transgressions; then hear him ask, How shall I be delivered from the power of sin, that it may no longer have dominion over me? How shall I be delivered from the guilt of sin, that it may no longer oppress my tortured conscience? How shall I be delivered from the pollution of sin, and be prepared for, and entitled to, everlasting glory? The proper answer to these anxious questions, leads to the second thing which was proposed; namely,

II. The design with which Christ came into this world.

This is briefly stated in the text: he came into the world to save sinners. His errand was an errand of mercy. He did not come to condemn the world, but that the world, through him, might be saved. In the salvation of the human soul, two attributes of God appear to be peculiarly exercised and harmonized, namely, his justice and his mercy; and, however opposite the claims of these two attributes may seem to mortals, through the atonement of Christ “God can be just, and yet the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." His life was offered for the life of man; and this was a sacrifice which God himself required: for Christ was considered the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. He, as a sacrifice for sin, was the end of the law for righteousness-for justification to every one that believeth. Through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that alone, a sinner is saved from the power, guilt, and pollution of sin. This brings us to speak of the third thing proposed; namely,

III. The truth, worth, and excellency of the Gospel revelation.

The most compendious method to attain to a knowledge of Gospel truth, is to enter into it as a scheme or plan, and to obey its requisitions. "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine," &c. But few systems of religion have been set on foot, that have not had some plausible arguments to establish their truth and excellence. But experiment and utility give their evidence in favour of the Christian system. Jesus Christ is a tried stone. Notice the effect that Christianity wrought in St. Paul, as one evidence, among many, of the truth and excellency of the Gospel. Contemplate, for a moment, the inveterate prejudices of his education, and the enmity he manifested against the Gospel and members of Jesus Christ. Inquire, next, what were the weapons with which this enmity was slain, and this prejudice removed. It was not "enticing words of man's wisdom," that effected the change; but the mighty energy of Christ's own Gospel. His change was not the sickly qualm of fanaticism. He took but the two parts through life: that of Judaism, and that of Christianity. The one he defended, till slain by the sword of the Spirit: the other he defended, with all his might, from that time until his luminous sun set in blood, to rise again in glory. What but truth invincible, could have made a lamb of this lion? It was not sophistical arguments by which he was convinced; but the naked truth, attended by the Holy Spirit, found its way to his heart, and wrought the change.

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HARRIS'S SERMONS ON IMPORTANT SUBJECTS.

The worth and excellence of religion may be seen, by contemplating that firmness and peace with which he met dangers and death. In stripes, bonds, and imprisonments, he was serene and unmoved; and his fortitude, which supported him in the trials of life, made him more than conqueror in the pains of martyrdom. Religion, as a principle, is the same in all who possess it. St. Paul, though an illustrious pattern of godliness, was not the only person who has expressed a rational confidence in a dying hour. It is one of the principal characteristics of religion, that it tranquillizes the soul in life, and gives its possessor more than victory at death.

Let me here inquire, whether you have ever attentively considered the subject of religion. If so, you must be convinced of its worth. Let me next ask, if you have embraced it? It never was designed for mere speculation: and as it relates to you, Christ has died in vain, and the Gospel revelation is made in vain, unless you embrace it, and become a co-worker with the Holy Spirit.

O brethren, shall we be amused with the trifles of life, and neglect this glorious news, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners! What must be our guilt, what must be our punishment! O how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation!

SERMON VII.

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Matt. xxv. 41.

OFTEN have I lifted my warning voice among you, but never, to my recollection, did I ascend this pulpit, with a mind so completely surcharged with unutterable ideas, as at this time. It is not a darkened sun, nor a bloody moon, that overwhelms me-It is not a reeling earth, nor a roaring sea, that affrights me--No, it is not the aggravated roar of resounding thunders, nor yet the irresistible glare of all-conquering fire, that convulses me. I have just heard-ah! what did I hear? I have just heard the voice of a God, the treasures of whose grace is quite exhausted. I have just heard the God of battle, whose love is turned into hate; whose riches of grace are turned into treasures of wrath. By faith, I say, I have just heard this great arbiter of our destiny utter that curse against the vessels of wrath, who have fitted themselves for destruction; which, whilst it admits of no mitigation or repeal, consigns them to the unimaginable agonies of eternal damnation. Unhappy man that I am, I have taken the children's bread, and

cast it to dogs; I have poured forth, in strains of godly eloquence, to an unheeding multitude, the alluring calls of Christ's glorious Gospel, whilst my fruit has been but as the gleaning of the vintage. It seems as though God's word has as yet returned empty; and, like the old prophet, I now enquire, “Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" Should I be considered an unjust censor, if I were to state my fears, that there are many present who are carnal and unconverted, and consequently enemies to God? To such it seems almost unnecessary to say any thing by way of exhortation: efforts of this kind have long been beggared, and we appear to have arisen, once more, only to inscribe the epitaph of your privileges, and the date which at once points to the end of your joys, and the beginning of your wo. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.

I. I design to speak, first, of the certainty of hell torments; and,

II. Of their greatness, and wherein the greatness of them will consist:

III. Of their eternity.

These doctrines seem to be clearly implied in the text.

I. And, first, I design to speak something of the certainty of hell torments. Then shall he (Christ, the