?Otn 
 
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 THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST: 
 
 A MISSIONARY SERMON, 
 
 PREACHED BEFORE THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE PRES- 
 BYTERIAN CHURCH, IN PHILADELPHIA, 
 
 MAY 230, 1805. 
 
 BY EDWARD D. _GRIFFIN, A. M. 
 
 ONE OF THE PASTORS OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN 
 CHURCH IN NEWARK, (NEW JERSEY.) 
 
 Pfrlatielpfjia : 
 
 PRINTED BY JANE AITKEN, NO. 2®, 
 
 WORTH THIRD STREET. 
 
 . . 
 
 'H2-62 
 
 1805. 
 
v am 
 
 Szrmon* 
 
 6r 
 
 IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY, 
 
 May 2/i.xh, 1805. 
 
 “ Resolved, That the standing committee of 
 missions be directed to present the thanks of this As- 
 sembly to Mr. Griffin for his sermon, and that they 
 request a copy thereof and take measures for pub- 
 lishing the same 
 
 A true Copy, NATHANIEL IRWIN, Clk. 
 
 BY THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF 
 MISSIONS; 
 
 Resolved, That the thanks of this committee be 
 presented to the Revd. Mr. Griffin for his missionary 
 sermon delivered at their request. 
 
 Extract from the Minutes, 
 
 % 
 
 JACOB J. JANEWAY, Secy. 
 
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A SERMON 
 
 col. 1 . 16 . 
 
 TOR BY HIM WERE ALL THINGS CREATED THAT ARE IN 
 HEAVEN, AND THAT ARE IN EARTH, VISIBLE AND INVISI- 
 BLE, WHETHER THEY BE THRONES, OR DOMINIONS, OR 
 PRINCIPALITIES, OR POWERS; ALL THINGS WERE CREATED 
 BY HIM, AND FOR HIM, 
 
 W HILE worldly minds are confined to a 
 
 few surrounding objefls, unconscious of the great 
 scenes above them, like men in a cavern who have 
 never beheld the glories of nature; the devout Chris- 
 tian delights to raise his eyes, and contemplate the 
 perfedlions of his Creator. He feels a noble and in- 
 extinguishable ardour to ascend in meditation to ever- 
 lasting things, to lose sight of earth in his sublime 
 excursions, to tread the pavements of heaven, to take 
 a near view of God, and from that exalted summit 
 to look abroad among his Father’s works. The 
 point to which his thoughts aspire, the highest 
 that a created mind can reach, is that from whence he 
 may view the amazing purposes which God is car- 
 
6 
 
 rying into execution, and by this mean discover the 
 moral character of their Author, and the tendency 
 of all things. On this eminence stood the great apos- 
 tle of the Gentiles, when he pronounced the words of 
 our text. Let us accompany him to that command- 
 ing height ; and while we view, may the divine spirit 
 clear the film from our mental sight, that we may gaze 
 with amazement, adoration, and love. 
 
 Placing ourselves at the beginning of time, and 
 looking back into eternit)’’, we are anxious to know 
 what induced the ever blessed God to exercise his 
 power in the production of creatures, and w hat valu- 
 able object he proposed to accomplish by all his 
 works. In order to a right solution of these points, 
 we must conceive an eternal propensity in the foun- 
 tain of love to overflow, and fill with happiness num- 
 berless vessels fitted to receive it. We must con- 
 ceive an eternal propensity in God to manifest the 
 richness and perfection of his nature to creatures; not 
 for the sake of ostentatious display, but to enrich the 
 universe with the knowledge of his glory, and to lay 
 a foundation for general confidence and delight in him; 
 A state of unproductive repose was not a condition 
 becoming himself. As the sun exists in his proper 
 and most glorious state when shedding his beams to 
 bless the dependent planets, so God is conceived to 
 exist in his proper and most glorious state when he 
 is benevolently exercising his perfections on the crea- 
 ted system, and, so to speak, hangs them around him 
 like an external robe of light, to awaken the wonder 
 and joy of creatures. The stupendous objcCt which 
 he contemplated was an immense and beautifully ad- 
 
/ 
 
 justed kingdom of holy and happy creatures, in which 
 he should be acknowledged as the glorious head, and 
 they should take their proper place at his feet; in 
 which he should be felt as the center of attraction to 
 draw all its parts into union with himself, and as a 
 sun to shed blessed influence upon the whole; and 
 over which, w hen its prosperity should be completed, 
 he might rejoice with joy , and rest in bis love.* 
 
 This was the glorious end which his goodness eter- 
 nally proposed: and now we are to view the means 
 which he ordained for its accomplishment. The prin- 
 cipal mean adopted was the appointment of his Son 
 to aCt as his vicegerent in the creation and govern- 
 ment of all worlds, to assume a created nature into 
 personal union with himself, and thus to fill up the 
 infinite chasm between God and his creation, and be 
 the grand connecting bond between finite and infinite 
 natures. As head of his Father’s kingdom, to which 
 he was to be closely united by his . assumed nature, 
 and as the medium of all intercourse between that 
 kingdom and his Father, he was to form the most 
 perfeCt union between God and his creatures. As 
 thou. Father, art in me, and 1 in thee , that they also 
 may be one in us; I in them, and thou in me, that they 
 may be made perfect in one. f Put forward into a 
 public station as his Father’s organ and image, to be 
 seen by every eye, lie was to bring out the invisible 
 God to view from the hidden recesses of his nature, 
 — to bring down the incomprehensible God within 
 the reach of finite apprehensions, and to serve as a 
 
 * Zeph. 3. 17. 
 
 f John 17. 21 , 23. 
 
