2. Methinks, my brethren, their conduct in this matter reflects censure and disgrace upon many in our day, who readily believe and propagate every idle tale that they happen to hear to the disadvantage of others, and make no scruple to condemn and revile whole communites of people, whose principles and conduct they neither understand, nor will be at the pains to examine. This, however, I trust, is not your practice. You, who call yourselves, and who, many of you, I hope, are Christians, will surely have as much justice as the Jews or Heathens at Rome. You will patiently hear a cause before you judge it, and will not condemn what you have not considered.

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And, persuaded that spiritual things differ in this from natural, that they cannot be rightly understood, but by the teaching of the Holy Spirit according to the clear and forcible reasoning of this apostle, 1 Cor. ii. 11. "What man knoweth the things of a man,' or the things that belong to human nature, save the spirit of a man that is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man but by the Spirit of God:"-persuaded of this, I say, you will see the propriety of applying to God in prayer for the illumination of his Holy Spirit, that, as our Church observes, in her Collect for Whitsunday, being taught hereby, you may "have a right judgment in all things," especially in things of such vast moment. Now this is all we desire. Grant us this, and we ask no more. If, at any time, after you have heard our message, and endeavouring to devest your minds of prejudice, have sincerely and earnestly asked of God to enable you to form a right judgment concerning it, you think proper to reject it, we can do no more. We leave you to God and your own consciences, only observing for your greater caution, and to prevent your coming to too hasty a conclusion, that these Jews at Rome rejected even the message of St. Paul; not, however, because they had devested their minds of prejudice, and sincerely addressed themselves to God in prayer, for supernatural light; but because they had not previously taken these necessary steps.

3. I am glad, my brethren, for the truth's sake, that you may believe and be saved, that I do not appear before you, in this place, to-day, under such disadvantageous circumstances as those under which St. Paul appeared at Rome. I was not brought to this town a prisoner, nor do I appear before you in chains. I am free, and have the same right to the privileges of an Englishman which any of you have, and to the protection of the good government under which we live ; nor does the law allow any man to

molest me, were any minded to do it, in the exercise of my office in this licensed house. Add to this, that the circumstance of my professing to be a disciple of Him that was crucified in Judea can excite no prejudice in your minds against me, for you profess to do the same. In these respects, therefore, I address you with advantages very superior to those which this apostle had in addressîng the Jews at Rome. But then, I must acknowledge on the other hand, that he was a much more able advocate for the truth than I can pretend to be. However, as he did not go to any peopłe confiding in "excellency of speech, or of wisdom,” but “in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power," which, from time to time, accompanied his word; and as even he allowed, that he was not sufficient of himself for the important office of preaching the gospel, but acknowledged that his sufficiency was of God; so the same Spirit and power are free for us: God can still aid the weakness of his servants, and cause us to know by our own experience, that his grace is sufficient for us. Relying, then, on the help of this, let us,

1. Inquire what the Sect was which is spoken of in my text, and what were the principles and conduct of its members.

2dly. What we may suppose were the reasons why it was every where spoken against, and whether they who thus reviled it, acted wisely, and were justified in so doing.

I shall then, 3dly, make some application of what has been advanced.

And, 1st. We are to inquire what the Sect was which is spoken of in my text, and what were the principles and conduct of its members.

1. This sect, you will recollect, was no other than that, termed by Tertullus,* "the sect of the Nazarenes," that is, of the Christians, founded by Jesus of Nazareth, a ringleader of which, as Tertullus expresses it, was this same Paul of Tarsus. And, first,

2. As to the principles of this sect, it must be confessed that they differed widely from those, both of the Heathen and the Jews. In opposition to the Heathen, who were polytheists and idolaters; who believed in a plurality of gods, and those gods either the work of

*Acts xxiv. 5.

men's hands, wood and stone, or mere imaginary beings, that had no existence, or corrupt and evil beings, that were in reality, devils; the Christians held that there is only one God, and that he is selfexistent and possessed of all possible perfections. They believed him to be infinite and eternal in all his attributes: in wisdom unsearchable, in power almighty, in love unbounded, in truth inviolable, in justice impartial, in mercy unfathomable, and in holiness unspotted: that he is present every where, acquainted with every thing, even with the secrets of men's hearts, and can do whatever he will, whether" in heaven, or among the inhabitants of the earth, no creature being able to stay his hand, or say unto him, what dost thou? They viewed him as the original Creator, and continual Preserver of the universe of creatures, as the bountiful Benefactor, and righteous Governor of the human race, and as the final Judge of men and angels, whom, as being formed intelligent, free, and immortal, or as the Scriptures speak," after his image," they believed to be accountable to him, and dependent on him for their final doom. They acknowledged, of course, that a future state of rewards and punishments await mankind, and that a future and general judg ment will take place, the consequences of which will be everlasting.

