ligion in a light the most unpleasant, forbidding, and melancholly. The zealots of our day would perfuade you, that the language of the gospel, and the nature of christianity are fuch, that the man of affluent circumftances, of competent fortune, who poffeffes a few hundreds or thousands per year, cannot poffibly go to heaven-unless a most extraordinary miracle is wrought in his favor.

If you ask them, upon what ground they form an opinion fo contracted and uncharitable, they will urge the words of our Lord a little below our text, viz. "that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye "of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." Now, as it is impoffible in the nature of things for a camel to pass through a needle's eye; fo they imagine it is equally impoffible for a man of temporal wealth to enter into heaven. And yet I am perfuaded, not one of these zealots in religion would have the least objection to a few thousands per year, if they could obtain them. Nay, I query whether they are quite easy and contented in their own low and humble line of life; although they have, in their own opinion, a much greater profpect and chance of going to heaven than their wealthy neighbour.

Now, if it be actually true that the rich and affluent have fo little chance of being happy, in another life; if it be next to impoffible that they should be fo; their state is certainly the least to be envied, and the most pitied, of any other in human life. But is

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there not a manifeft abfurdity upon the face of this fentiment? Can we suppose that a man, born to the poffeffion of large estates, is born to inevitable misery and ruin? or that a man who has, by honest induftry, acquired thoufands of gold and filver, has also acquired a cell in the infernal regions, dark and difmal, in proportion to the value of his gold? How much is it to be lamented that the holy word of the God of Love fhould be thus prostituted and perverted, to establish and confirm the most illiberal fentiment ; an idea fo mean and irrational. And when men of fortune and wealth are told by religious teachers, by christian ministers, that in order to be truly religious and folidly happy in heaven, they must make a facrifice of their property, and become beggars; is it any wonder that they go away disgusted-conceive an unfavourable opinion of chriftianity-and even think hard of its author?

I am perfuaded, one principal reason why so few of the rich and polite, the learned and wealthy, are truly christian in heart and life, is, that the religion of the bible is reprefented in fo difagreeable, gloomy, and forbidding a light, that it has no grandeur to engage, nor charms to captivate their minds. Moreover, as men are funk into much depravity of heart, and their affections too much placed upon what is evil; fo the understanding is perverted and darkened by tradition, falfe-doctrine, and error; infomuch that religion is feen through an inverted, or false mirror-and the appears rather as an object of dread, difguft,

difguft, and terror, than as the most desirable, beautiful, and lovely of all forms whatever.

But the time is come for the removal of all these falfe appearances to expel the haggard phantom, which, under the name of religion, has long deceived mankind; and to reprefent true christianity, genuine piety, the life of heaven, in all its divine charms, excellence, and beauty. The internal spiritual sense of the holy word, which is the foundation of all religion and virtue, is now opened to the understandings of men; and as we enter into the knowledge thereof, we shall form just notions of the Divine Being, have the most animating views of his love, wisdom, and perfections; fee pure christianity in its own native form, and be constrained to goodness of heart and life by the pleasure, honor, and happiness which infeperably attend it.

Suppose I were to say to the more wealthy part of my present audience, that you must relinquish all your property, fell all that you have, give it away to the poor, and become beggars yourselves-to live upon the scanty boon of frozen charity. And fuppose I could prove all this by the fcriptures-would you not, like the ruler of the Jews, go away very forrowful? Would you not wonder that the kind benevolent God, who had given you all your fubftance, should require you to give it all away and enjoy it no more? Would you know how to account for the will of the Divine Being, upon any principles of love, goodness, and mercy? It should seem not. Yea,

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Yea, rather, would it not create in you a very unfavourable idea of your God; and cause you to dread his power, rather than love his name?

Is it poffible, then, that the Divine Being, who freely gives us every temporal and spiritual bleffing to enjoy, can make the lofs and deprivation of all our temporal bleffings, effential to our becoming fit fubjects for his heavenly kingdom? It cannot be; and God forbid that we fhould ever entertain fuch an idea of our kind, loving, benevolent Friend and Father! But, it may be asked by fome, Did not this ruler imagine that the Lord meant, he must give up all his earthly riches, and diftribute them to the poor? because it is faid, he was very forrowful, in confequence of his being very rich? That he might so conceive is very probable, as he was merely an external mind; and our Lord always addressed men according to their states. But that it was really neceffary for him literally to fell and give away all that he had, is contrary to reafon, to fcripture, and the order of Divine Providence.

Let us, then, confider what is the true spiritual import of our text.

And first, What are we to understand by these words, fell all that thou haft? It appears that this ruler was a man of decent, moral life; yet this life had not its ground in a spiritual principle, but in a natural one. He was under the influence of self-love, and love of the world, or covetoufness. With all his pretended virtue, or regard to divine laws, he bowed

bowed his knee at the golden fhrine, loved himself above all others, and ftretched not forth the benevolent hand of charity to the fons of poverty, want, and woe. He had, therefore, much felf-love, covetousness, and pride. His virtue might have a specious external appearance, but within it was unfound, deftitute of a fpiritual principle, and in no wife genuine and good. Go, therefore, faith the heartfearching, all-knowing Lord, and fell all that thou baft. Give up thy love of felf, relinquish thy covetous defires, renounce thy pride, and exchange thy apparent external virtue, for internal and genuine goodness.

These were the things he was ordered to fell; because they are all incompatible with, and ftand opposed to the heavenly life, and eternal happiness. A man whofe ruling principle is the love of felf, is very far from the kingdom of God; because that love is directly oppofite to the love which prevails in the heavenly kingdom. And covetousness, or the love of money, is idolatry. While, therefore, a man is under the influence of fuch principles, he can have no genuine virtue or goodness, inafmuch as it is all contaminated by thofe fordid and evil principles. These, then, are the things which our Lord ordered the ruler to fell, or give up. And then,

Secondly, Distribute to the poor. But who or what are we to understand by the poor? Why, firs, while a man is under the influence of the principles above-named, governed by felf-love, covetousness, love of the world, &c. he himself is in the most abject poverty,

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