8 
 
 mild glass through which creatures might view the 
 splendours of divine perfe&ion without dazzling and 
 paining their sight. 
 
 This is the Christ, the anointed agent, of whom 
 our text declares, By him were all things created 
 that are in heaven, and that are in earth , visible 
 and invisible , whether they be thrones , or domini- 
 ons , or principalities , or powers ; all things were 
 created by him, and for him. This is not said of 
 him simply as God, but as the christ, who fills a 
 middle place between God and man, and partakes of 
 both natures. The character intended is pointedly 
 marked in the context, every part of which applies 
 only to Christ. The apostle is treating of the 
 Messiah, and describes him as the image of the in- 
 visible God , the first born of every creature , the 
 head of the body , the church , the first born from the 
 dead , in whom we have redemption through his 
 blood-, all of which can be understood of him only as 
 Mediator, and not merely as second person of the 
 Trinity. Can we then acquit the apostle of the 
 charge of introducing a strange confusion of charac- 
 ters, unless our text be allowed to assert that all things 
 were created by the Messiah , and for the Messiah? 
 
 The truth I take to be this: All the works which 
 God designed to produce throughout the universe, 
 he delegated Christ to accomplish. All the displays 
 of God which were ever intended to be made to crea- 
 tures, Christ was appointed to make. The vast plan 
 which involved the whole creation, and all the mea- 
 sures of divine government, was one plan; the cxccu- 
 
9 
 
 tion of which, in all its parts, was committed to 
 Christ. It is elsewhere said that all things were 
 made for God , that is, for the display of his perfec- 
 tions, and for the promotion of that general interest 
 of his kingdom which he benevolently considers his 
 own. In peifect consistency with this, all things are 
 here said to be made for Christ, that is. for the illus- 
 tration of his mediatorial glory (not indeed as the ulti- 
 mate and chief end, but rather as the principal mode in 
 which the glory of God was to be displayed) and to sub- 
 serve the vast plan which he was appointed to execute, 
 in the issue of which God will be all in all. It 
 would seem then that it was in the character of Mes- 
 siah that he created the angels, the sun, moon, and 
 stars, and all other things visible and invisible; and 
 that he created them all for himself as Mediator;— in a 
 word, that he created all w orlds to subserve his me- 
 diatorial plan, the principal scene of w hich, it is well 
 know r n, was laid upon this earth. The same apostle 
 in another place declares that God created all things 
 by Jesus Christ — and why ?. — to the intent that now 
 unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places 
 might be known by the church the manifold wis- 
 dom of God.* In one of his addresses to the - Chris- 
 tian church the apostle expressly asserts, all things 
 are for your sakes.-\ 
 
 Does it seem incredible that all other worlds should 
 be created to promote the purposes of grace upon 
 this earth? Why is this more incredible than that 
 the Mediator should upon this earth purchase the 
 
 * Eph. iii. 9, io. +2 Cor, iv. 15. 
 
 S 
 
glory of governing the rest of the universe , and 
 that he should govern the whole with reference to 
 his church ? — points which are, in the clearest man- 
 ner, revealed. It is said that he humbled himself \ 
 and became obedient unto death : — wherefore God 
 also hath highly exalted him; — that at the name of 
 Jesus every knee should bow , of things in heaven , 
 and things in earth, and things under the earth . — 
 He raised him from the dead, and set him at his own 
 right hand in heavenly places, far above all princi- 
 pality, and power, and might, and dominion, and 
 every name that is named, not only in this world , 
 but also in that which is to come ; and hath put 
 
 ALL THINGS UNDER HIS FEET, AND GAVE HIM 
 TO BE HEAD OVER ALL THINGS TO THE CHURCH, 
 WHICH IS HIS BODY, THE FULLNESS OF HIM 
 THAT FILLETH ALL IN ALL.* (a) 
 
 * Phil. ii. 8, 10. Epli. i. 20, 23 
 
 (a) The dominion conferred on Chrifl as a reward for what lie per- 
 formed on earth, seems not 10 have been limited to his church, but to 
 have extended to the universe. Having by his death fulfilled the part, 
 which in the covenant of redemption he had engaged to perform, he 
 appeared to his disciples, and said unto them, s , 111 power is given unto 
 mein heaven and in earth* He was at that time more fully invested 
 with the dominion of the universe, which, by anticipation, he had as 
 Mediator enjoyed before his incarnation. I mean not to suggest the 
 idea of the pre-cxistence of his human soul; he sustained the office 
 of Mediator, and in this character governed the world, before he pos- 
 sessed any other than the divine nature. This universal dominion, 
 which is temporary, is that which, at the conclusion of the final judg- 
 ment, he will resign to the Father while he will still retain dominion 
 
 * Mat. xxviii. r8. 
 
 f 1 Cor. xv. 24 — »8. 
 
