world. And whenever we fee Chriftians remarkably engaged to extend the knowledge and influence of the gospel, then we may hope the good work is begun. God will bring to país this work, as he does other great works, for the benefit of mankind, not by an immediate and miraculous. power, but by employing, fupporting and fucceeding human labourers, as his fubordinate agents.

The spread of the gospel after Christ's refurrection, was agreeable to previous predictions and promises; but it was effected by the labour and preaching of minifters, and by the zeal and liberality of Chriftians to fupport them. And God wrought with his ministers to confirm and fucceed their preaching. The future fpread of the gofpel, which is fo often foretold in fcripture, will, like the past, be effected by God's blessing on human

means.

God has promifed, that the gates of hell fhall not prevail against his church. "Why then," fome afk, "need Chriftians and minifters be fo much concerned about the church? Why fo much talk and preaching in favour of the church, and against infidelity? If the promise can be depended upon, infidels will never fubvert the church."

They never will; because there will always be a competent number of witneffes to oppofe and confront them, and to bear teftimony against them, and in defence of the truth. And, thank God, there is fuch a number in this day. But if the time were ever to come, when there would be none to plead for the truth, but all would fi lently yield to the influence and comply with the will of its enemies, the church would cease of Gourfe. We trust that there never will be fuch a time. This may be the cafe in particular places.

And wherever it is the cafe, the church in that place, will cease, as it has done already, in many other places, where it once exifted. But it will, at no time, be the cafe univerfally. There will al ways be a church fomewhere. If it fhould feem to be depreffed, yet it will exift, and will again arife from its depreffion. And the time is coming, when all nations will fee and admire it. In the mean time, we fhould all be folicitous to maintain it among ourselves. We fhould all enter into it, labor to promote its purity, and, according to our ability, contribute to the enlargement of its borders, and the advancement of its intereft. And in a day, when a great and effectual door is opened, when many of the friends of Zion feem to be engaged in her caufe, and when there are many adverfaries, we fhould cheerfully afford our aid and concurrence in fo important a cause.

Our fubject teaches us, that neither in this cafe, nor any other, ought we to make the promises of God an excufe for the neglect of our duty. The good which God promifes to men, he always brings about in a way of means, and in concurrence with human agency. And if, when God has promised a benefit, we, for this reafon, neglect the proper means for obtaining it, we pervert the promise, and forfeit the benefit. God's promifes are intended, not to encourage our neglect, but to excite our performance, of the duties required. We are to truft in him, and do good, and in welldoing to commit ourselves to him, as to a faithful Creator. When we wait upon him in the way of duty, then we truft and honour him. When prefuming on his promife, we neglect our duty, we tempt and mock him. And it is written, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."

SERMON XXII.

The Anointing of the Spirit a fure evidence of our Title to eternal life.

Delivered to an Association of Ministers.

1. JOHN ii. 27.

But the anointing, which ye have received of him, abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you; but as the fame anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him,

THE apoftle here ftates the evidence by

which believers afcertain their title to eternal life. This, he fays, is the anointing, which they have received. What this anointing is, we fhall, in the first place, explain; and then apply the fubject,

Anointing with oil was a ceremony used, according to divine inftitution, among the Jews, in confecrating men to facred and important offices. And the defign of it was, not only to indigitate the perfons who were vefted with the offices, but

also to denote the qualifications neceffary to the execution of them. It in fome cafes fignified an eminent participation of the gifts and graces of the divine Spirit. The prophet Ifaiah, speaking in the perfon of the Saviour, fays, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach glad tidings to the meek." God is faid "to have anointed him with the oil of gladness above his fellows." Hence he is often called the Merah and the Christ, both which words fignify the Anointed.

As Jefus Chrift, who received the Spirit without measure, is faid to be anointed and fanctified to the high office of Redeemer, so true believers, who are fanctified by the Spirit, and have the Spirit dwelling in them, are faid "to have an unction from the Holy One. St. Paul fays to the Corinthians, "He who hath anointed us in God, who hath fealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." To the Ephefians he says, "After ye heard the word of truth, and believed in Chrift, ye were fealed with the Holy Spirit of promife, which is the earnest of our inheritance."

The fealing of the Spirit is a metaphor, which St. Paul uses, to denote the fanctifying work of the Spirit in the hearts of believers. As a feal impressed on wax leaves there its own image, fo they, who are fanctified by the Spirit, are made partakers of the divine nature. They are renewed after the image of God in righteoufnefs and true holinefs. And he ufes the metaphor of anointing in the fame sense. "He who hath anointed and fealed us, is God." As ointment and perfume please the sense and rejoice the heart, fo the graces of the Spirit fhed abroad in the foul, are pleafing and acceptable to God. They are as oint

ment poured forth. In them he smells a fweet favour.

This unction of the Spirit is a permanent work. Our apostle fays, "The anointing, which ye have received of God, abideth in you." In the literal anointing, oil is poured on the head. In the fpiritual anointing grace is poured into the heart. The former evaporates; the latter abides.

There may, indeed, be a work of the Spirit, which does not abide. "The Spirit is fent to convince the world of fin." The convictions, of which finners are the fubjects, are ufually accompanied with fome ferious refolutions and partial reformations. But thefe too often are temporary and tranfient. We read of thofe, who in their affliction feek God early, but whofe goodness vanishes as a morning cloud-who in their trouble return and enquire early after God, but are not ftedfaft in his covenant. We often fee fimilar cafes. But the anointing, of which St. John fpeaks, is a durable change. It is a holy temper formed and maintained in the foul by a divine influence accompanying the word of truth. "Who

foever is born of God, doth not commit fin," or yield himself a fervant to it, "for his feed re. maineth in him, and he cannot fin, because he is born of God."

To know whether we are born of God, we muft enquire whether we have our fruit unto holinefs. To know whether we have received the fpiritual anointing from God, we must examine whether the anointing abide in us. There may be in finners an alteration, which, in many respects, resembles real converfion, and yet effentially differs from it. The reality of faving repentance is more furely known by its permanent effects, than by any difcriminating circumftances, which im