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ment;" in other words, they thanked God they were not as other men were, adulterers, fornicators, extortioners, unjuft, or even as this prodigal Gentile. Now, fuppofing all this to be true, they were still unprofitable fervants; they had done only that which it was their duty to do. But St Stephen convinced them that they were infamous tranfgref fors, having indeed received the law, but not kept it; fo that what they reckoned matter of glorying, was in reality the sentence of their condemnation. In this part of their plea, therefore, there is a mixture of pride and falfehood. Thirdly, "God had not fhewed them fufficient marks of his favour." This was falfe, for he was continually fhowering his benefits upon them; and for many, many years, their fleece had the dew, when all the rest of the ground was dry. Fourthly," He treated the Gentiles better than he had treated them." This was falfe again, as well as envious; for if they would have come in, they might have partaken with the Gentiles in the feast and the joy, and been for ever with them in the church; nor would the acceffion of the nations have diminifhed aught from them,. but rather it would have added an infinite increase of joy and pleafure to them, had the love of God and of their brother been in their hearts; as the light of the fun is not leffened, but increafed, by being reflected at once from all the innumerable waves of the wide ocean. Indeed, the father in the parable, ever tender, and loving, and willing to try every way to bring them in, does not object their tranfgreffions to them, but anfwers upon their state of the case; that even fuppofing they had served and obeyed him, as they faid they had, they could never complain of wanting marks of his favour, feeing they had ever been in his houfe," the

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church, with him, as his children, and all that he had was their's; for to them pertained the adoption and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the fervice of God, and the promifes; their's were the fathers; and of them, as concerning the flesh, Chrift came." Why therefore should they be angry, because the poor Gentiles were fuffered to partake of these good things, when they had qualified themfelves for it by repentance and faith? And what fort of materials must their hearts be made of, when they could not acquiefce in that tender, merciful, and loving declatation of their heavenly Father-" It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad; for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; was loft, and is found."

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Beholding therefore the fad confequences of departing from our Father's house, let us take up the refolution of the Holy Pfalmift; "I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Let us think that we hear our bleffed Mafter, aftonished, as it were, to fee himfelf forfaken by fo many of his difciples, faying unto us, as once he did to the twelve," Will ye alfo go away?" And let us anfwer with one accord, as they did by the mouth of St Peter, "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou haft the words of eternal life." But what was it that feduced the prodigal Gentile to leave fo gracious a Father, and to quit the house where his glory dwelt? What but an impatience of reftraint, a fond defire of inependency, and of being wife above what is written. Warned therefore by his fate, let us love the difcipline that withholds us from fin; let us glory (if we must glory) in that dependency on our Maker, and thofe whom his providence has fet over us, by which alone, after all, the church and.

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the world are fupported and preferved; and let us at last learn to believe in God, and reft affured, upon his word, that the wisdom of this world is as unfatisfactory as its riches, honours, and pleasures; and that amidst the greatest abundance of them all, "a mighty famine will arife" in the foul, for want of more substantial food, which, if it be not remedied in this life, by "feeking meat from God," will continue to torment, in thofe regions of forrow, where hunger and despair are co-eternal. : Let the finner, whom the chaftifing hand of God has brought to himself; whofe eyes have been ope ned by affliction, to behold his real state and con dition; who has felt the truth which he refufed to believe, that the world is vanity, fin and folly; let fuch an one liften to the admonitions of confcience and cherish the first dawnings of divine grace in his heart; that fo the Sun of Righteoufnefs, there aris fing, may difperfe every cloud, and caufe every fhadow to fly away; till having by flow and imper ceptible degrees afcended the heights of the fky, he ftands fixed in his meridian, diffusing on all beneath him the perfect day. For however darkness may at prefent cover the tranfgreffor, and grofs darkness overwhelm his foul, as once it did the Gentile world, yet let him know, to his great and endlefs comfort, that upon his fincere repentance the Lord fhall arife likewife upon him, and his glo ry fhall be feen upon him. Let him only follow the example of the returning prodigal, and he fhall not fail of his reward, even reconciliation, and peace, and love, and joy, and rejoicing, in the house of his heavenly Father.

Lastly, let us of the nations, whom undeferved mercy has numbered amongst the children of God, let us beware that we copy not after the pattern of

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the Jew, or envy him the glory of his future converfion and restoration. Rather let us endeavour to the utmost to forward fo happy an event. And fince of all human means, that of fhewing him the difpenfations of Jefus, whom his wicked hands crucified, in his own Scriptures of the Old Testament, is the most likely to contribute towards the bleffed work, let this be an additional motive to us to ftudy day and night the true import of those lively oracles. But fince fuch a converfion as this muft be most eminently the work of the Almighty, let not our most fervent prayers be ever wanting to him, that he would now at length look down from heaven upon his ancient people; that he would take from them all ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt of his word, and fo fetch them home to his flock, that they may be faved among the remnant of the true Ifraelites. May it be our happy lot, by our prayers and labours, to hasten the coming of that glorious day (though our eyes may not behold it) when the elder brother fhall feel the juft reproof of his Father piercing his inmost soul, and be prevailed upon to lay afide his pride, envy, and obftinacy; when the fulness of the Gentiles shall meet with the converfion of the Jews, and the two brothers, reconciled to their Father, and to each other, by the blood of Jefus, fhall, with united hearts and voices, praise the Lord for his goodnefs, having each in his turn experienced, that his mercy endureth for ever.

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Knowledge puffeth up, but Charity edifieth.
IN a place dedicated to the advancement of Science,

No

and before an audience of perfons fet apart for that
purpose, it might feem an undertaking no lefs im-
proper than invidious, to point out its ill effects,
had not the great Doctor of the Gentiles authorised
fuch a proceeding, and the present pious and judi-
cious inftitution* demanded it at our hands.
perfon ever entertained an higher idea of true wif
dom than St Paul, who has employed the moft ex-
alted strains of divine oratory, to fet forth the ex-
cellency of knowledge and understanding. But
yet the holy Apoftle faw, that learning makes not
the man of God perfect; that fomething may ftill
be wanting in him, who is at the top of intellectual
attainments; and that the compleat fcholar may
fall fhort, at-laft, of the kingdom of heaven. He
faw, that spiritual, like bodily wealth, unlefs ufed
for the benefit of others, would prove no bleffing
to its owner, ferving only to haften his fall, and in-
crease his condemnation. And therefore, that the
wife man might not glory in his wifdom, but fink
VOL. II.
into

S

A Benefaction left by Mr MASTERS, for two Sermons to be preached on certain texts by him felected, tending to inculcate the duty of Chriftian Humility, as opposed to the pride of science, and to point out the true nature and end of the ministerial office.

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