11 
 
 What purpose the Mediator intended to answer by 
 other worlds and their inhabitants, in prosecuting the 
 plan of redemption, we do not fully comprehend. The 
 angels, it is well known, are subject to him as minis- 
 tering spirits to his church, and look with prying cu- 
 riosity and astonishment into the mysteries of redemp- 
 tion.* But what use he makes of other worlds we are 
 not told in his word, farther than that they are put under 
 his dominion; and we also know that they serve to in- 
 struct his church, while they influence, adorn, and en- 
 lighten the earth on which it resides. And whatever 
 inhabitants they contain, we must believe that they do 
 now, or will in some future period, bend to look into the 
 transcendent wonders of redemption, and will take 
 lessons of deep instruction and interest from the asto- 
 nishing scenes which are unfolding on the earth, (a) 
 
 But passing by other worlds, the one which we in- 
 habit w’as certainly made for the Mediator. This is 
 the favoured w r orld where he w r as to assume the na- 
 ture that was intended to form the connecting link 
 between God and creatures ; where he was to found a 
 church to be a spectacle to angels and to men ;f 
 where he was to display the most august and awful 
 w’onder of his death. Here he w ? as to find a miserable 
 
 in Zion, and according to ancient promises will hold die throne of his 
 father David forever. 
 
 \ 
 
 (a) If the sentiment that other worlds were created for the Medi- 
 ator should not appear sufficiendy supported, I am willing it should be 
 
 * Heb. i. 14. 1 Pet. i. 12. f l Cor. ir. 9. 
 
12 
 
 race, without help and without hope, immersed in 
 vice and ignorance, groaning under the curse of a 
 holy law, and sinking into everlasting wo. Such an 
 occasion was to be presented for the exercise of his 
 unequalled compassion, for an exhibition of the infinite 
 tenderness of his heart ; the history of which is in- 
 scribed on the tablet of the earth in tears and blood; — 
 the history of which has been a million of times re- 
 peated by deeply affected angels, and will be rehearsed 
 in the songs of the redeemed to eternity. To this 
 earth, and to Calvary, methinks I see every eye di- 
 rected from the most distant world which God has 
 made. All seem to point to this, and say. Behold , 
 for once, what infinite love could do ! 
 
 The several texts and arguments already adduced 
 prove emphatically that this earth and all its furni- 
 ture were created for the Mediator. And further 
 to confirm this idea let me ask, what valuable 
 purpose, except by means of the Mediator, could 
 a world be expected to answer, which, it was fore- 
 seen, would so quickly be ruined by sin ? What 
 valuable end, in any other way, has it in fact 
 answered ? We judge of the design of a thing by the 
 use to which it is put. To what valuable use then 
 has the earth been put, but to bring glory to God 
 
 understood as expressed rather hypothetically than positively. The 
 author has no title either to the honour or dishonour of originating the 
 idea, which has been held by divines of reputation, and possesses at 
 least the negative merit of not contradicting any of the doctrines of our 
 church. 
 
13 
 
 and good to creatures, through the mediation of 
 Christ? If it was designed for the happiness of men, 
 none have tasted happiness in it since the fall, or found 
 it a passage to heaven, but by the Mediator. That 
 Priest only has procured it blessings ; that Prophet 
 only has instructed its ignorance ; that King only 
 has dispensed its comforts. If it was created for 
 the glory of God, this glory shines only in the face of 
 Jesus Christ.* No man hath seen God at any time ; 
 the only begotten Son, ’which is in the bosom of the 
 Father , he hath declared him .f Him only have 
 men beheld ; only his works and providence do men 
 contemplate. Not one purpose desirable to benevo- 
 lence, or illustrative of the wisdom or goodness of its 
 Author, is answered by the earth, but in consequence 
 of the mediation of Christ. And of all the displays of 
 divine glory, the richest appear in his incarnation 
 and atonement, in the pardon and government which 
 he administers in the church. As the earth has in 
 fact answered no desirable purpose, but through the 
 agency of the Mediator, such a fact must have been 
 foreseen in the day of its creation, and it must have been 
 made only for the sake of the good to be accomplished 
 by Christ. It was erected for a theatre on which he 
 might make an exhibition of the divine perfections in 
 redeeming his church, and punishing his enemies : 
 and this being its design, the work of erecting it w as, 
 of course, assigned to him for whose use it was in- 
 tended. He formed every continent and ocean, every 
 
 * 2 Cor. ir. 6. 
 
 f John, i. 1 8 . 
 
