thy son the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession." But "the language of the conduct is, Excuse our remissness in thy service; leave us, to amass wealth, to feast on pleasure, to shine with distinction, and to say to our soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up in store for many years, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.""*

It costs

There is reason to fear, my brethren, that the inconsistency here spoken of is no uncommon trait. It is an evil which, in a greater or less degree, I think extensively prevails. Nor is it difficult to be accounted for why it prevails. It is owing to the pride, and sloth, and avarice of men. It costs them nothing to pray for the coming of Christ's kingdom, and the universal diffusion of his holy religion; indeed, such prayers under particular circumstances may gain them credit ;-but to do any thing to accomplish that for which they pray-to make an effort to propagate the religion of the gospel, must necessarily be attended with labor and expense. rulers nothing, to recommend to the people in their public Proclamations, to pray for the universal prevalence of the religion of Christ-so far from this, such recommendations are actually and deservedly creditable to rulers; but it might cost them something, were they to enter with zeal and spirit into the great work of spreading the gospel, and to exert their influence and power for the purpose of advancing it. It costs Ministers and people nothing, to comply externally with the recommendation of their rulers, and the direction of Christ, and to pray in words that his religion might fill the earth; but were they to do that which is necessarily implied in such prayers, and * Gallaudet's Serm. p. 82.

without which the prayers themselves are no better than mockery in the sight of God-were they to engage heart and hand in the great work of sending the gospel to the remotest nations this would involve exertions and sacrifices from which their slothful and selfish hearts revolt.

In conclusion, my brethren and friends, let us endeavour to ascertain how much of the inconsistency here spoken of attaches to us. We believe it our duty to pray for the coming of Christ's kingdom; do we also feel it our duty to do what is obviously and necessarily implied in such prayers? And if we feel thus, do we practise accordingly ?—It is of great importance that we be consistent somewhere. If then we are unwilling to stop praying for the coming of Christ's kingdom (as all must be who are not willing to be Deists) let us consent to act as well as pray, and be engaged to accomplish that for which we present our supplications before the throne of heaven.Of those who have been consistent in this great work, we are favored with numerous examples. Paul the Apostle was consistent. He prayed for the diffusion of the gospel; and he labored, and suffered, and sacrificed his earthly all, in spreading the gospel throughout the earth. David Brainerd was consistent. prayed that the religion of his Saviour might prevail; and he was willing to deny himself, and bear his cross and wear out his life, to accomplish the object of his prayer. And thousands of others have been consistent, who have not been Missionaries, or Ministers, or persons of extensive influence or high rank in life. They have prayed for the coming of their Redeemer's kingdom, and have done what they consistently could do to promote it; and more than this cannot be required of any one,-Of such persons, my friends, let

He

us be the followers. They may have been despised among men, but they have been owned and honored of God; and in following them, we shall be owned and honored too. The blessing of many ready to perish will descend upon us while here below; while our prayers, and labors, and alms, like those of good Cornelius, will ascend up for a memorial of us before the throne of our heavenly Father. Amen.

DISCOURSE X.

OUR INDEBTEDNESS TO MISSIONS A REASON FOR SUPPORTING THEM.

1 Corinthians xii. 2.

"Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols even as ye were led."

THE apostle Paul, in writing to the Gentile converts, often found it necessary to remind them of what they once were, and from what they had been recovered by means of the gospel. Such hints, he might naturally suppose would serve to humble them, give them a sense of the value of the gospel, and excite them to the performance of those duties which were devolving on them as professed followers of Christ. Of his adopting and pursuing the course here spoken of, we have an example in the words of the text. "Ye know," says he to the Corinthians, by way of introducing instruction and reproof relative to the subject of spiritual gifts-" Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.

It may be profitable to us, my brethren, to consider at this time our great indebtedness to the gospel, and the fearful depths of debasement and wretchedness, from which, by means of it, we have been preserved. Though it cannot be said of us personally, that we have been palpable idolaters; still it is in a sense true that we have been saved from idolatry, with all its attendant miseries and horrors, by means

of the gospel. Our European ancestors, let it be impressed on us, were once heathens, "carried away unto dumb idols, even as they were led." They were the blinded, determined votaries of an idolatrous and bloody superstition; and had they not been recovered from it by means of the gospel, we might have been born under the same yoke, and lived and died in the same miserable state.

In pursuing this subject, I shall

I. Describe some of the more prominent features of that superstition which formerly prevailed in the land of our fathers.

II. Shew when, and by what means, they were brought to a knowledge of Christianity. And,

III. Consider the duties devolving on us, in consequence of what was then done for them.

The inhabitants of Britain and the adjacent countries, from whom we claim to be descended, were once a cruel and ferocious race of Pagans. Their priests, if priests they could be called, were denomi-nated Druids; who dwelt chiefly in impenetrable forests, dens, and caverns, far from the abodes of men. They kept themselves and their pursuits in profound secrecy and mystery, by which means they were enabled to hold all around them in a state of the most debasing terror and servitude. They are said to have been worshippers of the oak; and when their sacred tree was cut down, would even deify its shapeless stump. The Misseltoe, a small shrub growing on the boughs of the oak, was also an ob-ject of high veneration. Their sacrifices were offered in thick groves of oak, and on some occasions in temples, or more properly enclosures,. formed of massy, stones. One of these, denominated Stonehenge, is partly standing in England at the present