,%^ ^ «%, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 5< ^ ^0 sr .^■' ; ^^ # «^ f/. € ^ ^ (? 1.0 1.1 1.25 no 2.5 2.2 :^ U£ 12.0 U 1111.6 Hiotosraphic Scieices Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STWCET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S80 (716) 872-4S03 «G* (5 i5> ^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfilches. Canadian Institute for Historical IViicroreproductions / Institut canadoen de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notas/Notas tachniquas at bibliographiquas Tha Instituta has ettamptad to obtain tha bast original copy availabta for filming. Faaturas of this copy which may ba bibliographically uniqua, which may altar any of tha imagas in tha raproduction, or which may significantly changa tha usual mathod of filming, ara chackad balow. □ Coloured covers/ Couvarture de coulaur I I Covers damaged/ D n D D D Couverture endommag^e Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurie et/ou pellicula □ Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque I I Coloured maps/ Cartes g6ographiquas en couleur Coloured ink (Le. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) I I Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ Relii avec d'autres documents Tight binding may causa shadows or distortion along interior margin/ Lareliure serr6e peut causer da I'ombra ou de la distortion la long de !a marge intArieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certainas pages blanches ajoutdes lors d'une restauration apparaissant dans le taxte, mais, lorsque cela 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6t6 filmAes. L'Institut a microfilm^ la meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a ix6 possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-Atro uniques du point do vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier una image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la m^thoda normale de filmage sont indiqu6s ci-dessous. Th« to I I Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagias □ Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaur6as et/ou peilicul^es r~V^Pagas discoloured, stained or foxed/ I — I Pages dicolories, tachat^es ou piquies □ Pages detached/ Pagos d6tach6es r/| Showthrough/ I— I Transparence □ Quality of pint varies/ Qualit^ inigala de I'impression □ Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du mat6riel suppl^mentaire □ Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible Th pa of filr Orl be! th( sio OtI fin sio or D Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalemant ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure. etc., ont 6x6 filmdes 6 nouveau de fapon 6 obtenir la meilleure image possible. Th shi Tlf wh Mi dif en be rig rec m( 1 Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppl^mantaires: This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ ?■, Ce document est filmd au taux de reduction indiquA ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X [y 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X I itails i du odifier ' une mage The copy fUmed her* hat been reproduced thanke to the generosity of: ; Matropolitan Toronto Library Canadian History Department The imager appearing here are the best quality possibie considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in Iceeping with the filming contract specifications. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and endinq on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres> sion, or the back cover when eppropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated Impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated inrpression. L'exemplairo filmi fut reprodult grAce k la gAntrosit* de: Metropolitan Toronto Library Canadian History Departmunt Les images suivantes ont 6t4 reproduitss avec ie plus grand soin. compte tenu de Ie condition et de la nettetA de i'exemplaire film*, et en conformity evec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Les exemplaires originaux dont la couverture en papier est imprimie sont fiimts en commenpant par Ie premier plat et en terminant soit par la derniire page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration. soit par Ie second plat, selon Ie cas. Tous les autres exemplaires origineux sont filmte en commenpant par la premiire page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernlAre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain tho symbol -^ (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included In one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la derniAre image de cheque microfiche, selon Ie cas: Ie symbols — ► signifie "A SUiVRE", Ie symbols V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre fiimAs A des taux de rAduction diff Arents. Lorsque Ie document est trop grand pour Atre reprodult en un seul clichA, 11 est fiimA A partir de I'engle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite et de haut en bas. en prenant Ie nombre d'imeges nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. trrata to pelure. n A 1 2 3 32X RE] ear '■"i t , T i THE GLORY OF TUB V GOD OF ISRAEL DISPLAYED, BEING THE SUBSTANCE OF A SERMON PREACHED AT LIVERPOOL, BEFORE Til'' WESLEYAN MINISTERS OF THE NOVA- SCOTIA DISTRICT, ON MONDAY, 2Gtl) OP MAY, 1834. l?ir ROBERT GOOSTEir. ** Blessed he his glorious name for ever ; and let the whole earth be filled with his glorij. Amen anJwlwicM."— Psalm 72. PRINTED AT THE NOVASCOTIAN OFFICE, HALIFAX, N. S. 1836. * » I 90^-^66 OCT 1 9 1952 'Wv., SERMON. TEXT— Ezekiel, Chapter 43. 1st and 2d verses. " Afterward he brought mo to the gate, even the gate that lookcth to- wards the cast : And, beliold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east ; and his voice was jfike the noise of many waters : and the cailli shincd with his glory." In the five and twentieth year of the captivitv of the Jews in Babylon, in the tenth day of the month, and on the four- teenth anniversary of that memorable day, when the Lord of Hosts arose in his fury — made bare his arm — and smote Jeru- salem with the devastating sword of Nebuchadnezzar : — on that day the prophet Ezekiel, one of the most distinguished of the captives, appears to have repaired to the river Chebar, in order to enjoy the luxury of retirement, and to weep over the desola- tions of his country. During the interregnum^ or the time that intervened between the death of Joshua, and the coronation of Saul, the land of Judea presented a scene of the most re- volting disorders. Insulted peace, grieved at beholding the spears of the Philistine and the Amorite lifted up against the bosom of the country, and the inhabitants rending the bowels thereof by internal commotion, gathered up from the mire of the streets the scattered shreds of her mutilated bond, and fled into the wilderness to indulge her grief : — while the affrighted spirit of unity, unable, like Noah's trembling dove, to procure a resting place for the sole of her foot, escaped to Mount Ephraim, and poured her lament over the grave of Joshua. In like manner, Ezckicl, looking through tlie mirror of his own recollections, saw his beloved Judah, pale and torn, bleeding and dying at the foot of the (icntile ; — for a while, his spirit dwelt amidst the scenes of carnage, slaughter and death, tliat concluded the national existence of his country ; and unable to endure the appalling sight, he goes to the river Chcbar, where he saw these expressions of divine indignation prefigured in the visions of God ; and there pours out his soul in prryer for the restoration of fallen and dishonoured Israel. if Let us, my brethren, suppose this devoted patriot, and pro- phet of the most High God, pondering upon the past, and con- templating the future ; — his heaa bowed down — his raiment torn and sprinkled with ashes — his tears mingling with the waters that murmur at his feet — his heart ready to burst with grief — and his soul fdled with sorrow : he lifts his eyes imploringly to heaven — he perceives the harj), — the memorial of past ages, and the relic of departed greatness, hanging upon the willows, its strings broken and tuneless, and the voice of its music