DISC. "ftood the Riphæan hills, clothed in ice "and fnow. All these are vanished, dropped

II.

away as the fnow upon their heads !— "Great and marvellous are thy works, "Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of faints!"

Thus, you fee,

fee, "Old things are paffed "away." But out of their ashes a new creation shall spring forth. According to the divine promife, which cannot fail, we look for new heavens, and a new earth, wherein dwell righteousness, joy, and life, and from which, confequently, fin, sorrow, and death, are for ever excluded. We wait, in faith and patience, for the time, when we ourselves fhall be restored with the world, and "all things fhall become new." Το prepare for this glorious and long expected time, let us be firft "renewed in the

fpirit of our minds; let us put off the "old man, corrupt with the deceitful lufts; "and put on the new man, which of "God is created in righteoufnefs and true "holinefs;" addreffing ourselves, for the neceffary

neceffary strength and power, to him that DISC. fitteth on the throne, who faith from thence," Behold, I make all things new." This done, we shall defcend undismayed to the grave, and our flesh fhall rest there in hope, like a grain of corn in it's furrow, to appear, in another and better form, at the appointed feafon, to begin an everlafting fpring, and be for ever young. And when can we enter, with fo great propriety, upon the bleffed work, as now, when a new year affords us opportunity to repair the miscarriages of the old one? -Let me leave in your ears, and upon your minds, the charming words of that kind and affectionate invitation made, in one of the facred books, by the Redeemer to his church, who, you know, throughout the Scriptures is confidered in the relation of his fpoufe—

"Lo, the winter will foon be paft; the "rain will be over and gone; the flowers "will appear on the earth; the time of "the finging of birds will come; and the "voice of the turtle will be heard in our

"land.

DISC. "land. The fig-tree will put forth her green

II.

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figs, and the vines, with the tender grape, give a good smell.-Awake, thou that fleepeft, and arife from the dead, and "Christ shall give thee light."

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DISCOURSE

III.

THE CHILDREN IN THE TEMPLE.

MAT T. XXI. 15, 16.

And when the chief priests and fcribes faw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and faying, Hofanna to the Son of David; they were fore difpleafed, and said unto bim, Hearest thou what these say? And Jefus faith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and fucklings thou haft perfelled praife?

TH

III.

HIS part of facred ftory prefents DISC. us with a very extraordinary scene. Meffiah, the promised Saviour, prefigured by the law, foretold by the prophets, and univerfally expected to appear, appears accordingly. Exactly in the manner described by Zechariah, he makes his public entry, meek and lowly, into his capital city, Jerufalem. Agreeably to the celebrated pas

fages

III.

DISC. fages in Malachi and Haggai," The Lord, "whom men fought, came to his temple," and by his perfonal prefence rendered "the

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glory of the latter house greater than the glory of the former." "He came to his

own, but his own received him not." The rulers of the then church would not acknowlege him: they were offended (it was but a natural confequence) with those who did fo. The voices of children, proclaiming his titles, founded harsh and grating in their ears; and they hinted by their question, that he himself ought to reprove, rebuke, and filence thefe little heralds of his praises. "Heareft thou " what these say?"-as if they had spoken blafphemy. But mark the answer: « Je"fus faith unto them, Yea; have ye never "read, Out of the mouth of babes and

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fucklings thou haft perfected praise?" In other words, You are ignorant of your "own Scriptures; at leaft, you do not re"collect what is written in the viiith Pfalm; "that when God is to be glorified for his "works, and those who should do it will

" not