velty and nicenefs of my subject is confidered. I must not, however, with-hold my acknowledgments from the noble and worthy Supporters of this Charity, for the kind opinion they were pleased to exprefs of this my endeavour to forward their useful defign. And could I prefume, that the difcourfe might meet with a reception near as favourable from the Prefs, as from the Pulpit, I fhould be happy." But the ear is a favourable judge: a reader, we know, is fevere and inexorable .." Satisfied however, in the fincerity of my in-. tention; affur'd, that to give the leaft offence is. at the utmost distance from my defign; and defirous to be as inftrumental as my station will admit, in the great work of benevolence and love; I commit it to the world, and to the patronage efpecially of the Friends and Governors of this Charity; at whofe requeft, it was preached": an office, which, they can bear me witnefs, r ftrove much and long to commend to one of fu perior station and ability, and at whofe command and defire, I now publish it heartily praying, that the Divine Grace may accompany it, and this good work, and crown all the generous inftruments of it, with length of days, riches, and honour here below, and with immortality and glory, in the world to come. * A remark from Lawfon's useful lectures concerning Oratory, page 100. St. MATT. ix. 12, 13. AND WHEN JESUS HEARD THAT, HE SAID, THEY THAT ARE WHOLE NEED NOT A PHYSYCIAN; BUT THEY THAT ARE SICK. BUT GO YE AND LEARN WHAT THAT MEANETH, I WILL HAVE MERCY, N OTHING can be conceived more amiable than the character, nothing more benevolent than the defign, of the. ⚫ great Redeemer of the world. The religion he hath instituted, is the most agreeable and corres pondent to the neceffities of mankind: the example he hath fet, the moft conducive to that. perfecting our nature, which is the end of our Being, and the foundation of our felicity. That Virtue is preferable to Vice: that, if there be a God, he must delight in Virtue: that, what he delights in, may reasonably expect to be happy; was the general perfuafion of the best and wifeft. Heathens. But these opinions left them only in fad difquietude and uneafy fuf pense: penfe; fince the prevalent corruption of human Nature, permitted very little fatisfaction to arife from the contemplation of Virtues, defiled with innumerable blemishes, for which they were utterly ignorant whether pardon might be obtained at all; or if obtained, in what manner the Deity could be atoned and made placable. This held them, as it were, all their life time subject to bondage; and made death, as one of the ableft of them calls it," of all dreadful things the most horribly dreadful." These clouds are removed, and this darkness difpelled, by that life and immortality which is brought to light by the Gofpel. And, to the unfpeakable comfort of our fouls, we perceive the Son of God himself moved by the most affecting benevolence, to espouse our cause, to purchase our falvation, to proclaim our pardon and making a revelation of the fovereign Will, compleatly adapted to our wants, perfectly dif perfing our doubts and our fears, and inspiring us at once with the moft pleafing confidence, and the warmest love. The words of the text ferve well to fhew us the admirable Difpofition of our Saviour, and the important End of his appearance amongst us. And as that Difpofition was the most amiably. benevolent and compaffionate, and that End the falvation of repenting finners; there furely can be nothing more proper to engage our attention at N at prefent, when we are affembled to promote and encourage an undertaking of which BENEVOLENCE and COMPASSION are the noble Foundations of which the SALVATION of LOST and RUINED SOULS is the glorious End. ·· I fhall take occafion, therefore, from the words of the text. I. Briefly to fet forth the End and Excellence of the Chriftian Religion; And, II. To fhew the exact and pleafing conformity of our present inftitution to it: the Utility whereof, and the many motives which should urge us to a generous affiftance of it, will conclude the prefent.addrefs. Wherein I shall need all that candor and favourable attention, which a fubject fo new and fo delicate may justly claim, And permit me to hope, that as I tread firft, by your appointment, in this trackless path, you will make the more indulgent allowances. Ift. Then let us take a general view of the end and excellence of the Chriftian Religion. And certainly that end is the most noble that can be fancied, the moft commendable that can be conceived. It is nothing less than the recovery of mankind from ruin and wretchednefs: than the restoration of a fallen world to favour and felicity, with the author of their existence, and the fountain of all good. E The 8 The Scriptures fet this end before us in terms the most expreffive, and the most pleasing. We are told in them, that God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that, whofoever believeth in him, fhould not perish, but have everlasting life. We are told that this divine and only begotten Son came into the world to fave finners. Nay, and he himself, throughout the course of his ministry, utter'd only pathetic invitations to the weary and heavy-laden to come to him, and find 、 mercy and life; to take his eafy yoke, and receive reft and tranquility. And in the words of the text, you perceive what kind encouragement fell from his bleffed lips, fully expreffing his benevolent defign, and engaging the humble penitent to accefs and confidence. They that are whole, (faid he to the malevolent Pharifees, who objected to him, because they faw him eat with Publicans and Sinners,) they that are whole need not a phyfician; but they that are fick. "Murmur not therefore, ye Scribes and Pharifees, that I eat and converfe with Publicans and Sinners : my business is with fuch and the end of my coming into the world was the falvation of these. I converse not with them to lull them in fatal fecurity amidst their vices, or to contract any taint from the contagion of their impurities; but as the physician vifits the chamber of the fick, and is occupied amidft the couches of the languishing and diftreft; fo do I, as the great phy ལ |