"that

3. Herein they differed from many among the Jews also, even from the whole sect of the Sadducees, whose doctrine it was, there is no resurrection, neither angel nor spirit" of man, that survives the death of the body; nor, indeed, any future state whatever; but that this life is the whole of our existence, and carnal pleasure our chief good. In opposition to another part of the Jews, the Pharisees, the professors of the day, the Christians believed that man is a fallen creature, 66 very far gone from original righteousness," from the image of God, in which he was made, and that he is by nature a child of wrath, and, therefore, incapable of justifying himself by his own works before God: that "there is none righteous," (by nature, or according to the holy and spiritual law of God,) "no, not one; that all are gone out of the way, are together become unprofitable, and that there is none that doeth good,” viz. from a right principle, and in the manner and degree required, "no, not one;" that man's "throat is an open sepulchre; that with his tongue he uses deceit; that the poison of asps is under," even when honey is upon his lips;" that his "mouth is," too often, "full of cursing and bitterness, his feet swift to shed blood; that destruction" to others, "and misery" to himself, "are in his ways, and the way of peace he has not known."

4. But did they, therefore, leave mankind without hope, and abandon them to destruction and despair? By no means. As they taught that God has a Son, an only Son, his eternal Word or Wisdom, who was in the beginning with him, by whom all things were made; and without whom was not any thing made that was made;" so they taught, also, that God had "so loved the world as to give this his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life :" that although he was his own and only Son, the Father had "not withheld him, but freely delivered him up to become incarnate, to live and die for us all ;"“ had wounded him for our transgressions, bruised him for our iniquities, and laid on him the chastisement of our peace :" had "made him to be sin," or a sin-offering for us, "that we might be made the righteousness of God in him," or might be justified and accounted, nay, and even constituted righteous, in and through faith in him.

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5. Hence they preached justification and salvation, present and eternal, in his name, and through his mediation. "God," declared they, "is in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing men's trespasses to them, and hath committed unto" his servants "the word of reconciliation. Now, then," added they, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."

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For,*"through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe, (that believe in, and rely on him, with a faith that worketh by love,' that overcometh the world,‡ and purifieth the heart,'§) are justified from all things, from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses."

In the same way, through the same atonement and grace of Christ, they preached regeneration and entire sanctification, declaring, that "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saves us by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, which God sheds on believers abundantly, that being justified by grace, they may be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." For,

6. They taught that God, who has a Son, has also a Spirit, often termed the Holy Ghost, as being infinitely holy in himself, and the one source of holiness to us: termed also the Spirit of truth, of life, and of grace, because it is his office to guide us into all necessary truth, to quicken our souls, which, by nature, are dead in trespasses and sins, to open the life of God within us, to create us anew

* Acts xiii. 38.

+ Gal. v. 6.

1 John v. 4, 5.

§ Acts xv. 9.

in Christ Jesus, and, (from day to day) to help our infirmities. He convinces, they assure us, of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment: and as a Spirit of adoption, "sent into the hearts of believers, crying, Abba, Father," "bears witness with their spirits that they are the children of God." He is, therefore, also a Comforter, being a never-failing source of consolation, as well as of purity to God's people, and producing love, joy, and peace in their souls, as well as all other fruits of righteousness. This Spirit, they bore testimony, must not only be believed in and acknowledged, but received, and when received, makes mankind the temples of God, or "an habitation of God through the Spirit" here, and prepares them to dwell with him hereafter. On the other hand, "If any man have

not the Spirit of Christ," they uniformly declared that such an one "is none of his," but is still in the flesh, that is, in a carnal and unregenerate state, and incapable of being admitted into the kingdom of heaven.

7. One thing more let me observe here. As they represented these blessings of justification, regeneration, and sanctification, with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in his gifts and graces, as free for all, without exception, Christ having, as they testified, "given himself a ransom" absolutely "for all," and "tasted death for every man,' without the exception of one: so they required nothing of mankind, in order to their partaking of this salvation in all these branches of it, but "repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ," both which blessings, however, they represented as the gifts of God, which would certainly be conferred on all that sincerely, earnestly, and perseveringly sought them. "The kingdom of God is at hand," was their language, even that kingdom which is "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."*"Repent ye, and believe the gospel," as the way leading infallibly to it: "Repent and be baptized, in the name of the Lord Jesus," which certainly implied believing in his name, "for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, for the promise is unto you and to your children, and to those that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call:"Testifying," says St. Paul, "both to Jews and Greeks, repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." They assured their hearers, however, that all genuine repentance would certainly be productive of fruits worthy of repentance, such as, "ceasing to do evil, and learning to do well," in all known in

Rom. xiv. 17.

† Acts ii. 38, 39.

Acts xx. 21.