of sinful men, and the stupify.

goodness. To do this it was necessary he should take a guiling influence which the world

ty, unworthy race to be the subjects of his mercy. This is grace and goodness indeed! At the same time he has the highest regard to his own glory, and derives to himself infinitely more blessedness from bestowing, than guilty sinners will have in receiving. Neither are sinful men represented to be a favored race, in any such sense. as implies respect of persons, or a neglect of other intelligent creatures. God secks the good of redeemed men by delivering them from sin and misery; and he seeks the good of angels, by redeeming men in such a way as unfolds to their understanding, in the greatest degree, his own infinite nature and the moral system depending on his will. Men are a race of beings prepared by God for the purpose of making this great display of himself in the face of the universe. For this, they were created, the condition of their existence in every respect appointed, permitted to fall

and redeemed by the blood of Christ. The immediate end of redemption was to sanctify and pardon sinners; one greater than this, was to instruct and increase the happiness of angels, or other orders of creatures; and the ultimate and greatest end was to glorify God in the enjoyment of his own good

ness.

On the State of secure Sinners.

hath on their consciences, so that they need to be constantly admonished. If this be not done, they will sink into the deepest slumber, even the sleep of death. Therefore both his word and providence, are calculated to excite their attention, from too eager a pursuit of present vanities to a consideration of their eternal interests, and to shew that they must be prepared for death by a work of grace in the heart. A superintending providence teaches these things by the daily events of life, by our present troubles, by our bodily pains, by the loss of our friends, by the breaches which are made on the families of our neighbors; indeed, by all the things which betide mankind in this world.All these are calculated to awaken sleeping sinners, and bring them to attend to the things of their peace before they shall be sealed by their impenitence to utter ruin.

My design in this paper is to describe the state of those persons who are inattentive to Christian duty, and so far immersed, either in the interests or pleasures of this world, that they forget their speedy destination to another state of existence, where they will be judged, and receive a portion in righteous wisdom, according to the lives which they have lived in the world. If all men could be brought, seriously to attend to this truth, it would produce an amazing change both in the opinions and manners of the world. The apparent face of

HE a thousand

E who gave us the holy things would be totally altered,

would predominate, where sin- | to the catastrophe of his pres ners now appear, with a front of ent expectations. In this conbrass to defy their Maker, and dition he is necessarily insensi triumph over all moral obliga-ble of the grace of God which tions to their fellow men.-No- offereth salvation to the chief of thing is so effectual to restrain sinners. The most glorious from sin, and excite visible duty, doctrines and promises of the as a sense that we must soon gospel make no impression on come into judgment. When him; and although, the solemn this sense is lost, men will sink truths of religion are placed in into total indifference, and per- his view, he puts them far away haps rush into the most daring as though they had no relation crimes. So long as it is retained, to his condition. they will hear a monitor within their own breasts, beware what thou doest; remember thou art to be judged.

A state of inaction is the consequence of this insensibility. He doth nothing to secure his pardon and peace from God. He performs the duties of vis

In the word of God, the state of secure sinners is describedible decency, only from the by two strong images; a state of sleep, and a state of death.

motive of perpetuating securi ty, and is very imperfect in these. If he goes to the sanc tuary it is only to comply with a custom to which he sees his neighbors conform; he neither prays, reads the word of God, nor devotes any time to think of immortality-Truly this is a state of insensibility and inaction.

With the sleep of the body from which the first image is taken, all of us are acquainted. It is a state of inaction and insensibility, wherein those under its power, do not think on the subjects which are most interesting to them. They can neither foresee, nor use means to prevent an approaching evil. If The sleeping person doth not the mind be not laid in a state foresee or use means to prevent wholly quiescent, it is filled an approaching evil; neither with a series of imaginations, doth a slumbering sinner appre which are irrational, unconnec- hend the danger that awaits ted and unprofitable. So it is him. When he hears the with the sleeping sinner, for the threatening" if thou sinnest figure is admirably adapted to thou shalt die," what it is to die give a true description of his state. eternally, or that he is exposed He is insensible of divine truth; to such an event, is far from his of a holy and present God; of thoughts. If he hears it said his own guilty character, which that the wicked are exposed to exposes him to divine judg- great evils, it doth not enter his ments; of a law which is just mind, that this is his own char and good by which he must be acter. If perchance he visits a judged; of the certain connex-grave, as he sometimes may, ion between sin, and that pun- through neighborly complai ishment appointed for the guil-sance, he turns from the pit, ty; and of the incessant rolling without thinking, I must soon of time bringing him rapidly lie under these earthy clods

No danger is foreseen, therefore as a still stronger image of the no provision is made for es-condition of secure and impeni

cape.

tent sinners. They have no knowledge; no feeling; no apprehensions that eternity with a disclosure of its awful events is before them.

"We are dead in trespasses and sins."-In the impenitent there is no principle of holiness and obedience, no love of God, or desire to promote his glory, no beginning of Christian affection, no principle of the heart, which will prepare them to en

Further, Although the mind of the sleeping person, may not be laid in a state wholly quiescent, it is, at best, but dreaming, and is filled with a series of imaginations, which are irrational, unconnected and unprofitable. It is thus with the habitual sinner. However profitable for this world he may suppose all his thoughts to be, or however agreeable they are to the principles of his heart, it is butter with joy into the kingdom dreaming. For another world of God. It is a state very often they are unprofitable, and tend and very pertinently called spirnothing to lay up for himself those itual death; yea, reader, it treasures, which are durable leads to eternal death; for if we riches and righteousness. They do not love God, and delight in are unconnected, neither meet-serving him, it is not possible we ing in the centre of duty, nor should be happy in his kingconducive to the practice of vir- dom; and if we cannot be haptue which will result in glory.py in his presence, we shall not The imaginations of the evil wish to enter the mansions of man, when they are not brought peace, although its glorious gates into some point by a present are opened for our entrance. call of worldly gain or pleasure, All this insensibility of sleep and are in the ends of the earth. death is found in thinking creatures, who esteem themselves to be rational. It is in direct violation of the law of God, and the most gracious invitations of the gospel. Every slumbering moment increases the guilt and danger. say the scriptures?" Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light." Those who awake shall not only see the folly of their past ways, and mourn therefor; they shall not only turn from them to serve the Lord; but also have the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ. They shall see the moral beauty of the divine perfections; Kkk

