vine image. You long and labour to be fully conformed to him, and, as it were, to catch his air, his manner and spirit, in every thought, in every word, and in every action. As far as you are unlike to him, so far you appear deformed and loathfome to yourselves. While you feel an unchristian spirit prevail within you, you feem as if you were poffeffed with the devil. And it is the labour of your life to fubdue fuch a fpirit, and to brighten and finish the features of the divine image within you, by repeated touches and retouches.

By this short view, my brethren, you may be affifted in determining whofe image you bear; whether Chrift's or Satan's, whether Chrift's or the world's, whether Chrift's or your own. And let me tell you, if you cannot determine this, you know not but you may be in hell the next hour; for none fhall ever find admittance into heaven who are not formed after the image of Chrift. The glorious company upon Mount Sion are all followers of the Lamb: they are like him, for they see him as he is. A foul unlike to him would be a monfter there; a native of hell broke into heaven; a wolf among lambs; a devil among angels. And can you hope for admiffion there while you are unlike him? The two grand apartments of the eternal world are under two oppofite heads; the holy Jefus prefides in the one-and the Prince of Devils, the prime offender and father of fin, in the other. Both apartments are thick fettled with colonies from our world; and the inhabitants of both are like their respective heads. Therefore, if ye resemble the Prince of Heaven, with him you fhall dwell for ever; but if you resemble the tyrant of hell, you must for ever be his miferable vaffals. Therefore push home the inquiry, is Chrift formed in my heart, or is he not?

If he be, then rejoice in it, as a fure earnest of the heavenly inheritance. None ever went to hell that carried the image of Christ upon their hearts; but the heavenly regions are peopled with fuch. His image

is the grand paffport into that country, a paflport that was never disputed; and, if you bear it, the celeftial gates will be flung wide open for your reception, and your human and angelic brethren, who have the fame looks, the fame manner, the fame fpirit, will all hail your arrival, and fhout your welcome; will own you as their kindred, from your vifible refemblance to them; and you will immediately and naturally commence a familiarity with them, from the conformity of your difpofitions. The Father of all will also own the dear image of his Son, and the bleffed Jesus will acknowledge his own image, and confefs the relation. Bleffed moment! when wilt thou arrive, when all the followers of the Lamb fhall appear upon Mount Sion, in his full likenefs, without fpot or wrinkle, or any fuch thing? When no ftranger of another countenance and another fpirit fhall mingle among them, but all be caft in the fame mould, and all be clothed in uniform, with the beauties of holiness, and the robes of falvation! O! my brethren, muft not your eager hearts fpring forward to meet that day!

But amid all the joy which that tranfporting profpect affords, it must humble you to think, that though Christ be really formed in your hearts, it is but very imperfectly, as an unfinished embryo. His image as yet is but very faint; you ftill carry the traces of fome. infernal features about you. Let this confideration conftrain you to put yourselves daily under the operation of the bleffed Spirit, till he finish the heavenly picture by repeated touches, and diligently attend upon all the means which he is pleased to use as his pencil. Guard against every thing that may deform the divine draught, or delay its perfection. Go on in this way, and the glorious picture will daily catch more and more the likeness of the divine original, and foon come to complete perfection.

But I must speak a concluding word to fuch of you in whom Chrift has never yet been formed. Pray turn your eyes upon yourselves, and furvey your own de

formity.

formity. Do not you fee the image of the devil upon you? Have you not forgotten God, and refufed to love him, like a devil? Have you not loved and practifed fin like a devil? or have you not wallowed in fenfual pleasures, and confined all your concern to the prefent life, like a beast, and thus made yourselves the most horrid monfters, half beast, half devil? And can you love yourselves while this is your character? Can you flatter yourselves fuch can be admitted into heaven?

Since it is poffible your deformed fpirits may yet receive the image of Chrift, will you not ufe all poffible means for that purpose while there is hope? This day begin the attempt, refolve and labour to become new men in this new year.

But, alas! exhortation is but feeble breath, that vanishes into air between my lips and your ears; something is wanting to give it force and efficacy. We have the gofpel, we have preaching, we have all the means of falvation; but fomething is wanting to give them life, to make them efficacious, and bear them home upon the hearts of finners with that almighty energy which they have fometimes had. Something, alas! is wanting for this purpose: and what is it? It is Thou,Eternal Spirit! Thou, the Author of all good in the hearts of the children of men; thou, the only former of Chrift within; thou art absent, and without thee neither he that planteth is any thing, nor he that watereth; they are all nothing together. Come, thou life of fouls! thou fpirit of the gofpel! thou quickener of ordinances! thou affiftant of poor minifters! thou opener of their hearers hearts! Come vifit this congregation. Come to-day: O! come this moment! and Chrift fhall be formed in us, the hope and the earneft of glory!

SERMON

SERMON XLVI.

THE WONDERFUL COMPASSIONS OF CHRIST TO THE

GREATEST SINNERS.

MATT. xxiii. 37. O Jerufalem, Jerufalem! thou that killeft the prophets, and ftoneft them that are fent unte thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

TH

HERE is not, perhaps, a chapter in the whole Bible fo full of fuch repeated denunciations of the most tremendous woes as this. Certainly there is none like it, among all the difcourfes of Chrift, left upon record. Here the gentle Jefus, the inoffenfive Lamb of God, treats the unbelieving Scribes and Pharifees with the most pungent severity. Woe, woe, woe, breaks from his lips like repeated claps of thunder. He expofes them with an afperity and indignation not usual in his mild addreffes. He repeatedly calls them hypocrites, fools, and blind, blind guides, whited fepulchres, children of hell, ferpents, a generation of vipers, who could not efcape the damnation of hell. But in my text he melts into tenderness, even in this vein of terror, and appears the fame compaffionate, gentle Saviour we are wont to find him. His moft terrible denunciations were friendly warnings, calculated to reform, and not to deftroy. And while denouncing the moft terrible woes against Jerufalem, in an abrupt flow of paffion, he breaks out into the moft moving lamentation over her; O Jerufalem, Jerufalem! thou that killeft the prophets, and ftoneft them that are fent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy

children

children together, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

This is one of those tender cafes which requires a familiar and moving, rather than a grand illustration; and that which Jefus has here chofen is one of the moft tender, familiar and moving, that could be devifed. How often would I have gathered thee, O Jerufalem, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings.As much as to fay, "As the parent-bird, when she fees fome bird of prey hovering over her helpless young, gives them the fignal, which Nature teaches them to understand, and spreads her wings to protect them, refolved to become a prey herself rather than her tender brood; or, as she shelters them from the rain and cold, and cherishes them under her friendly feathers, fo fays the compaffionate Redeemer; fo, Ó Jerufalem! I fee thy children, like heedlefs chickens, in the most imminent danger; I fee the judgments of God hovering over them; I fee the Roman Eagle ready to feize them as its prey; I fee ftorms of vengeance ready to fall upon them; and how often have I invited them to fly to me for shelter, and give them the fignal of their danger! how often have I fpread the wings of my protection to cover them, and keep them warm and fafe as in my bofom! But, O! lamentable! O! astonishing! ye would not! I was willing, but ye would not! The filly chickens, taught by Nature, understand the fignal of approaching danger, and immediately fly for fhelter; but ye, more filly and prefumptuous, would not regard my warn ings; would not believe your danger, nor fly to me for protection, though often, O how often, warned and invited!"

His compaffion will appear the more furprising, if we confider the object of it. "Jerufalem! Jerufalem! thou that killeft the prophets, and ftoneft them that are fent to thee, though upon the kind defign of reforming and faving thee, and who wilt, in a few days, crucify that Saviour who now laments thy doom,

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