which might have excited the suspicion that the elect were "scarcely saved," but with the splendour and applause of a triumphant conqueror. Come see the

place where the Lord lay, and behold in that empty grave a pledge that the prison of hell shall never enclose you; and in these opening heavens, and in that enthroning of your Redeemer, an assurance is given that eternal glory shall be yours. "Ye were by nature the children of wrath, even as others; but God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved you, even when you were dead in sins, quickened you together with Christ, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places with Christ Jesus." And your Lord will come from hea ven, publicly to announce your deliverance, and to put you in full possession of it. The resurrection makes this certain; for it was the first stage of his exaltation, and secures all the rest. It was the solemn fixing of the seal of heaven to his commission to judge the world. As he gave the first, so shall he give the final blow to death and sin; " and your conversation is in heaven from whence you look for the Saviour." Could you wish a judge more indulgent than him who is touched with the feeling of your infirmities, one better acquainted with your circumstances than your advocate with the Father, or one more able to befriend you than the Almighty Saviour? To you the majesty of the judge shall be softened by the compassion of a Saviour; and unrelenting justice to the wicked, cannot indispose him for the language of love, and the exercise of mercy to you. When you shall hear the doom of the wicked, and see them led away into everlasting punishment without a mouth being opened to plead for them, or a hand stretched forth to stay their doom, he shall call you to eternal rest and glory. He thinks it not enough to

save you from misery, but to raise you to fulness of joy, and to pleasures evermore.

Now for this coming of your Lord you must wait. You know his coming is certain; but it is delayed for the wisest reasons, and you must believe that he will appear at the period fixed by infinite wisdom and love. Wait for his approach in the patient discharge of the duties which prepare for it. Wait for it not in the indolent posture of the sluggard, neither slumber to beguile the time; but "let your loins be always girt, and your lamps burning." Your Lord delays his coming to give you time to finish your course, and it will require every moment that is allotted you, to shew the necessary diligence, "that you may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless." To draw back is to draw back to perdition, but to hold on must be your interest, whatever it may cost you, for " he that endureth to the end shall be saved."

Fret not that you have no hope of release from present evils. Poverty may oppress you in spite of all your efforts to better your circumstances, and from the furnace of affliction no way of escape may be opened; but the prison of hell shall not close upon you, and ye shall not fall into the avenging hands of the living God.

Stand in awe and sin not. Indulgence in sin will be the basest ingratitude to your deliverer; and God may punish it by giving you up to such terrors as will make you the most miserable of all men. I know not a more certain evidence that a man has no interest in this deliverance, than his fancying himself released by it from all reed of moral circumspection. The Lord is at hand, be ye therefore sober, and watch unto praySoon shall you have it to say, "the next morning which shall dawn upon me, shall be that in which

er.

my Lord shall be revealed from heaven, the next voice to which these ears will listen shall be the midnight cry, "behold the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him ;" and the next words which I shall speak shall be my account of myself to God, "In that hour, O my deliverer, befriend me, or I shall be undone;" and he will befriend you, for to them that look for him he comes to save. The trump of God shall sound, but it will be to announce that your redemption draweth nigh; the chariots of God will come shining in splendour, but it willbe as instruments of deliverance; the great white throne will be set, but it will be to you a throne of grace; and heaven and earth shall pass away, but the Saviour will fix you as a seal upon his arm, and keep you in perfect peace.

It often happens that the objects of worldly expectation, when they arrive, produce feelings of disappointment; but how different are the feelings with which your Lord will be welcomed ? "This is our God, we have waited for him, and he will save us; this is the Lord, we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." O why my soul art thou so cold in thy wishes, so languid in thy efforts, and so sluggish in thy preparations for that day? I have said, would to God it were morning, yet light hath brought me no healing in its wings. I have waited for the return of friends; but their altered looks and conduct have told me that they were estranged; but in my Lord, when he comes I must be happy, for his power and love are eternal. "Wherefore, gird up the loins of your minds, and be sober, and hope to the end, for the grace that shall be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

ADDRESS XL.

2 CORINTHIANS XIII. 14.

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all, Amen."

THE fulfilment of this benediction would render your present service truly delightful. It would give elevation to your minds, fervour to your worship, and gladness to your hearts. You are accustomed to hear it repeated at the close of public worship; and when I now express this wish at the commencement of your present solemn act of Christian homage, may the love of God be shed abroad in your hearts, the grace of Christ be exceedingly abundant to you, and the Spirit of devotion and peace descend upon you.

In this benediction you behold the doctrine of the Trinity established. If this doctrine had been an invention of men, and if it had rested on no other support than the curious speculations of Gentile Philosophers, or the vain traditions of the Jews, the Apostle would not have employed language so obviously calculated to form the belief of it in [the minds of Christians. It is impossible to reconcile the notion that our Lord is a mere creature, and that the Spirit is only an attribute or quality of Deity, with this benediction, for the most important personal acts are here ascribed to the Holy Ghost; and the grace of Christ is solicited for Christians even before the love of God. In the Lord's Supper you profess a devout regard and adhe

rence to this doctrine, to the support of which you were pledged in your baptism. Let not curiosity approach it with its presumptuous inquiries, nor unhumbled reason with its vain explanations; but let prayer draw near to it with ardent requests for the spirit of wisdom; faith, with entire submission to the divine testimony; admiration, with its loftiest wonder; and reverence, with adoring awe. Never let Unitarian blasphemy, or infidel scorn make you ashamed of a doctrine which God hath interwoven with every article of our faith, every rite of our worship, every expectation of our hearts, and every revelation of eternity.

In this benediction you behold the interest which each of the persons in the Godhead takes in your salvation. Each has his peculiar office in the promotion of it; betwixt them there is the most perfect harmony of co-operation; and in the result of the whole, a three-one God shall be all in all. They ought to receive from us equal homage of gratitude and trust; and in the worship of good men on earth, and of the just made perfect in heaven, you are led to this by the most striking examples. And how strange is it that such worship should have been stigmatized as idolatry, by any who profess to bow to the authority of Scripture. But there is as little argument in their reasonings to convince our judgment, as there is of piety in their addresses to the Deity to touch our hearts.

The specimens of Unitarian piety given us in the hymns and prayers published by writers of that party, suggest no favourable view of the influence of their system; and by a heart influenced by the spirit of Christ, they will be read with no complacency. That admiration of the Saviour which diffuses over sacred poetry its noblest charms, breathes not in a single line; and the glories of his cross, and the agency of his Spirit,