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and the critical remarker is generally considered invidious. Gil Blas and his dignified clergyman, exhibit an excellent lesson, and a recollection of the fate of the degraded favourite, shall upon this occasion, be properly influential. On mature deliberation, I shall return the manuscript precisely as I received it. I wish the subjects of my author had not been previously exhausted. I wish; but no matter. If I were at liberty I would send you this manuscript. You would observe many remarks worthy notice, though to you nothing is new. But why regard any thing of this nature the less, in consequence of its wanting the charm of novelty? The sun is not the less pleasing because it received its birth on the fourth day of time, and has continued its irradiating influence through revolving centuries; what though it recedes and returns in the same order with each returning day, still we admire and rejoice in its genial power; but, perhaps, one reason why the sun itself continues to charm, is the variety of its appearance; did it always rise, shine, and set clear, should we not be very apt to forget there was a sun? I fancy we should not in such circumstances be so accustomed to give our friends, upon every occasion the same information which they are equally ready to give us-The delightful appearance of the weather.

Yes, we love something new. God himself has planted this love of novelty in our nature, at least I believe he has ; for it is extremely natural: And is it not somewhere said, the voice of nature is the voice of God? It does not appear to me that this fondness for something new is a weed growing in this degenerated, uncultivated soil. The blessed inhabitants of heaven are happy in singing the new song of Moses and the Lamb. Can it then be matter of wonder that we should seek after something new, either in matter or manner? Mr. W. the elder declares he has no curiosity; that he has no desire to make any new discovery; but in this the poor gentleman deceives himself, or perhaps more properly is himself deceived. I should have observed to you, but you are not now to be told, that I am regularly irregular; yet I ought to have informed you in its place, that Mr. W. preached a most excellent sermon to the Oxford Convention. His text was selected from Galatians, i. 8. "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." By the desire of Mr. W. I finished the subject he had commenced; and I proceeded in the following manner :

Our beloved friend, and very dear brother, having given you a clear view of the gospel, has referred to me the consideration of the apostolic affirmation" But though we, or an angel from heaven preach unto you any other gospel, than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." Suppose, for example, we, who have now preached that you are redeemed from the curse of the law, in consequence of Jesus being made a curse for you; that you who being unrighteous, could in such a character, have no inheritance in that kingdom, which the unrighteous cannot inherit, are now heirs, joint heirs with Christ, according to promise, in the fulfilment of that prophecy," The name whereby he shall be called is the Lord our righteousness;" that we who have sinned, and on whom, as sinners, the sentence had passed"The soul that sinneth shall die;" shall live, and not die, not in consequence of making void the law, but in consequence of Jesus dying for us, and that in such a way, that his death was, in the eye of infinite truth and justice, considered our death; so that constrained by the love of God, we judge that if one died for all, then are all dead; and that the just, thus dying for the unjust, was to bring them to God, and that being thus brought to God, he hath accepted us in the beloved; and that we are complete in him; and that the just God who hath accepted us in our head, will in no wise cast us out; and that he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness, not by themselves; the apostle would not dare to judge himself by himself, but by that man whom he hath ordained, not only to be the judge of quick and dead, but also to be a Prince and a Saviour; to give repentance to the impenitent, and remission of sins to the offender. That your transgressions are blotted out, and your iniquities pardoned. That when all we like sheep had gone astray, every one to his own way, the Lord laid upon the Redeemer the iniquities of us all, and that having suffered for our sins, and put them away by the sacrifice of himself, God is now a reconciled God, not imputing unto the world their trespasses; having made the humanity of Christ sin for us, that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.

Suppose, I say, that we who have thus, by the grace of God, authorized by divine authority, preached this true, this everlasting gospel, should, through the mutability of our nature, and that dreadful propensity in our evil hearts to turn aside as a broken bow, from the mark of the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus

suppose we should preach unto you another gospel, assuring you that your own obedience to the righteous law must exempt you from the curse denounced against law breakers, or you would never be exempted; that you must be distinguished from the rest of mankind who are unrighteous, by a change wrought in yourselves, so that you may be so fully convinced you are not like other men, that you may be able in the presence of God, to thank him for his discriminating grace, or you never can have any legal or just claim to an inheritance in the kingdom of God, and of Christ-that sinners not thus changed and made righteous, must assuredly die the death, and the unjust assuredly suffer in their own persons, for their own sins, before they can be brought to God; and that should they approach him previous to this change, he will assuredly cast them out into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels-For that although Jesus died for sinners, yet his death in the sight of infinite justice was not the death of the sinner, and that the sentence passed on the sinner is still in full force; the soul that sinneth shall die-That we are not accepted in the beloved, nor complete in him; and that therefore the just God hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that righteous law which condemns the offender to everlasting perdition, and sets the obedient free-That on that day the sinners of mankind will find that their transgressions are not pardoned; that their iniquities were not blotted out; that they were not laid upon Jesus; or if they were, that he did not put them away; that he performed no more than was performed by the sacrifices under the Mosaic dispensation; putting them away and yet leaving the people still in guilt, and under condemnation; and that consequently, God is not, cannot be reconciled unto the world; nor ever will be until they are first reconciled unto him; that he really does still impute unto them their trespasses; and that although it may in some sense be true that Jesus was made sin for them, yet we cannot think that sinners, black with crimes in themselves, can be made the righteousness of God in him.