14 
 
 lake and island, every mountain and valley, to serve 
 a race, who, he foresaw, would fall, and whom he was 
 determined to redeem. He created every beast that 
 ranges the desert, every fowl that flutters under the 
 arch of heaven, every fish that dwells in the caves of 
 ocean, * every drop, and every dust,’ to subserve his 
 great design of grace. The whole plan of this world, 
 including creation and providence, including every 
 event from its beginning to the final judgment, was 
 involved in the plan of redemption. The plan is one, 
 though comprehending a vast variety of parts. 
 Among this variety, some parts are designed to fit 
 the earth, by innumerable secret and nameless in- 
 fluences, for the accommodation of a race to be re- 
 deemed; — others, to unfold the wretched character 
 and condition of men, to illustrate their need of a Sa- 
 viour, and the richness of redeeming grace. Others 
 are intended to prepare the way for carrying into ef- 
 fect the purposes of mercy, and to facilitate, in many 
 ways, their accomplishment. 
 
 Does the question arise, how is it possible that 
 every minute substance and event should be service- 
 able to the kingdom of Christ? The speaker does 
 not presume to explain all the particular relations and 
 tendencies of God’s works; but this, in general, 
 must be granted , — they arc all designed to promote 
 the glory of God , though the manner cannot be ex- 
 plained, Give me this, and you give me all: for 
 whatever promotes the glory of God u^as needful to 
 the kingdom of Christ, since the discovery of God 
 to men v r as an essential part of the plan of restoring 
 them to the enjoyment of him. The objection that 
 
15 
 
 we cannot discover the manner in which every thing 
 renders service to Christ, does not disprove our.doc- 
 trine. If in so simple a device as a manufactory 
 constructed by human art, buildings must be ereCted, 
 and many machines, instruments, vessels, and dif- 
 ferent substances employed, the use of some of 
 which a stranger would be unable to explain, though 
 all are subordinate to one end; it is no wonder that 
 the stupendous plan of redeeming a world should con- 
 tain an inconceivable variety of parts, the subser- 
 viency of many of which, though necessary to the 
 result, should elude our research. 
 
 As the earth was created for the Mediator, so it is 
 preserved to be the residence of his church ; in allu- 
 sion to which faCt the church is called the salt of 
 the earth , as being the occasion of saving it from 
 dissolution.* 
 
 By Christ, and/or Christ, the earth is also governed . 
 Having ereCled this theatre for an exhibition of re- 
 deeming grace, he took the management of it into 
 his own hands, and put it to the use for which it was 
 intended. He early established a church upon it, 
 and in the chara£ter of Mediator took into his hands 
 its universal government. Made head over all things 
 to the church, he has marched down the tract of ages, 
 holding the north in his right hand, and the south in 
 his left, with his eye immoveably fixed upon this 
 single cause, and forcing all nations and events to 
 
 * Mat. r. 13 
 
16 
 
 pay tribute to it. In the history of his government 
 which the Holy Ghost has sketched, we trace his 
 dealings with nations and individuals for many ages, 
 and view his providence under a column of light 
 which discloses its tendency and object. Here we 
 discover his hand employed behind the scene, in di- 
 recting the affairs of many inferior nations, and espe- 
 cially of the four great empires of antiquity, with 
 pointed reference to his church. Looking through 
 the glass of prophesy, we discern that throne which 
 Ezekiel saw in his vision, rolling on the wheels of 
 providence down the descent of time to the end of 
 the world, prostrating every interest raised against 
 his church, and overturning to prepare the way for 
 the full establishment of his kingdom upon earth. 
 Under his government, the apostle expressly de- 
 clares, all things work together for good to his 
 church; all things are theirs , whether the world, 
 — or things present , or things to come.* The re- 
 volutions of empires, rebellions and wars, the coun- 
 cils of kings, and the debates of senates, are all pres- 
 sed into the service of Christ. Bibles, sacraments, 
 sabbaths, and the effusions of the Holy Spirit, have 
 no other objeCl. Seed time and harvest, famine and 
 pestilence, tempests, volcanoes, and earthquakes, are 
 all made to advance his interest. 
 
 As this world was wholly intended for the scene of 
 redemption, all the good which it contains belongs 
 to the plan of grace that was laid in Christ. His 
 
 Rom. viii. i Cor. iii. 21, 22. 
 
17 
 
 kingdom comprises every valuable objeft which God 
 proposed to himself in creating, preserving, and gov- 
 erning the world, the whole amount of his glory 
 
 upon earth, and the immortal blessedness of millions 
 of men. It is the only cause on earth that is worth 
 an anxious thought. It is the only interest which 
 God pursues or values, and the only objedt w orthy of 
 the attention of men. For this sole object were they 
 created, and placed in this world, with social affec- 
 tions adapted to their present state, with employments 
 appointed for the preservation of their lives. No one 
 interest distinft from the kingdom of Christ are they 
 required to pursue. No laws but those which ap- 
 pertain to this kingdom, and which of course respe6l 
 only the concerns of it, were ever ena6ted by heaven 
 to dire61 their conduft. Their secular employments, 
 their social duties, are enjoined only as subordinate 
 to the interests of this kingdom. Their private and 
 social propensities they arc not indeed required to 
 extinguish; but with these about them, to march 
 with a strong and steady step directly towards this 
 great object, with their eye filled with its magnitude, 
 and with hearts glowing with desires for its promotion. 
 It is required that whether they eat or drink , or what- 
 ever they do, they should do all with reference to 
 this obje6t. As then we can rely on the decision of 
 infinite wisdom, expressed both in the example and 
 precepts of God, we are assured that this kingdom 
 ought to engross the supreme cares of men, and 
 exert a commanding influence over all their a6tions; 
 — that it should be the great object of their lives, 
 
