JESUS; let us now fee, what kind of Life and Conduct the Apostle builds upon these self-evident principles.

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, "let every man be fwift to hear, flow "to fpeak, flow to wrath."

"Swift to hear"-to hear what?Why, that WORD OF TRUTH, which he had mentioned in the preceding verse. But where is this WORD to be heard? Where, but in the but in the temple of our hearts? It is not a "Lo here, or Lo "there!" fays our BLESSED LORD; "but I fay unto you, the Kingdom "of GOD is within you!" The ETERNAL WORD delivers his oracles in the inmoft receffes of our hearts. It is there alone his voice is heard-whether the means he employs be outward or inward, whether he uses the inftrumentality of his minifters, the difpenfations

of

of his Providences, or the fecret ftirrings of the finner's confcience.

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Where-ever this Bleffed Voice is heard, and its dictates implicitly obeyed, whether by Jews, Chriftians or Pagans, Barbarians, Scythians, bond or "free," the effects it produces are efsentially and invariably the fame. The murdering knife drops harmless from the hand of the relenting favage: the angry difciple of the Meek and Lowly JESUS unbends his rigid brow, and fuffers the heavenly fenfations of Benevolence and Love to glow in his breast, and illumine his countenance: every boisterous paffion of fallen nature is quieted or fubdued, and gentleness and humility reign in still and filent triumph over the whole man. He then becomes "fwift to hear" indeed: wrapt in folemn attention, he hearkens with all the eagerness of heavenly defire to what

the LORD GOD fhall fay within

him; and, in confequence of this, he is "flow to speak"-not like fome weak and half-formed Chriftians, babbling their little experiences from house to house, perpetually talking about their religious concerns, and under the appearance of much anxiety for the falvation of others, manifesting a moft odious selfishness, and pharifaical admiration of their own proficiency.

"Slow to wrath" too, fays the Apostle; justifying his admonition by this convincing reafon : "for the wrath of man "worketh not the Righteousness of "GOD."

O what a glorious precept is here! How neceffary to be inculcated in all periods of the Chriftian church! Had this been attended to and obferved, we fhould never have heard of the fires of perfecution being kindled to illuminate the foul. Men would never have at¬ tempted to propagate the mild and lovely religion

religion of JESUS by fierce contention and difpute. They would never have imagined, that this or that fyftem of notions would excite the life and power of religion in the heart; that mere opinion could communicate fenfibility; or that even the orthodoxy of an Apostle could fill the foul with the love of his Master. Zeal for the Truth is right and commendable but before we begin to be zealous, let us firft know, by an inward felf-evident experience, what Truth is.

The Truth of all Truths, indifpenfably neceffary to human happiness both here and hereafter, is this: that the evil nature, which we bring with us into the world, must be overcome and destroyed; and that an heavenly nature, temper and difpofition, with heavenly defires, inclinations, and affections, muft be formed and produced within us, or we never can "fee the Kingdom of

"GOD."

"GOD." This truth I can scarcely think will be called in queftion, by any fect or denomination of Chriftians; nay, I had almost said, by any Deist, Pagan, or Mahometan. If this great Truth be preached, therefore, and preached from the fame fpirit, which the Preacher recommends and endeavours to awaken in his hearers, we ought to wish him, GOD fpeed! whoever he may be, however his notions and opinions may differ from ours, or by whatever names he may think proper to call the Heavenly Life and its operations.

For if we have but this Life within us, powerfully prevailing over all the finful workings of our fallen nature, redeeming us from the bondage of corruption, and admitting us into the glorious Light and Liberty of "the Sons of GOD;" what does it fignify, by what name we call it, or in what manner we conceive it to

enter into

us;