can come short of this salvation; provided he apply for it in the appointed way, and with a diligence suited to its inestimable value. This is the situation of every man, so long as life continues; for that judicial blindness and obduracy, to which many are given up, consists in a total and final neglect, contempt, or abuse of this salvation. But when death removes, a man out of this world; his opportunity is passed, and his state fixed to all eternity.

We are then criminals, reprieved for a short and uncertain time by the mercy of our Prince; that we may have an opportunity of casting ourselves on his clemency, and seeking forgiveness in a way, which for his own glory, he hath prescribed. If we avail our. selves of this advantage; the more terrible part of our pun. ishment will be remitted, and the remainder counterbalanced by most animating hopes and consolations, sanctified to our great. est good, and soon terminating in everlasting felicity; but if we neglect so great salvation, our vain and vexatious worldly pursuits and pleasures will soon is sue in final and eternal misery.

Our first great business and in. terest therefore, during our present uncertain state, must be, to prepare for death and judgment by seeking "eternal life, as the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord;" for if we succeed in this grand concern, all inferior disappointments or losses will shortly be most amply made up to us; but if we fail in this respect, our present successes will only serve to aggravate our future anguish. Every pursuit, which is incompatible with this

primary interest, must be madness and ruin; however fashion. able, reputable, lucrative, or agreeable it may otherwise be. Not only inferior elegancies, distinctions, and honors; but even crowns and sceptres, the splendor of courts, the councils of statesmen and senators, the grand concerns of empires, yea "all the kingdoms of the world, and all the glory of them,' dwindle into utter insignificancy, and fade as a withering flower, when compared with eternal hap. piness or misery; "for what is

a man profited, if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" The soul of man, bearing the natural image of God, in its noble powers and faculties; capable of being renewed to his moral image, "righteousness and true holiness ;" endued with the capacity of most exquisite pleasure, or most inconceivable anguish; and formed to subsist in happiness or misery, through the countless ages of eternity, is lost when the favor and image of God are finally forfeited; and when it is condemned to endure his tremendous wrath, and to be given up to the unrestrained fury of all vile affections in the com. pany of fallen spirits forever. more. This loss is incurred by sin; but the forfeiture is ratified by the sinner's persevering im. penitence, unbelief, and disobe. dience. The pleasure, profit, honor, power, or ease, which men seek by continuing in sin, is the price of their souls: they are so infatuated, as thus to sell them for the most worthless trifles; because, (like our first parents,) they credit satan's lies more than the truth of God, through desire of the forbidden

fruit; or because they put off the grand concerns to a future season, and quiet their conscien. ces, (as debtors do their impor. tunate creditors,) by fixing on some future time of intended amendment; or because they think their state good, when God's word declares the contrary. Thus their opportunity elapses, and too late they under. stand the energy of the question, "what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ?"

This shews us the importance of our Lord's exhortation, "seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness." Admission into that kingdom, which God hath set up among men by the gospel of his Son, the priv. ileges of which consist in "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" the holiness and blessings of that kingdom for ourselves, and the peace, prosperity, and enlargement of it in the world, should be sought by diligence in all appointed means, as our grand objects, with the first and best of our time and affections, in preference to all other things, and with a willingness to venture, or part with, what ever comes in competition with them; even if that should be our estates, liberty, friends, or life itself.

We are not allowed "to fear even them who can only kill the body, and after that have по more that they can do," when this would lead us to incur the displeasure of Almighty God, who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell." A proper attention to our world. ly business and interests is a part of our duty to the Lord, to his church, to the community, and to our families; every thing law,

ful and expedient may thus be rendered subservient to our grand object; and all things needful will be added to us. But men are ruined by reversing God's order, and seeking first the world, and the things that are in the world, even “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life."

