triumphs of our religion, even in the most distressing trials of life, where it has full possession of the heart. Yes, I have seen it imparting its heavenly strength to the feeble frame, which might otherwise have sunk under the stroke of affliction; inspiring with a fortitude, a humble confidence, a cheerful resignation, which itself only could impart, a mind naturally timid, and which had trembled even at a distant view of possible calamities. Religion, made the chosen rule of every day and every hour, and extending its sacred influence to all the habits of the inind and heart, enables him or her, who thus possesses its spirit, instantly to acknowledge, in whatever occurs, the disposal of God; instantly to feel that the trial, whatever it is, is the ordination of infinite wisdom and of infinite love; instantly to commune with him who has dispensed the suffering; and of him to seek the grace that is needed, humbly to sustain, and wisely to improve it.-How many are subject through their lives to the bondage of a most distressing fear, that they shall not be prepared for what they may have to suffer; and especially, that they shall not be ready to die. But, my friends, be solicitous only to fill up every hour, as it passes you with duty; to perform every duty, as far as you can, in its proper time; to allow no indulgence of temper, or of conduct, that is evil; to bear and to forbear, to enjoy and to suffer, every day, as a Christian; and, to whatever service you are called, be governed in your judgment, and in your conduct, by Christian principles and motives; and be assured, God will not fail you in the hour, when the hand of affliction shall bear heavily upon you; he will not hide his face from you, in the awful moment of death. Our best, our only adequate preparation for great afflictions, and for death, is, to be found by them engaged in our master's business; to be found, however we are employed, in the exercise of the affections and the motives of his religion. How unspeakably important then is it, whether we eat, or drink, or whatever we do, to do all to the glory of God!

My brethren, God demands the whole heart, and the whole of life. He demands an entire surrender of ourselves to him, in obedience to his will, as it is revealed by Christ Jesus our Lord. Let us open our hearts, then, that Christ may enter,

and dwell in them, in the exercise of the divine power of all his commands, and in the excitements and consolations of all his promises. May he thus reign over our thoughts, our affections, our wills and all our faculties! And, let it be with each one of us, from this time, a perpetual rule of life, whatever we do, in word, or in deed, we will do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God, even the Father, through him.

AND ALL BARE HIM WITNESS, AND WONDERED AT THE GRACIOUS WORDS

WHICH PROCEEDED OUT OF HIS MOUTH.

THIS remark of the sacred writer alludes to the manner in which the people of Nazareth received the first public instructions which Christ gave in that place. After he had taught in other parts of Galilee, he came to the town, in which he had spent his early years; and according to his custom attended divine service in the synagogue on the Sab. bath. From the book of the prophet Isaiah he read a passage, which related to his own mission and instructions; and having closed the book, and given it back to the servant, he spoke to the assembly on the same subject. His address was in that superior style, for which he was remarkable; and his uncommon eloquence excited the admiration and wonder of the hearers. The expression in our text, all bare him witness,' denotes that all commended or extolled him; all spoke in his praise; and when they considered that he was the son of Joseph, without education, without any advantages for making unusual attainments, they were filled with astonishment. We may indeed well ask, whether it be possible to account for the acknowledged superiority of his instructions, without admitting that he was in truth a teacher sent from God. The original phrase in our text, which is rendered the gracious words,' has been otherwise translated

the graceful words,' and the words full of grace;' and they probably refer both to the matter of his discourse, and to the manner of his utterance. He then exhibited all that constitutes real eloquence in the best sense of the term; his subject was in the highest degree interesting and important ; his mode of treating it was calculated to make the deepest impression. But to this expression I propose at present to assign another meaning, which, if not the most natural or probable, will not, I hope, be deemed a perversion, since it is agreeable to the strict letter of the passage. The clause then may be interpreted in the following manner. All commended him, and wondered at the words or doctrines of grace which he uttered. From this view of the passage I would ask your attention to the following proposition;

Our Saviour preached the doctrines of grace.

To this proposition all will readily give their assent. It is a proposition, which, among Christians, requires no proof. If by the doctrines of grace be meant the doctrines of the gospel, no one will doubt that our Lord preached them. He understood these doctrines better than any other man; and he inculcated them with greater clearness and force, if not with greater success, than any other preacher. But,

In the first place, why may the instructions of Christ be called with propriety doctrines of grace?

It will not be difficult to assign several reasons for their being so called. The first reason is, that they had their origin in the grace or favor of God. No one will pretend, that men have on principles of justice a claim to these instructions. No one will say, that injustice is done to these persons, who have not a knowledge of the gospel; or that we should have had any good ground of complaint, had we been left to the comparatively feeble light of nature. It is not reasonable to suppose that the moral governor of the universe is under obligation to furnish his intelligent creatures with any definite degree of light, with any fixed or uniform number of talents, with a sort of instruction which shall exhibit their duty in the clearest manner. In perfect consistency with his character, and with the great rules of rectitude, he may give them more or less, and then treat them according to the use

which they make of what he gave. If indeed he required any precise attainments in religious knowledge, as invariably essential to secure his approbation, then justice would demand that they should have the means of making these attainments. But this is not a principle, on which he proceeds with his rational offspring. His demands are only in proportion to the capacities and means which he bestows. In giving us the instructions of Christianity he has done something different from making a mere exhibition of his justice. With the utmost propriety we can say, that he imparted them to us, not so much because he is just, but because he is merciful, because he possesses infinite grace, because he delights in conferring favors, which his creatures cannot claim. In this benevolent disposition of our Maker originated the instructions and all the privileges of the gospel. That glorious mediator by whom they were brought to us, is himself the gift, the distinguished gift of God; and as he repeatedly informs us, he communicated to men only those truths, which he had received or learned of the Father.

But when we ascribe these truths to the grace of God, we do not mean to imply, that what are called the doctrines of natural religion are derived from a different source. On the other hand, all the instructions which we receive, whether obtained from the works of creation, from the course of providence, or from the scriptures, have their primary source in the goodness of our Creator. For those lessons which the light of nature inculcates, no less than for those which we find in the gospel, are we indebted to his grace. But the peculiar importance of the gospel, as a system of instruction, and the manner, in which it was revealed to mankind, a special messenger, the Son of God, being sanctified and sent into the world for this purpose, give it a claim to be regarded as in the highest sense the effect of divine love. When, therefore, we say of its instructions, that they are doctrines of grace, we mean to imply, that they have their origin in the grace or mercy of God. And this is clearly manifest from the fact, that they are given to men, who have not made a faithful use of other advantages, with which they have been favored, and who therefore could have little reason to claim or to expect additional privileges.