opposition to the views, the purposes, and selfish interests of the Jews, they hated him, reviled him, and opposed him with the utmost virulence, till they finally imbrued their hands in his blood. And wherever the gospel has made known his design, it has never failed of exciting the enmity and opposition of the wise and unwise, of the learned and unlearned, of kings and of kingdoms. It was foretold that Christ, in pursuing his great design, should raise the general resentment and opposition of mankind. "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us." Mankind never feel indifferent towards any person, or object, that counteracts and defeats their desires, designs, or pursuits. No man, therefore, who is not indifferent to his own temporal or eternal interests, can be indifferent towards the design which Christ is pursuing, and which will deeply affect his interests both for time and eternity. Every individual of the human race will be just such as Christ's design requires; either rich or poor, either bond or free, either great or small, either high or low, either good or bad, either happy or miserable, through every period of his existence. "Think not," said Christ, "that I am come to send peace on the earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household." And Jesus said again, " For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not, might see; and that they which see, might be made blind." Christ, in pursuing his great and benevolent design, bends the characters, the conduct, the conditions and the interests of the whole world in subserviency to the interests of his own kingdom, and in opposition to the selfish characters, conduct, conditions and interests of all who are against him. And will any selfish heart be indifferent to such a person, pursuing such a design? Will not every holy heart be for him, and every unholy heart be against him?

3. Christ, in carrying on his great, comprehensive and benevolent design, employs all mankind as instruments in promoting it. Christ has all power in heaven and earth, and is able to subdue all things to himself, and to cause every creature and object in this world to be instrumental, some way or other, in effecting the great design he has constantly in view. He employed the winds and waves in his service. He made a fish supply him with tribute money. He claimed the right to

take from its owner a colt, to ride in triumph into Jerusalem. He employed twelve men at first, and seventy more afterwards, to preach the gospel, before his death. And after his resurrection, he commanded and commissioned the apostles and all their regular successors, to preach the gospel to all nations, to the end of the world. And he still employs the hearts and hands and influence of all other men in his service. He governs supremely and absolutely in the moral, as well as in the natural world, and makes his enemies, as well as his friends, the active and voluntary agents, in doing whatever he sees necessary for them to do in order to advance his cause and interest in the world. This was predicted of Christ under the type of Solomon, in the seventy-second Psalm. "He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him, and his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall bow down before him; and all nations shall serve him." Men are naturally very unwilling to serve any cause, or promote any interest, which appears hostile to their own. But the cause which Christ is pursuing, is totally opposed to all the sinister views and selfish interests of mankind. They cannot, therefore, feel indifferent whether Christ shall succeed or not in his great design, or whether he shall employ them in acting for him against themselves. Had the builders of the ark known that the design of building it was to prepare the way for their own destruction, they would never have struck a stroke, to prepare it for the safety of others and the ruin of themselves. No sinner, who understands the design of Christ in the government of the world, can feel indifferent whether the design shall succeed, or whether he shall be an agent in effecting it. Accordingly, we find that, whenever and wherever Christ visibly succeeds in building up and enlarging his kingdom, none appear indifferent; but all that are not with him are against him; and generally not only feel, but speak, and act against him. Nevertheless, Christ causes them all to promote the very design they hate and mean to oppose. He makes the wrath of man praise him, and the remainder of wrath he always restrains. Christ has made all nations to serve him, from the beginning of the world to this day; and will make all nations serve him from this day to the end of the world, whether they are willing or unwilling to serve him. And in the view and belief of this truth, no man is, or can be indifferent to his great design. I may add,

4. None of the inhabitants of the invisible world are indifferent towards the great and interesting design which Christ has

