miracles, the narrative would have been entitled to no credence. The things which he took for heavenly visions might have been visions of his own imagination, and on no account, whatever, to be received as revelations from heaven, no more than the trance of Tennent, or the wonderful dream of Doddridge. Tennent and Doddridge, and others, may, for aught we can say, have had communications made to them from heaven. Tennent went to the grave under the solemn impression, that while he lay in this trance, he saw things unseen by mortal eyes; but the only way in which the fact can be established to the satisfaction of others, is by the power of miracles. But with miracles, we have no reason to believe that messengers from the dead could give more impressive testimony than we now have. The reply of Abraham to the rich man, by fair implication, teaches this. "They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. Nay, father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto them, if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead." A messenger from the dead, to be intelligible, must describe the unseen world by images drawn from material objects; but inspiration has already selected the most vivid images, both of beauty and splendor, and employed them to represent heaven, and the most terrific objects in nature to shadow forth the world of woe. The only way in which he could deepen the impression already made, would be by multiplying images, and by greater minuteness of detail; but who does not know that "familiarity begets insensibility." Suppose a messenger from the invisible world were now to enter that door, bearing upon his scarred and scathed visage "the marks and numbers" of a lost spirit, we should be startled, petrified, become as dead men, perhaps die; but admit that we were only stunned, as soon as we recovered from the shock, we should be the same men as before. There is nothing in mere affright to soften and subdue the heart into penitence. Men are drawn, not driven, into the kingdom of heaven.

But then, we must be convinced of a future state of misery, and are we not convinced now? Have we any doubt of the existence of such a being as Jesus Christ, a messenger first from heaven, and next from the dead, and that He taught the doctrine of the final misery of the wicked? But the impression made by one appearing directly before us, would be more vivid, no doubt it would, but what then? Men in the hour of death have sometimes far more vivid impressions of a future state of misery, and of their instant exposure to it, than are ever known in the hey-day of health. They are told by those in whose word they confide, that they can live, at most, but a few hours. In the perfect possession of reason, they feel that except they repent they shall thus soon be lost, lost forever, and yet they in such respect certainly give no evidence of the fact. All this merely

reveals the power of the heart over the understanding-merely shows that men can act, and do act, in direct opposition to their strongest convictions of duty and safety. Probably there are no circumstances in which repentance less often occurs, than amidst the phrenzied alarm which sometimes exists in a dying hour-an alarm not remotely resembling the effect which would be produced by the appearance of a messenger from the dead.

The Jews were seized with consternation at the crucifixion of Christ; but as soon as they recovered from the panic, they were the same men as before. It was not till fifty days after when the wild and frantic excitement which destroyed the power of collected and consecutive thought had subsided, that they were in any considerable numbers converted.

The more we look at the subject, the more, I think, will be our common conviction, that a messenger from the dead could make no more impressive disclosures of the world of woe, than God has made in his word. He might tell us that men are not merely exposed to perdition, but some are actually there. The Bible tells us that Judas fell by transgression "that he might go to his own place." What man in his senses believes that that place is heaven! that as he pressed the veil with the blood of the innocent on his heart, a voice from the excellent glory broke upon his ear, come up hither," and that he went up to take one of the thrones, vacated by the apostasy of the devil and his angels? Believe it who can! We think that with such testimony we should be convinced. We are convinced. Men may pretend that they are not, but God has taken care of that matter. The manifestation of the truth commends itself to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

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But men do not act as if they were convinced. They do not, and yet they do. The Jews were convinced by the miracles of Christ. "What do we for this man doeth many miracles?" What next? "Then from that day forth they took counsel together to put him to death." Men oppose the truth for the very reason that they are convinced, and the more madly the stronger their conviction. Impenitent men will sometimes allege in proof that professors of religion are hypocrites. If we believed as you pretend to in the doctrine of endless misery, we could not hold our peace, we would stop every man that we met, and warn him of his danger. Others will make their own defence, but for myself, whether honest or not, in my Christian profession, one thing I know, so far as I can know any thing, by my own consciousness, that God has given me such conviction of sin as leaves no lurking doubt in my mind as to the truth of the doctrine of the final misery of the wicked. I have no more doubt of this truth, than that there is a God who reigns in righteousness, and if it promised any good, I would stop my fellow sinners at every corner and intercept your way with the angel cry, “woe, woe,

woe," but if on this day, in this place, appealing to the law and the testimony, I cannot convince you of your exposure to endless misery, or at least so convince you as to produce the least practical effect, of what use this abrupt address which at my lips would carry no conviction, and which must provoke either mirth or wrath.

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God has made it our duty to "preach the word," to reason out of the Scriptures ;" and if men will not be convinced from this source, He will probably leave them to learn from their own experience what they will not take upon His word; and this leads me to say in the close, that if you continue to neglect present opportunities and misimprove present privileges, your expectations from the future will in all probability disappoint you. God has "magnified his word above all his name." He is jealous for the honor of "the word." He will do nothing in His providence to disparage the preaching of "the word." By the foolishness of preaching He saveth them that believe." You may look forward to some sudden, startling, overwhelming influence in the hour of death, but you will probably be disappointed. You will then be deprived of reason, or be so paralyzed by disease, as to look the grim messenger in the face, with the vacant stare of fatuity; or should you have "visions and revelations," not of "the third heaven," but of the lowest hell, "unspeakable," which you neither may nor can utter, in the horror of your doom you will "give up the ghost." May God incline you to improve the passing hour as for your life!

