SERMON III.

And I say unto thee, that thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.-MATT. XVI. 18.

THE excellency which attracts notice among the works of nature and art, is in its own nature perishable, and cannot long exist. View the " goodliness of flesh." What shall we say of this? or rather, what hath the Scripture said? It is "as the flower of the field!" as a flower, a decorated leaf, a flower of the field, much exposed, more exposed than that in the garden. You see it in the morning, and it flourisheth; but look at it in the evening, it has been cut down, and is even withered. How frail and dying!

The natural endowments of the mind are by no means objects entitled to our boast and triumph. The wise man is not to glory in his wisdom, any more than the strong man in his might ; or the rich man in his riches. Shall we direct our attention to works of art? Some of these have been found to exist for ages, and have been the admiration of successive generations; but, does not the tooth of time daily consume the gorgeous pa

laces? must they not crumble to dust? Yes; ere long they will pass away as "the baseless fabric of a vision, and leave not a wreck behind."

That permanent excellency which in vain we look for in sublunary objects, we behold in the light of divine revelation, and by the eye of faith. In the gospel we behold eternal wisdom, power, and grace shine in the salvation of man. Here, we see the durable riches of righteousness, and consolation given to true believers; here, are promises of everlasting life, firm as the solid pillars of Jehovah's throne, and the church of God is made secure as Omnipotency can effect. See how this object is exhibited in the light of our text-built upon a foundation which defies every assault; it rises to our view as a "palace built for God," as a temple which possesses an eternal excellency. The temple at Jerusalem, like the Jewish dispensation of which it constituted a part, was "to be done away, and not one stone to be left upon another;" but this spiritual house of which our text treats, partakes of that glory which distinguishes the gospel, "it is a glory which remaineth;" here we have its defence and safety.

It is obvious, that the language before us is very figurative. Jesus, the speaker, was not speaking literally of any rock present to his bodily eyes; nor can we suppose that hell is a city which has walls and gates. We propose to occupy the time and attention by cautiously explaining the figurative expressions; thus open the way to the doctrines of

the passage, and the improvement these will naturally suggest.

The word rock is here used as a trope or figurative term expressive of solidity and duration; it refers to Peter, or Christ, or both of them. A Roman Catholic would tell us, it refers to some particular authority and influence possessed by Peter and his successors. A Protestant, with more truth, says, whatever allusion there may be to Peter's name, it must, in fact, refer to the object of his confession, which is Christ. It would be highly improper at this time and place, for me to enlarge upon this controversy; I shall, therefore, only briefly observe, that Peter had no peculiar authority over his brethren; on the contrary, Christ said it should "not be so among them;" nor had he any independent power. Though we were to be provided with a full refutation of so unfounded a claim, he was permitted grievously to backslide, awfully to fall, to cross his best resolutions, to manifest his weakness and insufficiency to support himself, much less to uphold the church of Christ. But what was the object of his confession? "Christ the Son of God." And does not this truth lie as the foundation of the faith, hope, and comfort of Christians? If he were not so, our faith would be vain, our hopes misplaced, and our comforts delusive. You, brethren, know, that Christ is spoken of as a rock, and the foundation of his people.

The gates of hell. In ancient times, the cities had gates; over which, were places to keep arms

and hostile weapons used by warriors; so, the term gates was used for the seat of power or force. At the gates of the city, the elders and wise men were accustomed to assemble to consult on the public good, and to deliberate on plans and measures of general utility; from hence, the gates were considered as the seat of policy.

Further, At the gates was the seat of judgment; and authority was exercised, by issuing and enforcing edicts. Now if we unite the above remarks, if we combine these ideas, we are led to reflect on the policy which insinuates, and entices ; on the power which alarms and terrifies; with the authority which enforces. By the gates of hell, we understand, the combined power, policy, and usurped authority of the enemy.

The doctrines of the passage are:

I. The Christian Church is founded upon Christ, as upon a rock.

II. The Influence of Christ is engaged for the advancement of his Church.

III. The Church of Christ shall finally prove victorious over the united power, policy, and authority of Satan.

I. The Christian Church is founded upon Christ as upon a rock.

The sacred edifice of which we discourse, is not a building composed of wood, stone, iron, or of gross materials, but of souls, quickened to a spiritual life by the Spirit of God: these are compared to "lively stones," not a Church composed of per

sons as dwelling in the same parish, district, or nation, but of "the ransomed of the Lord," Acts xx. 28, whom he hath purchased by his own blood, true believers in Christ, called out of every kindred, tribe, nation, and tongue. This is a spiritual temple erected for the honour and worship of Jehovah, 1 Peter ii. 4, 5; Eph. iii. 21. Let us keep this in view; and permit me here to remark, although it should be deemed a digression, that if we employ our talents and influence to support any system, or mode of religion, which has not a spiritual tendency, or encourage persons to join the church, and enjoy her privileges, who are not spiritual persons, in doing so we act without any authority from Christ. The persons constituting this society being real converts, there is a peculiar force and propriety in the Redeemer's calling them his; "My Church." At another time when addressing Peter, he said, "Feed my sheep, feed my lambs." The Church is the object of his peculiar love, the purchase of his blood, governed by his authority, and built upon him as the Foundation.

The Christian Church is founded upon Christ. In theology, a foundation is sometimes considered doctrinally. Do you not read of the foundation of the prophets and apostles? Eph. iii. 21. Rev. xxi. 14, speaks of twelve foundations, i. e. the inspired testimony, and successful labours, of the "twelve apostles of the Lamb." In this sense, St. Paul asserted, "I have laid the foundation." Every