the greater part, however, ftill doubted, and ftill difbelieved; they refused to acknowledge Christ for the true Meffiah, and in spite of all this evidence continued to look for another.

I fhall conclude this difcourfe with drawing fome natural inferences which refult from what hath been here advanced, and which may be of service to us with regard to our own future conduct.

We cannot reflect on the amazing obftinacy, blindness, and ingratitude of the Jews, with regard to their disbelief and cruel treatment of the Meffiah, without lamenting the fingular fate of that unhappy people. From the chofen and elect favourites of the Almighty, to become the veffels of his wrath, and the objects of his eternal difpleafure; from a well-governed and united, to become a difperfed and abandoned nation, fcattered over the face of the earth; to fee the prophecies of that Redeemer whom they despised, fo exactly and literally fulfilled, and his blood, according to their own impious wifh, ftill flowing upon them and upon their children; to have feen and known one Redeemer, and yet ftill to look for another; to be always wifhing for what can never be granted, always afpiring after a happiness which can never be attained, is doubtless a scene of complicated mifery and distress, which only a nation fo unfortunate as theirs ever experienced, and which only guilt like theirs could ever deferve. A God of infinite goodness and mercy, it is humbly to be hoped, and it should be every Chriftian's prayer, K 2 will

will one day foften and turn their hearts, will open their eyes to fee the things which were fo long hidden from them, will one day bring back thefe long loft sheep to the fold of Christ.

In the mean time, it will highly become us (and more especially at this folemn feafon) to congratulate ourselves on our much nobler and much happier lot; to reflect with pleasure that we have acknowledged a Redeemer, whom they rejected, and embraced that faith which they contemned: we are bleffed with a good and gracious Meffiah, and cannot need, nor wifh, nor look for another. Thanks be to the Almighty giver of every good gift, we have not, like the Jews of old, any popular prejudices to combat, any national errors or pre-poffeffions to darken our minds, and prevent our belief and thorough conviction of Chrift's divinity: we have not as they had, the might and authority of the civil power to contend with; we are not now to fruggle, as they did, with the princes and potentates of the earth; to fuffer oppreffion, pains, and perfecution in the cause of Chrift: his religion is fixed and established, and all our eafy tafk is to do justice, to love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. If we do not obey the precepts, and adhere to the dictates of our holy religion; if we are not really and in fact, in word and deed, what we profefs ourselves to be, we fhall be far more guilty and more impious even than the Jews themselves.

To conclude then, The beft proof of our belief that Chrift is the true Meffiah, muft, after all, be given by complying with the

terms

terms of his gofpel, by living up to his doctrine. The great end of Chrift's coming, and of the whole myftery of godlinefs, is to make me wifer and better. Let me therefore entreat you, my brethren, not to fruftrate the ultimate purpose and defign of our Saviour's birth. If we are fatisfied that Chrift is come, let us confider why he came; doubtless not to continue us in a ftate of fin and mifery, but to redeem us from it. Let us not therefore live and act towards this Saviour, as if we looked for another. If we have any re. gard to the truth of thofe prophecies which foretel the purity and integrity of men's lives, under the reign of the Meffiah, let us be careful, on our parts, to answer the whole end and purpose of his divine miffion, and to live as becometh a people who have been thus redeemed of the Lord.

THE

HE fituation and circumftances of the children of Ifrael, as defcribed in that portion of holy writ, from which I have chofen

he

the words of my text, feem to carry with them fuch a striking and vifible fimilitude to our own, as to point out and demand our more particular attention to, and application of it, on the prefent folemn occafion.

The Philiftines, moft avowed and invete. rate enemics to God's chofen people, had affembled together, and were encamped againft Ifrael; when it was decreed by the almighty, that his unworthy favourites, who by their fins and abominations had fo often and fo gricv, oufly offended him, fhould at length feel the effects of his indignation against them. The Ifraelites, who ever fince the triumph of David over Goliah, had looked on the Philiftines with contempt, advanced towards them with fure and certain hopes of victory. The event however, proved that their hopes were vain; for when they joined battle, Ifrael was fmitten, and they fled every man into his tent, and there was a very great flaughter; there fell of Ifrael thirty thousand men, and the ark of God was taken, and the two fons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, were flain. A defeat fo terrible and fo unexpected muft doubtlefs have made a strong impreffion on the minds of this proud and rebellious people; they beheld themselves on a sudden reduced to fubjection by an enemy whom they had long held in derifion, and forced to ftoop to those who had just before bowed down be fore them. To crown their misfortunes, the ark of the Lord, the fymbol of God's prefence, was wrefted from them, and remained in the poffeffion of their triumphant rivals, This they

looked

looked upon as an infallible fign of God's wrath against, and total defertion of them; this ftruck deeply into their hearts, and probably contributed, in a great meafure, to excite in their minds that confcientious remorfe, and abhorrence of their iniquities, which they afterwards expreffed.

The ark of the Lord, the glory of Ifrael, was a treasure too precious in the fight of God himself to be left in the hands of the Philif tines: the divine power therefore, in vindication of his own honour, inspired the Philiftines with a refolution to restore it; they fent it back themselves to Bethfhemeth, from whence it was brought by the Ifraelites to the houfe of Abinadab. The restoration of fo great and valuable a capture was a circumftance of too much confequence to be neglected by the wife and pious Samuel: he confidered it as a manifeft interpofition of the fupreme Law-giver in favour of his repenting people; he laid hold of the opportunity, therefore, to affemble and exhort them; to reprefent to them the goodness of God, who seemed, by this act of kindness towards them, to have forgotton their tranfgreffions; he endeavoured, therefore, to turn them afide from their idolatrous practices. And Samuel faid, Gather all Ifrael-to Mixpeth, and I will pray for you unto the Lord; and they gathered together to Mizpeth, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fafted on that day, and faid there, We have finned against the Lord.

It is impoffible to reflect on the facts above related, without drawing fuch conclufions from them