They are irrational. For it is a most unreasonable thing to disobey our Creator, slight our Redeemer, and meditate wholly on momentary trifles, while the weight and the glory of eternity are forgotten. The figure representing sinners by those who sleep is therefore,in every respect, most just. They do not think on the subjects most interesting to them, for they are in a state of inaction and insensibility; they neither forsee, nor use means to avoid the evils with which they are awaited; neither is their conduct rational or profit

able.

The state of a dead body is, also, used in the holy scriptures, VOL. I. NO. 12.

What

that God is glorious in holiness; | sense, is placed in thine own all his character is excellent; hand? God is a sovereign in the and the enjoyment of him to be desired above all things.

bestowment of his mercy; still thou must awake from thy sleep, and arise from the dead, or this mercy will not avail thee. May every sleeping person hear the call, and may every dead sinner arise! If we refuse and rebel we must reap that which we have sowed; if we are obedient

If the sleeping arise from the state, which is at present their danger, and continuing therein, must be their ruin, they will find themselves infinitely more happy, than they ever were made by their sinful indulgences.They will find themselves bet-we shall see life. ter prepared to receive all the happiness which this world can give, for "godliness hath the

promise of the life that now is, as Explanation of Scriptural Types

well as of that which is to come." They will find themselves made happy by the exercise of religion in this world. A peaceful conscience, a trust in God, a lively hope in his grace, to forgive their sins and imperfections; delight in the duties of religion, and in the communion of saints, each of which the comfort

PART II.

No. XVII.

(Continued from p. 418.)

The Typical System Explained.

we

of saints, are ingredients of hape attentively inspect the

laws and ordinances prescribed for the Israelites by Moses, we shall perceive them to con stitute a complete system of re

piness which no sinnner can call his own. The present comforts of Christian piety are infinitely preferable to the plea-ligious institutions and regula sures of sin; so, that if there tions of life and practice, in per were no state of existence to suc-fect harmony and order. A par ceed this life, still wisdom will ticular city appointed as the seat be justified for the present peace, of all the public and national which she imparts to her friends. exercises of religious devotionGodliness hath then the pro- ordinances of divine servicemise of the life that now is, and persons consecrated to attend surely, it hath the exclusive and perform them-and partice promise of the world to come. lar seasons appropriated to the To those who awake from sleep, observance of them, constituting and arise from the dead, Christ an entire and complete religious will give eternal light and glory. system. This, it is the present And is not this, sinner, a suf-design to explain and apply to ficient motive to awake thee evangelical subjects. As the from thy sleep? Dost thou Israelites were in the wilderness, consider what eternity is? What in an unsettled state, when Moeternal joys and sorrows are ? ses instituted the ritual system, Dost thou reflect that thy own the particular city in which the well-being, in a very important ordinances of it should be so

fous monarch, and we may previously consider David a type of Christ.

If we may consider David as

lemnized was not appointed, but referred to future designation. They should be attended in the place which the Lord should choose to put his name there.—a type of Christ in his family, After they passed over Jordan, the tabernacle appears to have been erected in Gilgal; but when Joshua had subdued the kings of Canaan, and the land had rest from war, he and the whole congregation set it up in Shiloh. In this place it continued until the days of Eli-but the Psalmist observes, He refused the tabernacle of Joseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim, but he chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved. This now became the city, peculiarly designated, as the seat of public worship for the holy nation of Israel-and we have,

First, JERUSALEM and MOUNT ZION typical.

being poor and despised, as Christ was the supposed son of Joseph, a carpenter or in the gracefulness of his person, ruddy and fair to look upon, as Christ is fairer than the children of menor in his pastoral life, as Christ is the good Shepherdor in his discreet conduct, behaving himself wisely, as God's servant dealt prudently-or in his exaltation from an afflicted and humble condition, to royal dignity and power, as from the form of a servant, God made his first born, higher than the kings of the earth-or in being deserted and betrayed by his familiar friend Ahitophel, as Christ was deserted and betrayed by Judas-or in slayingGoliath with a sling and stone, and cutting off his head with his own sword, as Christ overcame Satan, and tri

perhaps, the most important respects in which David typified his Lord and Saviour. David appears to have been eminently a type of Christ,

Jerusalem was originally possessed by an idolatrous king of Canaan, who was conquered by Joshua. The city was given to the tribes of Judah and Benja-umphed over principalities and min. But the mountain contig- powers by the cross, the instruuous to it was retained, and so ment they had devised for his strongly fortified by the Jebu-destruction-yet these are not, sites, that they considered it absolutely tenable. Accordingly when David assailed it with his army, his summons was rejected with contempt. Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion, fortified and adorned it, made it his royal residence, and called it, The city of David. This was a type of the church. As Jerusalem received its particular consideration and typical character from David the king of Israel, who also was an eminent type of Christ, it will be most natural to explain this type in connection with that illustri

1. In being chosen to deliver God's people from their enemies, and to give them the land of promise in its whole extent. God made a covenant with Abraham, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates. But the land subdued by Joshua, and divided between the twelve tribes, was but a small part of their exten