hushed in death:— his startling cries animate the stillness that sur- rounds him, and his loud and e irnest prayers arise to tho throne of the Almighty. *' O Lord remember thy promises to Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and their seed for ever. — Deal not with ys according to the multitude of our offences, neither reward us according to our transgressions. Oh have respect unto the Covenant, have respect unto the Covenant. Let the time, yea let the set time to favour Zion come." " The City called by thy name has become the booty of foreign invad- ers, thy sanctuary is defiled, thine altars are broken down, the temple is destroyed, the tabernacle is burnt with fire; the oracle is departed, and thy people are in chains and slavery. The vine which thou didst bring up out of Egypt, is plucked up by the heathen, the boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beasts out of the field doth devour it. Return, we beseech thee, O God of Hosts ; look down from heaven, and behold, and mirror of ind torn, iliilc, his nd (loath, 1(1 unable r Chcbar, jrefigurcjil prryer for , and pro- and con- tncnt torn he waters ,h grief — oringly to ages, and illows, its ic hushed that sur- se to tiio romises to or ever. — offences, Oh have Covenant. 1." "The ign invad- :en down, 1 fire ; the id slavery, (lucked up it, and the ve beseech chold, and visit this vine. IIclj) us, () God of our salvation, and for the glory of thy name deliver us." And this fervent and effectual prayer of a righteous man availed much, for that God, who commanded an angel to lly swiftly, to bring an answer of comfort and encouragement to the prophet Daniel — rejoiced the soul of his servant, and carried him by prophetic influence to " a very high mountain," in the land of Israel, and showed him " the frame of a city on the South," as a token that Jerusalem should be rebuilt. A celestial guide, who is described as a man " whose ap- pearance was like the appearance of brass," having " a line of flax in his hand, and a measuring reed," receives him at the gate of this city, exhibits him apian and specification of the second temple, conducts him all through it, measuring all the courts, galleries, chambers, and windows thereof; and finally leads him to " the gate that looketh towards the east ;" whence he beholds " the glory of the God of Israel," coming " from the way of the east" and shining over all the earth : and hears, at the same time, the glad tidings of salvation announced in the Gospel, sounding ** like a noise of many waters," in every place whither the rays of this divine glory penetrate. "After- ward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh to- wards the east: and, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east; and his voice was like the noise of many waters : and the earth shined with his glory." In order to illustrate the passage selected for the founda- tion of this discourse, let us First define the terms " The glory OF THE God of Israel." Secondly — Trace the Progress OF THIS GLORY TO ITS ULTIMATE DIFFUSION OVER THE WHOLE EARTH. Thirdly — Descriue the honours that will re- dound TO God, and the advantages that will accrue to man, from the universal spread of the divine glory. 1 First. — What i» signified nr "the glort or the God OF Israel." Glory is a term very commonly used to denote worldly pomp and grandeur, and is a very.significant designation for the siipcrl) equipages, sumptuous entertainments, and general mag- nificence, which arise from the liberal disbursement of opulent resources. These costly exhibitions of course can be main- tained only by Potentates, Nobles, and other wealthy and in- fluential classes of society ; and to guard us from the fatal im- pressions which their fascinating influence is calculated to pro- duce; and also to cheer the broken hearted in the hour of af- fliction, to lift up the heads of the poor in the time of adversity and oppression ; and to create, in the souls of his despised and impoverished followers, a strong reliance upon the power and benevolence of God ; for these ends, it would seem, our divine master pronounced the following delicate comparison, in his sermon on the mount : "Consider the lilies ofthcjicld, how they groui ; they toil not^ neither do they spin : and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon, in all Jiis glory, tvas not arrayed like one of these.'' But : — The Glory of God consists in splendid and extraordinary appearances occasioned hy his presence. The presence of the Lord, pervading and filling immensi- ty, casteih over every thing the shadow of his ubiquity, and clothes the beautiful form of creation in a robe of the most de- licate texture, woven as it is by his infinite skill, and dyed in the reflected hues of his glory. But on some remarkably solemn occasions, the Almighty has chosen to manifest his presence in a wonderful manner ; and these manifestations have been at- tended by very grand, but formless appearances, which cannot be referred to the ordinary mode, by which the divine being operateth upon the frame of the universe. At the delivery of ir THF. (ion •te worldly tion for the neral mag- of opulent n be inain- tliy and in- le fatal im- ited to pro- hour of af- )f adversity }spiscd and power and our divine son, in his ijicldy hoio d yd I say ot arrayed raordinary g immensi- iquity, and 16 most de- ,nd dyed in bly solemn presence in e been at- lich cannot ivine being delivery of \ the law, a cloud, gilded with sheets of lightning was hid chariot; the cherubim and seraphim were his steed ; a fiery law went out before him ; angels and archangels composed his re- tinue; and the exceeding loud sound of the trumpet waxing louder and louder ; the noise of many thunders ; and the trem- blings and quailings of Mount Sinai — these, my brethren, were the heralds which announced to the elders and congregation of Israel, that the God of the covenant was coming down into their midst. The bright cloud which descended upon the tabernacle of the congregation, is called by Moses, ** the glory of the Lord. ^^ " Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel ; and they saw the God of Israel ; and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness." And the glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days ; and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the Mount in the eyes of the children of Israel." Ex. 24. 9, 10, IC, 17. The glory of God, which the prophet saw, as related in the text, coming from " the way of the east," and covering the whole earth with its oriency, was according to the appearance of the vision, which he saw by the river Chebar, when he was sent to destroy the city. This very remarkable and superb vision, was indicative of God's indignation against the Jewish people ; and, in a symbolic manner, predicted the final over- throw of their national existence. This representation consists of a rich variety of actors, incidents, similitudes, voices, &.c. which are said to have come out of the midst of a cloud, that came from the north, and upon the wings of a whirlwind. The whole is called the glory of the Lord, and is minutely detailed in the 1st chapter of this prophet. L Again. The glory of God is constituted of those grand and luminous disphti/s of his infinite per/actions, which are dis- tributed throughout the kingdoms of creation and providence* All nature with a loud and intclligihlc voice declares that til are is a God; and that he is infinitely wise, gracious and powerful. " The heavens declare the glory of God ; and tho firmament sheweth his handy work. Day unto day ...tercth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where tiieir voice is not lieard." Psalm, 10. 