Even where gross vices and open ungodliness are avoided, how greatly are persons of all ranks, endowments, and professions, "careful and troubled about many things;" instead of attending simply and diligent ly to the one thing needful, and decidedly" choosing that good part, which could never be taken from them.” Men's thoughts, contrivances, hopes, fears, joys, sorrows, maxims, wisdom, assi duity, and conversation, are almost wholly engrossed by the perishing, vexatious trifles of time. Every vague, strange, and uninteresting report is more attended to, than "the glad tidings of salvation ;” every science deemed better worth cultivating than the knowledge of God; every question is thought to be sufficiently important to set the ingenuity of men at work to give it a satisfactory answer, except it be inquired "what we must do to be saved;" and such topics only excite astonishment, disgust, a short silence, and the starting of some more congenial subject! If a man pretend to teach others the way to health, to riches, to the enjoyment of life, or how to appear to advantage among their companions ; assiduous attention and al compensation will not be withheld; but they, who would teach men the way of eternal

liber.

life, must not expect much regard, even when they desire no other recompense.

But time and room would fail, should we attempt to enumerate the proofs of man's folly and madness in this respect. Even the very messages of God, respecting judgment, eternity, and his great salvation (instead of mecting with a serious regard,) are often set to music, and profanely employed to vary the species of pleasurable dissipation! Nay, they are often preached out of ostentation, avarice, envy, or strife; heard as a matter of curiosity or amusement; or contended for in pride, virulence, and furious anger! The grand business of most men seems to be, to avoid the burden of reflection, to cause time to glide away as imperceptibly, as possible, and so apparently to shorten the span allotted them to prepare for eternity! Well might the psalm

ist then say, "rivers of water run down mine eyes, because men keep not thy law." But O, ye giddy sons and daughters of Adam, what will ye think of your present pursuits, when death shall summon you to God's tribunal? What will then your riches, pleasures, decorations, elegancies, honors, or dignities avail you? What comfort will the knowledge of all languages and sciences then afford? What will you think of your present anxious cares, covetings, envyings, repinings, and disputes; when "the night cometh in which no man can work ?” "Seek," then, "the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return to the Lord, aud he will have mercy upon him! and to our God, for he will abun dantly pardon." Scott's Essays.

A Sermon preached Jan. 10, 1810, at the Dedication of the Church in Park Street, Boston. By Edward D. Griffin, D.D. stated Preacher in said Church, and Bartlet Professor of Pulpit Eloquence in the Divinity College at Andover. Boston: Printed and published by Lincoln & Edmands, No. 53, Cornhill. pp. 34.

We have always considered the dedication of a church to the service of God as a solemn and most interesting occasion. When the mind contemplates the pe.

culiar, though incomprehensible, presence of Jehovah, in a place devoted to his worship, it is affected with the most profound awe and the deepest humility. When it dwells upon the kind. ness and condescension of the infinite Creator, in encouraging and requiring his creatures, guilty and dependent as men are, to erect temples for the purpose of regular and public prayer, praise, and religious instruction, with mingled emotions of self-abasement and aspiring gratitude, it prompts us to exclaim, What is man that thou art mindful of

him ; and who are the children of men that thou regardest them? When we consider the glorious blessings of the christian dispensation, and reflect that immortality is to be gained or lost during our short existence here on earth; when experience and observation, as well as the word of truth, induce us to believe, that the amazing concerns between God and the soul of the sinner, are usually settled in the sanctuary, our minds are filled with associa. tions the most august and overwhelming. On entering a newly erected house of worship, we can hardly refrain from saying, From this place the prayers of the faithful will ascend, as clouds of incense, and be rendered acceptable through the intercession of the Almighty Advocate. Here, it is to be hoped, the preaching of the word will be used by the Holy Ghost to convince of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. Here awakened sinners, in all the agony produced by a sense of conscious guilt, fear of the wrath to come, and an anx ious wish that some way of deliverance may be found, will appropriate to themselves the earnest inquiry, What must we do to be saved? Here a new song will be begun, a song of perpetual transport, a song in which all the redeemed will unite, ages after this world, and all that it contains, shall have been dissolved. Nor can the well informed mind avoid the reflection, awful as it is, that, in this place, to some the declaration of the truth will prove, through their disobe. dience and unwillingness to receive it, a savor of death unto death, the means of more aggravated condemnation and more intol

erable punishment; while to others it shall be applied as the means of everlasting emancipation from guilt and pain, and of an introduction to regions of endless holiness and joy.

