fought for the amufement of the people. Humanity, kindness, and benevolence, were made no account of; and fuch a thing as an hofpital was not known. Revenge was both practifed and recommended; and thofe excellent Chriftian graces, humility, univerfal charity, and forgivenefs of injuries, were confidered as weakneffes and faults. I fhudder to think of the dreadful ftate of mankind in thofe days. God grant that the fame evils may never return, They are the natural confequences of being without Chriftianity in the world; for, when Christianity is gone, there is no rule to go by. Every man may then fet up a falfe goodnefs of his own. Morals, of

courfe, grow worfe and worfe; a fierce and proud fpirit comes in the place of Chriftian meeknefs and benevolence, and claims the name of virtue; and the Saviour of the world, with all his works of mercy, being forgot, man becomes cruel, and unjust, and selfish, and implacable, and unmerciful, for all the violent paffions of our nature are let loofe.

If we enquire alfo into the character of the Jews, who lived before the coming of our Saviour, we fhall find them to have been deplorably corrupt, though they expected his coming, and were, in fome measure, acquainted with true religion. The little knowledge which they had, feems to have been perverted, through the wickednefs of their hearts; and, in fhort, the fcrip. tures affure us, that "both Jews and Gentiles. were all under fin." Such was the ftate into

which the world was funk before the time of our Saviour's appearance in it.

Let us defcribe, next, who Chrift was, and what were the confequences of his coming. He is called in fcripture "the Son of God;" and in fome places, "God's only Son;" which fhews that there is no other being like unto him. We know that a fon, by his very birth, derives privileges from his father which belong to no other perfon; that he partakes in the fame rank and inheritance with his father; and that he poffeffes alfo, in an especial manner, his father's favor, and altogether differs from a ftranger or a fervant. Chrift, then, is to be confidered, in all fuch fenfes as thefe, as the Son of God. It is true, he is called alfo the Son of Man, for he was born of a woman (namely of the Virgin Mary,) and he took upon him our nature, dwelling on earth for thirty years. We should take great care, however, that his appearance among us, as a man, does not lead us to form any low and unworthy notions of him. Suppose now that the fon of a king was to travel in the dress of a private subject, on fome merciful and condefcending errand, to a diftant and obfcure part of his territory, furely it would be very ungenerous and ungrateful, if the poor villagers, whom he came to ferve, were to deny him the honors of a king's fon, merely becaufe they could not believe that fo great a perfon could ftoop fo low as to come among them, efpecially if he brought proofs of his power and greatnefs along with him,

Juft fo, methinks, are all thofe perfons ungenerous and ungrateful, who refufe to Chrift that divine honor which belongs to him, merely because he condefcended to be made flesh and

blood, and to dwell among us. Let us, then, receive, with fimplicity and humility, the fcripture teftimony concerning him. It fpeaks of him in terms that are quite aftonishing. "His name," fays the prophet, foretelling of his birth, "fhall be called Wonderful, Counfeller, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, and the government fhall be on his fhoulders." The evangelist John tells us, that "the Word (meaning Chrift) was with God, and the Word was God."-"By him," it is faid, in the Hebrews, "God made the world;" and again, "let all the angels of God worship him. All power has been given him, both in heaven and earth, and God hath committed all judgment to the Son."-" The hour alfo cometh when they that are in their graves fhall hear the voice of the Son of Man, and fhall come forth, they that have done good to the refurrection of life, and they that have done evil to the refurrection of damnation."

Such are a few of the expreffions used in fcripture concerning Chrift. Let us learn from thefe to adore his Divine Majefty, and truft his power, as well as to fear his wrath, and to account him able to fulfil all the purposes of his coming.

But let us next defcribe what these purposes were: it may be faid in general, that "it was

for us men, and for our falvation, that he came down from heaven;" or, as the fcripture expreffes it, "the Son of man came to feek and to fave that which was loft, and to give his life a ranfom for many.

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The world, as hath been already fhewn, was funk in fin, and not in fin only, but in condemnation alfo. Ever fince the fall of our first rent Adam, man had become a finful creature. "But as in Adam all had died, fo now in Christ were all (that is, all who would receive him) to be made alive." Chrift, then, was the fecond Adam: as Adam was the deftroyer, fo Chrift was the restorer of our race. The devil, who is called the Prince of Darkness, has, we are told in fcripture, become the god and the prince of this world. Chrift, therefore, came into the world as a conqueror comes to recover an empire that was loft, and to bring back the rebels to their obedience, and to happiness. He came to overthrow that kingdom of darkness which, through the power of the devil and the corruption of man, had been fet up. "For this purpose the Son of God was manifefted, that he might deftroy the works of the devil." He came "to redeem us from all iniquity, and to purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

But how does Chrift fulfil his purpose of delivering us? Firft, I would obferve, that he lived a moft holy life, hereby fetting before us an example that we fhould tread in his fteps.

He went about doing good; never was any one fo kind and gracious to all, who came to him, as Jefus Chrift. I would here obfere also, that he preached the gospel to mankind; he told us what we must believe and do, in order to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Through him. alfo, the holy spirit of God is granted to us. And, to crown all, he died for us. He was nailed to the cross, and fuffered a cruel death for our fakes, bearing the wrath of God in our stead. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and fent his fon to be the propitiation for our fins." Chrift is that lamb of God" which has been offered up as a facrifice," and "which taketh away the fins of the world." Now then, let us rejoice, and fay triumphantly with the prophet of old, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a child is given.""Behold, (faid the angels) I bring you glad tidings of great joy; for unto you is born, this day, a Saviour, which is Chrift the Lord."Glory be to God in the higheft, on earth peace, good will towards men."

Oh! how many thoufands have had reafon to blefs the feafon which we are now commemorating-the feafon of the birth of Jefus Chrift! The world, it is true, is ftill wicked, for there are many who do not believe in this Saviour; and there are not a few who think they believe in him, and who do not. Nevertheless, even the world in general has been the better for his coming, for the thick darkness is paft, and the