If, I say, we, or an angel from heaven, should preach a gospel so different from that already declared to you, let him be accursed. let him be considered in the same point of view, with respect to the gospel, that the Jews considered the ignorant Gentiles with respect to the law-let those who know not the law be accursed. VOL. II.

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But should it be asked how, with what propriety, can the preaching you thus describe, be termed gospel, since gospel is literally glad tidings, or good news? We answer, the Apostle did not consider this testimony gospel; his sentiments were the reverse of this testimony; he only speaks of it as the first believers, who being zealous for the law, spake of the soul-perverting doctrine they preached. They called their preaching gospel preaching; and for the purpose of making it appear in some sort consistent with the name, they declared unto the people glad tidings; that in consequence of the descent of Jesus Christ, upon this our globe, we may now be saved, and it is entirely our own fault if we be not; that we have not the same law, in all its fulness to obey that the Jews had; that many of the ceremonies are taken out of the way; that God now only requires us to keep his commandments, to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God: and should we, through the imbecility of our nature, err from the path of rectitude, we being able to appeal to God, that it was not willingly or by design, the Mediator will, in such circumstances, intercede for us; and on our repentance and reformation, we shall be taken into favour. Thus, although the law be indeed broken, and your souls have sinned, yet to such favourites we bring glad tidings; you shall not die, nor suffer the curse of a broken law.

What although the unrighteous cannot inherit eternal life, yet behold we bring unto you glad tidings: you may be righteous if you will; for Jesus came into the world to show you, by his bright example, what you must do if you would be righteous; which but for his appearance you never could have known; and not only so, but if you will only see, and be in love with this divine pattern, and do all in your power to imitate him, whenever you find yourself through human weakness, unable to attain to his likeness, he will, if you continually call upon him, help you; nay, he will work in you to will and to do: behold therefore we bring you glad tidings; you will have all the reward and commendation, as if you had by your own inherent strength, wrought out your own salvation.

Thus, if by close attention to the rules laid down in the precepts of the law, and the example of Jesus Christ you attain to righteousness, you shall not be condemned with sinners; but when God shall say to them, Depart ye cursed into everlasting fire, he shall say to you, Come ye blessed of my Father; while to the sinner he says, Thou wicked servant, thou shouldst have put my money to

usury, he will say to you who have kept his commandments, Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.

But as this does not seem glad tidings to every creature, we would say to the unjust, who must suffer for their sins, that their sufferings shall finally bring them to God; that when they have suffered as much as the justice of God can demand, so that on scrutinizing the account, it will appear that the sinner has paid the uttermost farthing; then they shall come forth from the deep dungeon, where by the grace of Jesus Christ they have been enabled to suffer so much, and give glory to him, who by suffering so much in his own person, rendered it possible for them to obtain salvation by their own deeds and sufferings.

Thus shall all finally be happy; although not all precisely in the same way. Some shall attain endless felicity by obedience to the law, and others by suffering the pains and penalties annexed to the breach of the law. What then becomes of the finished redemption wrought out by the Redeemer of men? Yet it is easy to prove that this testimony is gospel; but it must be confessed that there is as much difference between the two gospels, as between heaven above and earth beneath; and such who are under the influence of the spirit of this world, merely of the earth, earthy, will undoubtedly prefer the latter gospel; while such who are under the influence of his spirit who says, I am from above; my kingdom is not of this world; and who consequently see their treasure in heaven, and nothing which merits the name of durable riches and righteousness any where else; so that they can with truth say, when they ask whom have I in heaven but thee? there is nothing on earth I desire beside thee. Persons of this description will give the preference to Paul's gospel ; and continuing under the influence of that spirit which taketh of the things of Jesus, and sheweth them unto the soul, they will assuredly follow the apostolic direction in all things, delighting to imitate his example, and determining to know nothing save Christ Jesus, and him crucified. "God forbid," they exclaim, "God forbid that we should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto us, and we unto the world." Yea doubtless, and they count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus their Lord, for whom they would gladly suffer the loss of all things. They desire, earnestly desire, to be found in the Redeemer, not having their own

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