TWELVE SERMONS

ON THE

CHRISTIAN RELIGION.

I.-The connection between the fall of man, and the revelation of the Gospel.

II".-The preparation neceffary for the reception

of the Gofpel.

III'.-The truth of Scripture.

IV1Y.-The proof of our Saviour's miffion from miracles and prophecy.

V'.-The precife difference between Christianity and the moral law.

VI1-The general defign of Chriftianity.

VII'. The conditions required of Chriftians→

faith-and repentance.

VIII'.-For

VIII.-Forgiveness of injuries-reftitution, and advancement in Chriftian perfection.

IX".-The promifes of the Gospel.

X".-The threatenings of the Gofpel.

XI.-The facraments.

XII'.-Recapitulation of the whole.

The laft fermon, No. XXV. is fo closely connected with the fubject of the foregoing twelve sermons, that the author prints it as a concluding difcourfe.

I.

SERMON XIII. .

I COR. XV. 22.

1

FOR AS IN ADAM ALL DIE, EVEN SO IN

1

CHRIST SHALL ALL BE MADE ALIVE.

W

'HEN we look round the world, we cannot but discover in it many marks of imperfection. The earth produces corn and fruits with labour; while it teems of its own accord with weeds and noxious herbs.-The air is the feat of ftorms and blafting winds; and the ocean often overflows its bounds.

In the brute creation we find the fame marks of imperfection. The whole state of animal life is a state of rapine and bloodshed. One half of it

preys upon the other.

Nor have we fewer marks of imperfection when we examine mankind, furnished, as we are, with

reason.

reason. We all know, we have within us conftant inclination to evil Our appetites and paffions are continually leading us into mischief, either public or private.

Now, on confidering all this imperfection, it appears probable at fight, that the earth and its inhabitants are in fome fallen state.

The great queftion therefore is, How came things into this state? Whence is it, that God's creation here, fo fair in many refpects, should in others be fo deformed? Did God create evil? Did he make a bad world, and stock it with bad inhabitants, for no purpose but to make them miferable?

Alas! these questions have puzzled the wisdom of all mankind. The ancient heathen plainly faw the difficulty, and endeavoured to folve it; but in no way that was fatisfactory to himself. He faw how inconfiftent it was with the goodness of God to create evil: but it was not in the power of human reason to explain the mystery.

Thanks be to Revelation, we are better taught. A book is put into our hands-the word of God -which explains these things. Here we find, this world was not originally formed in the state in which we now fee it-it was formed originally

in

in a state of perfection-it produced its fruits without labour-and man was created in a state of innocence and happiness. The facred story proceeds to inform us of that fatal act of difobedience which the first man committed.

Some have treated the Mofaic account of the fall with disrespect. But let us be satisfied with it, till we get a better-till we get one more confiftent with the moral and natural state of what we observe at prefent in the world*.-As to the agency of the devil, we are utterly ignorant of the power of evil fpirits-we are ignorant how far they were permitted then, or how far they are permitted even now, to tempt mankind.– And as to the prohibition of the fruit of a tree, which fome call trifling, who dare affirm, that a more proper one could have been fuited to the condition

* It seems no improbable conjecture, in answer to thofe who object to the fhort period of a Paradifaical ftate, that God might chufe to open the new world, meant to be a state of trial, with a melancholy event, which, like a table of contents to a book, might fhew the fatal effects of difobedience. As to Adam, no doubt, his will was free, but God made ufe of his difobedience, as he does of ours, to bring about his own wife purpofes.

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