the glory of the former; and in this house will I give peace, saith the Lord of Hosts."

After having been so long in the fire of contention, it was agrecable for Mr. Marshall and his people to sit down in peace. They felt then how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. The temporal affairs of the church were also prosperous.

About the year 1795, the first preacher who had been educated in America was licensed by Mr. Marshall as Moderator of the Presbytery. Others were afterwards licensed, and by some accessions, the Presbytery increased so as to di vide into four Presbyteries, and erect itself into a Synod. The first Associate Synod met in Philadelphia on the 21st of May, 1801; Mr. Marshall opened the Synod with a sermon, and was the first Moderator. This was no doubt a glad day to him. To see the Associate Church in America rise from two ministers, whom much pains had been taken to crush, to spread, and triumph over all opposition.

A friend said to him, a little before the first Synod met, "If you live to preach the Synod sermon, and to constitute the Synod, you may almost say with old Simeon, " Now let me depart in peace."

He cheerfully replied, you think I may then sing my nunc dimittis.* His public services were indeed near an end, as he only lived to see the second meeting of Synod, in May, 1802. He was shortly after this attacked with a disease of the liver, the disorder was aggravated and its fatal termination hastened by his going this summer to New-York, to assist in ordaining Mr. Hamilton, and to Carlisle to install Mr. Pringle.

He died on Wednesday the 17th of November, 1802. On the Sabbath but one before his decease, he preached sitting in his chair; his last text was Psalm cxix. 75. "I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right; and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me."

Mr. Marshall's writings, though not considerable in extent, were useful in their tendency. He published a sermon on Psalmody, preached before the Associate Presbytery, in 1773, designed to show that the Psalms of David only, are to be sung in worship; and that Watt's Psalms, and all other Hymns are unlawful to be used in the church.-He afterwards published a Catechism for youth; to which was annexed an explication of religious names and sects. In conjunction with

Mr. Beveridge, he wrote a First Catechism for children. Between him and Mr. Beveridge a very intimate friendship subsisted; after the death of the latter, Mr. Marshall wrote Some Remarkable Passages of his life. He, also, wrote A Vindication of the Associate Presbytery, in answer to an attack on it by Mr. Annan; A Theological Tract, on the propriety of removing from places where the Yellow Fever prevails, was addressed by him to the serious people in Philadelphia and New-York; some of whom had scruples about this matter; An Act of the Associate Presbytery against occasional hearing, being printed, he accompanied it with a Review of the different religious denominations in the United States, in order to illustrate the propriety of the Act.

Mr. Marshall was esteemed by the whole body of his religious connections, and by others, for his usefulness, and his good conduct as a citizen: as an evidence of the high estimation in which he was held, we may mention that his funeral was attended by the Governor and Chief Justice of the state, and a large number of respectable citizens.

His congregation erected a monument to his memory, in front of the church with this inscription:

En Memory of

THE REV. WILLIAM MARSHALL.

A NATIVE OF SCOTLAND,

AND FIRST PASTOR OF THIS CHURCH,

WHO DIED Nov. 17, 1802,

IN THE 62D YEAR OF HIS AGE,

AND IN THE 38TH OF HIS MINISTRY.

Be thou faithful unto the Death, and I will

give thee a crown of Life.

Rev. ii. 10.

SERMON,

BY THE REV. WILLIAM MARSHALL.

"Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching, and admonishing one another in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." (Colos. iii. 16.)

MY BRETHREN,

You need not be informed that this Reverend Presbytery have appointed me to exhibit on this occasion, the propriety of singing the Psalms of David in Christian worship—a subject truly interesting, and far surpassing our abilities to manage properly. Conscious of this, we venture on it with a trembling heart, but desiring to look to the Lord, that he may send forth the Spirit of truth, to guide us into all truth.

The grand scope of the apostle Paul, in this letter to the church of Colosse, is to alarm her, of the danger she was in from the Jewish zealots, (who pressed the necessity of her observing the ceremonial law,) and to prevent her being tainted, with a mixture of Gentile philosophy. Though Paul had not the honor of planting this church, (this being conferred on Epaphras,) yet he shows his concern about her, by addressing her in this epistle; for, he had daily the care of all the churches upon him. He is now a prisoner at Rome, but forgets not the churches of God; He not only prays for them but sends unto them letters. What some observe of the Psalms of David, that such of them as were wrote in the wilderness have a peculiar sweetness in them, may be applied to Paul's epistles, that such of them as he wrote in prison are the most remarkable.

