the pureft, the fublimeft morality, comprising the whole of our duty to God and our neighbour, is in fcripture fet in a juft point of light, and taught in its utmost latitude. As it refpects piety towards God, the idea given of it in fcripture, is amiable, engaging, and every way worthy of its object, as well as fuitable to the relation in which creatures ftand to their creator. We are required to fear God, not with a servile but a filial fear, and to love him with all our hearts. We are encouraged to addrefs ourfelves to him as our heavenly father through Jefus Christ the fon of his love, and, in his name, offer up our petitions, confeffions, praises, and thanksgivings, with fuch humility as becomes creatures deeply fenfible of their own unworthinefs, yet in the exercife of faith, hope, and holy confidence. We are required to yield the most entire unreferved fubmiffion to the divine will, by refigning ourfelves to his difpofal, and acquiefcing in the difpenfation's of his providence, not merely from a firm perfuafion of his fovereign right and uncontrolable dominion, but also in the most entire confidence that he does all things well. We are to fet the Lord always before us, to confider ourfelves as conftantly in the prefence of him who is our alfeeing witnefs and will be our final Judge, whofe glory ought to be our highest end, and the enjoyment of whom is our chief good, and destined to be our ultimate happinefs. Above all, we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our strength, and with all our mind, and to evidence our love by keeping his commandments, by afpiring after conformity to him in his imitable perfections, and by endeavouring, as far as we are able, to glorify him in the world. As to outward worship there is, according to the idea given of it in the new Teftament, a noble fimplicity in it, calculated to imprefs the mind with the fublimeft fentiments of piety, and the warmest feelings of devotion. As the facred fcriptures give the most exalted directions concerning piety towards God, fo they inculcate the pureft morality, in relation to the duties which we owe to our fellow creatures. This branch of morality, as well as the former, muft have its foundation in the The fub heart, and is founded on univerfal benevolence. ftance of the duty which we owe to our fellow creatures is to do to others as we would have them do to us. Where this principle influences human conduct, it tends to promote the conftant practice of righteoufnefs, justice and fidelity, to dispose men to render unto all their dues, and excite them to the diligent and faithful discharge of the duties incumbent upon them in their feveral callings, stations and relations, not merely from civil confiderations, but as a neceffary part of religion, and for confcience fake. True benevolence is here advanced to the noblest height, and carried to the greatest extent. It strengthens the natural ties of humanity and adds other facred and moit endearing motives to bind mankind to one another. We are taught to love our neighbour as ourselves, and to rejoice in, and endeavour to promote his profperity and hap piness. We are enjoined to do good to all, as far as we have ability and opportunity. We are not only to do good to our friends and benefactors, but to love, pray for, and forgive our enemies; to render good for evil, and overcome evil with good. Scripture morality has a tendency to fupprefs all malice, envy, hatred, and revenge; all those boisterous and unruly paffions which have done, and are ftill doing fo much mischief in the world. As it refpects felf government, the holy fcriptures lay down rules which tend to perfect human nature. Although they do not inculcate a ftoical apathy, yet they teach us to regulate, not barely our outward actions, but alfo the inward affections and difpofitions of the foul, to keep the heart with all diligence, to labour after inward purity, fimplicity, and godly fincerity, as branches of the chriftian temper, without which, no outward forms of piety or morality could be well pleafing to God. Scripture morality ftrikes immediately at the root of all diforder and corruption, and gives no toleration to the gratification of any luft, but on the contrary, enjoins fuch a regulation of the affections as is calculated to wean them from things below, and to place them on things above. As it refpects bearing with the ills of this prefent life, there are no motives equal to thofe furnished in fcripture to infpire the noblett F fortitude and patience, and to cause the mind to rife faperior to tranfitory evils. The chriftian, in particular, is there taught that God will caufe all things to work together for his greater good, and for the furtherance of his final happiness. I need not cite particular paffages to how that this is really the morality of the Bible, however little refemblance there may be to this ftandard in the morals of many who lay claim to the chriftian name.