1, 2, 3. Let us my brethren devoutly contemplate the heavens, inhabited by millions and millions of the spirits of just men made perfect, redeemed out of all kindreds, and nations, and tongues, peoples, remembering that there arc here also "an innumerable company of angels," probably of various ranks and orders, possessing, it may be, difTorent degrees of intellect, each grade as far transcending the other in knowledge and in power, as the least of them surpasseth in these respects the most gifted, most exalted, and most influential of men. These aro the work of his hand and they dwell with him in that heavenly country, where there is no night, where the gates of the temple are open continually, in which there is a perpetual Sabbath, where the voice of praise is continually heard, and the light whereof is " the glory of God," and the Lamb. Behold the firmament which he hath made and spread out as a curtain ; it is impearled all over with shining stars, each differing from the other in brilliancy and magnitude, the small- est considerably larger than our globe, and every one of them perhaps the centre of a system or group of worlds. And con- sider the two great lights which God hath made, " the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night :" — all these were made for glory and for beauty, and for usefulness ; and are upheld by the word of his power — and the earth, and the sea, and all that in them is, was made by him also ; and ose grand h are tlii- jidcncc. lares tlint lious and ; and the y ...tercth licrc is no Psalm, plate the its of just [ nations, here also lous ranks intellect, ge and in 3 the most rhese are hcaveqiy he temple Sabbath, the light pread out ars, each the small- of them And con- le greater light :"— sefulness ; irth, and dso; and his creating power continuclli them in their kind, and ins pro* vidence watcheth over and prcacrvclh thorn. Viewing these aitcstations of divino ^lory stanipc«l upon the works of creation and providence, will exalt our conceptions of the deity, give us humbling views of ourselves, and kindle in our souls a flame of gratitude and devotion to the God and father of the spirits of all llesh, for his condescension and rjood- ness towards such undeserving and ungralcrul objects. " When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy Hngcrs, the moon and stars thou hast ordained ; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man that thou visitest hiin ?" The miracles performed hy our Lord, arc called in Scrip- ture " the Glory of God.'' The miracles performed by the blessed Jesus, were at once exhibitions of Almighty power and acts of infinite com- passion, benignity and love. He went about continually doing good. Touched with compassion on beholding the moral and physical evils which sin had entailed upon mankind, he taxed as it were the resources of omnipotence to gratify the yearnings of his sympathy ; he penetrated the prison house of the slave and the dungeon of the captive; ho walked through the midst of infection and disease : and in the valley of the shadow of death ; he offered the privileges and blessings of the gospel covenant without money and without price ; and that ex- traordinary mission which he commenced in the humble re- cesses of the manger, he closed in the torture and infamy of the cross. The last deeds of his public life were to provide a home and a guardian for his afllicted mother, to pray for his infatuated persecutors and murderers, and to seat a penitent and believing felon upon one of the thrones of paradise. Upon the altar of his divinity our merciful High Priest offered " himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." Fire from heaven con- 2 10 sumed the sacrifice, but the moment that it touched the altar that moment was it extinguished. And there was heard thd voice of praise and the trumpet of Jubilee — and then did all the hosts of heaven celebrate the triumphs of " the word made flesh;" and while the righteous soul of our deliverer ascended to heaven " leading captivity captive," his body sunk into the grave, and having reposed there sufficiently long to perfume its corruptions, and enliven its gloom, he rose again, and as he issued from the sepulchre, the radiant emissions of his glorious body described a liglit around it, which, like the chariots and horset. of Israel, shall carry his people up to glory anu to God. In the rapid elevation and overthrow of these men whose name diffused terror, and at the shaking of whose spears the earth trembled — in these apparently untoward events, the re- flecting christian will discover the ripening purposes of an all- wise providence, while he ponders over the epitaph of nations and their rulers. Many, indeed most of these individuals, have trans- mitted to posterity a character so exceedingly infamous that the execration of ages would but inadequately censure it. The desecration of churches and temples — cities and towns smitten with indiscriminate slaughter — evangelical truth and piety driven from the abodes of civilization, and feeding ** in dens and in caves of the earth," that flickering lamp, which "the prince of the power of the air" vainly endeavoured to extinguish. Civil and religious liberty trodden down by the ferocious bigot, and the loud universal cry occasioned by oppression, rapinej and murder — such, ray brethren, are the posthumous remem- brances of "the chief captains and the mighty men" of ancient and modern times. But was it thus with the ** Captain of our salvation V verily it was not. He spoke, and the sightless eye balls of the blind were en- lightened ; he touched the loathsome and polluted leper, and that touch made him clean. To deliver his disciples in a time I n the altar card thd id all the de flesh;" ;o heaven ave, and ruptions, from the Icscribed of Israet, 3n whose pears the 3, the re- of an all- tions and ive trans- 3 that the it. The s smitten nd piety ' in dens lich " the :tinguish. )us bigot, I, rapine^ remem- if ancient lin of our were en- iper, and in a time of great peril and danger, he said "peace, be still," and the tempest was hushed into a calm. His benediction augmented a very few loaves and fishes into more than a superabundant repast for starving thousands. To furnish the Apostles with a motive for their confidence, he walked upon the liquid pave- ment of the sea. To bind up the breaking heart of a widowed and childless mother, who was following the remains of her only son to an early grave, he said " young man arise," and that instant, the mother and the son embraced each other and wept thanksgiving and praise. That Mary and Martha might see " THE GLORY OF GoD," ho went to the tomb of their departed brother, and said '' Lazarus come forth," and then did the em- pire of death shake, and the .sceptre dropped from the palsied hand ofthe King of terrors, and the tyrant that reigned from Adam to Moses, and from Moses to Christ, grew pale and tottered on his throne, and the man that had been four days m the grave, came forth in the bloom of renewed existence, and the devout sisters of Be' hany lifted up their voices and gave " glory" to " THE God of Israel." The glory of God is illustrated in the worship rendered to him hy his rational creatures on earth, and by the perpetual adoration of the church in heaven. To sustain this proposition requires neither deep investiga- tion nor elaborate discussion. Christianity, as a divine system of faith and morals, bears eflfulgently stamped upon it, the traces of its heavenly origin ; and its admirable fitness to the wants and circumstances of man in every age, under every form of govern- ment, and in all the climates of the earth, abundantly proves that God is love ; that the tenderest and holiest regards of mfi- nite mercy are vouchsafed to fallen man ; that there is a bow of privileges, promises, and assurances, over-arching the whole church militant; and that God is a spirit, and that he is to be worshiped in spirit and in truth. I 12 Divine worship comprises, — 1. An avowal of our sinfulness. 2. A grateful acknowledgment of the goodness of God.