of Moses, the devout fervour of David, and the heroic decision of Daniel; at the same time, by his constant and ineffably pure obedience, he attested the high importance and grandeur of the cause of holiness; and the reasonableness, equity, and holiness of that law by which Jehovah purposes to maintain for ever the moral order of the universe.

By sin, the precepts of the holy law were grossly violated. But Jesus Christ, as the Surety of his people, has atoned for those violations, and has brought in an everlasting righteousness; exhibiting moral evil, thereby, in a more odious light than that in which it is presented by the sufferings of wicked men ; and the beauty of holiness, in brighter forms than are observable in the obedience of holy angels.

By sin, every trace of the image of God was removed from the soul. But Jesus, by presenting his merits before the throne of his Father, has procured the grace of the Holy Spirit, which is able to restore man to his former dignity. This grace is actually communicated; and, under its powerful influence, the most obdurate hearts have been softened to penitence and love, the most polluted have been renewed and adorned with heavenly virtues, and such as proudly disputed the Divine

authority have humbly and cheerfully submitted to its requisitions.

By sin, all communication ceased between God and his creatures. But Jesus Christ, by undertaking the cause of man, by releasing him from condemnation, and by imputing to him the merits of his sufferings and obedience, has removed every objection to his acceptableness; (if he be willing to submit to the terms of salvation;) so that those who are afar off are brought nigh, and are entitled to the privileges of the heavenly family, and are admitted into fellowship with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

2. As deliverance from evil is the distinguishing feature of the christian revelation, we are furnished with a decisive proof of its Divine authenticity.

All those schemes of religion which have emanated from the wisdom of men, have been notoriously deficient in this particular. Let the impartial inquirer reflect for a moment on the mythological reveries of the Grecian and Roman poets; let him recall the murderous rites of Druidism;-let him behold the brutal and sanguinary institutions of the Hindoos;-let him contemplate the artful imposture of the Arabian Prophet; and it will be impossible for him not

to perceive that these various systems of human invention are totally unworthy of a holy God; that they are calculated to degrade and brutalize the soul; and, instead of delivering it from evil, to plunge it deeper and deeper into all that is vile, flagitious, and demoniacal.

It must, on the other hand, be evident to every thoughtful person, that the christian revelation is calculated to answer all the ends of a divinely inspired religion. It comes to man, not to soothe him in his vices, not to swell his ambition, not to gratify his curiosity, not to amuse him in his disgraceful captivity with puerile fables and fantastic ceremonies. No; it comes to him as a benefactor, as a physician, as a friend, as a comforter, to relieve him in his affliction, to break asunder his galling fetters, to cure his spiritual maladies, to allay the agonies of his conscience, to bring him forth to the light of life, to wipe away his tears, to inspire in his bosom immortal peace and joy,—in a word,―to deliver him from all evil! Does not such a system bear the impress of the Divine hand? Does it not evince the sublimity of that Wisdom, which, in bestowing a religion on sinful man, proposed nothing less than the restoration of his mind to original purity; and his complete emancipation from all that is incompatible with the most elevated and refined

state of being, the society of angels, and the friendship of God? It is a "pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and the Lamb," which, like a mirror, reflects the moral glories of the Supreme in more illustrious forms than all the seas and skies in the universe.

3. This subject furnishes us with a delightful idea of a future state.

During his abode in the present world, the believer cannot enjoy complete deliverance from evil. He is constantly employed in watching against it: he resists it by his daily prayers; he wrestles against it by his determined and unceasing opposition; and when, by the assistance of Divine grace, he succeeds in subduing a powerful corruption, how sincerely does he exult! The hero's triumph may be louder, but it is not so noble; it may excite higher and more glowing sympathy, but his victory is not so important, nor will it have a bearing on ages so distant. Still, however, the believer cannot, on this side the grave, realize all his wishes: he must die, in order to enjoy the full answer to his prayers. In heaven he will attain the glorious elevation which he now so ardently seeks, -not in a long series of years,-not after the lapse of many ages, but immediately on his

arrival in the eternal world. There, he will never pray to be delivered from evil. He shall feel that he has obtained a complete deliverance. Never more shall he say,-"O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me?-Where is God my Maker? O that I knew where I might find him!" His happy spirit, emancipated from sin and grief, temptation and care, shall enjoy a perfect conformity to the holy image of the Son of God, and all the rich satisfactions which it often longed for with unutterable breathings. The day is indeed at hand in which the Christian's prayer will be fully answered. It shall be answered to a degree of which, at present, he has no conception: for his deliverance from evil supposes his possession of all good, as the absence of darkness supposes the presence of light. Here, he prays to be delivered from the curse of sin; there, he will experience all the blessedness which is connected with unspotted purity. Here, he prays to be preserved from the dominion of sin; there, he shall feel as though there were no such thing as sin in the universe. Here, he prays against the wiles of Satan; there, he shall not only be utterly free from his allurements and accusations, and terrors, but shall dwell with those lovely spirits who will aid him in his Divine contemplations, and in all his attempts to ad