In this epistle we have the preface and the body of it. The preface lies from the beginning to the twelfth verse of the first chapter; then follows the body or substance of it, which is both doctrinal and practical. We have sundry practical directions given us in the preceding context. We are exhorted

to heavenly-mindedness, in ver. 1-5. to mortification of sin in the various instances of it, ver. 5-12. to brotherly love, ver. 15. to be subject to the peace of God, ver. 15. and in our text to a wise improvement of the word of Christ. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." In the following discourse on which words through divine aid, I shall,

I. Briefly show how the word of Christ should dwell in us richly in all wisdom.

II. I shall explain the way we are to evidence this, viz: by teaching and admonishing one another, in psalms, and hymns, ant spiritual songs.

III. Illustrate the manner of performing this, by singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord.

IV. I shall make some practical improvement of the whole. I. I shall briefly show how the word of Christ should dwell in us richly in all wisdom. Here I shall offer the following observations.

First, That the word of Christ means the whole of divine revelation. This is called the word of Christ, because it was either spoken by himself immediately in his own person, or mediately in the ministry of the prophets and apostles. "The prophecy came not in old time by the will of mau; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2 Pet. i. 21.) The Old and New Testaments are called the word of Christ, because he is the subject-matter of them; all the lines of divine revelation centre in him, as the rays in the sun. "Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me." (John v. 39.) "To him gave all the prophets witness," (Acts x. 43.) &c. It is in the Scripture Christ continues to speak to the church, and hence "his name is called The Word of God." (Rev. xix. 13.)

Secondly, That the word of Christ should be our daily study; for it should dwell in us. The Greek word here rendered dwell signifies to keep house; This shows that the word of Christ should not be like a stranger or a way-faring man that taketh up his abode for a night, but it should be a residing guest with us; we ought to be well acquainted with it, as we are with those of our own families. But alas! although "God has written to us the great things of his law, yet they are counted as strange things." (Hos. viii. 12.) The sacred oracles should not dwell with us as servants do, whom we or

der to obey us; this is the entertainment they receive from those who force interpretations on them to support their erroneous opinions and detestable practices, and thus wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction; but they should dwell with us as a master in his house, and we as servants, are from them to take direction with respect to the whole of our duty. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Psal. cxix. 105.) Many have the word of Christ dwelling with, but not in them; this is the case with those who have Bibles in their houses, but do not read and study them. Let us hear with solemnity the divine charge given us concerning the word of Christ: "And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down and when thou risest up.' (Deut. vi. 7, 8.)

Thirdly, The word of Christ should be highly esteemed by us. It should dwell in us richly by informing our judgments, transforming our hearts, and reforming our lives. All now have easy access to it, by the translation of the Bible out of the original tongues: Our Father's will is made known to us in our mother-tongue. The word of Christ is a tree of knowledge, and thanks be to God that it is not forbidden: Yea, it is a tree of life, which we may eat the fruit of, and live forever. Here is no flaming sword to guard the way of it, but there is one to pierce through those who despise it. We should not only look into our Bibles in the house of God, but we ought to read them in our families, and closets; if we expeet to reach the haven of glory, we should daily steer by this compass, for we are in danger of being swallowed up in the quicksands of carnal delights, or suffering shipwreck on the keen pointed rocks of worldly disappointments.

Fourthly, That we should apply the word of Christ to ourselves. It should dwell in us not only richly, but in all wisdom. Many have the word of Christ dwelling in them only in speculation; they read it merely to furnish themselves with matter for conversation, but are quite strangers to that divine. wisdom which teacheth to apply what is therein written. But we should consider, in the most serious manner, that God speaks to us in his word. The promises are breasts of consolation which we ought daily to suck; the precepts are a rule which we ought constantly to observe; and the threatenings should alarm us when we fall into sin. The greater part of mankind conduct themselves as if they were not addressed by