temper and conduct towards God and man. A chriftian is a devout worshipper of the God of heaven, a cheerful obferver of his whole law, and a brokenhearted penitent for his imperfections. A chriftian is a complication of all the amiable and useful graces and virtues; temperate and fober, juft, liberal, compaffionate and benevolent, humble, meek, gentle, peaceable, and in all things confcientious. A chriftian is a good parent, a good child, a good mafter, a good fervant, a good husband, a good wife, a faithful friend, an obliging neighbour, a dutiful fubject, a good ruler, a zealous patriot, and an honest statefman; and as far as he is fuch, fo far, and no farther, he is a christian. And can there be a more amiable and excellent character exhibited to your view? It is an angelic, a divine character. Let it be your glory and your ambition to wear it with a good grace, to wear it fo as to adorn it.

To acquire the title of kings and lords is not in your power; to fpread your fame as fcholars, philofophers, or heroes, may be beyond your reach; but here is a character more excellent, more amiable, more honourable than all these, which it is your business to deserve and maintain. And bleffed be God, this is a dignity which the meaneft among you, which beggars and flaves may attain. Let this therefore be an object of universal ambition and purfuit, and let every other name and title be despised in comparison of it. This is the way to rife to true honour in the estimate of God, angels, and good men. What though the anti-chriftian chriftians of our age and country ridicule you? let them confider their own abfurd conduct and be ashamed. They think it an honour to wear the chriftian name, and yet perfift in unchristian practices; and who but a fool, with fuch palpable contradiction, would think fo? A beggar that fancies himself a king, and trails his rags with the gait of majesty, as though they were royal robes, is not fo ridiculous as one that will ufurp the chriftian name without a chriftian practice; and yet fuch chriftians are the favourites of the world. To renounce the profef

fion of christianity is barbarous and prophane; to live according to that profeffion, and practise christianity, is precifeness and fanaticifm. Can any thing be more prepofterous? This is as if one fhould ridicule learning, and yet glory in the character of a fcholar; or laugh at bravery, and yet celebrate the praifes of heroes. And are they fit to judge of the wifdom and propriety, of their cenfures to be regarded, who fall into fuch an abfurdity themselves?

Secondly, Hence you may fee that, if all the profeffors of christianity should behave in character, the religion of Chrift would foon appear divine to all mankind, and spread through all nations of the earth. Were christianity exhibited to the life in all its native and inherent glories, it would be as needlefs to offer arguments to prove it divine, as to prove that the fun is full of light: the conviction would flash upon all mankind. by its own intrinfic evidence. Did christians exemplify the religion they profefs, all the world would immediately fee that that religion which rendered them fo different a people from all the rest of mankind, is indeed divine, and every way worthy of universal acceptance. Then we should have no fuch monfters as Atheists, Deifts, and Infidels in chriftian countries. Then would Heathenifm, Mahometism, and all the false religions in the world, fall before the heaven-born religion of Jefus Chrift. Then it would be fufficient to convince an infidel juft to bring him into a chriftian country, and let him obferve the different face of things there from all the world befide. But alas!

Thirdly, How different is the christian world from the chriftian religion? Who would imagine that they who take their name from Chrift have any relation to him, if we observe their spirit and practice? Should a ftranger learn chriftianity from what he fees in popifh countries, he would conclude it principally confifted in bodily aufterities, in worfhipping faints, images, relics, and a thousand trifles, in theatrical fopperies and infig

