tinually waiting our appointed time of difcipline on earth, in devout and humble hope of having an intereft in that great Year of Acceptance with the Lord, when all, who are Ifraelites indeed, fhall be called to their proper home, the Sion of the living God, and shall for evermore enjoy the full beatitude of the heavenly Kingdom.

G 4

SERMON IV.

JOHN i. 14.

And the Word was made Flesh, and dwelt among us; (and we bebeld bis glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father ;) full of Grace and Truth.

IN preface to the hiftory of our Saviour's life and converfation upon earth, the Apostle and Evangelift reprefents him in the fulness of his character, as the AOгOE, or the Word of God; a term of more extenfive and important meaning in the original Greek, than we are accustomed to affix to it in the vulgar tongue; fince it implies both the reason and the fpeech of God, both the counsel determined in the divine mind, and the fame expreffed in the operations of his providence and grace. He declares, that in the beginning was the Word, that the Word was with God, and that the Word was God: that all things were made by him, and that without him exifted no created thing: that in him was life; and the life was the light of men. As he was the fource of natural life

to

to the whole creation, fo was he the fource of spiritual life to the whole race of men; inafmuch as he imparted the light of heavenly truth to illuminate their minds and to animate their fouls. To him the precious embaffy belonged, to unfold the hopes and to difplay the means of falvation to mankind. For him was the great and glorious ministry referved, to abolish the power of death, and to bring life and immortality to light a.

But fo much in general are the eyes of men obfcured by finful paffions and diverted by worldly cares, that they do not appreciate or acknowledge the heavenly gift. The light fhineth in darknefs, and the darkness comprehendeth it not ".

Before he was more openly manifested to the world, there was a Man fent from God, whose name was John. He came for a witness and harbinger of this divine Light, in order to prepare the people for the blessing that would shortly be revealed. He was not the promised Light himself, as he ingenuously confeffed to the inquiries of the people. He was no other than a morning Star before that Sun of fpiritual day, who foon should rise to fhed his healing and benignant beams, with

a John i. 1-4.

Ver. 5.

out

out refpect of clime or nation, on all the peopled earth.

This Fountain of light and life was indeed from earliest time, though not vifibly and fenfibly, yet fpiritually prefent in the world. For as the world was by his miniftration made, fo by his miniftration it has been. continually sustained. But fo deeply was it funk in corruption and idolatry, as not to acknowledge and regard him. He came unto his own, to the people of Ifrael, who had long been distinguished above all other nations by the special countenance of Heaven. For as he had been partially fignified to them in the Law and in the Prophets, fo to them he perfonally came, when he vifibly appeared on the earth. But so much had the veil of prejudice overspread their hearts, that his own in general received him not. But as many as received him in the character which he bore, as many as believed on him as the Word of God, the organ and minifter of the divine will, to them gave he power to become the Sons of God; being admitted to the privileges of this divine relation, not in confequence of their carnal origin from the Father of the Faithful, or of their adoption into the legal