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will observe him frequently to have acted, in the course of his public ministry. In the epistle to the Ephesians, the apostle, after discoursing on the intimate relation between the husband and wife, and their mutual duties, accommodates his doctrine to the union between Christ and his church. This is a great mystery! but I speak of Christ and the church. He had just before said, in terms very highly mystical, we are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones. This is a doctrine of singular consolation to every true believer; and yet, is no more to be comprehended, than the secret ligament which unites the bo-, dy and soul. In the first epistle to the Corinthians, near the close of his discourse on the resurrection, he says, Behold, I tell you a mystery,* or secret; we shall not all sleep, or die, as men usually do; but we shall all be changed. The doctrine was a mystery in two respects; it does not appear ever to have been mentioned before; and when declared, was not capable of being comprehended.

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From the preceding remarks, to some, it might possibly, on first sight, appear, as if God had left mankind under insuperable disadvantages, in a

* Out of twenty-five places where the word occurs, it is used fourteen times by the Apostle, in his letters to those churches that were chiefly converts from Heathenism-to whom, consequently its meaning was familiar enough-when used to the Jews, it probably alludes to the concealed meaning of their typical rights, and signifies a vail or curtain.

matter of infinite moment to their happiness, by not reducing every thing in the scheme of redemption, to a level with the human understanding.— But, when it is considered, that the external evidences of the gospel are sufficiently clear, to convince every unprejudiced mind, that it is certainly the work of God; that it contains a plain, and complete system of moral duties; and that these are enforced by the most rational and persuasive motives that can affect the heart-and when it is farther considered, that God has freely offered his holy spirit to supply every defect on our part; and to lead all who seek him, into all the truth that is requisite to be known, in order to salvation. I see not what more can be desired.

The truth is, my brethren, that all the objections that are raised against the Gospel, on the ground of the obscurities that attend it, are mere cavil. Its light is already stronger, than they who are prejudiced against it can bear; and if all of its obscurities were cleared, they would be prejudiced still the more. If the dawn be so painful to their eyes, how much more so would be the light of noon? This, says Christ, is the condemnation that light is come into the world, and men havé loved the darkness before the light, because their deeds were evil. And if they shun the light that is already given them, of what use would be more, but to aggravate their condemnation? If our gos

pel be hidden, says the Apostle, it is hidden to them who are perishing; among whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them who believe not, that the light of the glorious Gospelof Christ, who is the image of God, hath not shi ned unto them.

It is prejudice, passion and the interests of this world, joined with the delusions of Satan, that render men incapable of understanding the Gos pel, and not its obscurities. Let them, therefore, first clear themselves of these impediments, and come to the light with an honest and teachable heart, and they will no longer complain of difficulties and darkness. Especially, let them endeavor with sincerity to practise the precepts of the Gospel, against which there can be no objections, but such as arise from a depraved heart, and they will find all the light that can be necessary to their salvation. For, if any man be willing to do the will of God, he shall know of the doctrine whe ther it be true. Ye are not willing, said Christ to the prejudiced Jews; to come to me, that ye might have life. It was freely offered to them, but they disliked the terms. The purity of his doctrines offended their corrupt principles, and this offence kept them in fatal darkness. And the same principles still operate to keep multitudes in blindness, who live under the clear beam of the sun of righteousness; and this blindness being voluntary,

while it remains, there is no remedy. But to the upright there ariseth light in the darkness; and this light will shine more and more to the perfect day. Here, indeed, at the best, they see but darkly in a glass;* but they shall see enough to guide their feet in the way of peace: And when they arrive at the regions of perfect light, they shall see face to face, and know even as they are known. This shall be the reward of the upright, who in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

We come now

II. To show what the mystery of the Gospel is, that is, what are the doctrines it inculcates, as necessary to be known and believed, in order to salvation.

Under this head, I can but touch on the variety of particulars that will necessarily come be fore us.

The whole scheme of the redemption is founded in the necessities and miseries of mankind that have resulted from the fall. To all these the grace of God hath accommodated itself, in the most precise and abundant manner, by the gift of Jesus Christ, with whom he hath also freely given us all things. We shall therefore here consi

* Here we see but the obscure images of future things; there the things themselves, in direct and distinct vision.

der the penalty of sin-the moral depravity we have incurred the acquittal and the restoration.

1. The penalty of sin.-This, in its first sense, is the death of the body; for the sanction enforcing the prohibition which was given to Adam was in the day that thou eatest of the forbidden fruit, thou shalt surely die. Though he lived near a thousand years after the transgression; yet, from that fatal moment, the principles of death began to operate in his body, and so continued, till he returned to the earth from whence he was taken. With this part of the penalty are connected all the infirmities, pains, diseases, and wasting labors, which affect the body; and all the vexatious cares and sorrows which harrass the mind in the varieties of our external condition. These, in whatever form they come, or from whatever cause they immediately proceed, are to be considered as the penal consequences of our apostacy.

The other part of the penalty is, the death of the soul-that is, the loss of the favor and presence of God, and the privilege of free communion with him, which constituted the chief happiness of the state of innocence; and in which consisteth the true life of a rational and moral creature. And, as no limits were set to the penalty in the denunciation, it clearly implied that it was to be eternal. The body was to die, without hope of restitution to life; and the soul to be separated from God,

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