support, on all those prominent parts of Scripture, which relate to the essential doctrines of the cross, being compleatly put out of sight; by such bold methods of mutilation, perversion, and ungrammatical construction, which it might be supposed, every honest, unprejudiced, and competent interpreter must indignantly reject. And though, not having that insight into the human heart which the Apostles appear to have possessed, we may feel disposed to give credit for zeal and good intention to the parties concerned in thus wresting the sacred writings to the promotion of their own particular creed; we must, at the same time, observe, that neither zeal nor good intention can furnish security against error of opinion, or defect in judgment.

Without, however, presuming to determine for others we cannot but think that the concluding words of revelation, so far at least, as they may be deemed applicable to the sacred canon at large, are well worthy the serious consideration of the persons to whom we immediately refer. "any man shall add unto these things,

" If

"God

"God shall add unto him the plagues "that are written in this book. And if

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any man shall take away from the words "of the book of this prophecy, God shall "take away his part out of the book of "life, and out of the holy city, and from "the things which are written in this "book. He which testifieth these things, "saith; surely I come quickly, Amen;

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even so come Lord Jesus." Rev. xxii. 18, 19, 20.

DISCOURSE IV.

2 COR. v. 20.

As though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled unto God.

THAT stupendous instance of God's love to man, in sending his Son to die for him, (the ground on which the evangelical ministry is built,) constituted (as it might be supposed,) a powerful motive with St. Paul in his discharge of it. "The love of the Apostle," constraineth "us; because we thus judge, that if one "died for all, then were all dead." ver. 14. As if he had said, the consideration of man's lost condition in consequence of the Fall, together with the redemption

"Christ," says the Apostle,

which has been wrought for him by Jesus Christ, lays us ministers under the constraining obligation of being earnestly solicitous for the promotion of the great object he had in view. Whilst the conclusion to be drawn from the alarming circumstance, that "if one man died for all, "then were all dead," follows in the words immediately subjoined by the Apostle,

that they who live, should not hence"forth live unto themselves, but unto him "who died for them and rose again;" man who had become dead unto sin, through the effect of the Fall, having been restored to a capacity for salvation through Jesus Christ, under that new covenant, which has freed him from the unabatable rigor of the law, and provided for him the grace of the Gospel; which holds out the gift of life and immortality to every truly repenting and renewed sinner. "And "all things," (continues the Apostle speaking in the character of an ambassador for Christ;)" are of God, who hath reconciled us unto himself by Jesus Christ, and given unto us the ministry of reconcilia"tion;" in other words, he hath deli

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vered unto us, his ministers, a commission

to preach the Gospel of ciliation to fallen man;

which Gospel, so far as

peace and recon

the substance of it respects God,

the Apostle sums up in the following short, but comprehensive form ; "that God was,'

"in Christ, reconciling the world unto "himself, not imputing their trespasses "unto them."

The work of God's reconciliation to man then, according to the plan laid in the divine councils, being finished, as the great Reconciler himself declared upon the cross; i. e. finished, so far as the ransom offered by him was concerned in it; it is to be considered, what remains to the perfect completion of this divine work of grace; to render it ultimately effectual to the salvation of the party, for whose benefit it was designed. For since man, in consequence of the Fall, could not be saved under the covenant of works, and must therefore perish, unless he could hope for salvation through a covenant suited to his fallen condition; it became necessary that such a covenant should be provided for him; which whilst it secured

God's