SERMON DCXCV.

BY REV. MARK TUCKER, D. D.,

ELLINGTON, CT.

A FAITHFUL SAYING.

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."-1 Tim. i. 15.

There have been many sayings current in the world, some of which were true and others false; some embodied important principles, others were only specious; some had been transmitted from generation to generation, from age to age, others have been forgotten; some have been practical, evincing great wisdom and knowledge of men and things, others have been unsound, have contained much error and false philosophy.

The apostle speaks of a saying which he affirms to be true and worthy of all attention-it refers to Jesus Christ and the object of his mission. The world had been advised of his coming-many reports were circulated about him as he came to be known. Some originated in jealousy, others in prejudice; some assailed his character, others referred to his designs. It was said that he was low bred because he turned his attention to the poor; many reported that he was a gluttonous man and a wine-bibber because he was occasionally in the society of publicans and sinners. Some charged him with ambition, that he aspired to a crown, others accused him of hypocrisy, that under the garb of innocence he aimed to subvert the Jewish polity and set up a new order of things; that his object was to destroy the law and the prophets. Time-which is a diligent inquirer and a just judge-has exposed all that was false, and confirmed all that was true. His true character, personal and moral, has been "placed under the seal and safegard of death and immortality."

We propose to examine this saying which the apostle has transmitted to us, what it implies, its claims to truth and general belief.

I. We inquire what is implied in this saying?

1. It is implied that men are lost. If it would be absurd to offer life to those who were not dead, it must be equally so to speak of saving those who were not perishing. If man were only in a partially lapsed condition, if his disease were not universal, a less effectual remedy might have answered. The salvation mentioned in the text, as we may gather from other parts of Scripture, is a full and entire deliverance from sin, its guilt, pollution, and power; including exemption from the condemnation of the law, freedom from the whole system of corrupt inclinations-sometimes called justification of life; sometimes the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost; sometimes the putting off the old man with his deeds, and the putting on of the new man. The obvious import of such strong language is, that man, in his native character, is a lost sinner. The apostle drew the same inference because we thus judge, if one died for all, then were all dead; if Christ Jesus came to save sinners, then they needed a Saviour; he would not have come on a useless errand; they stood in infinite need.

2. It is also implied that their salvation is a work of great difficulty. The names Christ Jesus, signify the anointed one-one set apart for a particular work. If the work of salvation could have been achieved by any other being in the universe, God had not sent his only Son. The law was broken, its awful penalty was incurred; the justice of God was armed for the destruction of the sinner; who could interpose, arrest the course of justice, set aside the penalty and open a way in which the law could be sustained, divine justice satisfied, the government of Jehovah vindicated, and the sinner saved? To preserve these high interests, and bring in everlasting righteousness was a mighty work. An angel could not accomplish it. When there was no eye to pity, no arm to save, then God brought salvation by laying help on one that is mighty. Infinite wisdom was employed in devising, and infinite power was exerted in executing the plan of salvation. Hence Christ Jesus is called the wisdom of God and the power of God. He assumed human nature into personal union with the divine, that as Mediator he might effect a reconciliation. To accom

plish so difficult a work, he must understand, and take an equal interest in, the character and concerns of both parties. From the relation which he sustained, the place he held, he only could make an end of sin by giving himself a sin offering, he only could magnify the law and make it honorable by his active and passive obedience. When Jesus, therefore, left his Father's bosom, it was on no excursion of pleasure; it was not to wander forth among the worlds that rolled in infinite space to receive their homage; but he came into this revolted province-this world of sin and error and rebellion, to save the orphans that were lying in their blood; to restore the outcasts that were ready to perish; this divine and heavenly work was to be effected, not by the mere energy of his will, not by commissioning an angel or a being of inferior order; but by giving himself in sacrifice by a life of obedience-by a vicarious death-by bearing our sins in his own body on the tree.

3. It is more than implied, it is affirmed, by the apostle, that the chief of sinners may be saved. He does not hesitate to refer to himself, who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor, and injurious, and yet the grace of God was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. Such an instance of grace was designed to illustrate the fullness of divine mercy. "Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting." A pattern is a specimen; in the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, the world might see what abundant mercy there is treasured up in Christ. Many an awakened sinner, who might otherwise have given up in despair, has been encouraged by his case to apply to the blood of sprinkling. If one so full of pride and self-righteousness; if such an opposer, breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, obtain mercy, the vilest of the vile may be saved.

4. We are also taught by this saying the infinite grace and love of God. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners who deserved to die. Had he been sent to punish them, had he been charged with a commission to execute the sentence of the law, it would have comported with our ideas of justice; but" God, who is rich in mercy for the great love wherewith he loved us, sent his Son, not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved." Verily God's thoughts are not as our thoughts; nor His ways as our ways. While not many great, not many noble are called, God hath chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom. To show his grace and make his power known, he has often fixed his regards upon the most abandoned, that no flesh might glory in his sight. Jesus came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentence. And he is able and willing to save to the uttermost, all who come to God by him.

II. We consider the propriety of accepting this saying, or, its claims to truth and general belief.

It is a faithful saying; it is true. History substantiates the fact that more than eighteen centuries ago a stranger entered our world, asserting that he was the Son of God, the Messias who was to come. His apostles asserted that he was God manifest in the flesh. Great numbers believed on him-entrusted to him the interests of their souls. The truth of this