things. To this cause Christ ascribed the spiritual blindness and ignorance of mankind. By their feelings and conduct towards the gospel, they are every where proving the truth of that religion which they either deny or reject. They act out that depravity on which the gospel is founded, and which the gospel is designed to remove, and thereby demonstrate the necessity of divine revelation. 5. It is a strong evidence in favor of the religion contained in the Bible, that it has been so long preserved in the world, notwithstanding all mankind could do to destroy it. Every nation united their exertions against it, all the while it was preserved by tradition, which was till the days of Moses; when God planted his church in Judea, in the midst of the nations, who viewed it as a speckled bird, and flocked around it to destroy it, until the Christian church was erected; and ever since that day, Jews and Gentiles have been combined against it. But though the flames of persecution, from age to age, and from time to time, have been kindled around it, and threatened to destroy it, yet it has never been consumed. It still lives, and flourishes, and spreads. This is the Lord's doing, and ought to be marvellous in our eyes. For it is a visible evidence that it came at first from God, and has been preserved by his constant care and powerful protection. The friends of Zion have always had occasion to say to God, as David did: "If it had not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us, then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us: then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul. Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth." Though other religions have been devised and propagated by the power of the sword and arm of government, yet they have died one after another; but the Christian religion has lived, and spread, and triumphed over all opposition; which cannot be accounted for by mere human means. It bears the stamp of a divine signature, and carries its own internal evidence with it to the understandings, and consciences, and hearts of all, who have candidly and impartially considered it. It is out of the power of learning, and reason, and criticism, to raise a solid objection against it. 6. We learn from what has been said, the deplorable state in which mankind in general have been involved for ages, and are still involved. A part of Europe, all Asia and Africa, and part of North and South America, are still sitting in the region and shadow of death, and perishing for the want of the gospel. About two thirds of the whole human race are now involved, either in the darkness of Paganism, Mohammedanism, Judaism, or Popery, and destitute of a part, or the whole of the Bible. None of them have the free use of the New Testament, which plainly contains the gospel of divine grace, which is able to make men wise unto salvation. Though some, in some of these nations, have well cultivated minds and a large share of human knowledge, yet they either know not God, or have false conceptions of his nature, perfections and designs. They have no conceptions, or false conceptions, of the way of finding favor with God, and securing the salvation of their souls, which are infinitely precious. Though they feel pleased with their religious errors and delusions, and fondly hope they will secure their happiness in a future state, if there be such a state; and though they are without excuse for their moral blindness, ignorance and prejudices, yet they are to be pitied; for they are undoubtedly yet the nations that forget God, and must be cast off and perish, unless the gospel shall be carried to them, and they cordially embrace it. It is indeed a dark mystery, that God has suffered them so long to walk in their own way, without using such effectual means to enlighten and save them as he always has had power to use. But we have good reason to believe that he will yet bring light out of their darkness, holiness out of their blindness, and happiness out of their misery. 7. This subject shows the great reason that christians have to expect, desire and pray for, a better state of things in the world. They know that God has promised to give the Gentiles, as well as the Jews, to Christ for his inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for his possession. They have reason to expect, therefore, that God will fulfil his promises to his Son, and bring all nations into cordial subjection to him. They have the same reason to desire, as to expect, that Christ will reign from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth. For there is nothing but his reign, or the prevalence of his religion, that can remove the natural and moral evils which surround, depress and destroy the great majority of the human race. Neither civilization, nor learning, nor the arts of living, can meliorate the moral state of the world. These means have been tried in the most enlightened and refined parts of Europe and America, and failed of success. As nations have increased in these things, so they have sinned. Tyranny and oppression, wars and bloodshed, have prevailed as much in civilized, as in uncivilized nations, and produced as great natural and moral evils. Nothing but the pure gospel of Christ, has been an ef fectual remedy to reform, purify, and save any of the children of men. But so far as the gospel has had its genuine influence upon the hearts of men, it has never failed to transform them into the moral image of God, and prepare them to promote peace, liberty, holiness and happiness, to the extent of their power. There is reason to expect that the gospel will sooner or later spread over all the earth, remove all tyranny and oppression, idolatry and delusions, and every species of vice and immorality, and cause this dark, depraved world to become holy, peaceful and happy. And is not this as much to be desired, as expected? And if to be desired and expected, is it not to be prayed for? Christ-has taught all his disciples to pray for it daily, by sincerely praying to his Father, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." But what will expectations, desires and prayers do, without correspondent exertions? All christians in every part of the world ought to exert themselves, to