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honored us far above the animal creation, which I need not inform you, neither speak nor understand to any perfection; they are incapable of arranging ideas; they are void of com prehension, and therefore, not accountable to their Creator for their actions, as are men who possess immortal souls; yet notwithstanding, by their demeanor they often give the blush to some of the doings of men performed in the dark, and too often in the open day, in the face of High Heaven, and Him that sitteth on the throne, who is perfect in holiness. O thefilthy odour ascending from the abominations committed on the earth, instead of praises and blessings to mingle with the heavenly strains of the celestial hosts, who unweariedly sing "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, who wast, and art, and art to come; just and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints." Men, I say again, are accountable for their actions, because Adam and Eve, our first parents, came pure and holy from the hands of the Creator, in his own likeness, with immortal souls and faculties to reason and understand, to commune and hold conversation together for the consummation of their happiness; in which state they might have remained, being free agents, but through the subtilty of Satan they fell from their high and holy estate, and awful was the consequence; disgrace upon themselves, and expulsion from Paradise, and sin and misery upon all their posterity, whence it comes that men are all born in sin and prone to evil.However, God, whose mercy endureth forever, came to our relief and provided a remedy to heal the breach and open a way to glory, as 1 have stated in the preceeding part of my discourse:-"Behold I lay in Sion a stumbling stone and rock of offence, that whosoever believeth on him shall be saved, and whosoever believeth not shall be damned." Men and brethren you are called upon to prove your ownselves, whether ye are not offended at this stumbling stone, and rock of offence; pry into the secrets of your hearts, and see if have any inclination to undervalue the merit of this holy Being, who is often made an object of ridicule by little

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minds; or, do you openly profane and blaspheme his holy name, as too many do, making light of divine things, taking the holy name of God and his Christ into their polluted lips, making puns upon them to amuse their hearers and appear witty, not knowing that they are proving themselves destitute of common sense; or are you building upon this foundation, firm as eternal ages; are you through Christ purging your conscience from dead works to serve the living God, that will recommend you to the sight of all men. Take the New Testament and prove your ownselves, whether your hearts are right in the sight of God; be not deceived, for God is not mocked; knowing his terrors we would fain persuade you to turn from the error of your ways, turn, turn you, why will ye die? Vengeance belongeth to me, I will recompence saith the Lord, the Holy one of Israel. And again, the Lord will judge his people. verily it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Thirdly. Know ye not your ownselves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

Now to know oneself is no small matter. The depravity and desperate wickedness of the human heart, who can know it? No one is sufficient of himself, without the aid of the Holy Spirit, to attain to a knowledge of himself. The deceitfulness of sin, and the subtle suggestions of Satan mix with the corrupt nature almost imperceptibly, and those that are not thoroughly awake, and under divine influence, will be unable to discover the seed thus sown by the wicked one, until they are overgrown with weeds and briars, thorns and thistles, the pricking of which will at length rouse them from their carnal sleep and unholy dreaming, when they will discover they have been deceived; but alas! for many it will then be forever too late, having passed the rubicon of time to appear before the inflexible bar of Christ. Would it not therefore, be infinitely better for every one to judge himself here, and without delay, than to be judged beyond the grave; for Christ saith, "He that judgeth himself shall not be judged,"

meaning also of course, that he will depart from all iniquity, and lead a new and holy life. But, say some, how can we judge ourselves, without knowing that which is sin from that which is holy? True, you cannot, therefore, read and believe the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me, saith the Judge of all the earth. Keep his words and commandments, which shall judge you at the last day; to disregard them you are at once guilty criminals in his sight, and his wrath abides upon you, because you say in effect we will not have him to reign over us. Who is he that should make laws for us? It is indeed lamentable to know that there are thousands, yea millions of human beings in the world, called christians, who live without hope, and consequently a saving knowlege of God, and trample his holy laws under foot with impunity, while at the same time, the commandments of men they will not presume to violate! It is astonishing the hatred some bear towards the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, with whose statutes holy King David was so much delighted, declaring them to be "just, and wise, and good;" and at another place he says, "Depart from me ye evil doers, for I will keep the commandments of my God." Who art thou O man, that darest to magnify thyself and contemn the counsels of the Most High? to annul those laws that were given to Moses, the man of God, with such terrible majesty, and awful solemnity on Mount Sinai? Read it in Exodus, 20th chapter, when the Lord descended in a cloud, wind, fire, thunder lightning and tempest, and the mighty soundings of the trumpet; when the Mount greatly quaked, the sight being so terrible that even Moses said, "I exceedingly fear and quake;" his whole host trembled. Having been forty days and nights with God on the Mount, during which time he eat nothing, but received and descended with the Divine Law of the Ten Commandments written upon stone by God himself, and which are to endure until time shall be no more; neither are they made void by the new covenant which is by Jesus Christ. The

