source of great grief, and well it may. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, says the Psalmist, because men keep not thy law. Who could bear to go through a kingdom distinguished as this is by favours from heaven, and hear God and his gospel despised and blasphemed: sometimes his name, sometimes his Son, sometimes his ordinances, and more especially on his own day: his faithful servants despised, insulted, and ill treated. Who could bear to make an enmeration of the families who maintain the appearance of religion in family prayer, and compare the number with those who do not call upon God's name? Who could bear this view of things? Amongst the hundreds and thousands of the different ranks and classes of our countrymen throughout the kingdom, ask that mortifying question-What are the objects of their pursuit? And you will find this man eager in the pursuit of wealth, that of pleasure, another of the gratification of some guilty passion, lust, revenge, and so on. O! of how few can it be said they are seeking after the knowledge of God and the practice of virtue! An impartial view of the state of religion amongst us is so discouraging, that were it not for the consolation of the scriptures, we should be apt to despair, and think that the spirit of piety, sunk to such a degree, would soon be gone. But, no, elevate your minds, christians, and lay hold on the consolation your religion affords you. The God who gave it you told you he would take care of its interests to the end of time, and that his Holy Spirit should be the

same to the christian system as the soul to the body. Upon this truth we live, upon this we labour, upon this we believe that christianity always must have disciples, and that the time will come when it will have more disciples than ever; that the gospel shall have free course, run and be glorified. It is not that we expect any thing effectual from learning; that may have a glory; nor even from universal benevolence; that must have a greater glory; but the glory of the extensive, the general diffusion of the gospel, is sacred to God. The grand promise is contained in the text. -I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, that is, I will give the spirit of this book to christians, ministers, and people.

2. Let us examine-What is the spirit of the gospel?-A spirit of truth, and to men who live in sin, a cutting truth. Take,-take it if you love your own safety; take the spirit of the book, and although it speaks against every false way, and your false way amongst the rest, nevertheless admit it; though a painful it is a salutary visitor. It will bring you pain at the beginning, but pleasure in the end. It is a spirit of truth, a spirit of piety, a spirit of benevolence. O God! Give us to imbibe the spirit of this religion; we shall then believe the gospel, and imitate the example of Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith: we shall enter into the spirit of what the prophet says in the words following our text:-One shall say, I am the Lord's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his

hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel. We shall then heartily join the christian church; we shall pray with the people of God; converse with the people of God; read the scriptures with the people of God; worship with the people of God; live with, and be happy with that blessed people whose God is the Lord, for ever and ever; and all in virtue of this promise-I will pour my spirit upon thy seed. Amen.

SERMON II.

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE GOSPEL.

MALACHI iv. 2.

But unto you that fear my name, shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings, and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall.

THIS

HIS Prophecy which it pleased God by the prophet Malachi to give the old Jewish church, exhibits to our view a variety of beauties, many of which, well worthy our accurate observation in our retired hours, I am this evening under the necessity of passing over.

Considered as a piece of writing this prophecy contains very fine and beautiful imagery. There is something very expressive in calling a man a sun; there is something more expressive in ascribing to this sun wings; and more still in causing health to be universally diffused by virtue of his influence. Considered as the writing of a Jew, there is something very picturesque, historical and expressive of that peculiar country, in the figurative language of the last clause:-Ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. This is not a British phrase, remember: every country has its

idiom, and the beauty of an idiom, is taken from its conformity to known facts: that was the case with this phrase,-Ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall, the propriety, force, and beauty of which was well understood and felt by the Jewish church. Considered as a prophecy it is a very clear one of the rising of some eminent person of the nation to whom it was addressed; and I think if righteousness, a righteousness beneficial to all the world be the character of the man, there is no person in all the history of the Jews that could lay the least claim to it, except he whose claim is universally allowed, the Lord Jesus Christ.

But amidst a number of observations of this kind, which are all just and all useful, I confine myself to night to one, the principle of the text; because that must be of most importance to this congregation which is most likely to make for all our edification. Now the subject to which we shall beg leave to call your attention is THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE GOSPEL.-And unto you that fear my name, shall the sun of RIGHTEOUSNESS arise with healing in his wings.

Methinks I hear the conscience of some one, muttering within the bosom, "A righteous gospel! and what have I to do with a righteous "gospel? A gracious gospel I love."--Do you mean, conscience, (speaking to your own master I mean,) do you mean a gospel kind and gentle, which will wink at your disobedience, and forgive.