— 3. An unreserved dedication of ourselves to the glory of God. I. A penitent acknowledsrment of our manifold and aggra- vated transgressions before God, can he the effect of no other cause than an operation or grace of the Holy Spirit ; a painful state of conscience accompanied by apparent contrition may proceed from a fear of detection and consequent exposure and punishment ; but such a confession as we have alluded to, can be extorted only by a divine agent, as in the day of penticost, when " they that were pricked in their heart said unto Peter and the rest of the Apostles, Men and Brethren what shall we do ?" Hence a sincere confession of sin bringeth glory to God, for by that act his omniscience is recognized — the doctrines of moral agency and personal responsibility are explained and es- tablished — the law is magnified and made honourable — God's right of punishing the criminal is maintained — and his grace is set forth and glorified in the pardon of all who unfeignedly re- pent and believe his Holy Gospel. "And Joshua snid unto Achan, my son, give I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him ; anu tell me now what thou hast done ; hide it not from me." Joshua, 7. 10, &.c. II. Again, the rendering thanks to the munificent and gra- cious being who giveth us all things liberally to enjoy, is in fact and in principle, acknowledging that we have neither right nor claim to any of even the least of these blessings. And yet so profusely crowded are the most signal favours, into every mo- ment of our lives, that the course of human existence acquires a greater conspicuousness from the advantages and comforts that embellish it, than it does from those painful events, and sor- rowing circumstances, which disturb its progress. Hence every act of thanksgiving implies and acknowledges the receiving of an undeserved good ; and by these also, do we make known 13 f sinfulness. )(].— 3. An J. and aggra- of no other ; a painful rition may posure and led to, can f penticost, unto Peter at shall we ory to God, loctrines of ed and es- ble— God's lis grace is ignedly re- i srid unto iRD God op ; now what 19, &c. int and gra- ^, is in fact ir right nor And yet so > every mo- I acquires a mforts that , and sor- ence every eceiving of i\iQ known I 1 our dependence upon God ; acknowledge our obligations to his rich and unmerited goodness ; and exalt the exuberating libe- rality which watereth the ridges of the earth, scttleth the fur- rows thereof, maketh it soft with showers, blesseih the spring- ing thereof, crowneth the year with goodness, covcrcth the val- leys with corn, and maketh the little hills to rejoice on every side and shout for joy. ** And Jesus answering, said— Were there not ten cleansed ? but where are the nine ? There are not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger." The Almighty hr iptible jight to the uni- n nnperscn form obedience and entire devotedness of all his rational crea- tures; nor can we, in the slightest degree violate, or even over- look these obligations, without being guilty of insubordination and injustice, and of opposing ourselves to the risks and penalties commensurate with such offences. Kings and rulers acquire their title to receive allegiance and submission, either by the suffrages of the people, by right of conquest, or by hereditary privilege : but God, who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, is possessed of high and innumerous claims arising from the several acts of creation, redemption, and pre- servation. In the former case, a needy but ambitious adven- turer, disguising his motives under the fascinating garb of pat- riotism, may revolutionize a whole state, dethrone the presiding sovereign, alter the succession to the crown, and turn the cherished offspring of a long line of powerful and opulent Kings into wanderers and fugitives upon the earth, without any re- sources, except the voluntary pension which the sympathy of other nations may bestow. But the authority of God is paramount and supreme ; his throne is established in righteousness : and his Kingdom ruleth over all. He taketh up the Islands as a very little thing, the gold and the silver, and the cattle on a thousand hills are his, all the inhabitants of the earth are as grasshoppers before him, V* '^'^^ s pure, holy love, composecl the very essence of the divine nature ; the angels, the first productions of his creat- ing fiat, reflected, through the works of his hands, the heautiful offspring of his power, wisdom, and goodness; and the lieaven of heavens was filled with his glory. To gratify his inexhausti- ble love he enlarged the boundaries of his empire— he spoke, and a host of worlds, each abounding with beauties, resources, and wonders, arose from nothing-he touched them, and the pro- miscuous masses of creation assumed an exquisite symmetry and finished elegance-and every part of these new dominions did God (probably) fill whh an innumerable variety of creatures, from the lordly mammoth whose ponderous step shakes the earth, lo the despised beetle that is crushed beneath our feet. Then did the morning stars sing together, and then did the sons of God shout for joy : and while the music of this concert rendered the new creatioi. vocal, he made man " in his own imaged pro- nounced him to be good, and graciously installed him the sub- altern lord and proprietor of the universe. Gen. 1— 'iG. 1 s. 8— C, 7, 8. Man was now supremely happy, dignified by the impress of his maker's image, and the peace and the love of God dwelling richly in his heart. The luxuries of paradise were spread upon his table, the winds loaded with fragrance breathed only to re- fresh and delight him, and the doors of heaven stood invitmgly open, to ravish his soul with the prospects of an " inheritance incorruptible and undefiled," which God hath reserved for him. But, ray brethren, man, yielding to temptation, fell-yes, fell from his palmy and exalted state into condemnation and ruin. By the daring violation of a precept, which it was at once his duty and his privilege to observe, sin and all its fearful conse- nuences and penalties were entailed upon the human race. «' For by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin, and death has passed upon all men because all have sinned," 19 Tlio workmanslnp of the ctornal.howevcr, was not to be blasted with irremediable rum, by the malevolence and subtlety ofhnn, who was the destroyer from the beginning. God found out a ran- som Coeval almost with the perpetration of hun.an guilt was the revelation of divine mercy; and the sorrow which preyed upon the heart of Adam and Eve, when driven out of paradise, must have been greatly alleviated by the sonsoling assurance, " I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Now while the frownings of divine justice covered the earth likL a thick cloud, threatening to destroy its proscribed inhabitants, did the sun of Gospel salvation, which has since arisen upon the world, with healing under its wings, benignant- ly disclose its dawning rays ; ana these, acquiring brilliancy and fervour as the day of Christ approached, each succeding age dispersed the mists and shadows that partially concealed the beautiful form of Christianity, till at length she burst forth from the ceremonial chains that enthralled her, and taking her sta- lion on the summit of Mount Calvary, she held up the lamp of life filled with the unction of the Holy Spirit, and flaming with " The oLoiiY op God, to the benighted nations of the earth, proclaiming with a voice sweeter than the music of angels Lech," "the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath ap- peared to all men, teaching us, that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, i„ this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;" who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous ot aood works." Titus, ip. 2, 11—14. The glory of God, as displayed in the gradual i.^ foldings of the Gospel was manifested in the covenant of circumcision madctoith Abraham. 