great apostle saith by faith we do not annul but establish the law. Remember all that is written in the law and the prophets shall be fulfilled; consequently no idolator, nor swearer, nor blasphemer, nor Sabbath breaker, nor despiser of parents, nor murderer, nor adulterer, nor fornicator, nor false accuser, nor covetous, nor whoremonger, nor abuser of himself with mankind, nor drunkard, shall enter into the kingdom of God, unless they labor to know themselves, and that their practices are an abomination in the sight of heaven, and repent of their sins at the foot of the cross, through our Saviour and Mediator, Jesus Christ-the Way, the Truth, and the Lifeand put on the new man, which after him is created in righteousness and true holiness. Know this, O hardened sinners, that he is constantly interceeding with the Father in your behalf, to stay his avenging rod, that he would dig about you, that haply you may bring forth good fruit, if ye are not already given over to hardness of heart and reprobacy of mind; if not, that you should then be cut down as dead trees and as cumberers of the ground, and cast into the unquenchable fire.

2d. How that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates?

All you that have been born again, as our Lord said to Nichodemus, of water and of the spirit, regenerated, passed from condemnation into life, by a lively faith in Jesus through his merit and righteousness, and being purified by his most precious and holy blood, which cleanses from all sins, and to whom Christ has become wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption, are the temple of God, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you;" 1st. Cor., 3d chap. 16th ver. And if God, then Jesus Christ, who is God, dwelleth in you, even the Mystic Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit; pollute not therefore, so holy a tabernacle, by listening to the unholy suggestions of Satan, to beguile you into your old habits in which we used to walk, fulfilling the lusts o the flesh, but out of which we have passed into the glorious

liberty which is in Jesus Christ, our master and pattern, through whom we have attained unto the fulness of his blessed stature in holiness; let it not therefore, be once mentioned among you, that you desired to indulge in any carnal pleasure, and thus lower the dignity of true Saints, and bring into disrepute vital christianity at the same time, and above all doing despite to the holy spirit of grace whose temple we are, being reconciled unto God through faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord, and enabled to cry Abba, Abba Father, in the language of the New Testament, and privileged boldly to approach him and hold sweet communion with him, as a child with his father, by prayer and supplications, singing and meditations, and devotional exercises. We also enjoy the blessing of the direct witness of the Holy Spirit, testifying with our spirits, that we are born of God, and adopted sons and heirs, and joint heirs with Christ; and by remaining faithful, shall soon be with him in Paradise, where he is enthroned in indescribable Glory; eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive the joys prepared for his saints and peculiar people, zealous of good works; and to keep under our adversary the Prince of darkness, and his force, our spiritual enemies, organized under him, and going about as roaring Lions, and Wolves in Sheep's clothing, seeking whom they may devour, combined with men in the shape of ourselves, who have the form of Godliness but deny the power, building for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns which can hold no water; their case is lamentable in the extreme, as many of them come under the conclusion of our text. St. Paul also terms them "men of corrupt minds, reprobates, concerning the faith; ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth;" creatures who delight in pleasure; enemies to vital christianty and holiness, consequently diametrically opposed to the kingdom of heaven, and to God who dwelleth in the High and Holy place, and saith, "Be ye holy as I am holy." Examine and prove yourselves, your immortal souls are at

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