SERMON XX.

THE CHRISTIAN'S BEAUTY EXPLAINED.

PSALM xlv. 10, 11.

Hearken, O daughter, and confider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house. So fhall the king great ly defire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord, and worship thou him.

WE have, in our former discourse upon this text, endeavored to explain and enforce the first clause in the words, namely, "Hearken, O

daughter, and confider; and incline thine ear." In doing which, we have recommended a ferious and constant attention to the word of divine truth, the bible; the knowledge of which is of the most effential importance. That the inhabitants of our land think it so, and defire to promote the knowledge

thereof,

thereof, appears, I truft, in fome good measure, from the establishment of funday Schools-a moft laudable inftitution this, and I doubt not, will be extenfively and laftingly useful to thoufands and tens of thousands, of the lower claffes among men. It deferves the warmest encouragement-a bleffing will rest upon the heads of those who are zealous to promote it-and, I fear, a curfe upon those poor parents, who neglect to fend their children to be taught, when they have an opportunity fo to do.

A want of education is one principal cause of that immorality and profanenefs among the poor, fo evident in our day. And whoever neglects the word of God, is unacquainted with divine revelation; let them be of what clafs in life they may, they can have but little pretenfions to piety or religion a decent morality is all they can boaft. It is divine revelation alone which can acquaint us with the Most High, which can teach us the knowledge of ourselves, inform us of our duty to God and man, and lead us in the paths of peace and righteousness, to the kingdom of glory and joy. Great, then, is the misfortune of thofe who cannot read, or hear the word of God! Great is the guilt of thofe who can read and hear that word, but will not! and alfo of thofe who read and hear, but will not obey the word! And unspeakably great is the happiness of those who can and do read the word of God, underftand it, and truly obey its divine commands! Thefe are the persons who have attended

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attended to the advice given in our text-and fuch of you as answer this defcription, I congratulate as the greatly defired and highly beloved people of the Lord Jefus, your God and Saviour.

We will now proceed to open that part of the advice given in our text, which yet remains to be confidered; namely-" Forget alfo thine own peo"ple, and thy father's house."

I would just remind you here, as I have before done, that the Almighty never requires us to turn our backs of, and forfake our parents, kindred, or families. Such a conduct is contrary to scripture, to reason, and to all good laws, divine, moral, or civil; therefore, the text before us does not mean, that we are to forget our own people literally, or our father's house.

I can easily tell you what the words people and father correfpond to, and spiritually fignify; but not fo easily, in one difcourfe, open the fcience of correfpondences, by which the word is written. Suffice it to observe, that houses, families, and nations, fignify, in the word, the good things of love, and of faith grounded in love; and herein an accurate diftinction is always obferved between nations and people. Nations fignifying good or evil (according to the fubject) but people fignifying what is true or false; and this continually, without exception, through the word, as may appear from Ifa. xi. 11, 12-ix. 2, 3-xxiv. 7-xliii. 9. Zeph. ii. 9. Zech. viii. 22, and many other places. Therefore, to

forget

forget our own people, nothing lefs is meant, than to give up and totally relinquish whatever is falfe and erroneous in the mind. Whatever is false, stands in direct oppofition to divine truth, has a natural tendency to darken the understanding, and lead the mind to what is evil. There are many false principles upon which men act, by which they defeat their own intentions, and become miferable in that very road where they expected happiness. Such principles are the love of felf, of the world, and of evil. Men, who are under the influence of fuch principles, are directed and led by a falfe judgment, a perverted understanding; and it is no easy matter to perfuade them of their mistakethe evil is deep-rooted, the error has been long contracted, the love of the world and of evil commences very early, it strengthens with our ftrength, and grows with our growth; it is confirmed by example, and fostered by our paffions-reason is not suffered to exert its power-a perverted love, and falfe judgment, bind it in chains. And we plainly fee, that the hopes and expectations of thousands are founded on fand, depend upon a bubble in the air, a mere phantom. They are expecting happiness from the gratifications of felflove, the indulgence of the paffions, and the pleafures of iniquity; but difappointment will ever attend their steps, and their journey end in despair: It is from these false principles, these deceitful purfuits,

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fuits, we are called by the voice of mercy, in the words of our text-" Forget thine own people."

But, again; there are many falfe principles of a religious kind, falfe doctrines and errors, which we are called upon to forget and forfake. For every doctrine and fentiment which has not its foundation in truth, is of a bad tendency; it darkens the underftanding, perverts the judgment, and influences the affections-and from these we are called by the text. Many of this kind might be named, if we had time; two or three of them we will mention -one is the doctrine of more Gods than one, or of three perfons in the Godhead. This embarraffes the mind, confounds our reason, and prevents conjunction with the true God. This is a doctrine we are at this time peculiarly called to forfake; that "the King may greatly defire our beauty; that we may own him as our Lord, and worship him "alone." For while we entertain an idea of more Gods, or perfons, than one, our affections cannot be placed upon, and our worship directed to, the Lord Jefus Chrift alone. Our affections and worship must be divided; and this is not acceptable to that God who fays, "The Lord thy God is one Lord, " and thou fhalt love HIM with ALL thy heart."

Again, the idea that God is a Being of wrath, vengeance, anger, and the like, we are called upon to forfake and relinquifh; for it is a falfe one, it is one of our OWN PEOPLE, and not a doctrine of hea