Secondly, You will remember, that regeneration confifts in a purification from evils; and that the Lord is called a regenerater and redeemer, because he purifies the mind from evil and falfhood, and delivers from those infernal fpirits with whom we have affociated. Therefore, be it our care to cooperate with the Lord, by turning from and giving up whatever we know to be evil in life, affection, and practice. By fo doing, our foes will be caft out, and our house, or mind, be filled with all heavenly graces, virtues, and affections. Love to God,

charity to man, and faith in the word, will become fixed principles-thefe, with all their train of heavenly virtues and graces, will be the friends of our own boufhold, from which all celeftial beatitudes will proceed; we shall become forms of love and wisdom, and our minds will be stored with innumerable bleffings-everlasting delights and pleasures. And when this is the cafe, we shall have no external foes to fear-the Lord will be our defence and guide-by his holy Spirit fit us for, and by his divine mercy bring us to, his own kingdom of joy, peace, and reft; where foes can never come-where love and friendship ever reign-and where all will be tranquility, felicity, and happiness, for evermore.

SERMON

SERMON V.

ON THE DIVINE COMPASSION OF OUR LORD.

MARK i. 39, 40, 41.

And he preached in their synagogues, throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. And there came a leper to him, befeeching him, and kneeling down to him, and faying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jefus, moved with compaffion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and faith unto him, I will-be thou clean.

IT is but too plain that in all ages, fince the

corruption of the world by fin, men have been more fenfible of, and more affected with, bodily diseases, than with spiritual ones; and as they have more fenfibly felt them, they have confequently been more anxious for their cure and removal, than they have been for those diforders of the mind which are a thousand times more grievous, and dreadful in

their confequences. So we observe, when our divine Lord appeared in the flesh, and the people began to hear that he healed bodily complaints, they flocked to him in vast multitudes, in order to receive the benefits of his healing hand. But they were much lefs folicitous to have the disorders of their minds healed-to be fpiritually made whole and found. They confidered not (nor is it confidered now by many) that there is no bodily complaint to which the human frame is incident, but what corresponds to fome Spiritual diforder of the foul. All afflictions and maladies of the body, are but fo many external appearances of thofe maladies which the mind is subject to, labors under, or has been afflicted with.

And if we were acquainted with fpiritual things, and the fcience of correspondences, as the ancients were, we fhould fee in all our bodily complaints their correfponding fpiritual ones; and, confequently, be the most anxious to have those spiritual ones, which are as the CAUSES, removed-that the EFFECTS, or bodily ones, might be removed alfo. The spiritual world, firs, is the world of causes, and the natural world, the world of effects. Nothing, therefore, does exist in the natural world but what has its cause in the fpiritual.

This, I doubt not, is a new idea to fome of you; nevertheless it is a TRUE one: and I could wish you all to be acquainted with it, as it would open to your minds many wonderful arcana, relative to the

foul

foul and fpiritual things. You may fuppofe this fubject is altogether philofophical, and not immediately connected with religion and divinity--but this is not the cafe. It has an immediate and important connexion with religion, because it hath fo with the mind and our fpiritual life. But I muft not dwell

upon it now.

As our bleffed Lord was preaching throughout Galilee, and cafting out devils, there came to him a leper. Lepers in those days, and among the Jews, were more frequent than in our days, and among christians; and it appears that a very folid reafon might be given for it. The leprofy was a diforder on the external of the body, confifting of a dry white scab, or fcurf, whereby the skin became fcaly, like a fish. It was a very troublesome and unclean difeafe, concerning which many laws were given, as you may fee in Leviticus, Numbers, &c. The leper was not to be in the camp of Ifrael, nor in the congregation, until he were cleanfed:it was also a contagious, infectious disease.

Now fuch a poor, unclean, afflicted leper came to the Lord, befeeching him, kneeling down before him, and faid, "If thou wilt, thou canst make me "clean."

The man believed in the power of the Lord, and he came to him in humility and prayer. Jefus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, touched him, and said, "I will be thou clean;" and immediately the leprofy departed from him, and he

was

was cleanfed. I might here fhew the correfpondence of this filthy, unclean disease, with the ftate of man as an individual, and with the church as to fpiritual things;-but I have chofen these words with defign to illuftrate another fubject. However, a few words may not be unprofitable upon the above heads.

As the leprofy was an external diforder, from an internal caufe; so it correfponds to the external life of man. Men who are in the love of evil and falfhood, more or lefs manifeft that evil in external life. This fpiritual leprofy is evident in their words, their actions, and general conduct; filthy difcourfe, unjust actions, and abominable practices, are daily feen upon them. The disorder is contagious, and thousands are polluted thereby; and if you would be preserved from this fpiritual infection, this unclean and deftructive plague, keep as much as poffible from those who have it upon them; that is to fay, from all those whose conversation is filthy, unclean, lafcivious, and impure, whose actions are immoral, unjust, and finful; whofe conduct in general is profane, irreligious, and evil.

All fuch have the plague of fin upon them-the leprofy is obvious—and if you would be preserved from it, keep at a distance from fuch polluted characters. The fame may be faid of a church, whofe members are in the evil of life, whofe doctrines are falfe, and upon the face of whofe creeds the traditions, inventions, and dogmas of men appear.

Here