 and their governing motive every hour. The bosom 
 
 c 
 
18 
 
 of the child should be taught to beat with delight at 
 the name of Jesus, before it is capable of compre- 
 hending the nature of his kingdom. The youth 
 ought to regulate all his pleasures, his actions, and 
 his hopes, with an eye fixed on this kingdom. The 
 man ought to respect it in every important under- 
 taking, in all his common concerns, in the expres- 
 sions of his lips, in the government of his passions, 
 in the thoughts of his heart. Not worldly emolument 
 or distinction, but the interest of the blessed Redeem- 
 er, should be his highest object, — should be daily 
 and hourly loved and sought with all his heart and 
 soul. To this should he consecrate all his talents, 
 all his influence, all his wealth. Instead of pursuing 
 with headlong zeal their separate interests, all men 
 should join in promoting this kingdom, as the com- 
 mon interest of mankind, — the great concern for 
 which thev were sent into the world. , 
 
 J 
 
 If the eyes of men were opened, they would see 
 this cause to be of infinite value , — worthy to be the 
 object for which all things were created. It is the 
 cause which not only all the energies of nature, but 
 all beings and agents, conspire to advance. It is the 
 beloved cause on which the heart of the Son of God 
 was set, when it beat in the babe of Bethlehem, and 
 when it bled on the point of the spear. It is the 
 cause to which angels have zealously ministered; to 
 which devils have involuntarily lent their aid. It is 
 the cause which has engaged the ardent attention of 
 wise and good men in every age. It is the cause for 
 which patriarchs prayed, for which prophets taught, 
 
19 
 
 for which apostles toiled, for which martyrs bled. 
 For the consummation of this cause upon earth many 
 eyes have waited, from age to age, in unwearied ex- 
 pectation; many prophets and, righteous men have 
 desired to see it; many who sealed their faith with 
 their blood, looked forward to this glorious event with 
 eyes glistening in the agonies of death. The whole 
 creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together 
 to bring forth this grand consummation. 
 
 The cause of Christ is the only one which will 
 prevail and live amidst the wrecks of time. Strong 
 as the arm of omnipotence, it will hold on in its 
 majestic course, bearing down and crushing every 
 thing that resists its progress. Every interest that 
 is placed on this foundation is safe; but inevitable 
 ruin awaits every thing beside. Wo to the man 
 whose destinies are not united with the kingdom of 
 Christ. Wo, wo to the man who sets himself to 
 oppose this holy kingdom. 
 
 Though at present disregarded by men, the king- 
 dom of Christ is destined to engage the profound at- 
 tention of all nations. It is destined to banish from 
 the abodes of men the miserable effects of the fall, 
 and to restore all the tribes of the earth to themselves 
 and to God. When the glories of this kingdom 
 shall cover all lands, — when, after a long succession 
 o wintry years, the spring time of the world shall 
 come, — when the beauties of holiness shall clothe 
 every region, and songs of salvation shall float in every 
 breeze; — then will it be seen that the world was not 
 
20 
 
 made in vain. It is transporting to look down the 
 vale of time, and see the miseries of six thousand 
 years come to an end, the convulsions of a disordered 
 world composed, and the glory of Zion filling all the 
 earth. Lend me an angel’s harp, while I look for- 
 ward to approaching scenes, which, distant as they 
 then were, enraptured the souls of the holy prophets. 
 How divinely did they sing, when, fiom the mount 
 of vision, they beheld across the shade of many trou- 
 blous years the church standing on the field she 
 had won, triumphantly shouting, Lo , this is our 
 God; wi f have waited for him, we will be glad and 
 rejoice in his salvation .* Sometimes in the midst of 
 their sorrows, while nothing was escaping them but 
 the sounds of a breaking heart, a glimpse of this 
 glory would break upon their view; and then the 
 tear which stood in their eye forgat to fall, their half- 
 uttered sigh died upon their tongue, (hey awoke to 
 to rapture, and exclaimed, Thou shaft arise and have 
 mercy on Zion , for the time to favour her, yea the 
 set time is come.] 
 
