
found. Let us acknowledge, "that the heavens
do rule," and rest assured that He, who notices
the fall of a sparrow, will not wink at our evil
doings.

DR. griffin's letter TO THE AUTHOR. 259

ARTICLE XXIII.

DR. GRIFFTJN'S LETTER TO THE AUTHOR.

TO THE REV. J. B. DODS.

Dear Sir : — I perceive that much has been
expressed in the " Trumpet," of late, on the
words of our Lord, about destroying " soul and
body in hell.'''' A sermon from the Rev. Mr.
Manley seems to have been the exciting cause of
the remarks which have been made. It appears,
moreover, that the same passage has eHcited a
variety of opinions in past years from different
writers.

At the time when your article to the Rev. Mr.
Manley made its appearance, we flattered our-
selves that you would soon pubhsh your individ-
ual views on this difficult text, and more particu-
larly so, as we remembered the avowal on your
part, that you had long ago formed your opinion
on that passage, and, from the different exposi-
tions hitherto given, that you had seen no reason
to justify any renunciation or change of that opin-
ion. Are you not, then, under a kind of obliga-
tion to afford us all the light you possess on the
subject } That hght, surely, ought not to be
^'■hid under a bushel P'' It would ill comport

260 SHORT SERMONS.

with your general character, to be thus anti-
scriptural !

You have in the South many warm friends. —
For several years have they indulged the pleasing
anticipation, that you would locate somewhere in
Virginia. I hope yet to see the advent of that
day, as we much need your services in this ex-
tensive field of labors, where none yet seem to
venture a. fixed settlement, — where all things are
ripe for the harvest, but the reapers are few ! Till
then, let us at least hear from you through the
medium of the glorious " Trumpet " once in
a while ; and on the present passage, as soon as
your convenience permits. We should also like
to hear from you on the Lord's Supper, whether
it was the Jewish Passover which he kept, or
whether he established a new institution.

Were I not penning these lines to an old ac-
quaintance and friend, I should offer many apolo-
gies for the liberty which I have now taken, and
should derive my principal extenuation from the
high estimate which I entertain of your talents.
I am, dear sir, yours very truly,

S. S. GRIFFIN.

Williamsburg, Va., Sept. 20th, 1839.

DESTRUCTION OF SOUL AND BODY IN HELL. 261

ARTICLE XXIV.

DESTRUCTION OF SOUL AND BODY IN HELL.

" And fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill
the soul 3 but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul
and body in hell." Matt. x. 28.

TO S. S. GRIFFIN, M. D.

Dear Sir : — I must acknowledge, that it is
with reluctance I come before the public to offer
my views on a passage of Scripture, the subject
matter of which has been, for some time past,
agitated in the '' Trumpet," in the "Expositor,"
the " Evangelical Magazine," and in books, — and
which, by the various writers, who are brethren of
the first order of talents, has been acknowledged a
'■'■very difficult passage.'''' My reluctance arises
from those peculiar circumstances. I do not
wish to be considered an innovator on the long-
established opinions of my brethren, who are far
my superiors in theological science, — nor do I
covet the fame of being the author of any thing
new. And more than all, I desire no contro-
versy with my warm-hearted brethren, as I have
no time for such a purpose, unless I trespass on
the repose of my pillow.

The above are the only reasons why I have
not given my views on this passage during the

262 SHORT SERMONS.

three or four years that it has been under oc-
casional consideration. But having of late re-
ceived several letters from my friends, in different
sections, requesting me to give my views on the
" destruction of soul and body in hell ; " and as
you have now called upon me through the col-
umns of the " Trumpet," I feel it my duty to com-
ply. I would, however, have our readers under-
stand, that I have been thus repeatedly called
upon for no other reason than because I addressed
a short article, last June, through its columns,
to Br. Manley, which they supposed laid me
under obligations to state my views to the public.
The words now under examination were ad-
dressed by our Lord to his disciples, who were
Jews, and in religion Pharisees. And every
attentive reader of the Scriptures cannot but per-
ceive, how very difficult it was to turn a Pharisee
from his religion to any other faith. Our Lord
was evidently sensible of this, which therefore
accounts for the strong motive he placed before
his disciples, to induce them utterly to disregard
what men were able to do unto them, and to
persevere in his cause. They were, like other
Pharisees, fully persuaded, that their Messiah was
to be an earthly king, to sit upon the throne
of David, redeem them from Roman bondage,
completely restore the kingdom of Israel to its
original splendor, and subdue all other nations to

DESTRUCTION OF SOUL AND BODY IN HELL. 263

their government and religion. True, they were
sensible that their national condemnation, to a
punishment in gehenna, had long since been pro-
nounced by Jehovah, and recorded by the inspir-
ed penman. But, notwithstanding this, they were
so blind as to beheve that their Messiah, who was
soon to appear, would not only avert their nation-
al ruin, but raise them to national grandeur, and
that they would literally sit upon twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel. To expunge
from their minds such delusive hopes, and assure
them that the sentence of their national destruc-
tion in gehenna was irrevocably registered in heav-
en, and would positively be inflicted, Jesus Christ
spake the words of the text.

I will first offer a few remarks on the common
opinion. This scripture is, I believe, invariably
applied, by our opposers, to a punishment in the
immortal world. It is argued with a seeming plausi-
bility that such is, indeed, its plain sense, because
the death of the body is spoken of as an act which
men can do, and it is then added, that they are
not able to kill the soul, but that God is abundant-
ly able to destroy both soul and body in a place
of future woe, called, in the text, hell. Hence
they suppose the argument to be irresistible in
favor of such a tremendous doom. But, even
admitting this common opinion to be correct, yet
we shall see, that it must encounter more difficul-

264 SHORT SERMONS.

ties, perhaps, than its self-confident advocates at
first apprehended. Admitting, then, that this pas-
sage appertains to a punishment in the future world,
it may be asked, what are the difficulties which
such a disposition of the passage involves ? A few
of these I will now state in detail.

First. The language was addressed to his own
disciples in private, on a particular occasion,
namely, w^hen they were first chosen, and com-
missioned to go and proclaim "the kingdom of
heaven is at hand," and to work miracles. It was
never repeated to them again ; nor was this lan-
guage ever breathed by our Saviour, nor by any
of his apostles, in preaching to others. How is
this conduct of theirs to be reconciled with the
principles of common honesty, if the text involves
the doctrine of endless misery in hell ? If such
were the case, would not Jesus have plainly sta-
ted this same threatening to the common people,
and warned them of such a fearful doom ? He
certainly would, for he was faithful.

Second. Are the bodies of men to be killed
or literally destroyed in a future hell ? They are
not. Flesh and blood cannot inherit a future
state of being. What, then, are we to understand
by destroying both soul and body in hell ? All
must perceive, that there is the same certainty
that this mortal body shall be destroyed there,
that there is that the soul shall. Both were to be

DESTRUCTION OF SOUL AND BODY IN HELL. 265^

destroyed in the same place ! Now as this same
mortal body, which men can kill, is not to enter a
future world in a condition where it can be killed
or even harmed as a body, is it not strong pre-
sumption, is it not irrefragable evidence, that
this hell is not in another world ? Does it not,
to say the least, present an insuperable difficulty
to the advocate of this sentiment ? It does. The
objector cannot but see its force.

Third. Men are able to kill the body, but
are not able to kill the soul ; but God is able to
kill or destroy^ them both. Now what are we
to understand by killing the body ? If the objec-
tor say, it means the extinction of animal life,
then certainly the body is incapable of any further
sensation, and is consequently free from all sufFer-^
ing and pain. Again, — "but are not able to
kill the soul." What does this mean .'' Dr.
Adam Clarke and others give us to understand,
that they are not able to put the soul out of ex^
istence, because it is " immateriaW'' Then if
men were able to kill the soul and body both, it
would be annihilation, according to the construction
put upon it by our opposers. It then follows
that, to destroy both soul and body in hell must
mean their utter extinction, so that neither could
be susceptible of sensation, suffering, or pain, any
more than the clods that cover the tomb ! This
is certain ; because what men are able to do only

266 SHORT SERMONS.

partially in the first adjunct of the passage, God
is able to do completely in the last adjunct. Hence,
to destroy soul and body in the last clause must
mean the same as to kill the soul and body in
the first clause. The objector will perceive, that
this conclusion is absolutely irresistible, if he will
carefully notice the negative of the first part of
the text. After stating, that men kill the body,
Christ says, but are NOT able to kill the soul.
Here let me ask, Is God able to do what
Christ here informs us men can not do, namely,
to annihilate soul and body ? If the objector
says he is not ; then I reply that God and men are
placed in the same predicament by the objector.
But if it be granted, that Christ meant to express
God's ability to do that very thing which he
clearly stated, and then said men could not do, it
follows, of course, that God was able to kill both
the soul and body, that is, annihilate them, as such.
So you perceive, that, to allow common opin-
ion its full force, it lays the cold hand of annihilation
upon the face of the text ; or else charges God
with threatening his creatures with a doom he
never meant to execute ! Proving too much, it
proves nothing, — for if man, soul and body,
were killed^ or destroyed, he could not suffer to
all eternity, — admitting, at the same time, as
they believe, that the soul means the immortal
part. Suffering must terminate with such de-
struction.

DESTRUCTION OF SOUL AND BODY IN HELL. 267

I will now proceed to state what the passage,
in my humble opinion, means. It has long since
been settled that the word, here rendered hell,
is in the original gehenna. Literally it means the
valley of Hinnom, which lay south of Jerusalem,
and is sometimes called tophet. In this valley,
the idolatrous Jews sacrificed their children to
the god Moloch, in a most horrid and brutal man-
ner. For this wickedness the following sentence
was pronounced upon them. Jer. vii. 31 — 'SS,
" And they have built the high places of tophet,
which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to
burn their sons and their daughters in the fire,
which I commanded them not, neither came it
into my heart. Therefore behold, the days come,
saith the Lord, that it shall no more be called
Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom,
but the valley of slaughter ; for they shall bury
in Tophet, till there be no more place. And the
carcasses of this people shall be meat for the
fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth,
and none shall fray them away." Speaking of
Jerusalem, God says, — "I will make this city
as Tophet." " And the houses of Jerusalem,
and the houses of the kings of Judah, shall be
defiled as the place of Tophet." From the above
language we perceive, that Tophet had been de-
filed. This was done by king Josiah, so as to
prevent the Jews from ever worshipping there

268 SHORT SERMONS.

again and sacrificing their children to -Moloch,
even if they should apostatize and become heath-
ens. And, moreover, all the filth of the city was
carried there, and a fire continually kept burning,
for several hundred years. Dead bodies were
also throvvn there, and worms were continually
preying upon them. Hence it was called "the
place where the worm dieth not and the fire is not
quenched." No place could be mentioned more
abhorrent to the mind of a Jew than gehenna.
Hence we see why gehenna was made an em-
blem of their national destruction. It was to be
a destruction final and irretrievable. From it
there should be no return to national life under
the Mosaic dispensation.

To represent this tremendous destruction, our
Saviour employed the words of the passage un-
der consideration, as a warning to his apostles,
who were Jews. As such, they were exposed to
it, in common with their nation. There was no
escape but by renouncing Judaism, and all the
traditions of the Pharisees, and embracing the
Gospel. Christ connected gehenna with the de-
struction of soul and body to convey to their
minds an idea of its awfulness. It was to be
such "great tribulation as was not since the be-
ginning of the world to that time, no nor ever
should be." The destruction of soul and body,
or consuming the soul and body or killing them,

DESTRUCTION OF SOUL AND BODY IN HELL. 269

our Saviour only used as a common proverb of
that day, with which his disciples were evidently
well acquainted, and by which they understood
the total destruction of any nation to which it was
applied. It was a proverb used in reference to
nations, or kingdoms, as bodies political, or reli-
gious, and not to individual beings.

