heart. Though there was a rich variety in his preaching, yet he chiefly insisted on those peculiar doctrines of the gospel, which are the most disagreeable to corrupt nature; and which, perhaps, for that reason alone, have often been called obscure and deep points of mere speculation.

That Christ was a sentimental preacher, we need no other evidence than his public discourses. He plainly taught the doctrine of the sacred Trinity, which supports the scheme of redemption, and lies interwoven with the capital doctrines of the gospel. He said, that "He and his Father were one;" that "He was in the Father, and the Father in him;" and that "the Holy Ghost proceeded from both." He insisted however, principally on his own Divinity, which was so essential to his character as the Savior of sinners. He said, "Before Abraham was, I am." He said, "No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man, which is in heaven." And he called God his Father in such a sense, as plainly implied, and was understood to mean, that he was equal to God in every divine perfection. He inculcated the doctrine of personal election to eternal life, as a truth of great practical importance. He spoke of the elect as those whom his Father had given him: as those for whom, in a particular sense, he laid down his life; and as those whom no impostor could seduce, and whom God himself would avenge. Indeed it was a familiar expression with him, "many are called but few are chosen." Divine sovereignty was another delightful theme of his preaching. He delivered a sermon upon this subject, in the congregation of Nazareth, which with its remarkable effects, we find recorded in the fourth chapter of Luke. And this doctrine was so agreeable to his own heart that upon

seeing a bright and glorious, display of it, he broke out into a rapture of praise, and said, "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight."

He urged the absolute necessity of disinterested love upon all his followers, as the essence of true religion, and as that alone which discriminates the characters of the children of God. "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the Publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the Publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

That mankind by nature are totally destitute of this disinterested love, and wholly governed by the opposite spirit of selfishness, he abundantly taught in the course of his preaching. "I know you," said he to sinners, "that ye have not the love of God in you." And he scrupled not to call them vipers, and serpents, and even the children of the devil. And he carried the doctrine of total depravity into its natural and necessary consequences, and condemned sinners for all the affections of their hearts, and all the actions of their lives.

Accordingly upon this ground, he asserted the absolute necessity of regeneration, or the renovation of

the heart by the spirit of God. He expressly said to Nicodemus, "except a man be born again, he cannot. see the kingdom of God" And when Nicodemus appeared to misapprehend his meaning, he rejoined, "verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh, is flesh: and that which is born of the spirit, is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again." And in full consistency with this, he commanded sinners to repent and believe the gospel immediately. Accordingly we read, "after that John was put in prison, Jesus came from Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."

He assured all his faithful followers, that they should finally persevere to eternal life. "Verily, verily I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation." Again, my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish; neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me, is greateT than ail, and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.”

I might proceed to mention the doctines of a general and of a particular Providence, and the duties of self-denial, unconditional submission, and unser cbedience to the divine commande; al vrea Cont plattly tanque from time to time is a p COLTES But I stall only add that he w serted in the places terms, the codes turimme ta the who de la impenitence and wired

respect, he brought life and immortality to light, and discovered more of the invisible scenes of the invisible world, than had been ever discovered before, by any of the teachers sent from God. Thus the words which Christ spoke, the doctrines which he delivered, they were life, and they were death, and the same that shall judge the world at the last day, and therefore he eminently deserves the character of a sentimental preacher. This naturally leads me to observe,

In the last place, that Christ was a moving preacher. He is the most moving preacher, and possesses the power of persuasion, to the highest degree, who is best able to convey his own views and feelings to the minds of his hearers. No speaker can effect, nor even desire to effect more than this. Were a criminal to plead for his own life, he could desire to do no more, than convey his own views and feelings to the mind of his judge. This Christ was able to do, and by doing this, he was able to move the minds of his hearers, with whatsoever affections or passions he wished to excite. He had clear views and warm feelings. He was perfectly acquainted with God, with heaven, with hell, with the nature and worth of the human soul, and with all its relations and connexions both in time and eternity. All his affections were pure and clear as the crystal stream. His heart was a flame of love. His soul was all sensibility. His life was immaculate innocence. And more of heaven sat on his countenance, and sparkled in his eye, than ever shone in the face of Moses, or the face of Stephen. With such views, such feelings, such heavenly appearance, could he possibly fail of speaking with asastonishing solemnity and pathos? We never heard him preach, and we never shall; but we may conceive of his rising up in a large assembly of poor, guilty, perishing sinners, and like a mighty stream, bearing down

all before him, while he clearly, solemnly, and affectionately laid open his own views and feelings respecting their guilt and danger, their happiness and misery to all eternity. What could equal the language of his vengeance to secure hardened sinners? "Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. Fill ye up the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" But what could be more soft and melting than the language of his love? "Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Whosoever cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." In reference to these words, the officers said, and who would not have said the same? "Never man spake like this man." Such a plain, searching, sentimental, moving preacher was Chirst, who is the standard of perfection, and the pattern of preaching to all who assume the ministerial character.

But if this be true, how can those answer it to Christ, who profess to be his ministers, and to preach his gospel, and yet pay no regard to his example in their preaching? Have not such persons crept into the ministry from age to age? Did not some preachers begin to make shipwreck of the faith, while the apostles were alive? Did they not wax worse and worse, soon after their death? Did not some deny even the Lord that bought them, and maintain that he was a mere creature, a mere man, a mere phantom? Did not the body of the clergy, in the dark ages of Christianity, mix and corrupt the plainest truths of divine revelation, with the vain philosophy, which they borrowed from the school of Alexandria, or the