to fee. the fullest power of Christian motives; but is accustomed to act under their influence. His whole course is one of voluntary agency, prompted by enlightened views of truth, and a deep feeling of its value. He understands the worth of religion for himself, his family, his country, the world:-and, therefore, cheerfully bestows his money, his time, and his influence, to support religious institutions, and enlarge the sphere of Christian benevolence. It is all, with him, a matter of deep reflection; of profound consideration of human interests; of hearty good will. Similar views and feelings draw men together. They take counsel, deliberate calmly, and act in concert, under convictions of truth and duty. They act too with energy. The power of eternal truth conspires with the vigour of voluntary action; the whole strength is put forth in every effort-and the labour is not in vain. The history of Bible and Missionary Societies, as voluntary associations, formed within the last thirty years, shows, better than a thousand arguments, the truth and value of our principle. And here, brethren, is the true secret of evangelizing the world. The mighty work is to be done by voluntary associations, formed on the unalterable principle of using no carnal weapons; of preaching nothing but the simple gospel of Christ; in no spirit but that of Christian love.

It deserves to be remarked, too, and remembered, that associations, counsels, united efforts, such as these, promote intelligence, order, peace, and in a word, all that blesses and adorns human nature. One may see their happy influence spreading through the youth, the manhood, and the old age, of every community where they exist. There all is healthful and active;-all is life, and hope, and joy.

But if one asks, why this scene is not fully realized in our country, where religion is perfectly free; I answer-it is going on to be so. But, from the nature of man, moral causes operate slowly; and time must be allowed for the production of their full effect-especially where counteracting causes are in full activity. Our forefathers, unavoidably, brought with them many of the habits, feelings, and principles of the countries from which they came: they brought, with their good things, the fatal policy of using carnal weapons; of mingling the church and state; of employing human authority instead of the authority of the Bible: they brought the spirit of fierce contention for doctrine, and with it, in many instances, that deathlike coldness in regard to vital religion, which had, during a long period, spread through the churches of Europe. Now all these evils were to be done away; and the people brought right under the full influences of Bible truth, before they would pursue the course marked out by the Apostles, and trodden by their immediate disciples. This was not the work of a day.

The spirit of infidelity, too, has been imported into our country; and that dread of the influence of religion, which has arisen from its perversion and abuse in other lands. These have been so great, as, in the minds of many, to justify the natural repugnance of the human heart to religion. And opposition has been made—it is still made to its propagation, both in this country and abroad. Suspicions are entertained of its friends, and sinister objects are attributed to all their plans of Christian benevolence.

But-everlasting praise be given to God!-this opposition has been overruled for good and still greater good will hereafter be educed from it. It was, perhaps, the very thing which the church needed, to make her see and feel, that carnal weapons cannot be safely or efficiently used in her warfare; and that, although invincible and invulnerable, when clad in the armour of righteousness, she is weak and defenceless, without it. In other countries, when pressed by her enemies, and feeling her weakness, she looks to the arm of flesh for protection. Here she is pressed by the wholesome necessity of putting "to silence the ignorance of foolish men, by well doing;" she is obliged to act in such way, that if her enemies speak evil of her, they must speak falsely. She can do nothing, but go forth in the spirit of her redeeming Lord, and proclaim the truth in love, and stretch out her hands in prayer for the blessing of the Almighty. And this is the very thing which God intended she should do. In the sure, but silent operation of moral causes, this truth will yet be more clearly seen, more deeply felt, and more fully acted on, in this country: and there will be great improvements in the measures adopted for promoting religion in the world; and great increase in the efficiency of the means employed. No new truth indeed will be discovered in religion. That which was heard from the beginning, which the eyes of apostles saw, and which their hands handled of the word of life, will be proclaimed through every age, until Jesus Christ shall come the second time: nor will there be a discovery of any new principles of action, in pulling down the strong holds of sin, and building up the kingdom of Christ. But the disciples of Christ will just do, what the Saviour has always told them to do: and the ministers of religion will go and tell the people what the Bible means, and thus make them understand what God has said, and done, and requires. And they will so breathe the love of God, that the people will feel its heavenly warmth; --and God will honour his own word;-and it shall have free course and be glorified.

Is it presumptuous to suppose, that one great end which God had in view, in-I had almost said-revealing this country to our forefathers, and freeing it from all foreign authority, and establishing here complete

religious liberty, was, that the church might be restored to her primitive purity, and have a full opportunity of learning again -the true method of promoting religion; and that the Bible might recover all its lost honours? Did not God intend, by sustaining the cause of rational liberty, during the revolutionis and fearful convulsions of half a century, to afford new facilities for discovering the entire energy of true rehgion 5 and showing by what instrumentality, and by what mode of using that instrumentality, every strong hold in the whole empire of sin is to be pulled down; and the city of God built up, in all its beauty and glory? And is not this work going on? Do we not see that, wherever liberty is enjoyed, there also is now displayed; in some degree, the energy of the Bible and Missionary cause? And that wherever men go, with the simple purpose of declaring the truth of God; and where they clearly state the meaning of the Bible, there sound revivals of religion take place? God is teaching us important lessons and it is every day becoming more apparent, that they who are contending for the mere dry bones of theology, or the outward forms of religion, or for ecclesiastical authority, are digging the grave for their own favourite systems while, every where, the blessing of Heaven attends efforts made in the true spirit of the gospel.