Our Saviour had just called the disciples into
his service. They were entirely ignorant of his
doctrine. They had merely heard his sermon on
the mount, and did not know that his religion
would differ any further from that of Moses than
this sermon had pointed out. They firmly believ-
ed that Christ was about to set up a temporal
kingdom ; and hence the doctrine of a crucified
and risen Redeemer, reigning on a mediatorial
throne, was as far from their thoughts as the Or-
thodox day of judgment is from common sense
and Scripture. Still, they understood what he
meant by the destruction " of soul and body in
hell." This is evident, because when they did
not comprehend his meaning on other occasions,
we hear them making all the necessary inquir-
ies ; but here they made none. From this sin-
gle circumstance it is evident, that they did not
learn the meaning of this passage from Jesus,
but that it was a common proverb of that day, —
that, as such, it was used by our Lord to his dis-

270 SHORT SERMONS.

ciples, and that he did not intend that the words
*' soul and body'''' should be interpreted literally
or spiritually. He merely meant to impress up-
on their minds that, if they, for fear of men, apos-
tatized, God was not only able, but would destroy
them with the Jews, as a nation, in such a man-
ner as men were not able to destroy them, as a
church or body of believers under the care of
their heavenly Father. In the former case, their
destruction would be final and irretrievable. They
would never again be restored to national hfe in
their own land, nor enjoy the religion of Moses
in their temple worship. But, in the latter case,
though men could put them to death with se-
verest tortures, yet they could never exterminate
his church, or that kingdom which it was his
^' Father's good pleasure to give them." It was
built upon a rock, and the gates of hell could
not prevail against it. To use the proverb, they
could not destroy it '' soul and body," or " root
and branch." It was sustained by the power of
God, and no persecutions or deaths could shake
it. It should outride every storm of opposi-
tion,— tower above ruin and decay, and stand as
immutable as the throne of eternity, till all beings
should be subdued to God, — till God should be
all in all. And thus far these words of Daniel
in relation to it have been fulfilled, — " And in

DESTRUCTION OF SOUL AND BODY IN HELL. 271

the days of these kings shall the God of heaven
set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroy-
ed." And we add; but it shall break in pieces
and consume all other kingdoms, become a great
mountain, and fill the whole earth.

272 SHORT SERMONS.

ARTICLE XXV.

DESTRUCTION OF SOUL AND BODY IN HELL.
[Concluded.]

Let US now turn to the Old Testament and see
if there is not some evidence to sustain us in the
above view of the subject. Let us see if it is not
a proverb. I will pass over all those Scriptures
which speak of God's utterly consuming nations,
and of his threatening to consume them, which,
I might show, have a bearing upon the subject
under consideration. They are indeed the same
proverb in substance, and only varied in expres-
sion ; the same as if we should say, — Mr. Skin-
ner has had a controversy with Alexander Camp-
bell, and he has torn him up root and branch.
He has demolished him soul and body. He has
completely put him down to rise no more. Now
these expressions are varied in language, yet by
them we mean but one thing. We only mean to
express entire defeat, proverbially. I therefore
pass over such passages of Scripture, and leave
the reader to examine them at his leisure, [see,
for example. Exodus xxxii. 10. Num. xvi. 21.
Deut. vii. 22. 1 Sam. xv. 18, &c.]

Leaving these, I will select one or two, which
now occur to my mind, as having a direct bear-

DESTRUCTION OF SOUL AND BODY IN HELL. 273

ing upon the case in hand. Isaiah x. 16, 17, 18,
" Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts,
send among his fat ones leanness and under his
glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of
a fire. And the light of Israel shall be for a fire,
and his Holy one for a flame ; and it shall burn
and devour his thorns and his briers in one day ;
and shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his
fruitful field, both soul and body ; and they shall
be as when a standard-bearer fainteth." Here
you perceive the prophet declares, that they shall
be destroyed " soul and body.^'^ This did not
mean their punishment in another world, nor their
" moral death^^^ nor even the natural death of
that whole people, but it was a proverbial expres-
sion^ to denote their entire destruction as a nation.
On this passage. Dr. A. Clarke says, " The fire
of God's wrath shall destroy them both great and
small, it shall consume them from the soul to the
flesh, a proverbial expression ; soul and body, as
we say ; it shall consume them entirely and alto-
gether, and the few that escape shall be looked
upon as having escaped from the most imminent
danger." Here Dr. Clarke says, that to destroy
or consume them, '^' soul and body," is a proverbi-
al expression, " and that in the Hebrew, it means
^^ from the soul to the flesh ;" yet he grants, that
it did not even mean the natural death of all of
that people against whom it was spoken. Scott
18

274 SHORT SERMONS.

says, that to destroy theai soul and body means
" absolutely and finally.''^

This proverb originated among the Hebrews,
and hence we see why our Lord's disciples per-
fectly understood him. The expression, destroy-
ing soul and body, is equivalent to destroying a
nation, ^^root and branch.''^ The latter is, in
fact, the same proverb in different phraseology.
In proof of this, I will produce an instance.
Malachi iv. 1, " For behold the day cometh that
shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea,' and
all that do wickedly shall be stubble, and the day
that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of
hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor
branch.'''' Now all commentators, so far as I am
acquainted, apply the above passage to that very
destruction of the Jews, to which I believe the
language of Jesus, now under consideration, ap-
plies. And is there not a striking coincidence be-
tween the words of Malachi and Jesus ^ " Burn-
ing them up root and branch, " and " destroying
them soul and body in Gehenna fire, ^' I consider
as parallel passages. They both refer to the
same people, and to the same long predicted and
final destruction which God brought upon them,
when their national sun went down in blood. On
the passage in Malachi, {destroying them root and
branch,) Scott says, — "it is a proverbial ex-
pression [or extirpating desolation." Dr. Clarke,

DESTRUCTION OF SOUL AND BODY IN HELL. 275

after stating that it refers to the destruction of
Jerusalem by the Romans, says, " tfie day that
Cometh shall burn them up.''^ " Either by famine,
by sword, or by captivity, all those rebels shall be
destroyed." It shall leave them neither root nor
branch. " A proverbial expression for total de-
struction."

Now as both these expressions were proverbial
among the Jews, there is certainly no more pro-
priety in explaining what is meant by the destruc-
tion of the body and the destruction of the soul
in the one passage, than there is in explaining
what is meant by the burning up of the root and
the burning up of the branch in the other.
Though Clarke and others fully corroborate my
views of this passage, in their comments on the
Old Testament scriptures, yet when they come
to the passage itself, now under consideration,
they lose sight of what they there said. They
all seem anxious to preserve this text^ and the sec-
ond deaths as two monuments to perpetuate the
doctrine of endless misery. All commentators
of all denominations agree in applying them to
that awful doom. But it would be an easy task
to show, that the second death, according to their
own writings, is also a proverb. It evidently re-
fers to the same punishment as the text. Dr.
Hammond says, — " The lake that burneth with
fire and brimstone is called the second death, into

276 SHORT SERMONS.

which they are said to go, that are never to ap-
pear in the church again." See that excellent
work, Paige's " Selections," p. 109. Whitby
labors to show, from the targums of Onkelos,
Uziel, and Jerusalem, that the second death is a
proverbial expression, applicable to those '' who
were never," as Hammond says, "to appear in
the church again." And as the Jews were de-
stroyed as a people, never to appear in the Mo-
saic church again in their own land, so it is appli-
cable to them. They were to be " punished
with an everlasting destruction^ from the presence
of the Lord." 2 Thess. i. 9. " The man of
sin," " the son of perdition," was in that day,
" to be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume
with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy
with the brightness of his coming." 2 Thess. ii.
8. Now the above passages, and those of the
same character, which speak of God's destroy-
ing^ consuming, and casting into the second death
(that is utter death) the Jewish people, and of
destroying them "soul and body," and of burn-
ing them up " root and branch," are but so many
forms of proverb, by which they expressed the
same national ruin. It was a destruction which
God had long threatened ; which he declared he
would execute ; and that he was able to do it so
thoroughly as to make it final and irrevocable,
without the least possibility of their ever return-

DESTRUCTION OF SOUL AND BODY IN HELL. 277

ing again to national life in the land of Judea.
This God did do ; and the present state of the
Jews scattered over the face of the whole earth is,
to this day, a literal fulfilment of the proverb.
The nation, as a body, is killed, destroyed, and
dispersed. Their national life or soul is killed.
As such, they will never more see life ; and be-
ing thus "twice dead, plucked up by the roots,"
they are cast into gehenna punishment ; " into
hell, w^here their worm dieth not and the fire is
not quenched." Mark ix. 44. The word gehenna^
rendered hell, which literally means the valley of
Hinnom^ is here used as an emblem of their na-
tional destruction, for God said he would make
that city, Jerusalem, as Tophet. That it means
a punishment in this world, where Sabbaths and
moons are reckoned, and in the sight of all flesh,
see Isaiah Ixvi. 23, 24. " And it shall come
to pass, that from one new moon to another, and
from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come
to worship before me, saith the Lord. And
they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of
the men that have transgressed against me ; for
their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be
quenched, and they shall be an abhorring unto all
flesh." The above views are in perfect agreement
with the corresponding passage in Luke xii. 5.
Jesus says, — "Fear him, which after he hath
killed hath power to cast into hell." Here I un-

278 SHORT SERMONS.

derstand him to say, that God had power to cast
into hell after both soul and body were killed.
In this case you will at once perceive, that the
threatening cannot possibly apply to any single
human body and soul either in the present^ or
future world. It is idle to say, after a human
body and soul are killed, that they can be subject
to any punishment in time or in eternity.

I would now say to you. Doctor, that I am
aware some of our opposers in your section may
say, that I have adopted the above mode of ex-
plaining the passage by applying it to the destruc-
tion of a nation soul and body^ as a proverb, to
shun the difficulties in which it would otherwise
involve me. They may say, " cease calling it
a proverb and you cannot explain it." For the
satisfaction of such I will show them, that it can
be plausibly explained, even if we lay aside its
proverbial use. In the first place, Jesus did not
say, — " Fear not them that kill your bodies, but
are not able to kill your souls.''^ Though he
addressed a plurality of persons, yet he did not
use the plural form, nor the defining adjective,
your. He used the singular number, namely,
"the body,^' and " the soul.''

He was about to estabhsh a new body, a church,
of which himself was the head, and of which the
disciples, as his servants, were to be the found-
ers. The truth of the New Testament was the

DESTRUCTION OF SOUL AND BODY IN HELL. 279

life of that body or church, in the same sense
that the truth of the Old Testament was the
national life of the Jewish church or body. Now
it is evident, our Saviour knew that his disciples
would, at his coming, stand in one of two relations
to him and his cause. He knew that they would
either be members of his church, or else that they
would, for fear of men, apostatize and be members
of the Jewish church, when he came in his glory.
And, in view of those two conditions, he uttered
the words of the text, which I will paraphrase
thus ; — I now enlist you in my service; and I
desire you to remain steadfast in my cause, amidst
all opposition and persecution, till my coming,
which win take place before you shall have gone
over the cities of Israel. And I entreat you not
to fear them who will exert all their powers to kill
and exterminate the body of my church, and who
will finally succeed in putting you, my apostles,
and your first converts, as a body, all to death ; but
at the same time, they will never be able to accom-
plish their purpose, namely, to destroy my doc-
trine, which is the truth, the fife, the very soul
of the body, the church. This is of God ; and
they cannot overthrow it, because others will rise
up in succession as you are slain ; and the truth,
which is the life of my church, will stand against
all the assaults of men. But rather fear God, —
because, if you apostatize for fear of men, and for
safety become members of the Jewish body, or

280 SHORT SERMONS.

church, and embrace the truth of that dispensation,
which is the national hfe of that body, I warn you
that, God is not only able to destroy the body
but also the life, — for all the sacrifices, all the
types and shadows, — the whole truth of the
Mosaic dispensation, must expire with the body
in your national destruction, and be no more
forever.

The only objection, which can be urged against
the above paraphrase, is, that the soul, which men
cannot kill in the gospel church, is not the soul,
which God would destroy in the Jewish. But
this objection is powerless, because Christ uttered
the threatening in view of one of two conditions
in which the apostles could be found at his com-
ing. They ^ould either claim the truth of the
Christian religion as their life, or else that of the
Mosaic religion. The Jews as a nation would
rise and put to death the first infant church of
Christ (which was the body) with the intention
of exterminating its life or soul, by deterring
others from embracing it. But they were found
fighting against God, could not overthrow it, for
it spread the more. In this contest, God was
able to destroy these adversaries, soul and body,
in gehenna, which he did do. I have said thus
much on the supposition that it is not a proverb,
to show the objector that I was not driven to call
it a proverb because the soul and body could not

DESTRUCTION OF SOUL AND BODY IN HELL. 281

be defined. I was driven to adopt its proverbial
use by the force of truth.

