God's incarnate Son, to redeem him from eternal death; or to call in question God's willingness to be reconciled on this footing, and to admit him to all the privileges of his children. Nor can any sinner, who cordially embraces this plan of redemption, be thereby encouraged to make light of sin, or indulge himself in iniquity; but must feel himself under the strongest obligations to deny all ungodliness, and devote himself unreservedly to the Saviour, whose property and peculiar treasure he is.

Secondly: They who are thus called to speak in the name of the Lord, perform an embassy for Christ, persuading men, and praying them to be reconciled unto God, are not left to engage in this warfare at their own charges, nor to depend on their own skill or power, or on the pliability and docility of their hearers for success, much less on any human aid to force or bribe their hearers to accede to their proposals: but are authorized to look for divine aid in their work, and to expect that the influence of the Holy Spirit shall open the hearts of many, often selecting the most unlikely, and drawing them effectually to Christ. Thus they depend on the arm of the Lord, to rescue the prey of the terrible, and to turn the disobedient to the wisdom of the just. Though you can only speak to the ear, God can speak to the heart. He can take away the heart of stone, and give a heart of flesh. He has said, Lo, I am with you alway, to the end of the world. Without this you might well despair of success, but with this promise you need not fear. Not by power, nor by might, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord. They that truly receive the word, are authorized to rely on the same blessed Agent for assistance in every duty, and grace to persevere to the end. Let them meet with the most formidable opposition, he can make them more than conquerors. No

wonder then, that,

SECONDLY, The Apostle, strongly represents, in our text, the evil of opposing the publication of the word of God among the Gentiles.

With this disposition God was highly displeased, in the unbelieving Jews, who thus filled up the measure of their sins, till wrath came upon them to the uttermost. In oppos

ing the spread of the gospel, they acted contrary to the best interests of all men. They showed that they had lost sight of God's original and avowed design in all the favors he had conferred on their nation: who had assured their great ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that it was his ultimate design that all the families of the earth should be blessed in their seed. But this degenerate and selfish people were disposed to confine the blessings of the Messiah's kingdom to themselves, while they overlooked their spiritual nature, and undervalued the most important benefits which he was to impart both to Jews and Gentiles. Expecting a worldly kingdom, the riches and honors of which would be lessened according to the number who would share them, instead of a spiritual kingdom, the enjoyments of which would be increased with the number of subjects, nothing gave them more offence than the idea that others would be raised to an equality with themselves.

Some

The carnal mind, however, still operates much in the same way among nominal Christians: especially in undervaluing spiritual blessings, and being indifferent to the propagation of the gospel, if not positively opposing it. Christian divines have advanced a sentiment, which, if it were generally to prevail, would tend greatly to damp our exertions for publishing the gospel to the heathen. I have seen an attempt to show that even the being of a God could not be known but by revelation, and this idea has been pushed so far as to represent the heathens as not responsible for their moral conduct, and could not be considered as exposed to punishment in a future state. Such an idea I think can never be reconciled to our text, to the reasoning of the Apostle in the 1st of Romans, nor to the whole tenor of scripture. Nor can I conceive how the man who considers the wisest and most profligate of the heathen as sunk below all responsibility, can ever be deeply impressed with the responsibility of ignorant profligates in all parts of christendom. To me, this notion seems just of the same tendency, as to the heathen world in general, with the representations of false Calvinism respecting the inability of the unregenerate to repent and believe the gospel, or do any thing truly good;