— How happy, as well as amiable, would the chrifian world be, did fuch a temper of heart, and fuch a fyftem of morals as the gospel inculcates, prevail to an extent commenfurate with the chriftian profeffion. And as that divine temper which christianity has a tendency to infpire, and that course of conduct which the facred oracles enjoin mankind to purfue, is most excellent in itself, fo the fcriptural motives to induce men to walk in the way of gofpel fimplicity and obedience are proportionably ftrong. For the purpofe of furnishing proper motives for the difcharge of duty, all the pretended fyftems of natural religion, are extremely defective, but the motives to chriftian morality, exhibited in the facred fcriptures, are the moft cogent, the moft animating. The exprefs authority of God muft needs give the greateft weight to fcripture precepts and directions. All the charms of divine goodness, grace and love, are fet in the Arongeft light, with a view to lead the finner to repentance and engage the chriftian to greater diligence in profecuting his chriftian courfe. The important folemnities of a future judgment, an awful period when all muft be fummoned to the bar of God, to give an account of the deeds done in the body, are also exhibited to our view in ftriking colours. Nothing can poffibly be a more powerful motive to holiness than the idea given us in fcripture, of a glorious refurrection, and of that eternal life which is prepared for the followers of Chrift in the heavenly world, a ftate of felicity which is reprefented, not as a paradife of fenfual delights, but a happinefs which confifts in pure and holy enjoyments, in the perfection of our natures, and in the immediate vifion and fruition of a holy God. We may farther observe that, in addition to these all power! motives to excite to duty, the most perfect patterns or examples are fet before us for our imitation. God himself is held up as a pattern for our imitation in his imitable perfections. We are to be followers of God as dear children. The most perfect example of the Lord Jefus Chrift, who was a living pattern of the purity and holiness of the divine law, is propofed as an example for us to follow, and our imitation of him is enjoined, on penalty of forfeiting our claim to him. Holy men of God are alfo fet before us as patterns for our imitation. We are to be followers of them, who, thro' faith and patience, have inher-ited the promises. For the believer's greater encouragement, and that he may be excited to walk worthy of his holy calling, he is invested with high and glorious privileges. He is brought into a state of peace and friendship with God, adopted into his family, and admitted to the enjoyment of communion and fellowship with himfelf.And, for his still farther encouragement, the true believer and holy walker is privileged with many great and precious promifes. God's children have a promife that he will be a Father unto them and they shall be his fons and daughters; a promife that he will never leave them nor forfake them, and a promise of the gracious influences of the fpirit to enable, as well as encourage, them to work out their falvation with fear and trembling, and to encourage, ftrengthen and affift them in a courfe of holy obediCan the boasted fufficient light of nature afford fuch motives as thefe? No, all the motives which the moft celebrated heathen writers of antiquity could urge, were refolved into fome cold jejune difcourfes, about the beauty of virtue, and the deformity of vice. Even that very defective system of morality which their writings recommend, is encouraged by no fuitable motives, and enforced by no adequate authority, the fublimeft parts of chriftian morality are left out, and the doctrine of a future judgment entirely omitted. ence. 5thly. As its refpects the pofitive inftitutions of fcripture, great exceptions have, it is true, been taken against them. Here infidels endeavour to take, and flatter themfelves that they have fairly got the advantage, and ever... triumph, as if the existence of thefe inftitutions in the Bible was, of itself, fufficient, completely to invalidate the authority of the facred canon. But if God is our creator and governor, it can be but little fhort of abfolute atheifm to affert that he cannot give to man pofitive commands, which he is under indifpenfible obligations to obey, without affigning any other reafon why they ought to be obeyed than merely his own authority. Pofitive inftitutions were fomewhat numerous, during the continuance of the Mofaic difpenfation. But it appears, likewife, that they had a remarkable fignificaucy peculiar to that difpenfation, as they had a tendency to keep up a moft forcible impreffion of fome doctrinal truths upon the mind of an Ifaelite, in a way adapted to the genius of that peculiar age of the church, in which future and fpiritual things were veiled by a great variety of types and fhadows. It is not my prefent intention to enter into a detailed examination of the various pofitive inftitutions of the old Teftament. Of fome of them, perhaps, it may be difficult, at this time, to give a particular explanation. In general however, it appears that thofe pofitive inftitutions, which have drawn forth fo large a portion of contempt and fcorn, from modern infidels, and have been reprefented as calculated, only to establish and fofter fuperftition and tyranny, had a remarkable tendency to convince that people of fin, and that God, although always ready to abfolve the penitent, yet required a facrifice for fin. They tended to imprefs the mind with an awful fenfe of the justice and holiness of God, as well as to give an amiable idea of his goodness and mercy, to be difpenfed to the penitent finner, through a facrifice which he himself would provide; a facrifice typified in thefe inftitutions. The pofitive inftitutions of the New Teftament are few and fimple, and have a remarkable tendency to keep up in the mind, a relish for the doctrines, and a feeling of the fpirit of christianity, as well as a devout remembrance of what Christ has done, and a fenfe of the indifpenfable obliga tions we are under to walk, in a manner conformable to the chriftian calling. Such is eminently the ufe of the inftitutions of Baptifm and the Lord's fupper, which, un |