I now submit the above to your consideration,
sensible that you possess both the scholarship and
the talents to bring what I have said to the test
of scrutiny. If it be not the truth, as our Saviour
meant to be understood, I do humbly pray God,
that it may crumble at the touch of reahty. I
have no desire that my own mind, any more than
the minds of my fellow-creatures, should be chain-
ed down in error. I rejoice. Doctor, to see the
day, when the energies of the public mind are
awakened to the sublime interest of eternal truth,
and when the most keen and searching glances
are sent into every creed. I rejoice that the
doctrine, embracing the whole ghostly fabric of
immortal pain, has already been convulsed to its
centre, and is destined to fall in ruin, and be
destroyed both soul and body. And God grant,
that no infernal demon of trumpet-tongue, prowl-
ing through the dismal shades of heathen night,
may ever again sound its resurrection to torment
the living. I rejoice, that we shall at last meet
with redeemed millions in future scenes, where
the darkness, that broods on earth and clouds
the mental vision, shall be past, and the true light
itself shall shine.

Fraternally yours forever,

J. B. DODS.

Provincetown, October 12th, 1839.

282 SHORT SERMONS.

SERMON XXVI.*

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED.

" And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from
whose face the earth and the heaven fled away ; and there was
found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great,
stand before God ; and the books were opened ; and another book
was opened; which is the book of life j and the dead were judged
out of those things which were written in the books, according
to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in itj
and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them 3 and
they were judged every man according to their works. And death
and hell were cast into the lake of lire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was
cast into the lake of fire." — Revelation xx. 11-15.

Our text involves a subject of no ordinary
moment, and with feelings of more than ordinary
interest do I approach the extended field of in-
vestigation now opening before me. I feel no
disposition to trifle with the doctrines of my fellow-
men, nor with sacred things. I stand not here
to wrest the Scriptures from their obvious import
by any ingenuity of speech, but to make a righ-
teous developement of truth, and thus humbly en-
deavour to present to my audience the sacred
oracles in their naked grandeur.

This text you have with the best of intentions

* Delivered before the First Universalist Society in Taun-
ton, Mass., on Sunday, February 12th, 1832.

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED. 283

presented me for my consideration, and most
cheerfully do I bring it forward for the edification
of all sincere inquirers after truth. In doing this
I have no wish to disturb others in their honest
opinions, nor give them one feeling of distress,
while I candidly and solemnly examine those
errors in their doctrines, which have become so
venerable on account of their age, and so sanctified
on account of so many good, great, and learned
men believing them, that to many it may seem
bordering on blasphemy to call those errors in
question. But duties, momentoil^ as our ex-
istence, and sacred and dear as the strongest ties
of social, or even parental affection, are laid upon
us, and these duties w^e may not forego.

Did I believe the doctrine of endless misery
true, I could have no inducement to hide its awful-
ness from my fellow-creatures, or to trifle with
my own, or their final destiny. Were that senti-
ment true, and did I believe it, I would stand be-
fore you wnth other emotions than those that now
pervade my bosom. And painful as might be the
task, yet, with all these dear friends and unsuspect-
ing children around me, I would, with a trembling
hand, draw aside the curtains of the tomb, point
you to the future world, and lay open and naked
to your mental view, the dark regions of despair,
and let you listen to the final groan of hapless
millions, and to the roar of that tremendous ocean,

284 SHORT SERMONS.

whose surges are liquid fire, and whose surround-
ing atmosphere is living flame. Were I satisfied
of the truth of this sentiment, then no feehngs of
friendship, or of fond attachment, — no riches,
honors, or popularity should keep me one moment
where I am. I would sacrifice the whole on the
altar of truth, to the omnipotence of which all
must sooner or later bow.

We are now about to examine a passage of
Scripture, classed among those which by many
are supposed to teach the doctrine of endless
misery. There is probably no phrase in the
Book of God, that has been more frequently
pronounced by our religious opposers, than the
" second death," or the " lake of fire and brim-
stone," when engaged in argument against uni-
versal holiness. They consider our text more
forcibly to express the awfulness of that doom,
which they honestly beheve awaits the "finally
impenitent," in the future world, than any other
in the sacred oracles. So much force have
preachers in different ages given to the scripture
metaphor, — "the lake of fire and brimstone,"
that the impression became general of its being
a burning world, — and the imaginations of thou-
sands have been distracted in contemplating the
indescribable horrors of the scene. For many
years it would have been considered impiety to
have behoved it to be any thing less than an ocean

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED. 285

of literal fire and brimstone ; and it is of but
recent date, that the better informed have substi-
tuted the milder phrase, — a hell of conscience.

But taking our whole text in connexion, it is
even in the present day brought forward with a
confidence bordering on certainty, that it is un-
answerable by Universalists, being, as they sup-
pose, completely at variance with the ultimate
salvation of all men. Here they contend it is
plainly stated, that Christ shall sit upon a great
white throne, of indescribable splendor ; that at
the grandeur of the scene the earth and the heavens
shall recoil, be suddenly wrapped in flames, pass
away with a great noise, and be blotted out forever
from the catalogue of existence ; that at the
same instant the sepulchres of slumbering genera-
tions shall give up their dead, and that the un-
divided attention and the strongest sensibilities
of the universe shall be awakened to the interest
of that day for which all other days were made ;
that the whole human family shall then be judged ;
and that all those whose names are not written
in the book of hfe, shall be sentenced to endless
misery in the future world, which is expressed
in the text by a second death ; a lake of fire.

Previous to our noticing the second death, we
will attempt to show that we have no revelation
of such a judgment day, and that the language
generally quoted to prove it, has no possible

286 SHORT SERMONS.

reference to the subject. And here we would
remark, that the Egyptians worshipped the sun,
moon, and other hosts of heaven as the gods that
governed the world, and produced all the changes,
prosperous or adverse, that took place among
men. The man whose life was marked by mis-
fortune, was supposed to have been born under
an unlucky planet, which was the god that direct-
ed his fate. If a nation suffered conquest, being
torn to pieces and captivated, it was represented
by all the planets being darkened over the land,
or falling from their places, and thus withdrawing
their shining.

The Hebrews while in servitude among the
Egyptians learned their notions of worship ; and
even after they were liberated by Moses, they
did homage to the hosts of heaven. It is there-
fore reasonable to conclude, that w^hen these
Hebrew^s w^ere visited by national judgments, that
the prophets would use the popular language of
the day in describing them. The prophets pre-
served this eastern mode of figurative expression
in all their writings, and so did the Grecians and
Romans, and Jesus Christ and his apostles.
When judgments were brought upon nations, all
the sacred writers represent it under the figure
of the sun and moon being darkened and stars
falling, and the earth passing away and dissolving.
In proof of this, see Isaiah chap. xii. where the

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED. 287

prophet represents the fall of Babylon. ''For
the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof
shall not give their light ; the sun shall be darkened
in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause
her light to shine. ***** Therefore I will
shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove
out of her place," &c. In chapters xxiv. and
xxxiv. the prophet represents the destruction of
Tyre and Idumea by the earth and heavens as
clean dissolved, as passed away, and fallen to rise
no more. Ezekiel, in chapter xxxii. describes the
fearful fall of Egypt as follows ; — " And when I
shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and
make the stars thereof dark ; I will cover the sun
with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her
light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make
dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land,
saith the Lord God." See also Joel, chap. ii.
And see the words of Christ, Matt, xxiv., Mark
xiii., and Luke xxi. See also 2 Peter, chap. iii.
We have now^ referred to all the passages in the
Bible, except one, which divines quote to prove
the destruction of the earth, sun, moon^ and stars
at the end of time. But you perceive, that they
all refer to the overturn of governments, and the
destruction of nations. This is a fact, substan-
tiated by the context of those several records,
and it is a matter of astonishment to me, that any

288 SHORT SERMONS.

of them should ever have been brought forward
to prove a judgment at the end of time.

We will now introduce the last passage on this
subject in the Bible, and give you the comments
of Dr. Adam Clarke, the most profound scholar
that ever wrote in defence of the iNIethodist
doctrine, and show you, that we are not alone
in our application of such scriptures. Rev. chap,
vi. ''• And when he had opened the sixth seal,
the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and
the moon became as blood. And the stars of
heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig-tree cast-
eth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a
mighty wind. x\nd the heaven departed as a
scroll when it is rolled together, and every moun-
tain and island were moved out of their places."
Let us now hear Dr. Clarke. " [A great earth-
quake] — A most stupendous change in the civil
and religious constitution of the world. If it
refer to Constantine the Great, the change that
was made by his conversion to Christianity, might
be very properly represented under the emblem
of an earthquake, and the other symbols mention-
ed in this, and the following verses. [The sun]
— The ancient Pagan government of the Roman
empire was totally darkened, and, like a black
hair sackcloth, was degraded and humbled to the
dust. [The moon] — The ecclesiastical state of
the same empire became as blood, was totally

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED. 289

ruined ; their sacred rites abrogated, iheir priests
and religious institutions desecrated, tlieir altars
cast down, and their temples destroyed, or turned
into places for Christian worship. [ The stars of
heaven] — The gods and goddesses, the demi-
gods and deified heroes, of their poetical and my-
thological heaven, prostrated indiscriminately, lay-
as useless as the figs, or fruit of a tree shaken
down before ripe by a tempestuous wind, [t^nd
the heavens departed as a scroll ] — The whole
system of Pagan and idolatrous worship, with all
its spiritual, secular, and superstitious influence,
blasted, shrivelled up, and rendered null and void
as a parchment scroll when exposed to the action
of a strong fire. [t^/if/ every mountain] — All
the props, supports, and dependencies of the em-
pire, whether regal allies, tributary kings, depen-
dent colonies, or mercenary troops, were moved
out of their places, so as to stand no longer in
relation to that same empire, and its worship,
support, and maintenance as they formerly did.
[»^nd island] — The heathen temples, with their
precincts and enclosures cut off from the common
people, and into which none could come but the
privileged, may here be represented by islands, for
the same reasons." Dr. Clarke believed the Rev-
elations were written before the destruction of Je-
rusalem. He desired to apply the above to that
event, but adopted the exposition of others. He
19

290 SHORT SERMOxXS.

however says, — " All these things may literally
apply to the final destruction of Jerusalem," &c.
This we believe to be the fact. He then refers to
Dr. Dodd, Newton, and Lowman, and shows that
they apply such figurative language to the destruc-
tion of nations ; and, in justification of such an
application, he refers the reader to the words of
Isaiah, Ezekiel, and of our Lord, which we have
already noticed.

Perhaps the hearer may now wish to inquire,
whether he, v^'ho sat upon the great white throne,
was not the Son of man .'* We answer it was.
Then asks the hearer, does not the text refer to
the end of time, and to the literal destruction of
the earth and heaven ? It does not. We have
shown you, that all the passages in the Bible on
which people rely to support that sentiment have
no reference to the catastrophe of dissolving
worlds. Their contexts will not justify such an
application. This may suggest to the mind of the
bearer another question. Is not the coming of
the Son of man to judge the world to take place
at the destruction of the earth ? I answer, we
have no such revelation. In proof of this, we
will here notice the scripture account of the com-
ing of the Son of man given by Christ himself.

The first passage is in Matt. x. 23. " Ye shall
not have gone over the cities of Israel till the
Son of man be come." Matt. xvi. 27, 28.

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED. 291*

" For the Son of man shall come in the glory of
his Father, with his angels, and then he shall re-
ward every man according to his works. Verily
I say unto you, There be some standing here,
which shall not taste of death, till they see the
Son of man coming in his kingdom." Matt,
xxiv. 30, 34. " And then shall appear the sign
of the Son of man in heaven ; and then shall all
the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see
the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory. ***** Verily I
say unto you, this generation shall not pass till
all these things be fulfilled." See the corre-
sponding passages, Mark viii. 38 ; Mark xiii. 26,
30 ; Luke ix. 26, 2T ; Luke xxi. 27 — 32.