as if it arose from a want of faculties, and not the want of a right disposition. But I say no more on this head. Many nominal Christians have no more idea of their own need of an atoning Saviour, and any internal renovation, than the blindest Jews and hence, though they do not take the trouble to dispute against the external evidences of Christianity, and profess to respect the religion established by law in their own country; yet they consider every religion that has been long established as nearly equally good, and therefore oppose any attempt to speak to the Gentiles about faith in Christ; especially if it be represented as needful to their eternal salvation. I have often wondered at the propensity of the Jews to fall in with the idolatrous practices of the heathens around; but many of our countrymen, in India, have shown nearly as little objection to conform to the superstitions of the Hindoos; and lead us to conclude that Isaiah and Paul have given us the right clue to explain this mystery. The former interpreted the language of his contemporaries, to mean, "Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us ;" and the latter affirmed, "The carnal mind is enmity against God, and is not subject to his law, neither indeed can it be." But in those religious ceremonies, which are practised by idolaters, no internal purity is required. In those sacred books which European infidels would set on a level with our scriptures, the very objects of their worship are represented as indulging the most licentious inclinations. In the very heavens of the Hindoo gods, according to the description given in the Pooranus, all the pleasures to be enjoyed are such as would suit the taste of such a man as the Earl of Rochester before his conversion: they are more like houses of ill-fame, than places of reward for the pure in heart, who hunger and thirst after righteousness. There, all the vicious passions are personified, or rather deified. And yet men that would not avow their renunciation of Christianity, can object to our speaking to these Gentiles, that they may be saved : and are more jealous than even the interested Brahmans themselves, of any attempt to turn them, by bare instruction and persuasion, from the worship of idols, to serve the living and

true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, even Jesus, who saveth us from the wrath to come. If this disposition in the Jews was so highly displeasing to the Almighty, surely it must be still more so in nominal Christians and if the forbidding to speak the word of life to the Gentiles be so great a sin, the encouraging of it must be an important duty. Yes,

:

THIRDLY, The Apostle certainly intimates the duty of engaging diligently in this benevolent labor, and of encouraging all who are employed therein.

It must be the duty of some to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved; and it must be pleasing to God, for us all to co-operate with them who are so employed.

You, my dear brother, are about to engage in the most important, interesting, honorable, benevolent, and delightful work, in which a saved sinner can be employed. You will have to speak to thousands of perishing heathens, in the name of that Saviour, who redeemed you with his precious blood. May the love of Christ constrain you; may the grace of Christ be sufficient for you; may the Spirit of Christ succeed your labors, and make you the honored and happy instrument of turning multitudes from the worship of idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, even Jesus, that saveth us from the wrath to come. Go then, and speak unto the heathen, that they may be saved, and fear not those who may wish to forbid you. Surely it is right to obey God rather than man he has authorized you, and he will protect you. Surely the wrath of man shall praise him, and the remainder of wrath he will restrain. None can set upon you to hurt you, without his leave; and he will not give them leave to do any thing more than he will render subservient to your good.

Go and speak to them of the glory of the living and true God, that self-existent, eternal, independent, and immutable Being, who made heaven and earth, and upholds all things by the word of his power; whom none can control or defeat. Show the infinite superiority of his moral character to that of the imaginary objects of their idolatrous worship. How much is Jehovah superior to their thirty-three millions

of fancied godlings. How glorious in holiness, venerable in praises; a God doing wonders; a just God, and yet a Saviour.

Speak to them of the perfection and holiness of his law, which requires truth in the inward parts, and regulates the whole mind and conduct; which is summed up in one wordlove; which, binding the intelligent creation to God, as its common centre, binds all holy beings to one another also. Show the unspeakable difference betweeen a religion of trifling ceremonies, and a religion of real conformity to God. True, there are a few good moral sentiments in the sacred writings of the Hindoos, though mixed with unnatural distinctions, extravagant tales, and vile superstitions; but whatever of a moral nature occasionally occurs, is all unconnected and discordant, for want of any common centre of of duty, for which nothing would serve but supreme love to a holy God. This idea struck me very forcibly in reading the second volume of the Ramayuna. Some things are stated strongly, as to the duty of children to obey parents; the duty of kings to keep their word, &c.: but all these duties occasionally clash with still superior duties, for want of all conception of a regular, harmonious system of morality. But the divine law is all harmony, and all perfection. One supreme and infinitely perfect Being claims the whole heart, and adjusts the whole round of duty; so that no part of it clashes with unother; and all tends to universal harmony, order, peace, and happiness; and binds all mankind to each other, by binding them first to God. One God demands supreme regard to himself, and to glorify and enjoy him is the chief end of man; while the second great branch of his law commends itself to every conscience, and every heart. No one on earth can object to its being observed by others, as the rule of their temper and conduct to him; and how can he consistently object to its being the rule of his temper and conduct to them? True, a glance at this law will prove all mankind to be in a most sinful, wretched state; overwhelmed with guilt and depravity; but this will only prove the need and suitableness of that glorious remedy set before them in the gospel.