undertaken, and is determined to accomplish. They have all been acquainted with it, and understood the origin, nature, extent and consequences of it, for nearly six thousand years; though it was not so early, or so generally known in this world. "Unto me," says the apostle, "who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ. To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." The execution and accomplishment of Christ's eternal purpose, will deeply and eternally affect all good and all bad beings in the invisible world. The happiness of the holy, and the misery of the unholy angels, will be vastly augmented by the accomplishment of the great work of man's redemption, through the mediation and government of Christ. He has employed, and will employ them all in the great work in which he is engaged. He has employed unholy angels in introdueing and spreading sin and misery among all the nations of the earth. And he has employed holy angels in promoting holiness and happiness in the world, and in counteracting and defeating the designs of Satan and wicked men. While the holy angels have been with Christ, and acted with him and for him, and rejoiced in every instance of success and accession to his cause, and in every instance of his victory and triumph over his enemies; the unholy angels have been against him, and endeavored to scatter abroad and ruin his church and kingdom. All the inhabitants of the invisible world are full of zeal for and against Christ's design, and will never cease in their opposite and powerful exertions, until it is finally and fully accomplished. While all heaven and hell are not indifferent toward the design of Christ, can it be supposed that any of mankind should be indifferent towards it, who are infinitely more interested in it; having all their eternal interests suspended upon it? No; far from it. The apostle John tells us that he saw in vision men, angels and devils, all fiercely engaged in contending for it, and against it. "And there was war in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world. And I heard a loud voice, saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and

the power of his Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore, rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them." The great design of Christ is becoming more and more interesting and affecting to the whole intelligent universe, and they are all more and more engaged, either to promote it, or to obstruct it; nor is there a single individual, who understands. it, indifferent towards it. He that is not with Christ, is against him and his great and glorious design.

IMPROVEMENT.

1. If none can be indifferent towards the design which Christ is carrying on, then none have any ground to imagine that they are neuters in religion. It is to be feared that many, who live under the light of the gospel, wish to persuade themselves that they are neither friendly nor unfriendly to Christ. They do not desire to profess any love to Christ and his cause, nor, on the other hand, do they desire to appear opposed to him, or the design he is pursuing. They mean to be neutral in respect to religion, and neither promote it nor oppose it. They see some very sensible and respectable persons professing to be with Christ, and to be engaged to promote his cause, and therefore, they wish not to counteract them. And they see some very vile and worthless persons openly professing to despise and oppose the cause of Christ, and they choose not to appear as belonging to their class. They endeavor to feel, and appear to feel, indifferent towards that cause, which some are so much for, and others are so much against. They determine to steer a middle course, and to act a neutral part. They choose to let religion alone, and pay no more regard to it than they find necessary, in order to pursue their own business to the best advantage. If their character or interest requires them to attend public worship, they will attend; or if custom requires them to pay an external respect to the Sabbath, they will pay that respect; or if circumstances require them to read the Bible, or even to pray in their families, they will do these things; or if they think it will be for their profit to support religion, they will support it. They are also resolved never to speak against religion, nor to appear to act against it. Is this a mere imaginary character? Is it not actually exhibited by many who esteem themselves, and are esteemed, very amiable, excellent, valuable persons? Neuters of this character are very numerous, and are willing to be considered as such by others. But though they may really

think themselves to be neutral, and may be thought to be so by their fellow men, yet they are not neutral, and do not appear to be neutral in the heart searching eye of Christ. He knows what is in man, and he knows that no man can be indifferent towards him and the great design he is pursuing. He declares the truth when he says, " He that is not with me, is against me; and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth abroad." There is no design with respect to which men are so fond of appearing neutral, as the design which Christ is engaged in; but there is no design to which they can be less neutral. It is extremely absurd and dangerous for any to imagine that they are really neutral to the most important cause that was ever pursued, and upon which their own interest, and the interest of the whole intelligent universe is suspended. They must be happy or miserable to all eternity, accordingly as they are with, or against Christ, in his great and glorious design. For, if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, God says, "Let him be anathema, maran-atha."

2. If none can be indifferent towards the design which Christ is carrying on, then all who do not act for him, act against him. As all must be for him or against him in their hearts, so all must be for him or against him in their conduct. So Christ plainly declares in the text. He says, "He that is not with me, is against me;" that is, he that is not for me in his heart, is against me in his heart. Again he says, "He that gathereth not with me, scattereth abroad;" that is, he that is not for me in his heart, is against me in his conduct; "he scattereth abroad," and really opposes my design. Thus Christ viewed, represented and treated, such as pretended to be with him, but were destitute of true love to him. "It came to pass, that as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head." This was an implicit rejection of him for his insincerity. "When he was in Jerusalem at the Passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man." He knew that those who professed to love and believe in him, were totally destitute of both love and faith, and rejected them accordingly. When those whom he had miraculously fed, followed him over the sea of Tiberias, he said unto them, "Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled." This was a severe reproof for their following

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