nificant

nificant ceremonies, in believing implicitly all the determinations of a fallible man as infallibly true, and in perfecuting all that differ from them, and fhewing their love to their fouls by burning their bodies. In proteftant countries, alas! the face of things is but little better as to good morals and practical religion. Let us take our own country for a fample. Suppose an Heathen or Mahometan fhould take a tour through Virginia to learn the religion of the inhabitants from their general conduct, what would he conclude? would he not conclude that all the religion of the generality confifted in a few Sunday formalities, and that the reft of the week they had nothing to do with God, or any religion, but were at liberty to live as they please? And were he told that these were the followers of one Chrift, and were of his religion, would he not conclude that he was certainly an impoftor, and the minifter of fin? But when he came to find that, notwithstanding all this licentioufnefs, they profeffed the pure and holy religion of the Bible, how would he be aftonished, and pronounce them the most inconfiftent bare-faced hypocrites! My brethren, great and heavy is the guilt that lies upon our country on this account. It is a fcandal to the christian name: it is guilty of confirming the neighbouring Heathen in their prejudices, and hinders the propagation of christianity through the world. O let not us be acceffary to this dreadful guilt, but do all we can to recommend our religion to univerfal acceptance ! -I add,

Fourthly, and laftly, Let us examine whether we have any just title to the christian name; that is, whether we are chriftians indeed; for if we have not the thing, to retain the name is the most inconfiftent folly and hypocrify, and will anfwer no end but to aggravate our condemnation. A loft chriftian is the most fhocking character in hell; and, unless you be fuch chriftians as I have described, it will ere long be your character. Therefore, be followers of Chrift, imbibe

his fpirit, practife his precepts, and depart from iniquity, otherwife he will fentence you from him at last as workers of iniquity. And then will I profefs unto them (they are Chrift's own words) I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew vii.

23.

SERMON

XIII.

The Divine Mercy to mourning Penitents.

JEREMIAH XXXI. 18, 19, 20. I have furely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus, Thou hast chaftifed me, and I was chaftifed, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke : turn thou me, and I fhall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God. Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was inftructed, I fmote upon my thigh: I was afhamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth. Is Ephraim my dear fon? is be a pleasant child? for fince I fpake against him, I do earnestly remember him ftill: therefore my bowels are troubled for him: I will furely have mercy upon him, faith the Lord.

IN

N these words the mourning language of a penitent child, fenfible of ingratitude, and at once defirous and ashamed to return, and the tender language of a compaffionate father, at once chaftifing, pitying and pardoning, are fweetly blended: and the images are fo lively and moving, that, if they were regarded only as poetical defcriptions founded upon fiction, they would be irrefiftibly ftriking. But when we confider them as the most important realities, as defcriptive of that ingenuous repentance which we muft all feel, and of that gracious acceptance we must all obtain from

U u

God

God before we can be happy, what almighty energy fhould they have upon us! how may our hearts diffolve within us at the found of fuch pathetic complaints, and fuch gracious encouragements! Hard indeed is that heart that can hear these penitential strains without being melted into the like tender relentings; and inveterate is that melancholy, incurable is that defpondency, that can liften to fuch expreffions of fatherly compaffion and love, without being cheered and animated.

This whole chapter had a primary reference to the Jews, and fuch of the Ifraelites as might mingle with them in their return from the Babylonian captivity. As they were enflaved to foreigners, and removed from their native land for their fin, fo they could not be restored but upon their repentance. Upon this condition only a restoration was promised them. Lev. xxvi. 40-43. Deut. xxx. 1-16.

In this chapter we have a prediction of their repentance under the heavy chastisement of feventy years captivity, and of their return thereupon to their own land. In the text the whole body of penitents among them is called by the name of a single perfon, Ephraim. In the prophetic writings, the kingdom of the ten tribes, as diftinguished from that of Judah, is frequently denominated by this name, because the Ephraimites were a principal family among them.

And

fometimes, as here, the name is given to the Jews, probably, on account of the great number of Ephraimites mingled with them, efpecially on their return from captivity. All the penitent Jews are included under this fingle name, to intimate their unanimity in their repentance; their hearts confented, like the heart of one man, to turn to the Lord, from whom with horrid unanimity they had revolted. This fingle name Ephraim alfo renders this paffage more eafily applicable to particular penitents in all ages. Every one of fuch may infert his own name, inftead of that of Ephraim, and claim the encouragement originally given to him. And indeed this whole paflage is ap

plicable