We have now referred you to every passage in
the New Testament, where Jesus speaks of his
coming. It is the language of Christ himself,
with which we are not at liberty to trifle. And,
as he has solemnly declared in every instance,
that he would come in that generation^ or in the
lifetime of some of the persons he addressed, or
before they had gone over the cities of Israel^ to
reward every man according to his works, you-
and I have no authority to contend, tha% his com-
ing is still future, or confined to some last day
when the earth and heaven shall literally pass
away, and the whole human family be congregat-
ed before him for trial. No, — he came in his

292 SHORT SERMONS.

kingdom nearly eighteen hundred years ago, and
put an end to the ceremonial law, by destroying
the temple consecrated to ceremonial worship, by
rendering to the Jewish and other nations accord-
ing to their works, — and by commencing the
judgment of the world by his Gospel, — and his
judgment or reign, which then began, is to be
continued and pass upon succeeding generations.

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED. 293

SERMON XXVII.

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED.
[Continued.]

We now perceive, that there are two principal
judgment days revealed in the Bible. The first
was under the ceremonial law instituted by Mo-
ses, which judgment day lasted till it was abohsh-
ed by the coming of Christ, and then the judg-
ment day under the Gospel commenced. This
point I believe has been generally overlooked.
I would here observe, that God is "judge of all
the earth," and employs in this work no agent,
only so far as to reveal to men the laws of his
kingdom, which rule over all. He revealed the
laws, appertaining to the first dispensation, to the
Jewish nation, through the agency of Moses. And
the continued enforcement of these laws was the
continued reign or judgment of Moses over the
Jews. Consequently, Moses is represented as
being among them, and judging. Christ says,
" They have Moses and the Prophets, " — that
is, they had the laws and will, which God reveal-
ed to the Jewish nation, through the agency of
those servants. Again he says, — "Think not
that I will accuse you to the Father, for there is
one that judgeth you, even Moses, in whom ye

294 ' SHORT SERMONS.

trust." We are not to understand by this, that
Moses, being dead, had any thing to do with the
government of the Jews. We are only to un-
derstand that God judged, or in other words,
ruled his people for 15 hundred years by those
laws, which he had revealed to them by his ser-
vant Moses, who sat, as it were, upon a throne
of judgment among that people.

God, through Christ, revealed to the world the
doctrine of life and immortality. He established
a dispensation that far exceeded the former in
glory. The first was temporal, the second eter-
nal ; the first embraced one nation, the second
the universe. Christ has taken a glorious throne,
and still continues to judge the world by the spir-
it and truth of his Gospel. His reign is the la^t,
and his kingdom shall consume and break in
pieces all other kingdoms, and all dominions shall
serve and obey him. That Christ received his
throne, and commenced the judgment of the world
by his Gospel at the destruction of the Jewish
state, is certain from his own words, — ''The Son
of man is as a man travelling into a far country to
receive for himself a kingdom and return. And
when he was returned, having received the king-
dom, he commanded his servants to be called, so
that he might reckon with them," &c. From
this it is evident, that he commenced the judg-
ment of the world ichen he received his kingdom.

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED. 295

And if this judgment is not to take place till the
end of time, then till that period Christ will be
without a kingdom. If this be so, then he is as
yet no king, nor has he commenced his reign.
But as he came in his kingdom before his disci-
ples had ''gone over the cities of Israel," it i&
certain, that he then commenced the judgment of
the world, — he f/ien " reckoned with his ser-
vants,"— and " then rewarded every man accord-
ing to his works." The judgment day under the
law by Moses then closed, and God is now judg-
ing the secrets of men's hearts by Jesus Christ.

The prophet says, " He shall not fail, nor be
discouraged, till he hath set judgment in the earth."
Jesus says," For judgment am I come into the
world." Yes, he declares, that "now is the
judgment of this world ; now shall the prince of
this world [the Jewish hierarchy] be cast out,
and I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw
all men unto me." All the rites and ceremonies
of the first covenant, which Moses estabhshed by
the direction of God, were to pass away before
the gospel covenant could be estabhshed, and
the judgment, that is, the reign of Christ, com-
mence. Paul says, " He taketh away the first,
that he may establish the second.''^ And the mo-
ment he was seated on his great white throne of
gospel purity, the Jewish earth and heaven fled
from his face, and there was no place found for

■296 SHORT SEKMOXS.

them. We now undersiand the expression, —
" Zion shall be redeemed with judgment and her
converts with righteousness," — that is, by the
judgment, or reign of Christ, all things in heaven
and earth are to be reconciled to God, and God
shall be all in all.

Having explained by the Scriptures of truth
what we are to understand by the earth and heav-
en passing away, and shown that such language,
being figurative, was not designed to teach the lit-
eral destruction of the earth, — and having shown
that the coming of Christ in his kingdom has no
reference to the end of time, but to the com-
mencement of his reign, — and having noticed
the scripture doctrine of God's judging the Jews
by Moses under the law, and lastly of his judg-
ing the secrets of men's hearts by Jesus Christ,
under the Gospel, we now pass on to notice the
second death, which of course implies afir'd.

In doing this, I shall pursue an untrodden path.
On this subject I have had my opinion made up
for several years, and on perusing the many ex-
positions given to the public, I have had no occa-
sion to change that opinion.

Our opposers suppose, that by the first death is
meant the death of the body, and by the second
is meant an eternal death in the future world,
which consists in the most exquisite sufFeraigs
that the imagination can conceive. It must be

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED. 297

granted by all, that a second death not only pre-
supposes 'd first, but implies that it must be of the
same character with the first death, — or that
there must at least subsist between them an anal-
ogy sufficiently strong to justify the subsequent
phrase, second death, as relative to its antece-
dent, — a first death. But what resemblance is
there between the death of the body, which is
a total loss of all sensation and pain, and a state
of the most exquisite suffering in the immortal
world ? None at all. Then they do not stand
in relation to each other, so as to justify the ex-
pression oi first and second death.

On the other hand, the generally received opin-
ion among Universalists seems to be, that by the
second death is meant the Christian apostasy,
which commenced in the days of the apostles,
and which John noticed in his address to the sev-
en churches of Asia. He says, " Thou hast a
name that thou livest and art dead." Again, —
" He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the
second death." Though there is much ingenui-
ty in the arguments adduced in support of this
opinion, and not a little plausibility, yet they have
never been satisfactory to my mind.

If men should embrace the Gospel, fall away,
embrace it a second time^ and again fall away, it
would of course be a second death. It would
therefore require a second apostasy from the

298 SHORT SERMONS.

Gospel to make out a second death. They must
twice lose the same life and twice endure the same
death. For men, who are dead in trespasses and
sins under the law, to embrace the Gospel, and
then fall back into a state of unbelief, or error,
does not make out two deaths of the same na-
ture, inasmuch as the same gospel life had not
been twice lost. It is further evident, that the
Christian apostasy is not the second death, because
John declares in the context, — "Blessed and
holy is he that hath a part in the first resurrec-
tion ; on such the second death hath no power."
By this I understand the believers, who were rais-
ed from all their trials and persecutions into the
full and peaceable enjoyment of Christ's kingdom
at the destruction of the Jewish state, and means
the same as the words of Jesus, — " Thou shalt
be recompensed at the resurrection of the just."
If they had apostatized from the Gospel, then, in
direct opposition to the words of John, they
would have had a part in the second death, admit-
ting the second death to have been the Christian
apostasy. But their "faith was perfected," and
their " hearts were established unblamable in hoh-
ness before God, even the Father, at the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ, with all his saints."
This is the " time the saints possessed the king-
dom,"— that " they sat upon thrones, and judg-
ment was given them."

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED. 299

We now proceed to show, that the first and
second death mean the first and second destruction
of the Jews as a nation, which took place at the
destruction of their ^irsf and second temple. We
will show, that the second death is national^ not
moral.

God established the Jews, as a nation, in the
land of Judea, under a government purely religious,
which constituted their national existence. Their
first temple was built by Solomon, and was con-
sidered the dwelling-place of the Most High,
where he more immediately manifested the divine
presence and glory to his worshipping people.
Though he was said to " dwell between the
Cherubims," and to fill that house with his glory,
yet they considered him as present throughout
the whole land of Judea, directing their national
concerns. Their government was a theocracy.
On this account they would not admit, that God
was present among the heathen in such a sense,
that they could worship him, or even " sing a
song of Zion in a strange land." In the land of
Judea only could they, as a nation, live before him,
enjoy his presence, and worship in his temple on
Zion's hill. When their government was de-
stroyed, and they were led away into captivity
among the heathen, they considered themselves
as a nation dead before God, and banished from
his presence.

300 SHORT SERMONS.

That God promised the Jews the continuance
of national existence and prosperity, in the land
he had given their fathers in case of their obedience,
is a subject so obvious to every reader of the
Jewish Scriptures, that it would be a waste of
words to attempt formally to prove it. And that
he again and again threatened to cast them out of
his presence from the land of Judea, and scatter
them among the heathen, in case of their disobe-
dience^ is also plainly taught.

To throw light on the exposition we are now
about to give, we would remark, that, when a na-
tion were roused from stupidity to a sense of their
impending destruction ; when their energies were
awakened into intense action by the approaching
horrors of war and its attendant calamities, the
sacred writers not unfrequently represent it, by
the striking figure of being dead and buried in
the grave, and starting suddenly from its silent
bosom to a state of condemnation. And when
a nation, or people were in a state of oppression
and servile bondage, or persecution, and were
suddenly to be brought into a higher state of en-
joyment, or to return to their former privileges, it
was also represented by a resurrection, but it
was a resurrection to life. In evidence of this,
see John v. 2S, 29 ; and Daniel xii. 2 ; both of
which we shall have occasion to notice hereafter.
It may not be improper in this place to introduce

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED. 301

some orthodox authority to support our views.
Parkhurst says, that the Greek word, anastasis,
translated resurrection^ which is derived from the
verb anistemi signifying to rise^ has the following
signification ; " A standing on the feet again, or
rising as opposed to falling ; " — " a rising, or
resurrection of the body from the grave." Dr.
Campbell says, that " the phrase, anastasis ton
nekron, is indeed the common term by which the
resurrection, properly so called, is denominated
in the New Testament, yet this is neither the only^
nor the primitive import of the word anastasis.
It denotes simply being raised from inactivity to
action, or from obscurity to eminence, or a return
to such a state after an interruption. The verb
anistemi has the like latitude of signification ; and
both words are used in this extent by the writers
of the New Testament as well as by the LXX ''
in the old. My hearers will please keep the above
in mind.

We will now proceed to prove, by an appeal
to the Scriptures, that the captivity of the .Tews, as
a nation, when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
overturned their government and burnt their ^irs^
temple, is the first death. Leviticus xxvi. 39.
"And they that are left of you shall pine away
in their iniquity in your enemies' lands ; and also
in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine
away with them." Ezekiel xxiv. 23. '' But

302 SHORT SERMONS.

ye shall pine away for your iniquities and mourn
one toward another." Ezekiel xxxiii. 10. 11.
*' Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the
house of Israel, thus speak ye, saying, If our trans-
gressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine
away in them, how should tee then live ? Say unto
them. As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no

pleasure in the deathof the wicked ; turn ye,

turn ye from your evils ways ; for why will ye die,
O house of Israel ? " Here we perceive, that they
were not to die a moral death, for they were already
morally dead. And this moral death was the
very cause that should produce national death.

These are a few of the many scriptures we
might bring forward to prove, that the house of
Israel pined away in their iniquities, and died as
a nation in the land of their enemies ; but these
few abundantly establish the fact, that the captivity
of the Jews among the heathen on account of their
transgressiotis was considered a national death.
They died to all their religious privileges, lost their
national existence, and pined away in their in-
iquities in the land of their enemies.