promote the melioration of the natural, moral and religious state of the ignorant, and deluded, and miserable nations, with whom they are surrounded and connected. Our free, civilized, and gospelized nation has unhappily and sinfully been connected with the nations of Africa. We have, in violation of every humane and religious principle, traded in the souls of men, bought thousands and thousands of Africans, brought them from their native country to this, and here subjected them to the hardest labor, the meanest drudgery, and most absolute slavery. Their sighs and groans have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, and cried for mercy and deliverance to themselves, if not for vengeance on their oppressors. Though none of us, perhaps, have been personally concerned in this great iniquity, yet our nation has been, and is concerned in it. We cannot excuse ourselves, if we do not openly disapprove of it, condemn it, and use all proper means to put an end to it. A scheme has been devised and a society formed, gradually to emancipate those who were once held in bondage, but have been freed, and are desirous of being transported back to their native country, relatives and friends, with a view to enlighten and civilize others, and to put a final stop to the slave trade on the African coast. This is a most humane and benevolent design; and it is hoped it will be approved and promoted by individuals at present, and soon by the national legislature. Realizing the freedom, the civilization, and the blessings of the gospel, which we have long and fully enjoyed, can we forbear to throw in our mite, to promote such a humane, important and benevolent purpose? If the design be accomplished, it will give the fairest opening and prospect of not only breaking the rod of oppressors, but of spreading the glorious gospel among a large portion of the human race who are perishing in their ignorance and guilt; while it will wipe off a foul blot from our national honor, humanity and religion. These are motives which must sink deeply in every benevolent heart. SERMON XXII. THE HOPELESS STATE OF THE HEATHEN. THE wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God THE time was, when all the nations of the earth knew and acknowledged the only living and true God. This time, however, was of short duration. The nations were soon divided and scattered over the four quarters of the globe. Soon after their separation from each other, they lost their religious traditions, grew vain in their imaginations, and degenerated into all kinds of idolatry. The true religion would have become entirely extinct, had not God selected one nation from all the rest, and given them a written and standing revelation. Of this nation David was both a king and a prophet. As the king of God's peculiar people, he viewed all the heathen nations as his personal enemies; and as a prophet of the true church, he viewed all the heathen nations as enemies to the true God and the true religion. Hence it is, that he so often blends his enemies with the enemies of God, and speaks of both as exposed to both temporal and eternal ruin. This mode of speaking runs through this psalm. He begins with praising God for the overthrow of his enemies. "I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee; I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. When mine enemies are turned back they shall fall and perish at thy presence. For thou hast maintained my right and my cause: thou sattest in the throne judging right. Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked." From God's past conduct, he proceeds, under the influence of a true prophetic spirit, to foretell his future conduct towards the wicked, and especially the heathen, whom he considered as such. "The heathen are sunk down into the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken." It follows in the next verse but one, "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." This is not a mere threatening, but a plain prediction; and therefore the veracity of God stands pledged to fulfil it. The prediction is, that all the finally wicked shall be destroyed, and among these, all nations that forget God. This is a description of all the heathen world, who are destitute of divine revelation. For it was common among the Jews, as well as among us, to call all nations heathen who were left to the mere light of nature. It is true that in David's day all nations were heathen except the Jews; but now, by the heathen, we mean only those nations who never enjoyed the gospel. To these nations the prediction in the text still extends, and assures us that it is God's fixed determination to destroy them, as well as the unbelievers of the gospel. The text contains this solemn truth, That all the heathen will finally perish. Since this is a subject upon which both the learned and unlearned differ in their opinions, I shall endeavor to treat it as thoroughly and plainly as I can. To make it appear that the heathen will be finally lost, I would observe, 1. That God, many years ago, gave them up to judicial blindness and hardness of heart. The first heathen nations might have known God, but they chose to forget him. And from this circumstance they are justly called, The nations that forget God. The first families and nations after the Deluge, were instructed by their pious progenitors in the knowledge of God, and of true religion. And it is highly probable that when the nations. were divided, and sent to the various parts of the earth to which God directed them, there were some pious and intelligent persons in each nation, who would have gladly instructed them, if they had been willing to receive divine instruction. But the body of each nation chose to forget and forsake their Creator, and sink into a state of gross ignorance and impiety. This was highly displeasing to God; and for this he gave them up to judicial blindness and stupidity. Paul, speaking of the heathen, says, "Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind." And Paul and Barnabas both say, "God in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways." Both these passages plainly imply that the heathen had then long been given up to judicial blindness. And it seems natural to conclude that this |