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SERMON,

&c.

Permit me to befpeak the candor and indulgence of my Reverend Brethern and of this Audience, while with the fentiments of efteem and affection due to a fociety, amongst whóm, in the early part of my miniftry, I enjoyed the intercourfes of friendship, and engaged in the fervices of my character, I requeft their ferious regard to what may be offered from those words, which we find in

ACTS ii. 42, 46, 47.

And they continued fledfaftly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayer: And they continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from houfe to boufe, did eat their meat with gladness and fingleness of heart, praifing God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the Church daily fuch as fhould be faved.

ANKIND naturally wish, in every purfuit,

M for the aids and fupports of fociety. Who

is not defirous, in the arduous enterprize, of engag ing others; that the difficulties of it may be di̟

B

vided,

MRS

vided, and his own efforts rendered more easy and fuccefsful? Who is not fond, in the agreeable and profperous undertaking, of communicating to others the benefits he hath obtained? When men act in concert, their emulation is kindled; their powers are whetted; their hands are strengthened; and their pleasures, by being circulated, flow back again into their own booms, with an improved relish.

Religion, as well as other objects of human attachment and purfuit, wants the fuccour of focial connexions, and difpofes the heart to open its feelings, its fentiments, and its joys, to others. When Andrew and Philip had met with Jefus, how naturally do they impart the important difcovery to their nearest friends, and invite them to a fhare in the great bleffing. No fooner do we read of the three thousand being converted by the preaching of Peter, but we find them acting together in facred harmony, uniting in the fame duties of devotion, and improving their focial affections into pious friendship. "They continued ftedfaftly in the Apoftles' doctrine, and "fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayer. And they continuing daily with one "accord in the temple, and breaking bread from "house to house, did eat their meat with glad"nefs and finglenefs of heart, praifing God, " and having favour with all the people.” “And

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"the Lord added to the Church daily fuch as "fhould be faved."

This is a pleafing and inftructive view of the conduct of these converts; of the zeal which warmed their breafts; of the love which united their hearts and it fets before us the happy effects of their deportment on the chriftian cause.

In the name of Jefus of Nazareth, a man lately despised, rejected, and crucified by his own countrymen, but raised from the dead by the power of God; (of which the effufion of the spirit on the day of Pentecoft was a convincing teftimony); in his name there arifes a fociety, of which the world furnished no model. It confifted not of a few enlightened and philofophic minds, whom an improved tafte, cultivated manners, and the fame studies had cemented; but of a great multitude, formed of men of various and remote nations, of different tongues, and of different religious par

ties.

"All these are clofely united by the bonds of fraternal love; by the obligations of the most pure and active benevolence. They all have but one heart and one mind, that of their Founder. They all worship the Almighty in fpirit and in truth." Their bufinefs is devotion; their hearts. dilate with love their lips open in fongs of praise. "They eat their meat with gladness and finglenefs of heart." Their time is divided between the fervices of religion, and the entertainments of

christian converfe. There is no want or poverty; for those who had goods and poffeffions, chearfully fell them to divide the price to all, as every man had need. "We behold, as it were, a new, earthly Paradife: but the trees of it are all trees of life."*

Thefe converts exhibited a wonderful and pleafing fpectacle. It is eafy to conceive, that they must attract the notice of mankind. And, drawing the eyes of men upon them, is it surpris ing, that these manners produced fentiments of efteem for the principles from which they arofe? Is it strange, that the fame graces, which concili ated the regards of men to themselves, should difpofe others to embrace the faith which they had adopted? Rather was it not to be expected, that men affected, impreffed, and charmed with a deportment fo full of unfeigned love and chearful devotion,

Peu de temps après la mort de l'ENVOYE, je vois se former dans un coin obfcur de la Terre, une Société dont les Sages du Paganifme n'avoient pas même entrevu la poffibilité. Tous fes Membres font unis etroitement par les lieus n del' amour fraternel & de la bienveuillance la plus pure & la plus agffante. Ils n'ont tous qu'une même Efprit, & cet Efprit est Celui de leur FONDATEUR. Tous adorent le GRAND ETRE en Esprit & en Verité, &c. En un mot; je crois contempler un nouveau Paradis Terreftre; mais dont tous les Arbres font des Arbres de Vie. Recherches Philofophiques fur les Preuves du Chriftianifme: Nouvelle Edition, par C. Bonnet, a Geneve, 1779, p. 385, 6.

devotion, should be ready to believe that GOD was with them of a truth: nay, should be defirous of joining themselves to fo holy, benevolent, and happy a community.

How different was this fcene, which the Apoftles were the great inftruments of introducing, from that profpect which they had entertained concerning the first establishment of Chrift's kingdom. Their ambition had indulged the hope of filling fome high pofts of honour and power in a temporal kingdom. Their imaginations had looked forward to the time, when they should be employed under the ftandard of their master, to carry through the world the triumphs of his fword. They do, indeed, triumph in the name of their mafter. They do enlist fubjects to his fcepter. They do fee the kingdom of Christ opening, and thousands flocking into it. But no fword is unfheathed; no throne is erected: no banners are displayed.

The weapons of their warfare are spiritual; the words of truth and grace, and the miraculous gifts of the Spirit. They find themselves not at the head of armies, but, fitting on the bench of teachers; unfolding the doctrine of falvation,followed and liftened to with an attention that Philofophers could never merit, nor Scribes ever command. They fee focieties forming, whofe

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