demolished in the greatest empire of the world, and that the standard of the cross was planted on the battlements of Rome.

In like manner, when at a still later period, the Man of sin had dispossessed the church of these acquisitions; when she was wandering a persecuted and bleeding exile in the mountains of Bohemia;-but when she was nevertheless to regain a part of what she had lost, suitable instruments were raised up, to fight her battles with the sword of the Spirit, and like Joshua to lead her on to victory. It was by the power of God, through the agency of such valiant champions of the truth, as Wickliffe and Zuinglius; as Luther and Calvin; as Melancthon and Knox, that' the reformation was effected.

It is to the labors of a Swartz, a Vanderkemp, a Carey, a Buchanan, a Marsden and their pious associates in the missionary field, that the church is indebted, under God, for those little verdant and cultivated spots, which have been reclaimed, within the last fifty years, from the barrenness of as many centuries. In the same manner, by the use of means and instruments, is the whole world to be subdued and rendered fruitful. The missionaries now in service must be supported and must receive strong reinforcements. Every foot of ground that has been gained must be kept. Every new advantage must be zealously followed up. The Bible must be translated into all languages, and the means of sending it to every human habitation must be provided. The Gospel must be carried to the heathen, before we can expect them to embrace it. "How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?

And how shall they believe on him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent?" Missionaries then must be sent. The conversion of the world is to be effected, by the blessing of God upon the prayers and labors of the

church: and this leads me to observe,

IV. That but for her lamentable and criminal apathy, it might have been accomplished ages ago. The world ought to have been evangelized at a very early period of the Christian era, and who can doubt that it might have been, had the church done all her duty? Think of the zeal and success of Paul, and the despised fishermen of Galilee. How much in the face of danger and death, did they accomplish in a few years. Had the work continued to advance, as it did under their preaching, the triumphs of the cross would have been universal, long before the end of the second century. And what arrested its progress? Was the arm of the Lord suddenly shortened, that he could no longer save? No, my brethren, the church was not "straitened in Him but in her own bowels." There was nothing in the world harder to overcome, than the unbelief of the Jews, and the proud philosophy of the Greeks. The same power, which converted a persecuting Saul into a zealous missionary, and planted a Christian church in the heart of pagan Rome, could with infinite ease, have changed the moral character of the whole human family. Nothing was wanting but love and faith, union and perseverance. The church

had only to go forward, with a humble and confident reliance upon divine aid, and she would soon have taken full possession.

But she was afraid of the Anakims. Their cities, it was reported, were walled up to heaven. Unbelief arrested her march and palsied her arm, so that while there remained yet very much land to be possessed, she not only left it without a struggle, in the hands of her enemies, but permitted them largely to encroach upon what her sons of a better age had gained. To pass over thirteen whole centuries of strange and criminal apathy, what can be more astonishing than Protestant remissness, since the glorious reformation? Why, till within the last five and twenty years, did so few offer themselves as missionaries? Why was so little cast into the Lord's treasury for the noblest of all enterprizes? Why did only here and there an individual think of giving the Bible to the heathen in their own tongues? It was known, alas! that they worshipped stones and wood and reptiles and devils. It was known that the elements of their religion were lust and cruelty and blood. It was known that thousands were dying every hour in hopeless ignorance of Christ, and it was admitted that Christians ought to send them the Gospel. But ah, how little was done, how little was even attempted. What efforts were made to rescue the trembling victims of a diabolical superstition from the knife and altar? What friendly hand was stretched out, to snatch the distracted widow from the pile, or the weeping babe from the crocodiles? O how little was done for Christ, or even for humanity: years and

ages rolled darkly away. The whole creation groaned and travailed together in pain, but the church slept. She could not indeed help starting at times when she dreamed of meeting the heathen before the judgment seat:-but still she slumbered over the miseries and crimes and perils of a world lying in wickedness. And even now she is not more than half awake. She does not realize how much remains to be done. Her faith is weak. Her zeal too often languishes. Her present exertions, though considerable compared with her former apathy, are still inadequate. She lingers on the frontiers, when she ought to be raising the standard of her King, in the heart of every unevangelized country under heaven. How overwhelming is the thought, that millions for whom Christ died are perishing every year, through criminal neglect.

delay, to set up She is able; she This has been

any shadow of

V. As Christendom now possesses ample resources and ability, she is solemnly bound in the name of God, and with the least possible her banners in every heathen land. possesses the means of doing it. too often demonstrated, to leave doubt upon the benevolent and candid mind. If Great Britain alone could raise four hundred millions of dollars, in a single year, to carry on the war against her great continental rival, how easily might she support an army of ten thousand missionaries. How soon might she furnish half mankind with the Bible. Let her for twenty years to come, do but half as much to spread the glad tidings of Salvation, as for twenty years past she has done, to chase all hostile competition from "the mountain wave" and

"bear her thunders round the world," and how soon, by the blessing of God, would the earth be filled with his praise! The mere cost of powder and cannon balls for one battle, would comfortably support all the missionaries now in service, for ten years. But not to carry you too far from home, nor detain you too long in foreign parts, how much more might be done by our American Israel, than has ever yet been attempted. To all her hundreds, contributed for religious purposes, she might add thrice as many thousands. For one Bible, which she now puts into the hands of the destitute, she might distribute fifty. For one school at Bombay, or Ceylon, she might establish and maintain a hundred. For one missionary expedition, like that which is now preparing for the Sandwich Islands, she might fit out at least two from every considerable port in the United States. She is able to bear her full proportion of the necessary expense of converting the world. This might easily be proved, for the hundredth time, by the plainest and most unexceptionable calculations. But why should I trespass upon your time and patience? Let me rather refer you to sermons and tracts which are already before the public; especially to the animated and able appeal of Messrs. Hall and Newell to the American Churches.

The question of ability, then, being decided in the affirmative, that of duty next presents itself for our consideration. Is the Church bound, with the least possible delay, to give the Gospel to the heathen? This, my Brethren, is one of the few questions which will not bear argument. What if the preacher should undertake to prove, that every