It now remains that we show, that their return
to their land at the end of their captivity, when
they rebuilt the temple under Cyrus, is represent-
ed by a resurrection to national life. Ezekiel
xxxvii. 3 — 14. "And he said unto me, Son
of man, can these bones live .'' And I answered,

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED. 303

0 Lord God, thou knowest. Again he said unto
me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto
them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the
Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these
bones, behold, I will cause breath to enter into
you, and ye shall live ; and I will lay sinews upon
you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover
you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall
live ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. So

1 prophesied as I was commanded ; and as I proph-
esied there was a noise, and, behold, a shaking,
and the bones came together, bone to his bone.
And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh
came up upon them, and the skin covered them
above ; but there was no breath in them. Then said
he unto me. Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy,
son of man, and say to the wind. Thus saith the
Lord God, Come fiom the four winds, O breath,
and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
So I prophesied, as he commanded me, and the
breath came into them, and they lived, and stood
up upon their feet an exceeding great army. Then
said he unto me. Son of man, these bones are the
whole house of Israel ; behold they say, Our
bones are dried, and our hope is lost ; we are
cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy, and
say unto them. Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold,
O my people, I will open your graves, and cause

304 SHORT SERMONS.

you to come up out of your graves, and bring
you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know
that I am the Lord, when I have opened your
graves, O my people, and brought you up out of
your graves, and shall put my spirit in you, and
ye shall live ; and I shall place you in your own
land ; then shall ye know that I the Lord have
spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord."

Thus we see, it is most plainly revealed, that
when the house of Israel sinned, and became
careless and insensible respecting the favors of
God and the threatenings of his word, they were
suddenly roused from their dreadful slumberings
by the approach of the king of Babylon, who
burnt their temple, led them into captivity beyond
Babylon, and held them in bondage seventy years.
There they pined away in their iniquities, and
became as a valley of dry bones. They were
dead to all their privileges and enjoyments as a
nation. Their government was demolished, and
their national existence was no more. They
were not only dead in this sense, but in their
graves, and buried. They hung their harps in
mournful silence upon the willows, along the cold
streams of Babylon, and exclaimed, ''How shall
we sing the Lord's song in a strange land ! " But
their bones were gathered, flesh came up upon
them, their graves were opened, the earth gave up

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED. 305

its dead, and they were brought into the land of
their fathers, their temple was rebuilt by order of
Cyrus, their theocratical government was estab-
lished, and they lived once more as a nation be-
fore God.

20

306 SHORT SERMONS.

SERMON XXVIII.

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED.
[Concluded.]

We are now to prove, ihat the events recorded
in our text took place at the destruction of their
second temple, when their government was again
demolished, and they as a nation were destroyed
and dead before God.

In order to bring this part of our subject plain-
ly before you, we shall have to make a pretty ex-
tensive appeal to the Scriptures ; and I harbour
but little doubt, that I shall abundantly satisfy my
hearers of the correctness of my views on the
second death.

The Jews, though subject to the Romans,
were nevertheless permitted to enjoy their own
theocratical government, and all their modes of
worship in the temple. John xviii. 31. " Then
said Pilate unto them. Take ye him, and judge
him according to your laic. John xix. 7.
*' The Jews answered him, We have a law, and
by our law he ought to die, because he made him-
self the Son of God." From these scriptures it
it is evident, that the Jews had a government dis-
tinct from the Romans. But they had killed the
true prophets, made void the law of God through

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED. 307

their traditions, worshipped idols, and made their
children pass through the fire to Moloch in the
valley of Hinnom. They were filling up the
measure of their fathers, the day of vengeance
was approaching when all the blood shed upon the
earth, from Abel to Zacharias, should come upon
that generation. Blind to approaching ruin, they
slept as it were in carnal security in the grave of
iniquity and darkness, were dead before God in
their sins, and rejected their promised Messiah.

From this state of security and bhndness, they
were to be suddenly roused to a state of national
condemnation and death at the coming of Jesus
Christ in his kingdom, which was at the destruc-
tion of their second temple, when Titus, the son
of Vespasian, led the Roman army against them,
demolished their government, and led them cap-
tive among all nations. This was their second
death, called a lake of fire. God's judgments up-
on the Jews, we will presently show, were repre-
sented by fire.

We will first establish the fact, by concurrent
scripture testimony, that our text has reference to
the second scattering of the holy people at the
destruction of the second temple, when the daily
sacrifice, there ofi^ered up, should be taken away.
Daniel ii. 44. " And in the days of these kings
shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which
shall never be destroyed ; and the kingdom shall

308 SHORT SERMONS.

not be left to other people, but It shall break in
pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall
stand forever." Here is proof positive, that the
mediatorial kingdom was set up in the days of the
Roman kings, and of that kingdom Christ then
took the throne. Let us now examine if the
opening of the books, and the judgment mentioned
in our text, did not then take place. Daniel vii.
9 — 14. " I beheld till the thrones were cast
down, and the Ancient of daj^s did sit, whose
garment was white as snow, and the hair of his
head like the pure wool ; his throne was like the
fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A
fiery stream issued and came forth from before
him ; thousand thousands ministered unto him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before
him ; the judgment was set^ and the books were

opened I saw in the night visions, and,

behold, one like the Son of man came with the
clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of
days, and they brought him near before him. And
there was given him dominion, and glory, and a
kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages,
should serve him ; his dominion is an everlasting
dominion, which shall not pass away, and his king-
dom that which shall not be destroyed."

In the language of the prophet above quoted,
there can arise no misapprehension as to the time
when this judgment should set. He plainly de-

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED. 309

clares, that it should be at a time when the king-
dom should be given to the Son of man ; when
he should commence his reign ; that then the
judgment should set, and the books be opened.
This is almost in the language of our text.

Now it is certain, that this language of the
Prophet can have no reference whatever to a
general resurrection of the literally dead, nor to
a judgment day at the end of time ; for all de-
nominations grant, that Christ, instead of receiving
his kingdom at the immortal resurrection, and
then commencing his reign, will deliver up his
kingdom and terminate his reign. And in support
of it, they adduce the words of Paul in 1 Cor.
XV. 24. " Then cometh the end, when he shall
have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the
Father ; when he shall have put down all rule,
and all authority and power." How, then, "in
the name of common sense," can the judgment
in our text, and the opening of the books, have
the least possible reference to what people call
the last judgment day ? To contend for this, is
not only flying in the face of Scripture, but is
contradictory to their own opinions. If our text
refer to a fancied judgment at the end of time,
then Christ cannot receive a kingdom, nor be
crowned king, till that period arrives ; still they
grant that he now possesses a kingdom, and is
himself Kings of kings. But we have proved, that

310 SHORT SERMONS.

the judgment referred to in our text, was at the
commencement of his reign, when he received
his kingdom, (thirty-seven years after his resurrec-
tion,) and not at the termination of his reign.

But we are not yet done ; we carry our sub-
ject still further, guided by the lamp of unerring
truth. We will now show you, that not only the
judgment, and the delivery of those whose names
were written in the book, referred to in our
text, but the resurrection took place when the
Jews, called the holy people, were scattered,
and when the daily sacrifice, at the destruction
of their temple, was taken away. John v. 28,
29. " Marvel not at this ; for the hour is coming,
m the which all that are in their graves shall hear
his voice, and shall come forth ; they that have
done good unto the resurrection of life, and they
that have done evil unto the resurrection of dam-
nation." But, says the hearer, has not this pas-
sage reference to the last judgment day, when all
shall rise immortal and be judged ? It has not ;
neither is there a passage in the Book of God,
that teaches a judgment beyond the immortal
resurrection of the human family. That this
scripture has reference to the deliverance of the
Jewish Christians, who were to be raised from all
their persecutions and sufferings to an elevated
state of honor, life, and enjoyment at the destruc-
tion of the Jewish state ; that it refers to the

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED. 311

persons whose names were written in the book of
life, and who had a part in the " first resurrec-^
tion," called ^'the resurrection of the just," and
over whom " the second death had no power" ;
that it refers to these on the one hand, and to the
unbelieving Jews on the other, who were roused
from their dark hiding-places of security to con-
demnation, and consigned to a second national
death ; that this scripture has reference to that
period^ and to those two classes of character, we
will substantiate by the oracles of truth. Daniel,
chap. xii. '-'• And at that time shall Michael
stand up, the great prince which standeth for the
children of thy people ; and there shall be a time
of trouble, such as never was since there was a
nation even to that same time, and at that time
shall thy people be delivered, every one that shall
be found ivritten in the book. And many of them
that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
some to everlasting life, and some to shame and
everlasting contempt." That this is a parallel
passage with that in John, is, I believe, denied
by none.

Here, then, we learn, that they were to start
out of the dust, and that all those whose names
were found written in the book of life, were to
be delivered, and the rest condemned, at a period
when " there shall be a time of trouble, such as
there never was since there was a nation, even

312 SHORT SERMONS.

to that same time." And Christ himself, speaking
of the destruction of Jerusalem, says (Matt. xxiv.
21) ; " For then shall there be great tribulation,
such as was not since the beginning of the world
to this time, no, nor ever shall be."

But let us read on further in Daniel, chap. xii.
" Then I Daniel looked, and behold, there
stood other two, the one on this side of the bank
of the river, and the other on that side of the bank
of the river. And one said to the man clothed in
linen, which was upon the waters of the river. How
long shall it be to the end of these wonders ? "
[By the wonders^ he means the time of trouble,
the delivery of those who are written in the book,
and the awaking of those who sleep in the dust
of the earth. Let us, then, hear the answer to
this question.] " And I heard the man clothed
in linen, which was upon the waters of the river,
when he held up his right hand and his left hand
unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth forever,
that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and
when he shall have accomplished to scatter the
power of the holy people, all these things shall
be finished." [Here, then, this heavenly messen-
ger has made solemn oath, that these dead are
to awake out of the dust, and that all whose names
are written in the book, are to be delivered at the
destruction of Jerusalem, when the Jews, the
holy people, were scattered. Is this angel a

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED. 313

false witness ? God forbid. But we are not yet
done with this point. We will read on, and pile
evidence on evidence, and let you hear a greater
than this messenger settle the question.] '' And
I heard, but I understood not ; then said I, O my
Lord, what shall be the end of these things ? And
he said. Go thy way, Daniel ; for the words are
closed up, and sealed till the time of the end.
Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried ;
but the wicked shall do wickedly ; and none of
the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall
understand. And from the time that the daily
sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination
that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thou-
sand two hundred and ninety days."

Let us now appeal to the words of Christ, and
hear him settle the question. Matt. xxiv. 15,
16. '' When ye, therefore, shall see the abomi-
nation of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the
prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth
let him understand,) then let them which be in
Judea, flee into the mountains." Now here
Jesus calls Daniel by name, quotes his words,
and points us forward to the destruction of Jerusa-
lem for their fulfilment. The point is then settled
that this resurrection, and the deliverance of those
written in the book, took place in the generation
Christ addressed, and when the holy people were
scattered.

314 SHORT SERMONS.

By the sea giving up the dead, and death and
hell delivering up the dead in them, we are to
understand that no dark devices, nor secret hiding-
places could protect the Jewish nation from that
impending judgment which God, in his counsels,
had determined to bring upon them. Their na-
tional powers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness
in high places, were to be made manifest to all.
They said in their hearts [Tsaiah xxviii. 15] ;
'^ We have made a covenant with death, and with
hell are we at agreement ; when the overflowing
scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto
us ; for we have made lies our refuge, and under
falsehood have we hid ourselves." But though
they had thus secreted themselves, yet death and
hell delivered them up to national destruction.
Verse 18. "Your covenant with death shall be
disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall
not stand ; when the overflowing scourge shall
pass through, then shall ye be trodden down by
it." Amos ix. 3. ''And though they hide
themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search
and take them out thence ; and though they be
hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence
will I command the serpent, and he shall bite
them." The above language is used in reference
to the living, who are represented as hiding them-
selves under falsehood and lies ; as taking refuge
in the bottom of the sea, and as making a cove-

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED. 315

nant with death and hell, to protect them from
national ruin, but all in vain ; our text says, they
were given up, judged out of the books, [the
books of the law,] and cast into the second death.
They were dead in sin ; and this moral death ex-
posed them to national death. "If ye believe
not (says Jesus) that I am he. ye shall die in
your sins." This certainly cannot mean that they
should, in the future tense, die a moral death.
They were already morally dead. But it means,
in the same sinful condition you now are^ you shall
die a national death, because you believe not that
I am he. To believe in Christ, who is himself
the word of eternal life, is to have our names
written in the book of life. Consequently, all
the believing Jews escaped the second death, to
which they, as a nation, were doomed. They
fled, according to the directions of Christ, to the
mountains of Judea for safety, till the dreadful
siege was over. Not a solitary Christian perished
in that destruction.

