"tranflating us out of darkness into marvel"lous light." The mind cannot poffibly diveft itself of local emotions. There is fomething in the folemnity of a houfe dedicated to the great object of faith and of worship; fomething in the fight of a congregation affembled to call upon him in whom their fathers trusted, and were not put to fhame; fomething in the idea of meeting with a profeffed intention of leaving the world behind us, with its bufinefs and its cares, and of looking forward to that untried state upon which we are about to enter, which ferves to fix our attention, and to render even our fenfes inftrumental in elevating the thoughts of the mind, and in refining the affections of the heart. Chriftians must not forfake the affembling of themselves together. Chriftians are taught, that "the 66 power and glory of the Lord are to be seen "in the fanctuary. He loveth the gates of "Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob." Thither adoring tribes have gone up to meet him, and he hath not sent them empty away. Thus faid David, "Lord, I have loved the "habitation of thy houfe, and the place where "thine honour dwelleth. One thing have I "defired, and will feek after, that I may dwell "in the house of the Lord all the days of my "life, to behold the beauties of the Lord, and "to inquire in his temple."

But more directly ftill, in that folemn ordinance which we are this day to obferve, fpecial manifeftations are made to believers. By

fignificant

fignificant emblems, you are to commemorate an event in which all the perfections of the Lord are moft fignally difplayed. "Jefus "Chrift is here evidently fet forth before "your eyes crucified among you." In him mercy and juftice, which feemed to be at variance, are reconciled. In him" is beheld "the glory, as of the only begotten of the Fa "ther, full of grace and truth." Here he meets "thofe who rejoice and work righ"teoufnefs, thofe who remember him in his ways, - he meets them at his table, and "maketh himfelf known to them in the

66

breaking of bread.” "Their fellowship is "with the Father, and with Jefus Chrift his "Son:" and the feelings of their hearts difpofe them to fay, "The Lord is not far from "every one of us,-furely the Lord is in this "place. This is none other but the house of "God, and this is the gate of heaven."

VOL. IV.

с

SER

SERMON

IV.

The fame Subject continued.

GEN. XXviii. 16. 17.

And Jacob awaked out of his fleep, and he faid, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of hea

ven.

WE

PART II.

E now enter on the fecond head of difcourse, in which we are, To confider the effects which manifeftations of God are fitted to produce on the human mind.

ift, THEN, they ferve to imprefs it with Awe

and Veneration.

When "Jacob awaked out of his fleep," his attention continued to dwell on thofe magnificent and grand objects which in his dream had paffed before him; "and he was afraid, "and faid, how dreadful is this place!" The fame fentiment is produced by every display of the glory of God. When John faw it in Patmos, "he fell down on his face as dead."

When

When Simon Peter faw Jefus acting as the fovereign of nature, by fufpending its laws, he fell down at his knees, faying, depart "from me, for I am a finful man, O Lord." Paul, caught up into the third heaven, and hearing unspeakable things, which it is not lawful for a man to utter, was fo ftrongly a gitated, that whether he was in the body, or cut of the body, he could not tell. The feraphim who minifter before the throne, cannot behold the glory of him that fitteth thereon, by reafon of its brightness, and therefore they cover their faces with their wings.

Such, indeed, are the effects which the view of excellence, united with majefty, naturally infpires. When we confider that he who is glorious in holiness, and fearful in praises, and wonderful in working, is "not far from.

every one of us;" we feel, in an eminent degree, the impreffions of fobriety and ferioufnefs. The influence of this world is diminished, and for a season, we forget its pleafures, its business, and its cares. Our words are few and well chofen, and our whole foul is wrapt up in adoration and wonder.

Connected with this frame of fpirit is that humility with which a Chriftian ought ever to be clothed. Having reflected on the majesty and greatness of him who fetteth his glory above the heavens, we naturally inquire, what are we, or what were our fathers? The impropriety of following out the comparison is perceived, and we are prevented from think

ing of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. Thofe views which the gospel prefents even of the mercy and loving kindness of the Lord, are peculiarly fitted to humble the foul; means the most unlikely are used to accomplish the most important ends; "things "that are defpifed hath God chofen, yea and

things that are not, to bring to nought the "things that are,-that no flesh may glory in "his prefence." Let us then confider every difcovery, whether of the greatnefs or of the grace of God, as a rebuke to pride and haughtinefs, as a mean of producing that poverty of fpirit which characterises thofe of whom is the kingdom of heaven. Let lowly and unaffuming thoughts of ourfelves be confidered at the fame time, as means of improving our acquaintance with God, and of obtaining those fpecial manifeftations which he maketh to his "All thofe things, (faith the Lord) "hath mine hand made, and all thofe things "have been, but to this man will I look, even "to him that is poor, and of a contrite fpi"rit, and that trembleth at my word."

chofen.

2dly, Manifeftations of God encourage his people to put their Truft in his Name.

This effect was to be produced on the mind of Jacob by the vifion at Bethel. Amid the folitude and filence of a moft defolate fcene, his heart was about to furrender itself to grief and melancholy, and his imagination would

naturally