hopes and vain perfuits, is freed from his former flavery to the love of the world and the fear of man, and becomes the willing fervant of him who redeemed him with his own blood. But we are fometimes afked, what we understand by the gofpel? The use of the term in a restrained sense, so as to imply there are but few comparatively who preach it, is deemed invidious and affuming; and it is supposed by many that a fermon, if delivered from a pulpit, and if the text be taken from the Bible, muft of course be the gofpel. It is undeniable, however, that there are a variety of different and oppofite fentiments delivered from pulpits; and furely the gofpel cannot be oppofite, contrary, yea contradictory to itself! It is a mournful confideration, that multitudes of people are not qualified to judge of this point. Not properly for want of ability, for many of them are perfons of good fenfe and difcernment, and can judge and talk well upon other subjects; but for want of attention. Their application is engroffed by the demands of business or pleasure, and they have neither leisure nor tafte for a careful perufal of the fcriptures, nor nor for the examination of religious fentiments. If the language and elocution of the preacher be good, and if there be no close and painful addrefs to the confcience, they are fatisfied. The apostle Paul undoubtedly preached the gospel; and he tells us himself that he preached Chrift crucified; he preached Christ as appointed of God, wisdom, righteousness, fanctification and redemption *, He preached the cross of Christ †, he gloried in it, and he determined to glory in nothing else. It treats all mankind as already in a ftate of condemnation; it declares their utter inability to fave or help themselves; and it gives affurance of pardon and falvation to all who believe in the Son of God. That they may be encouraged and enabled to believe, it describes the dignity of his person, the neceffity and greatness of his sufferings, the completeness of his atonement, the preva lence of his interceffion-his love, autho, rity, power and faithfulness. These truths revealed and applied to a guilty conscience, by the power of the holy Spirit, produce faith. The finner perceives the fufficiency and excellency of fuch a Saviour, commits * 1 Cor. i. 30. † Gal. vi. 14. himself himself to his compaffion and care, and renounces every other hope and fervice. He looks to the Saviour by the eye of his mind, with defire and admiration, and derives life from his death, healing from his wounds, as the Ifraelites, when wounded, were healed by looking upon the brazen ferpent. And not only is the confcience relieved, by this knowledge of Chrift crucified-the understanding is likewife enlightened, the judgment is formed, the affections regulated and directed by it. Then old things pass away, all becomes new. The love of fin departs, and the future life is devoted to him, who therefore died and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and the living *. There is likewife a certain energy or power which accompanies the gofpel when it is truly preached, which fufficiently characterizes and diftinguishes it from all other religous fchemes and fyftems. Our Lord during his perfonal miniftry, frequently gave proofs that he knew the heart of man. When Zaccheus thought himself unknown and unfeen, he called him by his name t. He reminded Nathanael of what had paffed + Luke xix. 5. *Rom. xiv. 9. in fecret under the fig-tree*; and by a few words, brought to the remembrance of the woman of Samaria all that she had done in her life. A fimilar effect accompanies the preaching of his gospel to this day. The gospel is preached, when they who are prefent find the fecrets of their hearts are made manifeft; when the preacher, who perhaps never faw them before, reminds them of what they have done, or faid, or thought, poffibly of things tranfacted long ago, and almoft forgotten by themselves;' and likewise describes the very feelings of their hearts while he is speaking to them. It is ufually in this way that conviction of fin firft takes place; and in this way, that a convinced burdened finner meets with seasonable support and direction, fo exactly fuited to his case, that he almost thinks the preacher is fpeaking to none but himself. No preachers but those who speak in conformity to the word which the Lord gave, have this power over the heart and confcience. II. It is owing to the word, the appointment and power of God, that any persons are induced or enabled to preach this gofpel. * John i. 48. + John iv. 29. Men Men may, indeed, affume the office of a preacher upon other grounds; there are too many who do. But though they speak in the name of the Lord, and as his ministers, if he has not fent them, they cannot declare his message in fuch a manner as to make full proof of their miniftry *. They may profit themselves, according to their low views, and may obtain fuch honours and emoluments as the world can give; but they have not the honour which cometh from God only. They are not wife to win fouls †. They have no testimony in the confciences of their hearers. They may deliver truths occafionally, which are valuable and ufeful in their proper places, but for want of knowing how to connect them with what the apostle styles, The truth as it is in Jefus ‡, they are unable either to break the hard heart, or to heal the wounded fpirit. The thoughtless are not alarmed, nor the ignorant instructed. The wicked go on in their evil ways The hungry Sheep look up, but are not fed. Nay we fee, in fact, though a few perfons may still be found, who place their religion 2 Tim. iv. 5. + Prov. xi. 30. Eph. iv. 21. in |