20 Tlic provisions of this covenant, winch God made with tlio patriarch wlicn ho was ninety and nine years oi age, prefigured, in its concomitant ceremonies and sacrifices, the expiatory sacrifice of the cross, and also the inward purity and holiness that would he wrought in the hearts of believers, through the operation of the Holy Spirit. The progress of this divine glory may be discerned in the institutions of the levitical economy. The whole ecclesiastical polity of the Jewish people had an immediate reference to the gospel dispensation. Their whole religious system, stood in the same relation to the Gospel as the Moon does to the Sun. The Moon shines during the night, is frequently obscured by eclipses, or partially concealed by heavy mists and clouds : and besides all this, it derives all its lustre and beauty from the Sun. The mosaic dispensation shone, and that but feebly, during the long night of legal ordi- nances; and whatever light it shed upon the understanding, or whatever utility and advantage it confered upon the nation, were all derived from the efficiency of the Gospel. The Apos- tle, perhaps, beheld a symbolic illustration of these adinities, when he saw a woman in heaven, clothed with the insignia of imperial state. ** And there appeared a great wonder in heaven ; a woman clothed with the Sun, and the Moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." The vocation, or call of Moses in the burning bush, and theAaronical priesthood, prefigured][sacerdotal acts and functions of our High Priest, according to the order of Melchesidec; the numerous sacrifices typified the blood shedding and death of our Lord Jesus Christ ; the law performed the tutorial office of a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith; the miraculous passage of "the Red Sea," denoted the moral deliverance wrought in conversion : the con<|uest of 31 \c with the [)rcligurc(I, > expiatory 11(1 holiness hrouiih the ncd in the people had »ii. Their the Gospel during the ' concealed ; derives all ispcnsation ('legal ordi- tanding, or he nation, The Apos- >c adinities, insignia of wonder in Toon under bush, and id functions esidec; the nd death of ial ofHce of be justified ," denoted ;on<|uest of ■a i the Canaanitish nations syiuboli/.ed the spiritual Iriiniiphsorihc believer ; and the ultimate establishment of the tribes of Israel in the promised land, represented the rest that remains for all the people of God. The fflorj/ of the God of Israel, shining through every suc- ceeding devclopcment of the plan of redemption, was exhibited bij the star that appeared in the cast. Uniform precision, regularity, and design, characterize the gradual and stately i)rogress of the divine glory. Like tho sun it appeared in the East, and following the radiant path of that luminary, it still continues to advance in a Westerly direc- tion, warming, enlightening, and renovating the nations of the earth. The appearance of this star, illuminating the eastern horizon, i)roduced a very deep and general sensation. The western empire caught a glimpse of the appr.)aching revolution ; and the guilty Ilerod, dreading a competitor, quailed upon his throne. The temple of war was closed in the imperial city ; and Daniel's weeks of years were drawing to an end. The as- tronomers relinciuishcd their sublime speculations; Philosopliy came from afar to ofler its homage at the stable; and Hope de- scended from heaven, and kindled a glow in the hearts of those who were devoutly waiting for the consolation of Israel. Then did the day spring from on high visit us, to give light to them that sat in darkness; and then did the angelic choirs apppear unto the shepherds of Bethlehem ; and then was the world re- joiced with the gratifying intelligence that the Messiah was born, to be a light unto the Gentiles, and the glory of his peo- ple Israel. The appearance of John the Baptist preaching repentance, and declaring the kingdom of heaven to be at hand ; the presen- tation of our Lord in the temple ; his baptism and retreat into the wilderness; his transfiguration upon Mount Tabor; the calling ni) ofilio Apo-stles, nn.l many other romark.iblc incidents ..i* lUo redeemer's pnl.lic Mission, pointed to " The glory of the Hod ofhraer coming ** from the wajf of the East, and th: r.arth shining with his glory." The crucifixion of our Lord on Cal- vary, and his subsequent resurrection from the dead and a; -eli- sion 'into heaven, were also rays of t!iis occcllent glory; and shining more clVulgently and more intensely than any previous issues of this celestial font, they explained the way of God more perfectly ; and gave, to the inscrutable arrangements of his dil- fusivc mercy and benevolence, a greater prominency, a nioro gracious aspect, a more illustrious mien, and a more divine character. The loud voice of the Messiah, declaring " it is finished," the rending of the veil of the temple ; the bursting ot the rocks and mountains in the vicinity of Jerusalem ; the dark- ness of "the ninth hour," which hung like a funeral pall over that devoted city; and the disrupture of the graves, and the re- surrection of the dead-these were the magnificent obsequies ol our adorable priest and victim, and they proclaimed with a voice that reverberated from the centre, to the extreme verge of crea- tion's ample circumference, that God was glorified in the death of his Son. The efusion of the Holy Spirit on the day ofpcnticost, and the spread of the Gospel, by the ministry of the Apostles, set forth the dissemination of the glory of God. While the immaculate body of o-.ir divine master lay in the tomb his bereaved and disconsolate church were as sheep scat- tered', and without a shepherd. They had long cherished the fallacious hope that he would restore the Kingdom to Israel ; the visions of wealth and power, arising Irom the speculations ot their own distempered minds, continually bewildered them; Sceptres, thrones, and coronets, were the phantoms which be- trayed them into the most extravagant views; and they believed that Christ would, as the lineal descendant of their ancient i i I idc'llls of lilt' // of the ('0(1 and tin earth Lord oil Cid- ad and n •. ,cu- t glory ; und I any previous f of Ciod more intsof his dil- cncy, a more a more divine iclaring " it is he bursting of 1cm ; thcdark- ncral pall over 3S, and the re- nt obsequies of ;d with a voice ver"c of crea- ;d in the death 'pcnticost, and e Apostles, set aster lay in the i as sheep scat- t cherished the 11 to Israel ; the speculations of /ildered them ; toms which be- id they believed f their ancient I kings, place the Crown of David upon his own brow, break llic Roman yoke, and raise the Jewish name and dominion to ihoir former tspicndour and opulence. But other honours than those which policy and conquest bestow upon their votaries, were reserved for the followers of him whoso "Kingdom is not of this world." To proclaim "the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ." To preach tlie gos- pel of the Kint^dom "in the demonstration of the spirit, and with much assurance." To turn both Jews and Gentiles of all nations and kindreds, "From darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God ;" to be the Ambassadors of" theblcs- 8od and only Potentate, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords" —to be wise master builders in the erecting of that living tem- ple, the corner stone of which Jesus laid in the ofTcring up of his body on the cross ; and to set up an inward heaven in the lieart, even Ki(iHTK0USNi;ss, Tkack, and Joy in the Holy Ghost such, my brethren, were the distinctions which Jesus confer- red upon his disciples, and such were the great and mighty works wiiich he enabled them to atchievc. These prodigious marvels they accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit, which the Messiah, agreeably tohis promise, effused upon them on the day of Pentecost; and they all tended to set forth " the }ylor\j of the God of Israel, who onltj doetli wondrous things:' Having received power from on high, the very men who behaved in so dastardly a manner, while their Lord was in the hands of his enemies, now came forward boldly : and at Jeru- salem itself, and in the face of the High Priest, and the Rulers of the people, they declared that " Jesus of Nazareth " which they had crucified and slain, was " both Lord and Christ." Before the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them, one trem- bled under the assertions of a menial ; and the rr«t, intimidated by the voice and gestures of popular fury, or terrified at the for- midable appearance of the imperial troops, left the blessed suflfer- -^ ■HBtS Vii 94 cr to his fate, and Ibrsook him and Ihjd. But ihc Tloly Cihost came upon tiicm, and the power of the highest overshadowed them; and then the WWter ate Fishei-num