benevolent guide. About fifty days after his depar ture from them, he gave them the first proof of that majesty and power to which he was exalted, by the effusion of the Holy Ghost upon them according to his promise. The consequences of this grand event were surprising and glorious, infinitely honorable to the Christian religion and the divine mission of its triumphant author. For no sooner had the apostles received this precious gift, this celestial guide, than their ignorance was turned into light, their doubts into certainty, their fears into a firm and invincible fortitude, and their former backwardness into an ardent and inextinguishable zeal, which led them to undertake their sacred office with the utmost intrepidity and alacrity of mind. This marvellous event was attended with a variety of gifts; particularly the gift of tongues, so indispensably necessary to qualify the apostles to preach the gospel in the different nations. The holy apostles were also filled with a perfect persuasion, founded on Christ's express promise, that the divine presence would perpetually accompany them, and shew itself by miraculous interpositions, as often as the success of the ir ministry should render this necessary.

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Relying upon these celestial succours, the tles began their glorious ministry, by preaching the gospel, according to Christ's positive command, first to the Jews, and by endeavoring to bring that deluded people to the knowledge of the truth. Nor were their labors unsuccessful, since in a very short time, many thousands were converted, by the influence of their ministry to the Christian faith. From the Jews they passed to the Samaritans, to whom they preached with such efficacy, that great numbers of that nation acknowledged the Messiah. And after they had exercised their ministry, during several years, at Jerusalem, and brought to a sufficient degree of consistence and maturity the Christian churches which were

founded in Palestine and the adjacent countries, they extended their views further, carried the divine lamp of the gospel to all the nations of the world, and saw their labors crowned, almost every where, with the most abundant fruits."

Light so resplendent as that beaming from the exalted redeemer, could not but irradiate every one who would open his eyes to the full orbed Sun. Truth has marked its way and carried with it such a blaze of light, as has set the christian in point of correctness in moral sentiment, as far superior to the heathen, as they are to the gods they adore. Whence all this wide disparity, if not the effect of truth?

When we compare those parts of the world, where the truth, as it is in Jesus, has been propagated, with those which have never received the heavenly message, have we not all the corroboration any fact can possibly have to sustain it, that truth is enlightening. If, in any one, there can be an inclination to hesitate respecting this sentiment, let him bestow a momentary look, on the northern and western aborigines of our own country; let him turn his thoughts on Asia and Africa, and most of the insulated parts of the globe, and then let him in his imagination bring them near our own enlightened habitation, and is there scarce a comparison to be formed between the contrasted objects in point of moral and intellectual attainments? And still we have but a faint picture of the enlightening power of truth. Its illuminating ef fect has been and is still, truly astonishing, as it exists in the chosen followers of the Lamb; and yet comparatively, the day is beginning to dawn. Girt about with truth, Jesus can do more still; and blessed be his name, he will, when he shall make the light of the moon, as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun as the light of seven days cause such bright shining of truth, that the infant shall die an hundred years old in the knowledge of the Lord God.

When the new Jerusalem shall come down, and there shall be a new heaven and a new earth, it will bring such an orb of light from the majesty on high, as shall irradiate the minds of Jehovah's elect, surpassing all the experience of past ages, as far as the hea vens are high above the earth. The truth of Jesus will never have completed its glorious work of enlightening. Jesus will set upon the throne of truth enlightening the redeemed more and more into the mysteries and glories of the triune majesty. Hence we may rest assured, that truth is enlightening

2d. With equal pertinency it may be said that truth is convincing. Truth is of such a nature as is calcu lated to produce conviction in the human mind. Men by nature are opposed to the truth, and are extremely averse to come to the knowledge of it as it is in Jesus; yet such is its nature that they are liable to be convinced by it. Multitudes were convinced of the truth before the incarnation; multitudes since that period, so that what has already transpired, proves to a certainty that truth is convincing. Many of Christ's enemies, and who continued to the last to be his enemies, were convinced by the truth of God. Conviction of truth is not holiness. It is not religion. Holiness belongs to the heart-conviction to the conscience. Devils may be convinced as well as Saints in glory. Devils believe and tremble. The inhabitants of the old world, the Sodomites, Pharaoh and his hosts, and the kings of Babylon, though extremely averse to it, were nevertheless convinced of the truth. Judas and Pilate, and many of the Jewish Sanhedrim, who were the immediate agents in the crucifixion, were brought to deep conviction of the truth. The Centurion at the cross made a public confession, of an entire conviction, in these expressions; 'Surely this man is the son of God. That the nature of truth is convincing, we may rest assured from what has transpired in the of the gospel. Mul

world, since the first promulgation

titudes of all classes of men, from the sage philosopher to the rude barbarian, have set to their seal that God is true. God is continually carrying on the work of convincing men. Truth is calculated to produce conviction.

3d. Truth is not only enlightening and convincing, but it is unconquerable. The kingdom of truth, represented by the stone cut out of the mountain without hands, is a kingdom which never can be vanquished. It is aloof from hostile access. The enemy may rise like a towering surge; and brake in upon it like a flood, and yet they are overcome in the attempt and fall maimed at its feet, like Dagon before the ark of the living God. The powers of darkness have assailed the truth in all the different modes of encounter, created subtlety could devise, and without the least effect. Nero, Decius Trajan, Severus and Julian the aposate, made the bold and fruitless attempt. They could do nothing; they left the field beaten and overcome. Modern infidels have made great promises to the world of the achievements they should execute in the abolition of the truth, as it is in Christ; but in the very moment of effort, truth has trampled them under foot, and laughed them to scorn. They have greatly mistaken the strength of the arm against which they have risen up. it is an arm shielded, which no pointed javelin can touch. As well might the child of yesterday, remove and shake the heavens and earth from their base, as for the whole combination of wicked men and devils remove one particle of truth fromits place.

True, the faithful, of whom the world was not worthy, have fallen a sacrifice in instances not a few, to the monsters of iniquity. Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and people of Israel, made a desperate effort to extinguish the light of divine truth, in the crucifixion of our Lord; but it is to be noticed, what they did was the establishment of one of the

greatest truths ever witnessed in the universe. In this Aagrant transaction the divine determination was perfectly accomplished, and the faithfulness of God to his elect confirmed. The divine plan brought to light by Jesus, is eternal truth in conformity to the fitness of things; it is therefore superior to every opposing power that ever has or ever can conspire for its overthrow. The proof is demonstration itself, that truth is invincible. Of truth, we may say still more than this, it is irresistible. Let this be our

4th. Particular. Ever since the introduction of moral evil into the system, the wicked of both worlds, in self justification, have sought to confound the difference between right and wrong in the nature of things. For if they could destroy this ground of moral obligation, they could exculpate themselves for their rebel. lion against God. And God has given up a vast part of the wicked to take their course, that he might prove to them, that truth is irresistible; that neither his revealed will nor law, constitutes the difference between right and wrong, but are the faithful and perfect exposition of this difference. Nothing is more common in the world, than for men to labor with all the powers they possess, to make that appear right which is palpable wrong, and that wrong which is perfectly right. This is a prominent trait in sinful characters, both as respects principles of action, and actions flowing from such principles. This matter needs some illustration, that we might have a clearer view of the triumph and irresistible power of truth. In this illustration, we shall have recourse to facts. Satan undertook in tempting our first parents to eat the forbiden fruit, to make them believe he was their friend, and God their enemy. His object was to change the positions of moral good and evil, or of truth and falsehood, or so confound them as to destroy their difference. Adam and Eve acted upon his plan: and what was was the result? Why God met them in the garden, and no sooner did