With these reflections we sat down to the perusal of the ser. mon before us, and are happy to find many passages in accordance with our feelings, and some un. usually solemn and impressive. The text is, 2 Chron. vi.18. But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven, and the heaven of heavens, cannot contain thee ; how much less this house which I have built! After a brief introduction, the body of the sermon is divided in the following manner :

I. Does He whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain, dwell in any place?

II. Will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth?

III. Can we presume to hope that He will dwell in the house which we have built?

Under the first head of the discourse, the object of the preacher is to show, that, though God is essentially every where present, he has for the more perfect manifestation of himself to his creatures, consecrated certain places with special marks of his presence; and that, in the person of Christ, the omnipresent God will be for ever exhibited to the view of his creatures. der the second, he takes notice of the prominent facts, which prove that God has condescended to dwell with sinful men on the earth. Under the third, he takes encour. agement, from the presence of God in the ancient tabernacle, and from the joy experienced by good men, in every age of the

Un.

church, in frequenting the sanc. tuary of the Most High.

The appropriate business of the day is then introduced with the following account of the reasons why this house has been built.

"The history of this undertaking is short. A few individuals, finding another house for divine worship to be necessary, united to erect this. On the 27th day of Feb.last,a part of their number, by the aid of an ecclesiastical council, were formed into a christian church. On the first day of May, was laid, with an appropriate inscription, the corner stone of this edifice, which is now opened for public use.

*

"That the proprietors were correct in supposing another house to be necessary, will appear from the following statement. For a hundred and twenty years after the first christian assembly was gathered in this town, a new congregational or presbyterian church was established, upon an average, once in twelve years. But since that period, that is, for near seventy years, none has been added to the number, notwithstanding the increasing ratio of the progress of population: but, on the contrary, two which existed at the commencement of the American revolution, have disappeared. In 1775, and for thirty years preceding, there were, in the town, eleven houses for public worship, owned by the congregational and presbyterian churches; in 1808,ther were but nine. It was, therefore, necessary, unless people were to be excluded from the public worship of God, that another house should be provided for their accommodation."

The author then goes on to make a frank disclosure of the views which governed those who built this church. The two following paragraphs breathe an excellent and truly catholic spirit.

"The worship of God, as conducted in this house will not, I hope, wear the appearance of controversy: much less, of bitterness against others; but of meekness, rather, and gentleness, as the spirit of the gospel dictates. This pulpit was not erected to hurt anathemas against men who to their own master must stand or fall. But here, with an eye uplifted to heaven, and filled with tears, we are to make supplication for ourselves, our

* Taken from Eph. ii. 20, 21.

families, our brethren, and for a world lying in wickedness Here, I hope, the truths of the gospel will be preached in all their simplicity, in all their mildness, and in all their force; without uncharitable allusions to any who may defend different views of the Scriptures. The business to be transacted here, lies not between us and our brethren of different names or opinions; but between God and our own souls. Pursuing such a course, if we are not so happy as to command the esteem of the candid and peaceable, we will endeavor, at least to deserve it.

"In the cause of truth no unhallowed violence, no efforts contrary to the humility and meekness of christian love, are either necessary or admissible. In the support of this cause man is not to prevail, but God. Man is a poor, feeble instrument; and has nothing to do, but, like Gideon, to blow his trumpet, and hold his lamp, and stand still in his place: the victory and the glory are the Lord's. The man who is deeply impressed with these truths, will not strive, but will be gentle unto all men. It is more in character for those who ascribe all the power to man, or who support a cause which God does not favor, it is more in character for them to bring their passions to the combat, to throw their unsanctified feelings into action, and assail the persons or characters of their opponents. But the cause of truth and of God disclaims all such aid."

We are then informed, that "this house, though not raised for controversial discussions, has been built by those who esteem it far from indifferent what doctrines a man believes," and whose "object has been to subserve that experimental religion, which is intimately connected with the doctrines of grace." These doctrines are asserted "to have been owned by the Spirit ;" "to have been the doctrines of the Reformation;" to have been the doctrines of our fathers; and to be at present the doctrines of the American churches. are confident, that we consult the pleasure, as well as the instruction of our readers by mak. ing the following copious ex. tracts.

We