understands real grandeur; at what rate does ke value his foul? He lofes it for the fake of the falfe glory of fwearing expertly, and of uniting blafphemy and politenefs. What does yon mechanic get for his foul? One acre of land, a -cottage bigger and lefs inconvenient than that of his neighbour. Unmanly wretches! If we be bent on renouncing our dignity, let us, however, keep up fome appearance of greatness. Sordid fouls! if we will refign our nobleft pretenfions, let us do it, however, in favour of some other pretenfions, that are real. "Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this! and be ye horribly afraid; for my people have committed two evils they have forfaken me, the fountain of living waters, and have hewed them out cifterns, broken cifterns, that can hold no water," Jer. ii. 12. Do you perceive, my brethren, the force of this complaint, which God anciently áttered over his people the Jews, and which he now utters over us? Neither genius nor érudition can explain it. Could they, you might perhaps understand it. A certain elevation, a certain dignity of foul, fingular fentiments of heart, are the only expofitors of the fe affecting words. Therefore, I fear, they are unintelligible to most of you. "Be aftonished, O ye heavens, at this! and be ye horribly afraid ; for my people have committed two evils: they have forfaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cifterns, broken cifterns, that can hold no water." God loves us, he defires we should love him. He has done every thing to conciliate our efteem. For us he sent his Son into the world. For us he difarmed death. For us he opened an eafy path to a glorious eternity. And all this, to render himfelf mafter of our hearts, and to engage us to retur him love for love, life for life. We refift all thefe attractives, we prefer other objects before him. N No No matter, he would pass this ingratitude, if the objects, which we prefer before him, were capa ble of making us happy; if, at least, they bore any apparent proportion to thofe, which he offereth to our hopes. But what aroufeth his dif pleasure, what provokes his just indignation, what excites reproaches, that would cleave our hearts afunder, were they capable of feeling, is the vanity of the objects, which we prefer before him. The foul, in exchange for which the whole world would not be a fufficient confideration, this foul we often give for the oft mean, the most vile, the most contemptible part of the world. "O ye heavens! be aftonished at this, at this be ye hor ribly afraid; for my people have committed two evils: they have forfaken me, the fountain of the living waters, and hewed them out cifterns, broken cifterns, that can hold no water." But do we know, ungrateful that we are, do we know, that if the hardness of our hearts prevent our feeling in particular the energy of this reproof, and in general the evidence of the reflections, that make the fubftance of this difcourfe ; do we know that a day will come, when we fhall feel them in all their force? Do we know, that there is now a place, where the truth of our text appears in a clear but a terrible light? Yes, my brethren, this reflection is perhaps effential to our difcourfe, this perhaps approaches nearest to the. meaning of Jefus Chrift; perhaps Jefus Chrift, in thefe words, What shall a man give in exchange for his soul? meant to inform us of the difpofition of a man in defpair, who, immerfed in all the miferies that can excruciate a foul, furprised at having parted with fuch a foul at a price fo fmall, ftricken with the enormous crime of lofing it, withes, but too late, to give every thing to recover it. Ideas, like thefe, we never propofe to you without reluctance. Motives of another kind fhould fhould fuffice for chriftians. Learn the worth of your fouls. Enter into the plan of your Creator, who created them capable of eternal felicity; and into that of your Redeemer, who died to enable you to arrive at it. Against all the deceitful promifes, which the world, the flesh,and the devil, nfe to feduce you, oppose these words of Jefus Cbrift, What is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or, what shall a man give in exchange for bis soul? May God infpire you with thefe noble fentiments! To him be honour and glory for ever.-Amen. SERMON THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST. Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it, with judgment and with justice, from henceforth even for ever." I ANTICIPATE the festival, which the goodness, or rather the magnificence of God, invites you to celebrate on Wednesday next. All mature feems to take part in the memorable event, which on that day we fhall commemorate, I mean the birth of the Saviour of the world. Herod turns pale on his throne; the devils tremble in hell; the wife men of the eaft fufpend all their fpeculations, and obferve no fign in the firmament, except that which conducts them to the place where lies the incarnate Word, God manifest in the flesh, 1 Tum. iii. 16. an angel from heaven is the herald of the aftonishing event, and tells the Shepherds, Bekold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people, for unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Cbrist the Lord, Luke ii. 10, 11. the multitude of the heavenly bost eagerly defcend to congratulate men on the Word's affumption of mortal flefh, on his dwelling among men, in order to enable them to behold his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of of grace and truth, John i. 14. they make the air refound with these acclamations, Glory to God in the bigbest, and on earth peace, good will tovard men, Luke ii. 14. What think ye? Does this feftival require no preparation of you? Do you imagine, that you hall celebrate it as you ought, if you content yourfelves with attending on a few difcourfes, during which, perhaps, while you are prefent in body, you may be abfent in fpirit; or with laying, afide your temporal cares, and your moft turbu lent paffions, at the church-gates, in order to take them up again, as foon as divine fervice ends?. The king Meffiah is about to make his triumphant entry among you. With what pomp do the children of this world, who are wise, and, we may add, magnificent in their generation, Luke xvi. 8. celebrate the entries of their princes? They ftrew the roads with flowers, they raife triumphal arches, they exprefs their joy in fhouts of victory, and in fongs of praife. Come, then, my brethren, let us to-day prepare the way of the Lord, and make bis paths straight, Matt. iii. 3. let us be joyful together before the Lord, let us make a joyful noise before the Lord the King, for he com eth to judge the earth, Pfal. xcviii. 6, 9. or, to fpeak in a more intelligible, and in a more evangelical manner, Come, ye miferable finners, load en with the unfupportable burden of your fins ; come, ye troubled confciences, uneafy at the remembrance of your many idle words, many criminal thoughts, many abominable actions; come, ye poor inortals, tossed with tempests and not comforted, Ifa. liv. 11. condemned fift to bear the infirmities of nature, the caprices of fociety, the viciffitudes of age, the turns of fortune, and' then the horrors of death, and the frightful night of the tomb; come, behold The Wonderful, The Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace; take him into your N 2 arms, |