Providence has placed us in a situation very peculiar, ín a country, where, as far as the mighty influences of religion are concerned, nothing has authority or power but the Bible. This is more and more seen, every year. And when it shall be fully understood, that among the teeming millions of our country there is nothing to regulate the awful energies of the religious principle, but the authority of the word of God, the Bible will be studied with an intensity of interest, and used with a fidelity of application, as yet unknown in these latter days. And it will carry its authority more entirely through every department of the church, than has ever been witnessed since the days of the Apostles. The truth will then go with lightning glance and electric force, from heart to heart, and from land to land—and the earth be soon filled with the knowledge and glory of the Lord.

This leads to a second general proposition, deduced as an inference from the preceding.

II. It is PECULIARLY THE DUTY OF AMERICAN CHRISTIANS, TO ENLIST AND COMBINE THEIR ENERGIES FOR EVANGELIZING THE WORLD... IN

1. We owe it to Him, who is both King in Zion, and Lord of the whole earth, to perform our part of this service.-It is his gracious providence, which has placed us in the peculiarly favourable situation which we

have just considered. He has remated every yoke from our necks; separated us from every restraining influence; and given us the fullest opportunity, ever enjoyed by any people, to put forth all our strength, to show the entire power of religion, regulated by nothing but divine truth. The gospel finds us in circumstances more happy, in these respects, than those of any other people, from the time when the heavenly hosts sang their song of glory and of peace, at the advent of the Messiah, to this day. And we owe it all to God. The Head of the Church has ordered it sovrindor

Now, according to the religion of Christ, every opportunity of doing good, brings with it a corresponding obligation. And as our opportu nities are peculiarly favourable, so our obligations are peculiarly weighty. We are more bound than any other people on the face of the earth, to advance the cause of the Redeemer, in proportion to our means and numbers. Heavy, indeed, will be our reckoning, and terrible the visitations of justice, should we fail great our glory and felicity, should we feel the extent of our obligations, and bring our conduct up to the measure of duty.

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2. We owe it to our country, to make her a blessing among the nations of the earth. The world has seen enough of the glory of war, and the honour of warriors. The desideratum in the great community of nations is one people which, without ambition and the pride of conquest, shall stand forth an example of the mild virtues of justice, mercy, and piety. Mankind have suffered enough from "wars and fighting." Smitten with unnumbered evils, the human race is sighing for the reign of peace. The world needs the moral influence of a great nation, where public sentiment is sanctified; and whence shall emanate a blessing, to be felt wherever the winds of heaven and the waves of ocean can bear its inhabitants. This will weave a garland of higher fragrance, and nære unfading colours, than any which the warrior or the statesman can wreathe round the brow of his country. It will do more, too, for national security, than any thing else which the wit of man can devise. For every thing depends on national character. To this, free institutions communicate energy, activity, versatility, and great richness of resources; but nothing can purify it; and raise it to a lofty tone, and sustain it, except true religion. When an individual, under the influence of Christianity, is brought up to the determination that he will be a benefactor to his fellow-men, his character is formed according to a high standard, and is fixed on a sure foundation. So with a nation: let the great body of the people in a free Christian country resolve that they will bless the whole world that their liberality shall send the pure gospel to all the henighted tribes of men—and the national character is elevated : a spec

tacle of moral grandeur is exhibited, which angels must contemplate with rapture.dig bae ; standfu

3. We owe it to the nations of the earth, to send them the blessings of salvation.-Religion teaches that the human race constitutes one family. God hath made of one blood all nations of men, to dwell on the face of the whole earth. And Christianity obliges us to recognize this common, brotherhood; "to do good, and to communicate." Among pagan nations, alien and enemy are synonymous terms. But the religion revealed by the common Father of men, acknowledges all as his children; and enforces, by all the sanctions of eternal love and justice, the duty of doing all the good we can, to every part of the human family. No matter what curse of colour or condition has been inflicted; no matter what form of misery weighs down the sufferer; no matter how low he is sunk in the scale of wretchedness; the only question we have to ask is, Can we do good to him without injury to another? And the answer determines the measure of our duty.

-- But if we cannot, separately, do the good which the Bible tells us must be done; we can do it collectively. According to the gospel rule, this is enough to show that it is our duty to unite for that purpose. And all the knowledge, the wisdom, the energy of our best men, ought to bear on this mighty subject of co-operation, among American Christians, for evangelizing the world. I do not presume to undertake so great a theme. I only throw out a few hints, to show the incalculable importance of the object.

The moral power of a people is in the compound ratio of their liberty, intelligence, and virtue. Of this England affords striking evidence. She is inferior, in population and territory, to many other countries: but not so in influence on the affairs of the world. The United States present another instance. Our remote situation from other civilized nations, and the greenness of our youth being considered, the influence of our country, on the public sentiment of the world, is truly astonishing. Spain began her work of colonizing the Southern Continent, before England planted settlements in North America. Yet, now, the United States exert greater moral influence on the world, than all of Spanish name or blood in Europe and America. The reason is, we have liberty; we have the religion of the Bible; we have general education..;;

But the influence of our country rapidly increases. Our population grows at the rate of more than a thousand a day. With this, there is an equally rapid increase in the facilities of intercourse, between the nations of the earth. Half the distance between this country and Europe has been annihilated, within the last five and twenty years. During