 The church has hitherto possessed but a small pro- 
 portion of a world created for its use; but the day is 
 drawing on, when the everlasting gospel shall be 
 preached to every kindred, and tongue, and people ; 
 — when from the rising of the sun, unto the going 
 down of the same, the name of the Lord shall be 
 great among the gentiles -, — w hen all shall know him 
 from the least to the greatest, Jor the earth shall be 
 
 # Ifa. xxv & xxvi. f See an inftanccof this nature in the cii. Pfalm. 
 
21 
 
 jilted with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord 
 as the waters cover the sea. And the ransomed of 
 the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs 
 and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall 
 obtain joy and gladness , and sorrow and sighing 
 shall flee away. Their sun shall no more go down , 
 nor their moon withdraw itself for the Lord shall 
 be their everlasting light, and the day sof their mourn- 
 ing shall be ended. A thousand times ten thousand 
 captives shall drop their chains, and corfic forth to 
 light with joys too big for utterance; and this miser- 
 able world, once the emblem of hell, — this miserable 
 world, after being so long shaken with tempests, 
 shall, like the waters of a peaceful pool, reflect the 
 image of heaven. Paradise shall be restored ; and 
 then shall appear, to the confusion of all the enemies 
 of Christ, the blessed efficacy of his gospel to 
 heal the wounds of a bleeding world. This is the 
 triumph of the woman’s seed; — this, the bruising 
 of the serpent’s head. Is not every Christian rapt 
 as he thus views from Pisgah the promised rest on 
 earth? Is enthusiasm here a crime ? Would not cold- 
 ness be rebellion? Come, thou Desire of nations , 
 come! Come, thou restorer of a world ! 
 
 Lo, a still more transporting sight appears ! My 
 ravished eye beholds the kingdom of Christ advanced 
 to the glories of the heavenly state. Faith looks 
 through the vail which conceals the eternal world, 
 and discerns thousands of millions of happy beings, 
 ransomed from destruction and brought home to 
 their Father’s house ; — it beholds the church encir- 
 cling the throne of her Redeemex", casting her honours 
 
22 
 
 at his feet, buried in the ocean of his glory, united to the 
 Father by ineffable relation, while all heaven is ringing 
 with hosannas for redeeming love : — there , there is 
 the august kingdom completed which God at first 
 undertook to erect ! Say now, — pronounce, — is not 
 the object worthy of all the means employed for its 
 attainment? Do you hesitate? Look, and think again: 
 Follow only one human soul into eternity; trace its 
 endless course through delights which flesh and blood 
 could not sustain, or through fire sufficient to melt 
 down all the planets; — pursue it through the ascend- 
 ing degrees of its eternal progression, see it leaving 
 behind the former dimensions of seraphim and che- 
 rubim, and still stretching towards God; — or sinking 
 forever in the bottomless abyss — My God! what 
 an event is the redemption of a single soul! O the 
 infinite mercy that redeemed such countless mil- 
 lions! O the boundless compassion of Christ, — the 
 ocean without a bottom or a shore ! 0 the depth of the 
 riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, 
 which are disclosed in this unfathomable plan of grace! 
 
 Where are infatuated infidels now? Bring up hitherall 
 their bands to behold the glorious Agent, and the glo- 
 rious. interest, which they oppose. Julian, Celsus, 
 and Porphyry, what now think you of Christ! Vol- 
 taire, Hume, Gibbon, and Bolingbroke, where are 
 now those tongues which blasphemed the anointed 
 Messiah? Let our subject burst like ten thousand 
 thunders upon those, who in rejecting the Mediator 
 resist all the designs of God, who would destroy the 
 only interest of the universe, who are fatally contend- 
 ing with all the energies of omnipotence! 
 
23 
 
 Oh that I had a voice to reach the hearts of im- 
 penitent sinners of every class. Knew ye the infinite 
 glories of our Messiah, the darling of heaven, the 
 wonder of angels, the august Agent of the universe; — 
 knew ye your ruin and necessities; — knew ye the 
 tenderness of Him who wept because you would 
 
 sin, who, to save your wretched souls, swet 
 
 drops of blood, and expired on the ragged irons; you 
 would not thus idly pass by his reeking cross, you 
 would not thus refuse him reverence, and coldly cast 
 away the benefits of his dying love. 
 
 In applying this subject I would summon, were I 
 able, all the kingdoms of the earth to arise in one 
 mass to urge forward the cause of the Redeemer. 
 Assemble, yepeople, fromthefourquartersof theglobe; 
 awake, ye nations, from your sleeping pillow,— 
 combine in this grand object of your existence, — 
 this common interest of the "world. Ye kindreds and 
 tribes, why are ye searching for happiness out of this 
 kingdom, and overlooking the cause of Christ, as 
 though he had no right to hold an interest on earth ? 
 Know ye that no man is licensed to set up another in- 
 terest on this ground which is sacred to the Redeemer. 
 What have you to do in this world if you will not 
 serve the Lord’s Anointed ? If you will not submit 
 to his dominion, and join to advance his cause, go, 
 go to some other world — this world was made for 
 Christ. But whither can you go from his pre- 
 
 sence? All worlds are under his dominion. Ah! 
 then return, and let your bosoms swell w ith the noble 
 desire to be fellow-workers with the inhabitants of 
 other worlds in serving this glorioles kingdom. 
 
