quickly come !-may our utmost endeavours haften it!—and may the pity and compaffion of our chriftian hearts extend as far as Africa, and melt down all the chains that ever bound a flave!!

But, my christian friends, to conclude this subject, let me recommend to you all, in all cafes, and with all defcriptions of perfons, to manifeft, to cultivate, to exercise, this godlike virtue of coMPASSION. You have seen the unfpeakable pity of the Lord Jefus Chrift to you, to finners, to all mankind. Moved with compaffion, he cleansed the leper-moved with compaffion, he fed five thousand fouls at one time-moved with compaffion, he healed all bodily and fpiritual diseases-and, moved with compaffion, he redeemed our fouls, bore with our infirmities, faves us from our cruel enemies, leads us through every difficulty and forrow, and at length will bring us (if we love and serve him) to thrones of glory, honor, peace, and joy; where, in his own prefence and kingdom, we shall be happy for ever and ever.

Be ye merciful, even as your heavenly Father is merciful. Be kind, tender, compaffionate, and loving to all-your enemies or friends-your neighbours or relations-your domeftics and fervants. Remember the Roman captain— "My fervant lieth fick at "bome!" Imitate him-excel him if you can!Come as near as poffible to the divine example of your Lord and Saviour!

This

;

This grace to ev'ry christian virtue join,
And in compaffion NEVER FAIL to shine
Be kind, and tender, full of meekness, love,
And live below as angels live above.
To aid the fons of grief exert your power,
The mourning victim bless, in forrow's hour;
To check the tide of woes, do all you can-
And be at once, the CHRISTIAN and the MAN.
Great your reward while here will furely prove,
And foon 'twill be, an endless heav'n of lave!

SERMON

SERMON VI.

THE TRUE NATURE AND PLEASURE OF

RELIGION.

MATT. xi. 30.

For my yoke is eafy, and my burden is light.

I AM inclined to believe there is hardly any one thing in the world, which mankind are more mistaken in, than real religion; nor is any fubject represented in more different and contrary points. of view, than this is. The principal cause of these mistakes and false representations, is (in my judgment at least) that men have entertained very wrong conceptions of God himself, who is the author of all true religion. They have formed ideas of him according to the bare letter of the word,

without

without entering into the true fpiritual and internal meaning thereof. And when our ideas are merely confined to the letter only, we may easily confirm ourselves in the most palpable errors and falfe doctrines. For, in fome places of that word, wrath, vengeance, anger, and fury, are predicated of Jehovah; in others, that he is all meekness, compaffion, and love.

Now we know that the Lord our God cannot be both the one and the other of thefe. But in different parts of the word he is represented as he appears to men, according to the state they are inand this for wife and good purposes; that hereby they may repent of their evils, and live. So when a man reads the word, who is under the power of evil-filled with every luft and abomination-he confiders God as a being of wrath and vengeance; because his own nature is fuch, that he apprehends. fury and wrath will be poured out upon him. And, indeed, the heat of divine love itself appears as wrath and vengeance to the ungodly man; because it is directly oppofite to that infernal love in which he dwells-infomuch, that were fuch a man to approach the divine sphere of heavenly love, it would be to him as a confuming fire; he would be tortured and tormented by it-fo very oppofite is hellish love to heavenly love.

But again, even men of religion have formed to themselves ideas of the Almighty, which are directly contrary to his nature and perfections; and

confe

confequently that religion which is founded upon those ideas, must be confonant to the ideas themfelves. What I chiefly allude to is, the notion of a trinity of Gods, or perfons in the Godhead; and that one perfon, or God, came down to appease the wrath and anger of another; together with the opinion, that God is a partial being.

Now under fuch views of God, it is impoffible but religion fhould be reprefented in a very difagreeable light. But my defign is not to enlarge upon thefe fubjects now; fuffice it to fay, we form no fuch conceptions of the Divine Being. We are convinced from reafon and scripture, that God is one, in one divine person-that he is an impartial Godhas no wrath or anger to appease, but is love itself in its very effence, full of mercy, goodness, and truth. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is this God, the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit, and is (as in the verfe preceding our text) meek and lowly in heart; that is, infinitely condescending and kind to his creatures-eafy of accefs-ready to teach-willing to fave and make happy all that come unto him. And alfo that his yoke is easy, and his burden light.-My defign in making choice of thefe words, is to reprefent unto my hearers

THE TRUE NATURE AND PLEASURE OF RELIGION.

Ifball, firft, drop a few words as to the NATURE of it, and then attempt to prove and defcribe its pleafures; or the true happiness derived from it. And firft, As to the nature of religión.

We