sweet and durable friendship subsist among them. Their friendship in this world is very liable to be dissolved, and even turned into bitter hatred; and in the world to come, when all merciful restraint is taken off, and that good nature, which belonged to them, as animals rather than as intellectual beings, is gone, and their selfish affections reign uncontrolled, their enmity will become perfect and perpetual. The unrenewed all possess one common nature, but they do not make one common object. Each one makes himself his supreme object. This makes as many centers, as there are individuals; and this makes the greatest possible discord and confusion "Hateful and hating one another," is the record which God hath given of us all, while destitute of his grace. All those who remain destitute of his grace, until their probationary state is ended, will be condemned to an eternal confinement in the prison of hell. In this prison countless millions of perfectly selfish and malicious creatures will be shut up together; and oh, what a wretched place this must be! Without bringing into the account the indignation and wrath which the holy Judge will pour out upon them, who can conceive of the misery which will be endured, by their tormenting one another, and themselves, with those malicious passions which reign within, and are acted out, free from all restraint! If the filthy remain filthy still, they must remain wretched still. "Except a man be born again, (i. e. be changed from selfishness to benevolence,) he cannot see the kingdom of God."

new creatures.

I shall close with two addresses; the one to the converted, and the other to the unconverted. 1. I shall address a word to the converted. Your names I do not know; God knoweth. Your distinguishing characteristic is your love to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to his holy kingdom. The time was when your hearts were entirely selfish, but God has, in great mercy, made you You essentially differ from what you once were, and from your fellow men, who are yet unconverted. It is disinterested love which makes the difference. It is not your houses, or lands, or herds, or flocks, which make you to differ from others. They may possess these, in as great abundance as you. Your superior excellency consists in that enlarged benevolence, which God has implanted in your hearts. Be exhorted, my brethren, to cultivate this heavenly plant, with the greatest assiduity. Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness. Let your souls hunger and thirst for righteousness, more than for riches, honors, or pleasures. The more you rise above selfish considerations, and act for the glory of God, and the extension of the kingdom of Christ, the nearer do you resemble your Father in Heaven; the more will you please him; the more useful you will be to your fellow men, and the more pure comfort you will enjoy in your own souls. Let us then lay aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset us--let us press towards the mark!

2. I would address myself to the unconverted. Many of you I know, (for some men's sins go beforehand to judgment,) and God knoweth all R

who are in this state; for he knoweth all hearts. God knoweth that there is not one of you who has any love to him. There is a great difference among the unconverted as to their external conduct; some pursue one vice, and some another, and some are quite regular in their deportment; but they all agree in this, that they are always governed by selfish motives. You, who are unconverted, make yourselves, your chief end in all that you do. You have no desire to please God, only as Haman desired to please Ahasuerus, that he himself might thereby be advanced. You are not only destitute of true religion now, but you are opposed to becoming religious at any future time. True religion is a disinterested thing, but your hearts are entirely selfish. You may be convinced that it is necessary for your future well-being, that you should embrace religion, but still your selfish hearts will reject it. It is reasonable that you should deny yourselves, that you should love God, and serve him in sincerity; but your hearts are so contracted with selflove, that you will never do this, without there is a radical change wrought within you. You will never be willing to make a common interest with the Redeemer, and his holy family, until you are made willing. I hope many of those, whom I now address, will yet be born into the kingdom of grace. And let me beseech you, never to indulge the thought, that this blessed change has passed upon you, until you perceive, that you are actuated by some higher motive, than a regard to your own happiness. Whatever change shall take place in your religious senti

ments, practice, or feelings, do not think the change saving, until you are made to live, not unto yourselves, but unto him that died for you. Be on your guard against deception; for satan has gone forth to deceive the nations; and one of his most subtle ways of deceiving is by selfish religion. Very many of the professors of religion are, no doubt, thus deceived. That these may be undeceived, and driven from their sandy foundation; and that those, who shall hereafter obtain a hope of a moral change, may dig deep, and build on THE ETERNAL ROCK, may God, of his infinite mercy, grant, for the sake Jesus Christ, our righteous Advocate ! Amen!

END OF SERMON VII.

SERMON VIII.

2 CORINTHIANS xi. 14.

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

THE apostle had in the preceding verse spok en of the deceit of the false apostles, manifested in their transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. He anticipated, that this might appear to some incredible; that men, who seemed to have so much religion, should be the ministers of Satan. But in the verse chosen for our text, he intimates, that they need not think what he had said about false teachers, to be marvellous; since Satan himself was transformed into an angel of light. The text contains a sentiment of great importance to be understood, and to be proclaimed through this lower world, where Satan has so much influence in ruining souls. It is of so much importance, that I trust I shall have the close and prayerful attention of all who hear

me.

4

The plan proposed in attending to the text is, I. To show who Satan is, and what is his character: II. Describe an angel of light: III. Show what is meant by Satan's transforming himself into an angel of light; and for what end he does

So.