The hearer will bear in mind, that the second
death and the lake of fire are used synonymous in
our text. We will here show, that God's judg-
ments are not unfrequently represented by the
figure of fire. Ezekiel xxii. 19 — 22. "There-
fore thus saith the Lord God, Because ye are all
become dross, behold therefore I will gather you
into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver,

316 SHORT SERMONS.

and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst
of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt
it ; so will I gather you in mine anger, and in my
fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you.
Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the
fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the
midst thereof. x4.s silver is melted in the midst
of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst
thereof; and ye shall know that I the Lord have
poured out my fury upon you." Here you per-
ceive, that Jerusalem is represented to be a fiery-
furnace, in which they were to be melted as
metal. But by reading the chapter you may
learn that it has reference to their overthrow as a
nation, and their dispersion among the heathen.
We will produce one more instance, where the
Scriptures represent a nation in their destruction
as having their land turned into a lake of fire
Isaiah xxxiv. 8 — 10. "For it is the day of
the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recom-
penses for the controversy of Zion. And the
streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and
the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land
thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not
be quenched night -nor day, the smoke there-
of shall go up forever ; from generation to gener-
ation it shall lie waste, none shall pass through
it for ever and ever." Here we perceive, that
the dust of the land is represented as turned

THE SECOND DEATH ILLUSTRATED. 317

into brimstone, and all its streams as rolling forth
floods of boiling pitch, and yet it means nothing
more than the temporal judgment of God upon
that people.

Our text is plain, we presume, to every hearer,
and we now dismiss the subject. In conclusion,
we simply inquire, are the Jews to remain in this
second death ? Let Paul answer. Romans, chap,
xi. " P'or if the casting away of them be the
reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving
of them be, but life from the dead.'''' *****
" For I would not, brethren, that ye should be
ignorant of this mystery, (lest ye should be wise
in your own conceits,) that blindness in part is
happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles
be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved ; as it
is written. There shall come out of Zion a De-
liverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from
Jacob. For this is my covenant unto them when
I shall take away their sins."

Here we have evidence, that these dead are
again to be brought to life. They are to come
forth from their graves ; the dark veil shall be
rent from their eyes, and "the ransomed of the
Lord shall return and come to Zion, with songs
and everlasting joy upon their heads ; they shall
obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing
shall flee away."

From this lamentable catastrophe of their over-

318 SHORT SERMONS.

throw and dispersion, and their present unhappy-
fate as a people, let us take warning, and not abuse
the choice blessings God has bestowed upon us
as a nation. Let us rightly value our civil and
religious liberty, and remember, if we become
corrupt as a people, and unmindful of that Being,
who holds the destinies of nations in his hand, we
too shall be hurled from our high station of honor
to degradation and ruin. Ever bear in mind, that
moral death is a sad prelude to national death.

DEDICATION AT AMSTERDAM N. Y. 319

SERMON XXIX.*

DEDICATION AT AMSTERDAM, N. Y.

" If a man say, I love God and hateth his brother, he is a liar.
For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can
he love God whom he hath not seen 1" — 1 John iv. 20.

The purpose for which we are now assembled
is, to dedicate this edifice to the worship of the
living God, who is the Saviour of all men, to the
preaching of the ministry of reconciliation reveal-
ed to the world by Jesus Christ, and to the puri-
ty of that religion which gives to man his sweet-
est enjoyments in life, and his fondest hopes of
surviving the ruins of death.

I stand before you on this occasion with feel-
ings of peculiar interest. This is the home of
my childhood and youth, sacredly endeared to me
by many pleasing associations, — by many fondly
cherished delights, »around which memory still
hovers with emotions better felt than expressed.
I find myself surrounded with many of those who
were the companions and associates of my early
days, and with whom I have so often engaged in
the sports attendant on boyhood. But alas, how
changed the scene ! — Those, who but yesterday,

* Delivered at the Dedication of the Universalist Church,
in Amsterdam, N. Y., Wednesday, September 10, 1834.

320 SHORT SERMONS.

were blooming youth, and whose countenances
were mantled with fairy smiles, are now grave
and thinking men ; and many, whose teniples
were adorned with burnished locks, are now sown
thick with grey hairs. What a change is this for
sixteen summers ! But greater still, if possible,
is the change in our sentiments. We grew up
together believers in unending woe for millions of
the human race, but to-day we are assembled to
dedicate this temple to the universal Father, the
Creator and Saviour of all.

On an occasion like this, I know of no subject
of higher moment to the cause of Christ, or
that would be of more thrilling interest to the
brethren who have reared this beautiful building,
than the true worship of God, or pure and unde-
filed religion. This will be my theme, — and
the congregation cannot but perceive, that, in or-
der to do this subject justice, I shall be compel-
led to come in contact with the conflicting senti-
ments of the day. In defending the true worship
of God and the religion of Jesus Christ, I shall
have to pay some attention to what passes for re-
ligion and divine worship in the present day ; and
shall closely examine the doctrine of total de-
pravity, and a mysterious change from nature to
grace.

It is a matter of trivial moment for us to rear
and dedicate houses of public worship, unless we

DEDICATION AT AMSTERDAM, N. Y. 3211

understand the character of that Being to whom
we dedicate them, and the nature of that worship
which he requires us to render.

There is, indeed, a strange infatuation in the
human mind, in regard to religion. What consti-
tutes the true worship of God, or true rehgion, is
a subject which has for many centuries occupied
the attention of the Christian world. The pre-
vailing opinion seems to be, that it consists in that
species of reverential homage paid to God, which
will placate his wrath, secure his favor, and in-
duce him to save his creatures from final ruin in
the immortal world to which he, in the plan of
creation, exposed them. It is beheved by a
large portion of the Christian community, that
man comes into existence totally depraved, —
naturally opposed to God, and averse to all that
is good, virtuous, and amiable, — that though he
is a moral agent, yet that moral agency consists in
freely pursuing a course of sin and transgression
against the moral Governor of the world, and that
no one of the human family would ever be saved,
unless God, by his irresistible grace, brought them
to a state of salvation in Christ.

These, with a thousand minor speculations,
constitute the present systems of theology in the
Christian world. Though they vary in doctrine,
so far as salvation may be conditional or uncondi-
tional, yet they all agree in general terms, that
21

"322 SHORT SERMONS.

the worship of God does, indeed, consist in do-
ing something to secure salvation in the future
world by causing the divine Being to be merciful
to men. Even those who hold to the doctrine
of election and reprobation, nevertheless main-
tain, that worship is a necessary means to obtain
the favor of heaven ; and the preaching of every
denomination among us, does certainly impress
upon their congregations, that something is to be
done by man to influence God to save him; and
this argument is always resorted to when convers-
ing with those, who believe that God will finally
save all his creatures from sin, imperfection,
death, and pain.

But we would inquire, — if God is the cause
of all things, and we are but an effect from his
hand, then how can the effect operate on the
cause 9 If all the feelings of love and benevo-
lence in the human soul are the gift of God, — if
they are but an effect from him as the great cause,
then how can human love and benevolence influ-
ence God to be merciful to his creatures ? It is
impossible, because it is a contradiction in terms.
It involves the extravagant idea, that man can
make God more merciful, benevolent, and kind
than he naturally is. This would prove that he is
not infinite in goodness. It would prove that he
was imperfect, and subject to be changed in his
feelings and purposes in regard to his creatures.

DEDICATION AT AMSTERDAM, N. Y. 323

Hence all worship which is calculated to influ-
ence the divine Being, or to render him any ben-
efit, is worse than useless. It is worshipping him
in vain, teaching for doctrines the commandments
of men.

The Creator being infinitely happy in his own
immortality, unchangeable in his divine attributes
and perfections, and entirely independent of an-
gels and men ; it is impossible that he should
have revealed a religion to his creatures, which
they were to employ as an instrument to operate
on him, or change his purposes, or exalt his hap-
piness. The question then presents itself; what
was his object in making a revelation of his char-
acter and nature ? I answer, for the purpose of
communicating happiness to his creatures, by in-
ducing them to imitate his perfections. And for
what purpose did he reveal to us a religion }
Answer, to give us a rule of conduct, so as to
promote each other's happiness and welfare in the
world, by inducing us to love all mankind, and do
them good as we have opportunity. From a par-
ticipation in these affections even our enemies are
not to be excluded. In order to induce us to
pursue this worthy course of conduct, God has
set before us his parental character, as the model
worthy of our imitation, declaring himself to be
good even to the evil and unthankful, good unto
all, and his tender mercies over all his works.

324 SHORT SERMONS.

He has demonstrated his unbounded love, in re-
vealing to mankind a life of immortal and unend-
ing felicity in the future world, through Jesus
Christ our Lord ! He has revealed his good-
ness by kindling in our souls interrmutual and un-
dying affections for the welfare of parents, friends,
and children ! He has revealed his goodness in
the most pleasing gratification of our senses, and
elevated our souls with the sublime and immor-
tal hope of perpetual felicity in the paradise of
God ! — He has revealed the goodness and also
the grandeur of his character in the stupendous
volume of nature. He has thrown over its fair
face, variety, beauty, and delight ; and sketched
the broad landscape with consummate skill ! He
has made the grove vocal with melody, and the
distant woods resound with the wild songs of an-
imated nature. He has poured profusion over
the face of the globe we inhabit, and presented
for our contemplation, the countless exhibitions of
his love and mercy. Wherever we turn our eyes,
we behold the lessons of our Creator's love, invit-
ing us to check our ingratitude and madness, and to
be kind one to another, even as he is kind to us.
True worship, then, does not consist in that
homage which is rendered to God to make him
merciful and kind to his creatures, or to placate
his wrath, or to induce him to save his offspring
from his own vengeance ; but, on the contrary,

DEDICATION AT AMSTERDAM, N. Y. 325

it consists in an humble endeavour to imitate the
goodness of our Creator, which we see manifested
in the countless exhibitions of his love to man, both
in the volume of nature, and of revelation. We
must possess the temper, and follow the example,
of Christ. This will be imitating God. It will
be worshipping him ; for the Saviour shadowed
forth the character of his Father, and so exactly
imitated him, that he was the express image of his
perfections. Yes, he was in all his feehngs and
conduct so like God, that he exclaimed, " He
that hath seen me, hath seen the Father also."

Worship, then, does not consist in striving to
obtain the divine favor, because that favor God
exercises towards all ; and has manifested it in na-
ture and revelation. Neither does true worship
consist in causing him to love his creatures, be-
cause he loves all, and has manifested this love in
the gift of his Son. God so loved the world that
he freely delivered up his Son for us all. '' In
this was manifested the love of God towards us,
because that God sent his only begotten Son into
the world. Herein is love, not that we loved God,
but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the
propitiation for our sins." Neither does true wor-
ship consist in striving to obtain salvation in the
future world, because we were saved according to
his own purpose and grace, which was given us in
in Christ Jesus before the world began. But the

326 SHORT SERMONS.

genuine worship of God consists in feeling the
bursts of gratitude and veneration for his favor
and boundless love in having secured our salvation
from sin, and our everlasting happiness in his im-
mortal kingdom. These devotional feelings v^^ill
induce us to love our brethren of the human race,
and, in imitation of our benevolent Creator, to do
them good and that continually.

We now see the propriety of our text, " If a
man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he
is a liar." The reason why he is a liar, is, because
the loving of God consists in loving and doing
good to our fellow-creatures, the same as God
loves and does them good continually. We must
imitate God. If we do not, his love has no abid-
ing place in our hearts. The Scriptures declare,
that if we love God, we will keep his command-
ments ; and his commandment is, " Love your
enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to
them that hate you, and pray for them which de-
spitefully use you and persecute you, that ye may
be the children of your Father in heaven ; for
he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the
good, and sendeth his rain on the just and un-
just." The rain and the sunshine on the evil and
the good, were not the blessings Jesus here intend-
ed. He did not come to inform mankind, that
the sun shone and the rains poured on all ; but he
held up these to prove the universality of the love

DEDICATION AT AMSTERDAM, N. Y. 327

of God ; and on this ground he commanded them
to love all, even their enemies, that they might be
perfect, as their Father in heaven is perfect.