ofOallilee miraculous- ly acquired the gifts of the learned, and the fugitives of the Pas- sover, became the heroes oft! i Pentecost. Strengthened by the might of God, in the inner man, and desirous to promote and diffuse his glory, they regarded not either the violence of licen- tious mobs, or the menaces of a currupted magistracy, or the anathemas of abigotted priesthood, or the uplifted sword of the legionaries of Rome. They preached Christ and the power of his resurrection, and their words prevailed mightily. Thousands were savingly converted to God ; the first Christian Church was planted in the Jewish Metropolis, and proceeding from thence according to the ancient prediction, '' Frorn Sion shall the law go forth," it spread throughout the Roman and Parthian Em- pires, until that which originated in the obscurities of a private room, and with a few individuals, despised for their poverty and ignorance, established itself among the soldiery in the camp ; penetrated the recesses of the forum ; entered into the abodes of rank and opulence ; and at length ascended the throne of the Caesars. During the succeeding ages of the Church " The glory of the God of Israel^" advanced by the effusion of the holy spirit, continued to shine, illuminating the darkened understandings of the vicious and the ignorant; enriching the poor and the needy ; comforting the distressed and the afflicted: lifting up those that were cast down ; reclaiming all that wandered in the cloudy and the dark day ; and, like the sun which God hath made, it still pursues its course, and will continue to do so, until the mountains and the hills shall rejoice on every side ; and the trees of the wood break forth into singing ; and the floods clap their hands; and all nature with a loud and mellow voice declare—" Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen." Holy Cihost vershadowed miraculous- s of the PaS' lened by the promote and nceof licen- racy, or the sword of the the power of Thousands Church was from thence ^hall the law arthian Em- of a private poverty and 1 the camp ; ".e abodes of hrone of the Vhc glory of I holy spirit, standings of the needy ; g up those 1 the cloudy hath made, lo so, until ^ side ; and i the floods lellow voice anksgiving, fod for ever 25 2%e establishment and diffusion of religion, in the Transat' lantic, or Western hemispheres ; and what is now being done, in nearly all the habitable parts of the globe, for effecting the same objects, develope the maturing plans of the Almighty, and shew forth his glory in the evangelization of mankind. A com- bination of religious institutions, with the Venerable Bible So- ciety at their head, are, and have been for several years, labo- riously and successfully engaged. To glance at the exertions of these Societies, which have come up to the help of the Lord against the Mighty, would be a task of no ordinary magnitude ; and perhaps our best apology for declining it, may be drawn from Paul's excuse for not enumerating all the ancient worthies of Israel, — " time would fail me.'* Again, the operations of these benevolent associations are published so regularly, and in such popular shapes and forms, and in such cheap and multitu- dinous editions, that any remarks on the presentoccasion, would be repulsively prolix, and not unlike holding up a taper to en- lighten a place, upon which the sun is shining in his clearness. Thirdly, WE SHALL ADVERT to the honour that will REDOUND TO GoD, AND THE SIGNAL ADVANTAGES THAT WILL - ACCRUE TO MAN, FROM THE UNIVERSAL SPREAD OF DIVINE GlORY. The prophet, in this remarkable vision, the interpretation of which is the subject of our meditations, beheld the glory of God, that is certain remarkable appearances, which, on this oc- casion, he describes to have been a whirlwind coming from the North, and carrying, as it were upon its wings, a very great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and the cloud and the fire en- circled by a bright halo, having the colour of amber ; out of the midst of this cloud, there came the likeness of four living creatures, each one having four faces, and four wings. There were also wheels, very curiously wrought and filled with eyes *" and the spirit of the living creatures dwelling in the Wboels", occasioned their motion j— over these phenomena was spread 4 23 a very magnificent arch, like unto the rainbow, and this over- whelming representation, he calls '* the appearance of the like- ness of the glory of the LordP Ezekiel saw this host of symbols coming from the way of the East, and gradually advancing, preceded by a voice, like unto the noise produced by many waters impetuously rushing down abrupt and rocky declivities ; and as he watched their pro- gress he discovered that they proceeded towards the West, and that they ultimately covered the whole earth, and poured upon it such a flood of splendour, thatevery part thereof shone as with the brightness of the sun. "Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh towards the East ; and, be- hold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the East ; and his voice was like a noise of many waters ; and the earth shined with his glory." To notice, with some degree of order, the honour that will redound to God, from the spread of the divine glory, by Avhich, we understand in this place, — the preaching of the Gospel to^ and the embracing of it by, " all nations and tongues, and kin- dreds and people :" — we may observe The truth of God will be honoured in the accomplishment of prophecies referring to that event. The truth of inspired prophecy is deeply pledged. Several predictions of the Old and New Testament declare, and that with the greatest confidence, and in the most explicit terms, that the gospel shall be preached to all the inhabitants of the earth ; that the Jews, now a dispersed and insulted people, shall be gathered in with the fulness of the Gentiles : that the wars, which have so often desolated the world, and that are still filling it with the miseries of orphanage, widowhood, &c. shall be brought to an end : — that the science of human slaughter shall be learn- 27 md this ovcr- ice of the like- om the way of a voice, like lously rushing :hed their pro- he West, and poured upon "shone as with ght me to the ast; and, be- le way of the ters ; and the mour that will ry, by Avhich, he Gospel to, fues, and kin- •complishment ffed. Several ire, and ihat xplicit terms, itants of the I people, shall hat the wars, s still filling it all be brought hall be learn- ed no mr- e, and that those who formerly delighted in war, shall cultivate the arts of peace and social harmony. Many of the most illustrious of the prophecies have received their fulfillment. Holy men of God, speaking as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, foretold the fall of mighty empires, the subversion of governments and constitutions, the death of renowned Princes, Legislators and Warriors ; the birth, mission, and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, the destruction of the Jewish Commonwealth, and a great number of other events, equally momentous and important. All these occurrences they described with the ac- curacy of historians, relating past or contemporary transactions, though none of them occurred till cfinturies after the elo- quent tongues that had announced them were smitten with the dumbness of the grave. The present condition of Babylon, Ninevah, Tyre, Sidon, &c. or rather the scites of these once opulent cities, the eventful life of Nebuchadnezzar ; the death of Darius; the brief but dazzling career of Alexander ; the ab- sorbtion of the Medo-Persian empire, by the Greeks; the di- minished glory of Rome, the ruins of Jerusalem, and the abject state of the Jews even to this day — these verify the truth of pro- phecy, and honour the truth of God. But there are many predictions which affirm that the worl d, (at least in a general sense,) shall be evangelized ; that the sav- ing knowledge of God will be so universal, that "7io man shall say unto his neighbour, hnowest thou the Lord, for all shall know him, even from the least unto the greatest.