them in trials both temporal and spiritual, promoting in their fouls good defires and defigns, and finally guiding them to that scene. of glory, where being difencumbered of this mortal veil they fhall fee him face to face among the Saints in light.

But in order to fee God in any sense, it is expedient that we be like him. And in no respect can we more closely resemble him than in being pure in heart. For as God himself is pure, and as he is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, fo he admits none to fee him, but thofe, who are conformed to his image in the inner man, who by purity of heart are in fome degree reftored to that likenefs of God, in which man was originally made. They, who are thus conformed to his character, are difpofed by nature, and are qualified by grace, for every thing implied in this Beatitude of feeing God. Being purified from that film of carnal paffion and prejudice, which obfcures their fpiritual fight, they are enabled to contemplate him in his works of providence and grace. They difcern him as a Parent, a Benefactor, a Guardian, and a Friend, as working their prefent comfort, and making every thing conducive to their final peace. They feel him prefent with them in the fabric and operations of their

bodies,

bodies, in the motions and meditations of their minds: for in him they are convinced that they live and move and are: And seeing all that he does contributes to their happiness, they seek in return to do every thing to his glory. They live under a vital sense of his continual prefence and regard; and they maintain a stedfaft hope, that when their eyes are closed to all terrestrial things, they shall wake to the true and vivifying fight of God.

For while they are invested with the veil of mortality, they fee him only in the natural operations of his providence, or at most in the spiritual operations of his grace: Hereafter they shall see him without any mist or obfcurity. They fee him now through a glass darkly; hereafter they fhall fee him face to face. In what the bleffednefs of this divine vision shall confist we are not clearly and diftinctly told. For we cannot in our present state comprehend the nature and extent of, thofe faculties, by which the Pure in heart shall finally perceive him. "It does not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him: for we fhall fee him as he is "," And there

fore we may conclude, that all, who purify themselves as God is pure, fhall be rendered competent to behold his face in righteoufnefs; and when they awake from the fleep of death, they shall rife in his likeness, and be completely fatisfied P.

P Pfa. xvii. 15

SERMON XV.

MATTHEW v. 9.

Bleed are the Peacemakers: for they shall be called the Children of God.

ANOTHER Christian character now engages our notice, not commonly esteemed by the children of this world, but eminently distinguished by the beatitude of our Lord. The character of a Peacemaker has always obtained the low or filent approbation of the truly wife: But the loud applause of nations has been given to the Warrior. In evidence of this we need only tranfiently look into the records of any people or of any age. The annals of all Barbarians are annals of cruelty and carnage. And if we turn our eyes to more. civilized countries, the story may be foftened by fome rare characters of heroic or civil virtue, but the prominent feature of their history is war. The feveral States of Greece were continually at variance either

with

with foreign nations or with one another. And their wars were conducted with a ferocity little fuitable to our notions of a polished people. Through the whole extent of the Roman Government from the foundation of the City to the approach of that auspicious age, when the Prince of Peace was born, the temple of War had only twice been closed. They were continually extending the sphere of their dominion by the fword. Whatever nation came in contact with their progreffive empire, opened to them a new field of military enterprize. And their efforts were generally closed by leading kings in chains, and fubjugating another people to their arbitrary power. Amid thefe celebrated empires the name of Warrior was a title of diftinguifhed honour. And on several of their Chiefs, who with large opportunities of conferring durable and extenfive good were really the fcourges both of their own and of other States, have been perversely lavished the most sacred appellations of, The Fathers of their Country, The Saviours of the People, The Benefactors of Mankind.

- A kindred fpirit actuated the Jews. The general injunction of their Law, to love their neighbour as themfelves, might incline them to cultivate amity and concord within their

Own