Perhaps it may be said, that to love our broth-
er, means a member of the same church, or at
most the Christian. This is not correct. " If
ye love them that love you, what reward have ye ;
do not even the publicans the same .^" We will
now prove, that it means any one of the human
race. That the Jews, God's chosen people, were
all his children, and consequently brethren, can-
not be denied. It is immaterial whether they
were converted or rebellious, they were still de-
nominated the children of God. He says, " I
have nourished and brought up children, but they
have rebelled against me." Here he calls the re-
bellious his children. But why were they called
the children of God ? Because they were the
descendants of Abraham, who was the father of
the promised seed, and with whom the first cov-
enant was made. They were the children of the
covenant, to whom pertained the glory, the prom-
ises, the giving of the law, and the service of
God, to the exclusion of other nations.

In the same scriptural sense, Jesus Christ was
the head of every man in the second covenant.
He, by the grace of God, tasted death for every
man ; revealed the love of God to all ; broke
down the middle wall of partition between Jew

328 SHORT SEPwMONS.

and Gentile, to make in himself of the twain one
new man ; and the promises of God in him are,
not yea and nay, but yea and amen. "He was
not ashamed, therefore, to call them brethren ;
saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren."
Here, then, he called them brethren before he
declared God's name to them, and they, certainly,
at that time, could not have been Christians.
Again, " As the children are partakers of flesh
and blood, he himself likewise partook part of the
same," &c. The children here mean all, who
are partakers of flesh and blood. And if children,
they must have one common Father, and of course
all be brethren. Jesus Christ says, when ye pray,
say " Our Father which art in heaven." Hence
it must be certain, that they were his children
before they prayed ; otherwise they could not say
in their first prayer, " Our Father." Paul says to
the Athenians, (who certainly were unconverted
heathen,) " forasmuch as we are his ofTspring."
But why multiply arguments, when it is abso-
lutely declared, " there is one God and Father of
all." We have, therefore, proved that all, under
the second covenant, are the children of God in
the full scripture sense of the word, as much so
as the Jews were his children under the first cov-
enant. If we are children and have one father,
then are we all brethren. In perfect agreement
with this, Jesus commands us to love our enemies,

DEDICATION AT AMSTERDAM, N. Y. 329

that we may, in conduct, as well as in relation, be
the children of our Father in heaven.

Now, if we hate one of the human race, we
hate a brother ; and it is immaterial what our pro-
fessions of love to God may be, we are liars ;
for if we love not our brother whom we have
seen, how can we love God whom we have not
seen ? He who sincerely loves God, will cer-
tainly be actuated by the same spirit, imitate the
divine Being, and obey his commandments.
It is impossible to love God without loving his
rational creatures. It is impossible to worship
and serve the living God, but by discharging the
various duties we owe to mankind. To discharge
these duties is obeying his commands and serving
him out of a pure heart and love unfeigned. It
is worshipping him in spirit and in truth.

Hence we perceive, that the religion of the
present day is any thing but the religion of Jesus
Christ. It consists in believing certain creeds
and confessions of faith, in experiencing certain
mysterious changes and frames of mind, and in
having so much to do for the Lord, that they
have no time to do any thing for their felloiv-crea-
tures. It consists in converting men to the belief
of a doctrine, joining a church, exhorting in pub-
lic, praying in the family night and morning,
whether they feel devotional or not ; saying grace
at meals ; reading, perchance, a stated number

330 SHORT SERMONS.

of chapters, each day, in the Bible, and doing
many such things for God ; expecting, however,
to be well paid for the task in another world, —
something like being hired to serve the Lord,
which some declare they would not do, if they
were Universalists, because they could then ob-
tain eternal life as a free gift of God, without
serving the Lord so hard for it. Meetings are
sometimes attended night and day, from four to
twenty days in succession ; while perhaps honest
creditors are suffering for their just dues. This
is not only called religion, and the genuine wor-
ship of God, but being zealous for the Lord, —
doing much for him and his cause in the world.
He who does all this, is honestly considered re-
ligious. He may hate the men of the world, and
even slander the reputation of those of other de-
nominations, if he will only love the brethren,
which, in orthodoxy, means none but the mem-
bers of his own church and denomination. He
must manifest his charity by loving those that love
him, and beheve as he does ; and by calling Uni-
versalists Deists, Infidels, and blasphemers, and
by showing them no favors. He may even
manifest holy wrath towards them ; and carry the
stern, unrelenting motto in his forehead, " Break
them down if you can, ruin their reputation, and
blight their dearest prospects in life ; the end jus-
tifies the means." He may jockey them and the

DEDICATION AT AMSTERDAM, N. Y. 331

world's people, by taking every advantage in
trade, and making a good bargain ; if he will only
pay well into the treasury of the Lord.

But is this, indeed, the religion of our Saviour ?
Is this the worship of God, for which churches
are dedicated to him ? We again say no ; but to
worship God is to discharge all the duties which
Christ recommends in the Gospel. In no sense
can God be worshipped but by making ourselves
and our fellow-creatures better and happier. All
worship must have reference to human improve-
ment and happiness. Its object is to enlighten
the understanding, to regulale the passions, — to
refine and elevate the affections, — to expand and
brighten the mental powers by studying God and
his works, — to reconcile the mind to the admin-
istration of his government and to the revelation
of his will, and thus raise man to the true moral
grandeur and dignity of his nature. This is the
worship of God. It is not to chain the mind down
to a dark, exclusive, and mysterious creed, only
calculated to mould man, "the noblest work of
God," into a sour, sanctimonious, inhuman bigot,
who dreams that worship is an act by which the
Deity is to be influenced to be merciful to his
creatures ; and made to interpose in behalf of
their final salvation. God is not only unchange-
able, but he cannot be benefited by the righteous-
ness, nor injured by the sin, of man. The Scrip-

332 SHORT SERMONS.

tures say, — ''Look unto the heavens and see,
and behold the clouds which are higher than thou.
If thou sinnest, what dost thou against him, or if
thy transgressions be multiplied, what dost thou
unto him ? If thou be righteous, what givest
thou him ? or what receiveth he of thy hand ?
Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art, and
thy righteousness may profit the son of man."
Here we perceive, that our sins cannot in the
least injure our Creator, nor disgrace him, nor
sully his perfections, nor in any sense diminish his
happiness. Sin can only injure ourselves, and
our fellow-men, by destroying our own internal
peace, and their external comfort. Nor, on the
other hand, can our righteousness add to his di-
vine glory, or in the least augment the infinite hap-
piness of the Supreme Being. It can only be
profitable to men by increasing and extending
their happiness, peace, and joy ^ and thus lighting
up the smile of friendship and contentment in the
abodes of men.

This is worshipping God, — this is reverenc-
ing his name, — this is serving the Lord, — this
is praying without ceasing in the desires of our
hearts for the advancement of human happiness,
and the glory of the Lord among men. This is
all the worship God requires of us. When
Christ was predicting his coming at the destruc-
tion of Jerusalem, he did not say he would in-

DEDICATION AT AMSTERDAM, N. Y. 333

quire how much they had served God by praying
and exhorting in public, and constantly attending
meetings by night and by day, even to the neglect
of the duties of life, — but this he declared
should be the test by which the true worshipper
should be known, — " I was an hungered, and ye
gave me meat ; I was thirsty, and ye gave me
drink ; I was a stranger, and ye took me in ; na-
ked, and ye clothed me ; I was sick, and ye vis-
ited me ; I was in prison, and ye came unto me."
And on inquiring when they had ever done all
these things to him ? he replies, — " Inasmuch as
ye have done it unto one of the least of these my
brethren, ye have done it unto me." Here the
Saviour teaches us, that to discharge all the du-
ties of benevolence, love, and humanity which we
owe to mankind, is in reality worshipping God.
It is doing it to the Lord, — and I do say, that
there is no other worship that can be rendered to
God. Of himself he needs nothing at our hand ;
for man cannot be profitable unto God, neither does
his goodness extend to the Lord. Even if we
pray, it is not to change the Almighty, but to im-
prove our own hearts and the hearts of others, so
that they may be softened towards one another,
reconciled and elevated to God, and thus more
and more prepared to be useful and happy in the
world. If we are sincere, we shall have our pe-
titions. If a man sincerely pray, that he may

334 SHORT SERMONS.

lead a quiet and peaceable life, it will be his de-
sire to do it, otherwise he is a hypocrite. If he
pray, that the wants of the poor may be supplied,
he will do his duty towards accomplishing it. If
he pray that discord, slander, and envy may cease,
then he will injure no one by such vices. If he
do, his prayer is a mockery to God. If he pray
for his own growth in knowledge and virtue, he
will strive to promote it. If he pray for all these
blessings before a congregation, he desires through
this medium to soften their hearts before God,
and thus influence them to discharge the Christian
duties of life with cheerfulness. This is genuine
religion. This is serving God. But all worship,
which is intended to make God merciful to his
creatures, and save them from his own vengeance,
is spurious and vain. It is such as heathens offer
to propitiate their gods.

DEDICATION AT AMSTERDAM, N. Y. 335

SERMON XXX.

DEDICATION AT AMSTERDAM, N. Y.
[Concluded.]

From what has been argued, we perceive, that
there is but little of true religion in the world.
A mysterious change from nature to grace has,
therefore, no foundation in the teachings of
Christ. It is an invention of man, which has
been handed down in the religious creeds from
father to son, ever since the days of Calvin, the
thundering reformer of Geneva, so that the im-
pression has become general that this is, indeed,
the religion of the Bible. Those who honestly be-
lieve in experiencing this change before they can be
Christians, cry down morality as good for nothing
at all to sustain them at the bar of God, while this
mysterious change, — this frame of mind is all
sufficient in life, in death, in eternity. Now, my
friends, it is exactly the reverse of this. A be-
lief in God, and in the divine mission of his Son,
and a conscientious discharge of the duties of life,
— in one word, a sound morality, is all, and a
mysterious change is nothing, having not the slight-
est foundation in reason or revelation. To love
our fellow-creatures as our text teaches, and to
do them good, is all that God requires of us.

336 SHORT SERMONS.

*' For what doth the Lord require of thee, but
to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with
thy God ? " This is not only the whole of his
requirement, but it is vital religion. " Pure re-
ligion and undefiled before God and the Father
is this, to visit the widow and the fatherless in
their affliction, and keep himself unspotted from
the world." This is not only the whole require-
ment of God and pure religion, but it is the whole
duty of man. The Scriptures say, — "Let us
hear the conclusion of the whole matter, — fear
God and keep his commandments, for this is the
whole duty of man."

Now it is certain, that all these things are done
by thousands, who have never met with a mys-
terious change, who never made a profession of
religion, and never thought they were religious,
because the church did not consider them so.
Too many of those, who doat so much upon this
mysterious change, and upon what they profess
to have experienced, think they may hate and
slander their fellow-creatures, feel uncharitable
towards other denominations, and be what we
should call immoral, still, it is no harm in them
because they have experienced religion ! But
this is a most unhappy delusion. Less than three
hundred years ago, this very class of Christians
sincerely believed, that it was doing God service

DEDICATION AT AMSTERDAM, N. Y. 337

to torture and burn all who differed with them
in faith.

All are now sensible, that such were not only
destitute of religion, (though they had experienced
the same mysterious change,) but that they were
unmercifully wicked. And the day has dawned
when men will learn that such changes, and frames
of mind, as many now experience, are nothing at
all, so long as they fill the mind with bigotry,
envy, and hatred towards any denominations of
Christians.

Having probably said all that is necessary in
defence of the religion of Jesus Christ and of the
true worship of that God to whose service we
dedicate this house, we will now take hold of the
doctrine of total depravity, and prove, that a mys-
terious change from nature to grace is not true.
Before we grapple with this stronghold of orthodox
faith, we would caution you to bear in mind, that
the expression, "from nature to grace," is not
in the Bible.

The reason why such a change is supposed to
be necessary, is, because they contend, in the first
place, that man comes into existence totally de-
praved. Now if this were true, then I readily
grant that such a change would be necessary as a
prerequisite for the enjoyment of happiness in
virtue. If, then, we succeed in proving that man,
22

338 SHORT SERMONS.

in a state of nature, is not totally depraved, our
point is gained.