^' The ascendancy of religion, the triumphs of divine grace, the dissemination of the sacred scriptures, the exaltation of the cross, and the prevalence of the interests and kingdom of Christ, are set forth in very animating and unequivocal language ; and being assured, my brethren, that not " one jot, or one tittle," shall in any wise pass away, " till all be fulfilled," we confident- ly look for the appearing of that day when the truih of God shall i. ii ii 28 be honoured, in the verification of the prophecies ; and visions which declare that the whole earth shall shine with his glory. Again, the faithfulness of the Almighty will be honoured in the fulfillment of numerous promises. The promises of God are recorded for the consolation and encouragement of his people ; they are deservedly called " great, exceeding, and precious;" they are, to the church in the wilderness, a strong hold in every time of adversity ; a covert and a hiding place from the storm; as the shadow of a rock in a thirsty land, where no water is ; a light shining in the darkness; and they give to the believer, who con- stantly reposes upon their veracity, a refreshing foretaste of that happiness, which is reserved for all who endure unto the end. These infallible assurances have been the hope of the Patriarchs ; the theme of the Prophets; the vision of the Seers; the burden of the Apostles ; the honour of the Evangelists; the comfort of the Martyrs ; and the glory of the church. The in- estimable blessings comprised in these promises have been pro- fusely shed upon the world. An innumerable posterity to Abra- ham ; " the convenants and the giving of the law, and the ser- vices of God," to the seed of Jacob ; a great " High Priest" to the sanctuary ; an advocate to the sinner; an atoning sacrifice to the guilty; a saviour to mankind ; and heaven to all who shall " be found of him in peace, and without spot, and blame- less :"— such are the benefits which men have derived, and still continue to draw from the fulfilling of the promises ; and by the fulfilling of them, the truth or the veracity of the most high is exalted and honoured. But, another consequence of the diffusion of the divine glory, will he, that the power of God will he honoured in the final overthrow of all his enemies. The Apostle declares thatthe carnal mind is enmity against 29 and visions h his glory. ^e honoured iolation and lied ** great, irch in the ;y ; a covert hadow of a ight shining , who con- f foretaste of jre unto the hope of the )fthe Seers; igelists; the ;h. The in- ive been pro- ;rity to Abra- , and the ser- orh Priest" to ling sacrifice in to all who , and blame- derived, and lises ; and by he most high if the divine noured in the nmity against God ; and that this enmity includes a contempt of his law, and a defiance of his authority. The divine being is essentially just, and holy, and good; and nothing can more incontestabiy prove the inbred corruption of the human heart, than the malevolen' opposition which it maintains against him. But when his glory shall have been universally disseminated, then shall he make bare his arm, and then shall " his enemies lick the dust," and then shall his kingdom be established and rule over all. By far the greater portion of mankind live in avowed hosti- lity to God ; they have arranged themselves under the banner of his arch-enemy ; are continually in arms against him, and prose- cute as sanguinary a warfare as their puny resources will allow. To vanquish and utterly root out these "armies of the aliens," would, on the part of the I.ord of Hosts, be but the work of an instant. The extirpation of the Antediluvians ; the destruction of the Sodomites ; the overthrow of Pharoah and his legions; the defeat ofSisera and his troops; and the annihilation of Senna- cherib, and his one hundred and eighty-five thousand warriors ; all these demonstrations of power, shew that God can, with the greatest facility, and whensoever he chooses, utterly destroy all his enemies. They are permitted, however, to live for a sea- son, for "TheLo^i is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suff'ering to usward not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repen- tance." 2 Pet. 3—9. Jehovah, by a preached Gospel, is going through the earth, " conquering and to conquer." This benign but powerful agent issoftening the hearts, subduing the wills, illuminating the minds and regenerating the souls of men, of every possible variety of rank, religion, and climate. Every day is diminishing the num- ber and influence of his opponents, and increasing the number and zeal of his followers. Every day is adding to the trophies of his grace, and inserting new Jewels in his crown. The Ni 30 idolatries of the East, the superstitions of the West, the fashion- ablo profligacies of the South, and the apathy and stoicism oftheNourn, are all giving way ; yes, my brethren, these and every thin^^ else which sctteth itself up inopposition to God, are failing down before the spread of divine glory, as the image ot Dacron did before the Ark of the Covenant; the beast that has received the deadly wound will soon die ; and the seven thun- ders will soon utter their voices and proclaim-" the harlot and the false prophet are burned with fire ; the lamb has overcome his enemies; and Babylon, the great is fallen, is fallen, and shall rise no more for ever." To conclude, the sovereignty of God will be honoured through the prevalence oj the divine glory, by the establishment of his spiritual empire on earth. On this head the Scriptures are both positive and explicit. They declare that the son shall have the heathen for his inhen- tance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession ; and that the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God and of his Christ, and that he shall reign forever and ever. The kingdom or spiritual empire of God, ori earth, forms at present but a very small territory, and most of its sub- jects consist of the lower and middling classes. The devoted founder of Christianity opened his career, not amidst the impe- rial splendours of a palace, but in the destitution of the manger ; he chose for his earthly parents, not the Caesars and tlie Ue- opatras of the age, but an humble mechanic and a portionless vircrin ;-to overturn the principles of a specious phdosophy, to controvert the positions and decry the usages of a fallen world, to make the ambitious humble, enlarge the heart of avarice to expand the frozen sympathies of the miser, to make the vindic live crenetous and charitable, to pull down the stroi- holds of Sin ar.d Satan, and to set up his everlasting Kingdom, to atchieve these great moral triumphs, tl>e beloved Jesus selected , the fushion- and stoicism 11, these and to God, are the image of east that has I seven thun- le harlot and. las overcome FALLEN, and be honoured establishment and explicit, 'or his inheri- s possession ; the kingdoms eign for ever lod, on earth, lost of its sub- The devoted dst the impe- f the manger ; and the Cle- 1 a portionless jhilosophy, to I fallen world, of avarice, to ,ke the vindic- itroi?3 holds of Kingdom, to Jesus selected 31 twelve illiterate men, without worldly iunuenccs, or resources ; and though they were opposed by the power of the Romans, the intolerance of the Jews, the licentiousness of the Thari^ccs, and the pedantry of the Greeks, their word grew and mightily pre- vailed, until that religion, which, at tho first, its fomulcr com- pares to a grain of mustard seed ; beci me a tree whose height aspired to the heavens, whose branches were soon spread over Palestine, and the then known parts of the world ; and are now spreading over all the earth, with all tiie privileges and bless- ings of the Kingdom of the God of Israel. A great deal however remains to be done, before the state of divine sovereignty to which we are referring can be establish- ed. " The most high (even now,) ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will," but notwithstand- ing this absolute supremacy, two thirds perhaps of our fellow creatures, are sitting in darkness, and in the region of the sha- dow of death. Palestine, the cradle and the tomb of the