the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird *. If we ask, as with good reason we may, How can the wife and holy God, who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, and with whom evil cannot dwell, return to his fanctuary thus polluted and profaned? an answer is afforded in that gracious promife, I will fprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean, from all your filthi nefs, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you, and I will take away the ftony heart, and I will give you an heart of flesh, and (in order to this) I will put my Spirit within you. But the fource of this mercy, is his fovereign love and purpose, to give the feed of the woman, his only Son, to be the mediator of finners. By his atonement to be manifefted in due time, but which had a virtual influence from the beginning, the Holy Spirit returned to dwell with men.

2. His obedience unto death, when revealed by the Holy Spirit to the enlightened confcience, affords a clear and fatisfactory discovery of reconciliation with God: it fhews, that on his part, every hindrance to the free exercise of mercy is thereby removed, the ho* Rev, xviii. 2. ↑ Ezek. xxxvi. 25, 26.

nour

nour of his law vindicated, and the demands of his juftice answered. On our parts, by opening a door of hope, it removes that enmity and obduracy of heart, which are nourifhed by a consciousness of guilt, and a fecret foreboding of deserved punishment. But when the dignity of the Redeemer's perfon, the causes, nature, and defign of his fufferings are understood, emotions of admiration, love, and gratitude, till then unknown, are felt, and obftinate finners are made a willing people in this day of divine power.

3. The doctrine of the cross pours a light upon every fubject and circumftance in which we are concerned. It enlarges the mind, and forms the judgment and tafte, agreeable to the standard of truth, and the real nature of things. It rectifies those prejudices and prepoffeffions which dispose us to mistake good for evil, and evil for good*, to pursue trifles with earnestnefs, and to trifle with things of the greatest importance. In Jesus Christ crucified, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, are, at once, both hidden and exhibited. This object, the holy angels, whose knowledge of the wonders in creation, without

* Ifai. v. 20.

doubt,

doubt, greatly furpaffes our conceptions, inceffantly contemplate with delight, as affording the brighteft difplays of the manifold wisdom of God. It is cípecially the fountain of wisdom to finners. They look unto him and are enlightened. The flight and partial thoughts they once entertained of the great God,the miftaken judgment they formed of themselves, of their state and their conduct, are corrected by their knowledge of the cross; from thence they derive a folid hope, a humble fpirit, juft views of their duty and obligations, and motives and profpects which animate them in a courfe of cheerful, perfevering obedience to the will of God.

4. In this way, God, as revealed in Chrift, is apprehended and chofen, as the chief and proper good of the foul. Thus the poor are enriched with the pearl of great price, and the weary obtain reft. The mind, no longer burdened with anxiety, nor mortified with a fucceffion of difappointments, which attended the vain purfuit of happiness in earthly things, poffeffes prefent peace, and rejoices in the expectation of future glory. It is releafed from the flavery of bewing out broken ciferns, * Eph. iii. 10.

and introduced to the fountain of living waters. Or, to close with the beautiful image in my text, The people who once walked in darkness and the region of the shadow of death, are tranflated into the kingdom of life and falvation *.

not.

How greatly are they to be pitied who reject the light of the gofpel! It is true, they cannot fee it; but it is equally true, they will But may I not hope, that this is a day of divine power, in which fome of you fhall be made a willing people. Do not reason against your own life, but repent and believe the gospel. The light fhines around you, whether you perceive it or not; and it has an efficacy to open the eyes of the blind. Where the gospel is preached the Lord is present. If you call upon him he will hear, and you fhall receive your fight. If the grace and the glory of the Saviour have hitherto made no impreffion upon your heart, you are fpiritually blind. Could you be fenfible of your disorder, the remedy is at hand. If now at last you are willing to feek him, he will be found of you. But if you deliberately prefer darkness, your state is awfully dangerous; and if you perfift in your obftinacy, your

* Col. i. 13.

ruin is unavoidable. God is gracious and long-suffering, but he will not be mocked *. Humble yourself at once and implore his mercy, or else prepare to meet him in judgBut be affured he will not meet you as a man. You must either bend or break. The Lord forbid that he should say to any you, in the great day of his appearance, Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlasting fire!

ment.

* Gal. vi. 7.

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