24 
 
 My brethren, my brethren! while all the agents in 
 the universe are employed, some with fervent desire, 
 and others by .involuntary instrumentality, to advance 
 the cause of Christ, will an individual of you refuse 
 it your cordial support? Can you, in the centre of 
 universal action, consent to remain in a torpid state, 
 absorbed in private cares, and contracted into a lit- 
 tleness for which you were not designed? Awake, 
 and generously expand your desires to encircle this 
 benevolent and holy kingdom. God, who has set 
 you an example of exclusive regard to this object, 
 demands it of you. Christ, who purchased the 
 church with his blood, demands it of you. The holy 
 angels, who incessantly minister to the church, de- 
 mand it of you. The illustrious army of patriarchs, 
 prophets, apostles, and martyrs, by their services 
 and sufferings for the church, demand it of you. How 
 then can you meet the eyes of this awful company 
 of spectators, who watch you from every window of 
 heaven, unless you rouse every sleeping faculty, 
 and with your collected powers join to advance the 
 kingdom of the Redeemer? 
 
 My brethren, there is much for you to do. 
 Though the world w-as made for Christ, though all 
 the nations of it arc intended to swell his triumph, 
 yet, at this very moment, five parts out of six of 
 that race for whom he shed his sacred blood, are 
 perishing in ignorance of his gospel, chained in mise- 
 rable and degrading servitude to satan. Many of 
 them are also suffering all the hardships of a barbarous 
 state, without domestic or civil order, wallow ing in 
 
25 
 
 the sinks of vice, and besmearing the altars of de- 
 vils with human blood. Touched with affection for 
 Him who pitied us that we might pity others, — for 
 Him who, though he was rich , yet for our sakes be- 
 came poor y that we through his poverty might be 
 rich ; — can we forbear to cherish the pious wish that 
 he may enjoy the reward of his dying love? Do not 
 our hearts throb with desire to be instrumental in 
 giving him the heathen for bis inheritance , and the 
 uttermost parts of the earth for his possession? 
 
 Distinguished will be the glory of that generation 
 who shall be selected to bear a conspicuous part in this 
 blessed work. If those who are now alive on the earth 
 decline this honour, it will certainly be seized by a more 
 generous and holy posterity. To thepresent generation, 
 however, it seems fairly tendered by the existing indi- 
 cations of divine providence. Great events appear to 
 be struggling in their birth. In the eager attitude of 
 hope, many are looking for the dawn of a better day, 
 and even believe that they already see the light purpling 
 the east. The Christian world, after long contenting 
 itself with prayers for the heathen, and with saying. 
 Be ye warmed and filled , is awaking to more charita- 
 ble views. Men, warmed with apostolic zeal, have 
 abandoned the comforts of civilized life, and are gone 
 to the ends of the earth, to bear to benighted nations 
 the first tidings of a precious Saviour. Numerous 
 societies have risen into existence on both sides of 
 the Atlantic, under whose patronage missionaries are 
 now employed from India to the American wilderness, 
 from Greenland to the southern ocean. Some of the 
 
 n 
 
.26 
 
 first fruits of their labours, I hope, are already ga- 
 thered into the heavenly garner. While our brethren 
 are thus summoning us from the four quarters of the 
 earth to come up to the help of the Lord , let us not 
 incur the curse of Meroz\ let us quickly put our 
 hands to the work lest it be done without us. If 
 we altogether hold our peace at this time, then shall 
 there enlargement arise from another place; but 
 we and our Jather's house may be destroyed.* — But 
 why should I thus speak? You, my brethren, have 
 already felt the heavenly impulse; you have given to 
 the Lord; and the affe£ling accounts of your mis- 
 sionaries show that you have received, thus early, 
 the blessing of some who were ready to perish. 
 
 Let us still pursue the glorious design, and rise 
 above every objection which a cold, calculating spirit 
 may cast in our way. . We are bound to persevere 
 by the express command to go forth ' into all the 
 world, and preach the gospel to every creature. We 
 are bound by mercies which we ourselves have re- 
 ceived. Had not benevolent men devoted their proper- 
 ty and lives to bring the gospel to our fathers, we 
 might, this evening, have been assembled, not in this 
 temple of God, but to sacrifice our children on the 
 altar of devils. Methinks I hear those generous 
 spirits crying from the verge of heaven, Freely ye 
 have received, freely give. 
 
 Let me never fall into the hands of the man who, 
 while lie refuses to aid the missionary efforts of his 
 
 * Efth. ir. 14. 
 