Pa- triarchs, the theatre of our Lord's miracles, and the field of his Apostolic missions, is shorn of all its glory. There, the Cross is obscured by the CiiEscENT-there, Christianity is trodden down by the profaning foot of the Moslem-and there, the reli- ligionofthe blessed Jesus, is superseded by the reveries and impositions of Mahomet. Other parts of the world present as repulsive and dcgrad- iniT an aspect : but still the word and promise of God are sure ; an°d they declare that his kingdom shall be set up in the hearts ot the children of men ; that it shall rule over all ; and that ot IT there shall be no end. Relying then upon this sure word of prophecy, and discerning in the signs of the times the indica- tions of its completion, we look forward with extacy to that day, when '•' the stone that was cut out of the mountain, without hands, shall break in pieces the iron, the brass, the claj, the silver, and the gold ; and become a great mountain that shall fill 32 the whole earth." This hope, full of the glory of God, causes the wilderness around us to rejoice and blossom as the rose ; and creating in our hearts a more vehement desire, to behold the crown of universal empire placed upon the head of our adorable redeemer, wo are almost persuaded to believe, that we hear the multitude of celestial voices proceeding from the throne of hea- ven, announcingtheevent, and saying— Alleluia. Alleluia. For the Lord God Omnipotent reigaeth. Having noticed the honours that shall redound to the Al- mighty, from the promulgation of the gospel, but one duty more remains for us to perform, namely to glance at a few of the most conspicuous ad-antages that shall from the same cause innevi- tably acrue to man. The gospel is, in reference to what it ac- complishes, that gracious and holy constitution, which God has devised for the moral recovery and redemption of a sinful and fallen world ; and all the blessings and enjoyments of this great salvation, it holds out to all, upon the simple conditions of re- pentance towards God, and faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, the advantages derivable to believers, from the free and undeserving favour of God, enabling them to fulfil these in- dispensable conditions, must concur in dignity, value, and im- portance, with the exalted source from whence they emanate. They must of necessity be worthy of the name, worthy of the benevolence, worthy of the power, worthy of the love of God ; and they must moreover be immediately adapted to the circum- stances and situation of man, in this life, and be capable also of perpetuating his happiness through all the ages of eternity. " Godliness," says the Apostle, "is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life that now is and also of that which is to come ;" and hence, the Gospel bestows the benefits of ci- vilization where the miseries of barbarism have prevailed; it gives the incalculable comforts and virtues of peace, in exchange for the afflictions and atrocities of war ; and those who were 33 God, causes the rose ; and to behold tho ' our adorable it we hear the throne of hea- Alleluia. For ind to the Al- )ne duty more :\v of the most cause iunevi- to what it ac- hich God has a sinful and 9 of this great ditions of re- Jesus Christ. from the free fulfil these in- iralue, and im- they emanate. , worthy of the 3 love of God ; to the circum- capable also of if eternity. le for all things, of that which e benefits of ci- e prevailed ; it :e, in exchange hose who were formerly, and by naturt, children ofwraih, and heirs of pordi- tion, it transforms into children of God, and heirs of the king- dom of heaven. « The Gospel is the Envoy of heaven, and the design of its embassy is to promote "tho glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ," efi'ectuating the present, tiicfull, and the future salva- tion of all who embrace it. But in producing these immortal results, how general, and yet how special, how incomprehensi- ble, and yet how rational, is tho order of its operation. Ade- quate to the exigencies of all, it condescends to meet individual cases ; travelling through the earth in the greatness of its 1 strenirth, it has hourly to contend with the fiercest and most for- I I midable antagonists, and tliough continually engaged, laboring for the destruction of sin, the abolition of death, the overthrow of Siitan, and thn felicity of mankind, it overlooks not the pri- vatious of the poor, or the sigliings of the penitent, or thegroan- iugsof a wounded spirit, but kindly stoops to administer suc- cour and consolation to all. Among the advantages which men procure from thepreach- iiigofthe gospel, are the following : It brightens the gloomy abodes of disease and poverty ; smooths the bed of pain andsov- row ; eases the troubled conscience, and calms the disquieted mind ; instructs the ignorant, makes wise the simple, and ena- bles the feeble to wax valiant in fight. It creates hope in the bosom of the penitent, causes the mourner to rejoice, and sheds a ray of heaven upon the soul of the expiring saint, to light him through the dreariness of the grave. In fine, the gospel, taking individuals, communities, tribes, and nations, by the hand, leads them up from savageism to humanity ; from irreligion to piety ; from idolatry to the sublime worship of the true God ; from spiritual death to spiritual life ; from the arms of the wick- ed one into the bosom of Abraham ; and from the threshold of hell to the thrones of heaven. 5 ;u 1 The way, andthconly way, to tbo Kingdom of glory, whcrn Jehovah reigns in thcplcnitu = of sanctity and of power, js thro' the lC.n.domofgracc,that is by receiving and cnjoyM,gr.|.M.teou8. „ess peace and spiritual joy. through believing on Jesus Chnst. Divine mercy has condescended to become the porteress of this kin.rdom, and she has (lung open its doors that we may enter. The still small voice of love tells us that there is room ; God .s invitincr us, Jesus is beseeching us, and the Holy Ghost is im- plorin-Tus to come in. Shall we continue deaf to these tender solicitations ? Will you-can you my brethren res.st such touching and elo,,aent appeals? Are you so infatuated as to reject such benefits '! They are olTered to us al. without .noney and without price," and all may obtain them now. Yes, even, soul in this congregation and at this very moment too, may receive and enjoy them in all their ut.ction a,id fulness But if neither the open portals of the Kingdom, nor the voice of love nor the invitations of God, nor the intreaties of Christ nor the intercessions of the Holy Spirit-if none, nor all of these, O Sinner, can make any impression upon your heart or con- science, then .1 beseech you, upon my bended knees I beseech you, to pause-to reflect-to examine yourself and see how Ltters stand between you and «' the Judge of all the Earth. The crrave is opening beneath you, the angel of death is hover- incr over you, the wrath of God is pursuing you, the tenure by which yon hold existence is exceedingly precarious, and if you die in your present condition, all-all is lost for ever. Come then and taste that the Lord is gracious and merciful ; and a - thoucrh you may have entered this chapel, with a polluted soul, you ^ill go down to your house justified; and aspiring after greater attainments, your exulting spirit ^vill exclaim in he fan^uage of the Royal penitent, " Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only docth wondrous things: ^""^ ^^«;f;^^ be his glorious name forever ; and let the whole earth be tilled with his glory. Amen and Amen." \ -.% 1 )fgloty, whom r power, is tliro' oyingrijfhteous- | 311 Jesus Christ, porteress of this we may enter. s room ; Ciod is )ly Giiost is im- 'to these tender ren resist sucli infatuated as to 3 Aix '* without tiiom NOW. Yes, ',ry moment too, on and fulness. , nor tlic voice of ics of Christ, nor nor all of these, ur heart or con- knees I beseech If, and see how of all the Earth." of death is hover- lu, the tenure by arious, and if you t for ever. Como merciful ; and al- th a polluted soul, nd aspiring after 11 exclaim in the ■ the Lord God, the ngs : and blessed hole earth be tilled