We will first state what we are to understand
by total depravity. It is to be born into existence
completely averse to all that is good, and wholly
inclined to all that is evil ; — so that we can neither
speak a good word, think a good thought, nor
perform a good action acceptable to God ; that
it is just as natural to do evil as for water to run
downwards. In fine, that it is our nature to do
wrong. In this state no man, however moral,
is considered in a better condition for immortal
happiness than the most abandoned or profligate
wretch, because all he does is out of mere selfish-
ness. But, after a man has met with this mys-
sterious change from nature to grace, even though
he is not so good as the moral man, he is still
acceptable to God, because what little good he
may do, is for the glory of God, and not out of
selfish motives.

We will now bring this doctrine of total de-
pravity to the test of reason and revelation. —
The fish in the water is happy in that element,
and would die were he to be brought into the air
without changing his nature. It would be no
favor to the fish to be converted into a bird by
some mysterious change, neither would it be any
favor to the bird to change its nature into a fish
so as to be happy in the water. Each is happy

DEDICATION AT AMSTERDAM, N. Y. 339

in its own element, because that element is per-
fectly adapted to its nature. — Now, if man is
brought into existence totally depraved, and in a
state of nature perfectly fitted to do evil, then sin
is his element, in which alone he can be hap-
py. How then can man be punished in sin, with
the horror of a guilty conscience ? Impossible ;
because sin, on this principle, must be his delight,
his peace and joy, out of which he could not be
happy. We then inquire, why do the Scriptures
aver, "there is no peace, saith my God, to the
wicked ?" If men are totally depraved, then the
Scriptures ought to declare that there is no peace
to natural men in working righteousness, but there
is great peace in doing wickedness, because it is
their nature.

The bird does not die by being in the air, but
would if it were put under water. So if sin were
man's nature, he could not morally die in sin, be-
cause it is his element. He would die, that is,
lose his enjoyments, in righteousness. In this
case the Bible ought not to declare, " ye are dead
in trespasses and sins," and alive in righteousness.
Noj — but ye are dead in the practice of holiness
and alive in trespasses and sins, because it is your
nature, your element, to do wrong.

Again, what sense or propriety is there in ex-
horting men, totally depraved, to change them-
selves from nature to grace, or to perform one

340 , SHORT SERMONS.

good action ? Just as much as there is in exhort-
ing the fish to become a bird and live in the air,
or exhorting the tiger to throw off his fierceness
of nature, and to become a lamb. As, then, the
Scriptures declare men to be miserable in sin, it
cannot possibly be their moral element, and de-
cidedly proves that they are not totally depraved.
If they are, then there is no sense in calling them
morally dead while in sin. The very circumstance
of their being morally dead in trespasses and sins,
absolutely proves, that moral rectitude is the ele-
ment in which alone they can live happy, and out
of which, they soon become morally dead and
miserable.

Again. The Scriptures, instead of teaching
that men must be changed from nature to grace,
declare that they only need washing, purifying,
cleansing, &c. Now if a cloth be filthy, it can
be washed ; but in this process, the nature of the
cloth is not changed. The filth is simply remov-
ed, while the cloth is the same. And not only so,
but the cloth possessed all its properties, all its
intrinsic worth before it was cleansed as afterward.
The filth it contracted was no part of the cloth,
neither did it in the least change its nature, but
only obscured its beauties. If man, then, is to
be washed or cleansed from sin, it cannot exist in
his nature, but must be something contracted by
practice, otherwise it could not be removed.

DEDICATION AT AMSTERDAM, N. Y. 341

But if a cloth were wholly filthy, (pardon the
expression,) then there would be no cloth to be
cleansed. Filth would, in such case, have to be
changed from its state of nature into cloth. It
would be a new creation ; making that which was
of no worth, valuable. Hence, if man were total-
ly depraved, he would be of no value, and his con-
version to holiness would be a new creation.
There would be no propriety in those scrip-
tures which speak of cleansing him.

Again ; — The prophet Malachi, speaking of
Christ, says, '' He shall sit as a refiner and purifi-
er of silver ; and he shall purify the sons of Levi,
and purge them as gold and silver, that they may
offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness."
Gold, while in its ore, is of the same nature and
value as when the dross is removed. But if it
were all dross, it would require a new creation to
turn it into gold. This is equally applicable to
man. He has all his properties of natural excel-
lence when he is born into being, and sin is but
dross mixed with the pure gold, and this dross can
be removed without changing his nature. Jesus
Christ took up little children, and blessed them,
and said, of such is the kingdom of heaven. On
another occasion, he called a little child unto him
and set him in the midst of his disciples, and said,
" Except ye be converted and become as little
children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of

342 SHORT SERMONS.

heaven." Here Christ himself, instead of saying,
that little children were totally depraved, held
them up as models of conversion to his own disci-
ples, and pronounced them heirs of the kingdom
of heaven. Children are in a state of nature, and
have no occasion to be changed from it while in
this life, if our Saviour is to be believed. As
they grow up, they at times do wrong. They
wander like the prodigal from their father's house,
or from a state of innocency. They are in the
Scriptures exhorted to retrace their steps, to re-
turn to the Lord, to become as they once were,
to become as little children ; and this is called
conversion. Just so with the prodigal. He re-
traced his steps to the spot from whence he set
out, — to a state of innocence, and this was con-
version. But in these days men are exhorted to
enter, by conversion, a house they never were in
before, neither in infancy, nor in any other period
of life. And this is called being changed from
nature to grace. Thus we see, that the doctrine
of total depravity, and a mysterious conversion
from nature to grace, are at issue with the most
plain instructions of Jesus Christ. Yes, at war
with the whole tenor of revelation.

We have now proved, absolutely proved, that
this shocking sentiment is false as it is withering
to the holiest enjoyments of life, and blasting to
our fondest hopes of a future, blisful, and immor-

DEDICATION AT AMSTERDAM, N. Y. 343

tal being. And on the other hand, we have prov-
ed, that a sound morahty, embracing the various
duties of life, is conversion. I mean, that morality
which is produced by faith in God as the Almigh-
ty Father of his erring children, whose tender
mercies extend over all ; and by faith in Jesus
the Saviour of the world, and an unwavering con-
fidence in the sublime doctrines he revealed and
taught to mankind. This is worshipping God,
not in profession, but in very deed. This is all
the change you need experience in order to be a
follower of Christ, and a worthy partaker of his
supper. You must guard against wearing a long
disfigured face to appear unto men. You must
be cheerful as is natural to you. Be open and
frank in your fife and conversation, — in one
word, adorn the dignity of human nature.

As to these experiences and frames and feelings,
they vary according to different denominations.
Some among the ignorant hold to being struck
down, as it were, lifeless, by the power of the
Spirit. The Dutch Reformed hold simply to
making a resolution to join the church and reform
without any other experience. The Quaker
holds, that the Spirit is a still, small voice, and
moves him only at times to speak. Others think
the Spirit comes, as it were, in the lightning, the
whirlwind, and the storm, and moves them to
shout as loud as they can scream. The Shaker

344 SHORT SERMONS.

believes, that the Spirit moves him to shake and
even to dance. Others believe, that the Spirit
shows them to be the vilest of sinners, and makes
them so resigned to the will of God as to be wil-
ling to be damned in order to be saved. All these
denominations have each their peculiar experi-
ence, all differing one from another, yet each de-
clares, he knows his doctrine to be true by his
own experience, and others to be false.

But, my brethren, as you worship in this house,
remember that many spirits have gone out into
the world, beheve not every spirit ; but listen to
that still, small voice which caused the prophet
to wrap his face in his mande, and say, This is
the way, walk ye in it. Try therefore the spirits
whether they be of God. It is immaterial what
the profession or experience of any may be ; bring
them all boldly to the criterion of our text, and
by that let them stand or fall. If you see any
man among any denomination hate one of his
fellow-men, or strive to injure any by evil speak-
ing, even though he professes to love God, yet
you may be certain that he is a liar, for the in-
spired word sets him down as such.

We have now faithfully and scripturally dis-
proved the doctrine of total depravity and of a
miraculous change from nature to grace, and the
fallacy of that worship, which is rendered to God
with an intention to make him merciful to his

DEDICATION AT AMSTERDAM, N. Y. 345

creatures, and influence the unchangeable Jehovah
to save a part of his creatures from his own ven-
geance, and consign the residue to immortal dam-
nation, because they neglected the means pre-
scribed by creeds to placate his wrath and secure
his favor. To such a God and to such a worship
this church is not to be dedicated. We have
set before you the exalted character, and eternal
and unchanging benignity and perfections, of the
Divine Being ; his immutable love to man and
that worship which he requires. It is a worship
which recognises him as the Father and friend of
his erring creatures, chastising them in mercy and
saving them by his free grace. It recognises
him as that amiable object in whom all perfections
centre, and from whom all love, goodness, order,
and harmony emanate. It is a worship which
devoutly and sublimely bows the soul in filial
resignation to the grandeur of his laws, and to the
majesty of his reign over the stupendous universe !
It is a worship, which unites the soul to God, and
causes it to act in union with him in dispensing
good to his creatures. Breathing in his spirit, it
is constrained to love all mankind, to encircle the
universe in the arms of faith, and labor for human
improvement and human happiness. It is a wor-
ship, which feels the yearnings of distress over
the miseries of its enemies and persecutors, and
rolls the big tears of grief and pain from their
22

346 SHORT SERMONS.

living fountain in the soul, when we discard the
fond hope of meeting them again in brighter
scenes. It is a worship, which moved the tender
soul of Christ to weep over the temporal sorrows
and misfortunes of m,en, — yes, to die for his
enemies, and, in the overflowing compassions of
his soul to pray, " Father, forgive them, they
know not what they do ! " It is a worship, which
sanctifies the heart, through the truth ; which con-
tinually opens to the soul new sources of mental
felicity ; which refines and elevates the affections ;
which gives fervor and energy to the mental
powers ; which baptizes the soul in its fountain,
God, and brings into active operation towards
our fellow-creatures every thing that is amiable
and Godlike in the human character. In one
word, it is to love our brethren of the human race.
The unbounded goodness of creation's Father,
to whom we dedicate this house, is manifested
throughout every department of nature and revela-
tion, pouring oceans of bliss and mercy over the
universe he sustains and governs. He has fur-
nished the most admirable proofs of his unbounded
goodness and parental affection to all mankind !
Infinitely happy, immortal, and independent of all,
he aroused into existence countless worlds, and
peopled them with noble intelligences designed
for happiness, and destined to laud his eternal
praise in immortal realms of boundless bliss ! He

DEDICATION AT AMSTERDAM, N. Y. 347

has given us senses susceptible of the most pleas-
ing gratification ; and powers of imagination and
thought that revel in their greatness, range the
universe, lift the curtains of eternity, and, on
wings of immortal hope, surmount the boundaries
of the darksome tomb, and soar through the
regions of everlasting day ? We feel a conscious
power stirring within us, presaging a future world
of immortal felicity in the highest heavens, where
we shall meet with countless worlds of glorified
beings in one amazing congregation, beyond the
reach of sorrow, imperfection, and pain !

Let us, then, in view of the unbounded goodness
of our Creator in such a gift as this, break off our
sins by righteousness, and worship and glorify
our Father in heaven by loving all and hating none.
This is the worship of God which we have en-
deavoured to illustrate, and to which we now
dedicate this house.

We dedicate it to the one only living and true
God, the Creator of the universe, the King
eternal, immortal, and invisible, the Father and
Saviour of all. We dedicate it to the one
Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ
Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all, to be
testified in due time. We dedicate it to his
heavenly example, to his dying love, and to the
Gospel of his impartial grace. We dedicate it to
the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth ; that sanctifies

348 SHORT SERMONS.

and comforts the heart. We dedicate it to Chris-
tian intercourse and communion, — to human im-
provement and morals, to peace on earth and
good will to men. We dedicate it to Christian
comfort and consolation, to the voice of friend-
ship, and the breathings of charity. We dedicate
it to the doctrine of Universal Salvation, and to
those sublime and immortal hopes, that reach
beyond the grave and anchor in heaven. Amen.

THE END

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