27 
 
 brethren, coolly says that he submits the fate of the 
 heathen to God. Do you call this submission? Put 
 it to the test; — does it preserve you equally compo- 
 sed by the bed of your dying child ? \\ hile the pres- 
 sure of private afflictions can torture your soul, call 
 not the apathy with which you view nations sinking 
 into hopeless ruin, — call it not submission, nor bring 
 the government of God to sanction a temper as cruel 
 as it is common. Will the government of God con- 
 vert the heathen without the means of grace ? What 
 nation was ever so converted ? It is contrary to the 
 established method of divine grace. How shall they 
 believe in him of ivhom they have not heard? And 
 how shall they hear without a preacher ? No, my 
 brethren, missionaries must go among them; and 
 they must be supported. They cannot support them- 
 selves ; they cannot derive support from the heathen; 
 nor can they expeCl to be fed by ravens. Who then 
 shall sustain the expense if not the Christian world ? 
 and what portion of the Christian world rather than 
 the American churches ? and what distriCl of these 
 churches rather than that in which we are assembled? 
 and what individuals rather than ourselves ? Heaven 
 has given us the means; we are living in prosperity 
 on the very lands from which the wretched pagans have 
 been ejefted; from the recesses of whose wilderness 
 a moving cry is heard, When it is well with you , 
 think of poor Indians. This is not ideal ; we have 
 received such messages written with their tears. 
 
 No, we will not shift this honourable burden upon 
 others. We would sooner contend for it as a privi- 
 lege. But we need not contend ; it is ample enough 
 
28 
 
 to satisfy the desires of all. The expense of chris- 
 tianizing only the savages on our borders will be great; 
 but to extend effectual aid to all the benighted tribes 
 on the American continent, to the numerous islands, 
 to the vast regions of Asia and Africa, would demand 
 the resources of Christendom. Every man is under 
 bonds to God to bear his full proportion of this ex- 
 pense. For whom but for the Redeemer was your 
 wealth created ? Thus saith the Lord, Tour silver , 
 and your gold is mine. The flocks of Kedar, and 
 the gold of Sheba, were created to bring tribute to 
 his church. Should we sordidly close our hands 
 against him, he can, with infinite ease, extort a 
 hundred fold, by sending a blast into our fields, a 
 disease into our families, or a fire into our dwellings. 
 It is a maxim that admits of general application. 
 Whosoever will save his life , shall lose it ; but who- 
 soever will lose his life for Christ’s sake , the 
 same shall save it. — The liberal soul shall be made 
 fat , and he that watercth shall be watered also 
 himself He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth 
 to the Lord , and that which he hath given wil he 
 pay him again. By one shower of rain, by one re- 
 straint upon the winds that would sink your ship, by 
 one breeze sent to fan from your door the pestilential 
 vapour, he can repay you. And he can bestow the 
 blessings of eternity on you and j our children. The 
 best security for r< numeration is offered. He tenders 
 you his blessing to reward your charity. And now 
 
 are you Christians ? The trial is to be made. 
 
 The everlasting fates of men turn upon the existence 
 of a temper to prefer the blessing of God to mammon. 
 To the merciful he will shew himself mereijul ; 
 
 
29 
 
 but ivboso stoppcth his ears at the cry of the poor , 
 he also shall cry himself \ but shall not be beard. 
 
 I have nothing to spare , is the plea of sordid re- 
 luctance. But a far different sentiment will be formed 
 amidst the scenes of the last day. Men now persuade 
 themselves that they have nothing to spare till they 
 can support a certain style of luxury, and have provi- 
 ded for the establishment of children. But in the 
 awful hour when you, and I, and all the pagan nations, 
 shall be called from our graves to stand before the bar 
 of Christ, what comparison will these objects bear to 
 the salvation of a single soul? Eternal mercy! let not 
 the blood of heathen millions, in that hour, be found 
 
 in our skirts! Standing, as I now do, in 
 
 sight of a dissolving universe, beholding the dead 
 arise, the world in flames, the heavens fleeing away, 
 all nations convulsed with terror, or rapt in the vision 
 of the Lamb, — I pronounce the conversion of a single 
 pagan of more value than all the wealth that ever om- 
 nipotence produced. On such an awful subject it be- 
 comes me to speak with caution; but I solemnly 
 aver, that were there but one heathen in the world, 
 and he in the remotest corner of Asia, if no greater 
 duty confined us at home, it would be worth the 
 pains for all the people in America to embark toge- 
 ther to carry the gospel to him. Place your soul in 
 his soul’s stead. Or rather consent for a moment to 
 change condition with the savages on our borders. 
 Were you posting on to the judgment of the great 
 day, in the darkness and pollution of pagan idolatry, 
 and were they living in wealth in this very district 
 of the church, how hard would it seem for your 
 
 k 
 
neighbours to neglect your misery! When you 
 should open your eyes in the eternal world, and dis- 
 cover the ruin in which they had suffered you to re- 
 main, how would you reproach them that they did 
 not even sell their possessions, if no other means 
 were sufficient, to send the gospel to you. My flesh 
 
 trembles at the prospect ! But they shall not 
 
 reproach us. It shall be known in heaven that we 
 could pity our brethren. We will send them all 
 the relief in our power, and will enjoy the luxury of 
 reflecting what happiness we may entail on genera- 
 tions yet unborn, if we can only effect the conversion 
 of a single tribe. 
 
 All that remains for me to add is a fervent prayer, 
 that He who is viewing from heaven the events of 
 this evening, may incline your hearts to the noblest 
 charity, and may reward it with everlasting blessings 
 on you and your children. Amen. 
 
 THE END, 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
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