they have not rejected him personally, or given their voices for his crucifixion. The statement of truth therefore, adapted to bring them to repentance, is not exactly the same with that of the Apostles. Ministers now have not the same occasion to prove to them that Jesus is the Christ, nor can they charge them with the immediate guilt of his death. But if men, though called Christians, have. neglected this Saviour, have rejected his offers of mercy, have crucified him afresh by their sins, have lived in practical ignorance of his person and work and sufferings and atonement and resurrection and glory; if, though they acknowledge the facts of his history to be true, they know nothing really of his character as Jesus the Messiah; and understand nothing of his grace as Lord and Christ; then they as much need to be taught these fundamental doctrines, as the Jews needed to be told the particular truths to which I have adverted. And it is only so far as instructions such as these are plainly given, that they are likely to be brought to serious piety.

What is it then, my brethren, that you hear in our instructions? You hear that you are immortal crcatures, accountable to God for all you do; that God has given you a just and holy law; that this law is spiritual, and demands perfect obedience; that the soul that sinneth, it shall die; that you have all broken this law a

thousand-times in thought, word, and deed; that some of you have done this by open vice and profligacy, others by covetousness and the love of the world, others by pride and ambition, others by pleasure and indolence, others by indifference and thoughtlessness; and all of you by not loving God with all your heart, and soul, and mind, and strength, and your neighbour as yourselves. You hear also, what is a necessary inference from all this, that there is none righteous, no not one; that by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in God's sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin; that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men; and that the wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the people that forget God.-This is what you are instructed in.

You hear, besides, that God has so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life; that repentance and remission of sins are preached in his name among all nations; that he is able to save unto the uttermost all that come unto God by him; that whosoever will, may come and take of the water of life freely; that God has no pleasure in the death of a sinner, but rather that he should turn from his way and live; and that it is accord

ingly the duty of all to consider their ways, and repent and turn to God.

You have heard further that the Holy Ghost is "the author and giver of life," that by his grace the eyes of men are enlightened and their hearts changed; and that, therefore, by his sacred influences you must be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and must humbly devote yourselves to God in a course of faith, contrition, spirituality, love, obedience, and good works."

These truths you hear. And not only so, but, if we are faithful to our office, you hear them applied forcibly to your particular cases. By manifestation of the truth we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. Like the Apostles in the discourses we have noticed (and which are recorded for our imitation in treating with unconverted persons, as their Epistles, generally speaking, are our model in preaching to professedly serious Christians), it is our duty to appeal to the heart, to adapt our instructions to the several errors, prejudices, and circumstances of our hearers, to display to them the truth in the plainest and most affectionate manner; aiming to rouse their consciences, to convict them of guilt, and to lead them to repentance and conversion. It is our object to disturb every careless sinner, and make him acquainted with his character and danger, We are anxious to lay open to the se

cret transgressor his guilt; to strip the mask from the hypocrite; to expose to the covetous. man his idolatry; to teach the cavilling objector the broad features of truth; to instruct the selfrighteous person in the doctrine of the atonement and righteousness of Christ; and to show the unholy professor of evangelical truth the power and effects of real godliness. In a word, our duty as ministers is rightly to divide the word of truth, so that every different class of persons may hear the Gospel in a way most exactly suited, under the blessing of God, to inform their understandings and touch their hearts.

Nor shall such instructions be given in vain; for I am now to point out,

II. THAT THEY WILL PRODUCE SORROW AND COMPUNCTION OF MIND FOR SIN.

Our text informs us, in the case of the Jews whom St. Peter addressed at the day of Pentecost, that, When they heard this, they were pricked in their heart. They were pierced through with grief and confusion. The Apostle's words penetrated their hearts like an arrow, and left a deep wound behind. It was not so much a gradual conviction slowly and reluctantly wrought on their minds, as a sudden and powerful emotion which at once overwhelmed every obstacle. They had been blinded by prejudices, misled by notions of a temporal Messiah, and

inflated with haughty conceptions of their law. They had been stimulated by their priests to demand the crucifixion of Christ, and had joined in the guilt of that unjust and dreadful tragedy. But no sooner did they hear the solemn and convincing appeal of the Apostle, than conviction flashed upon them. Remorse, shame, sorrow, took possession of their minds. They instantly discovered that the person whom they had ignominiously crucified, was their long-promised Saviour. They saw in the miraculous gift of tongues an unanswerable proof that the Messiah was come. The lovely character and beneficent miracles of Christ rushed into their thoughts. They recollected what they had themselves seen and heard of Him.. All his purity and benevolence rose like a vision before them. The conviction of their obduracy in rejecting his mission and consenting to his death, burst upon their minds. They felt that they could make no excuse for their crime. They saw no way of eseape from the wrath of the Saviour whom they had provoked; and who, as they now believed, was enthroned at the right hand of the Father.Thus the word of God was, in their case, quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword. They became at once sensible of their folly, ingratitude, wickedness, and blindness; and were touched to the very quick on account of their guilt and danger.