with less heartfelt triumph, which proclaims a reconciliation between a sinful creature and an offended Creator, a peace between man and his conscience, a peace of pardon between man and God-" Peace I leave with you," said our dying Saviour," my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you." These are the glad tidings of eternal rest in the city of God, "Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls salvation, and thy gates praise."

It was on this day that the root and branch of Jesse, the bright and morning star, did spring up above our horizon; "though darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people, yet the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising."

It is for us to consecrate this holy festival with prayer, with thanksgiving, with holy and triumphant joy, in the persons of ourselves, and of our brethren in Christ. As Christ took upon him our nature, let us resemble him, as he resembled us. As he was an inheritor of corruption for our sakes, let us be heirs of immortality for his. Sin and sorrow are inseparable companions not only in our pilgrimage through this life, but in our hopes and fears of the next. As then we would conse-i crate this festival with joy, let us adorn it with

innocence. But if Christ descended into the infirmities of our mortal nature, let us also descend into the weakness and wants of our brethren. Is there an enmity that still rankles in our breasts, this is the season of amnesty and oblivion, as God in the form of Christ forgave us, so let us forgive the sins of our fellow-creatures. The very season of the year, and the climate of our land seems in a peculiar manner to call our attention to the wants of our poorer brethren. Relieve that Saviour who, as on this day, came into the world to redeem you, in the person of his afflicted servants; and believe me, that the cheerfulness of every accustomed relaxation, the pleasure of every innocent festivity, will be rendered inexpressibly more grateful by the thought, that you have shared your delight with your poor fellow-creatures, that you have made the hearts of the widow and of the aged to sing with joy. May innocence purify the pleasures of this season, and charity consecrate them to God,-and thus may you render it happy, by making it holy.

SERMON IV.

GALATIANS iii. 13.

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.

WHOEVER will but for a moment consider the black catalogue of human crimes, and their attendant miseries, will have little reason to doubt the truth of the Scripture account, that man is in a state of degradation and corruption :-of degradation, from a perpetual tendency to evil; of corruption from its actual commission. The voice of nature speaking through the mouth of the great heathen moralist,—the history of mankind in every age, and the voice of conscience speaking in his own breast, will too fully assure him of the awful truth. It is almost beyond the infatuation of sin itself to deny its own existence. Now the same reason that declares the unsullied purity of the divine nature, will also declare that there are eternal and immutable measures of good and evil, right and wrong, as cer

tain as the existence, and as unchangeable as the nature of their almighty Governor. The same reason will deduce from hence, that no creature tainted by the pollution of sin, can hope for an admission into that kingdom, whose essential and fundamental laws are such as emanate from a Being of holiness as infinite as his power; and will join with Scripture in the assertion," that corruption cannot inherit incorruption." Thus then we are assured by our reason, that perfect obedience is due to a perfect law, but we are equally assured, that in such a law no provision for its violation can exist. Such a provision must be an after act of favour and mercy; and that such a provision ever should exist, may be vaguely presumed, but cannot be certainly determined :—with respect to the conditions of such a provision, we must remain in ignorance still more profound.

Upon repentance, perhaps, as the most probable condition our imagination can devise of our restoration to the divine favour, we fix our hopes. And yet, it is clearly contrary to our notions of moral government, to suppose, that future amendment should in all cases prevent the judicial bad consequences of evil actions, or remit the punishment annexed to disobedience; much less have we any ground to determine in what degree, and in what cases, such an effect would

be produced, This will appear the more evident, if we consider, the universal prevalence of propitiatory sacrifices over the heathen world, plainly shewing, that the notion of repentance alone being sufficient to expiate guilt, was contrary to the general sense of mankind. Besides, the imperfection of our natures must render any repentance equally imperfect. Now the perfect law of God, must necessarily require perfect obedience; and all that falls short of perfect obedience, arise from what cause it may, is rebellion and guilt. Shall then a rebellious creature, lift up its eyes to the glories of its great Creator? Can the imperfect obedience of degraded nature challenge reward? The utmost to which her fondest hopes can aspire, is to the remission of punishment, and even in this expectation she will rather be fortified by presumption, than justified by reason.

Such then is the curse of the natural law; of that law, which reason informs us, must require obedience as perfect as itself;-an obedience to which as no mortal can aspire, all are concluded under its curse, even the curse of sin.

If from the dreary prospect which the natural law discloses to our view, we turn our eyes to the Mosaic covenant, we shall discover the same law, in its full force and severity. The same moral code is enforced, the same perfect obedience de