water down a declivity, was not more unconquerable and invariable than the determination of his feelings towards the main object. The importance of this object held his feelings in a state of excitement which was too rigid to be affected by lig er interests, and on which therefore the beauties of nature and of art had no power. He had no leisure feeling which he could spare to be diverted among the innumerable varieties of the extensive scene which he traversed; all his subordinate feelings lost their separate existence and operation, by falling into the grand one. There have not been wanting trivial minds to mark this as a fault in his character. But the mere men of taste ought to be silent respecting such a man; he is above their sphere of judgment. The invisible spirits, who fulfill their com mission of philanthropy among mortals, do not care about pictures, statues, and sumptuous buildings; and no more did he, when the time in which he must have inspected and admired them, would have been taken from the work to which he had consecrated his life. The curiosity which he might feel, was reduced to wait till the hour should arrive, when its gratification should be presented by conscience, which kept a scrupulous charge of all his time, as the most sacred duty of that hour. He acted under a full conviction that he had one thing to do, and he who would do some great thing in this short life, must apply himself to the work with such a concentration of his forces, as to idle spectators who live only to amuse themselves, looks like insanity."

Nor was it his object to become acquainted with her philoso phers, her poets or her orators. Although Paul admired genius and respected true greatness, and though Rome could then boast of a list of distinguished men, he had other objects in view. He went there not to gratify taste or curiosity, not to form acquaintances with the great and powerful, but to preach the gospel. This was his ambition, this his glory-For to me who am less than the least of all saints is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. For I determined not to know any thing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was confident the same almighty efficacy would accompany his preaching at Rome that

had been manifested at other places; therefore he says, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ; he felt assured that a divine unction would accompany the truth-that he should be instrumental of the conversion of sinners.

In his Epistle to the Ephesians, the apostle enumerates the blessings they had received through the preaching of the gospel. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The principal were, their election by grace, their holy vocation, predestination to the adoption of children, acceptance in Christ Jesus, and redemption through his blood; the revelation of the mystery of God's will, a title to the heavenly inheritance, the sanctifying and sealing influence of the Holy Spirit. To give any thing like a connected view of the nature of these blessings, as thus enumerated, would occupy several discourses. We remark in general, that his object was to impart the knowledge, grace, and consolations of the gospel.

Rome, though the metropolis of the world, the seat of science and the arts, the great emporium of the empire, the centre of power, was given up to idolatry; some faint rays of light began to pierce through the awful gloom; some adventurous martyr had found his way there, and lifted the pall from the world of moral death.

The apostle, filled with holy benevolence, longed to open a school of Christ in the midst of her overflowing population.

1. He desired to communicate the knowledge of the gospel. With all her wisdom, the imperial city knew not God. One design of his preaching would be to give them correct views of the character of God. For it is eternal life to know the true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he has sent. Whom ye ignorantly

worship, said the apostle to a heathen city; Him declare I unto you. He would aim to make them acquainted with God in all the relations he sustained as Creator, Preserver, and Benefactor; as possessed of natural and moral attributes, as worthy the love and service of all his intelligent offspring. He would explain to them the nature of God's moral government the wisdom of its laws; its adaptation to the character and circumstances of his creatures, as calculated to bring out their reigning disposition, to illustrate his paternal regard, at the same time to secure their obedience. He would expound the law, show its spiritual

ity and extent, assert its claims, and vindicate its sanctions. He would next give them a history of God's providence; then present a view of man, his primitive purity, his ruin and recovery; he would then direct their attention to the great mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh: this would lead him to dwell upon the person of the Meditator, his divine and human natures, his vicarious sufferings, the sufficiency of his atonement, and the extent and perpetuity of his reign. He would speak of the covenant of grace, its provisions and stability; of the terms of salvation; the marks and evidences of Christian character, the works and victory of faith, and the retributions of the next world. As sound doctrinal knowledge lies at the foundation of Christian hope and holy obedience, the first object of the apostle would be to diffuse light to publish the truth, to instruct them in the knowledge of God and divine things. This he would do in all plainness and fidelity.

2. He desired to impart not only the knowledge, but THE GRACE

OF THE GOSPEL.

He was always aware that the treasure of the gospel was committed to earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power might be of God. When therefore he spoke of any transforming influence exerted upon the heart, when he referred to renovation of mind or change of life, it was ascribed to God; when he alluded to any good done, he regarded himself as only an instrument. Still, he knew that the preaching of the gospel was the appointed means of spirtual blessings. He coveted success. He desired some seals of his ministry. As the word preached was the grand instrumentality of the conversion of sinners, he could be satisfied with nothing short of their turning to God. No state of outward prosperity in a church can satisfy a conscientious minister, if their spiritual interests decline. He knew that knowledge was important, but that grace was indispensable. He could not rest, therefore, in a mere discharge of duty; he desired to be instrumental in the conversion of men. He so aimed to present the truth, that his hearers would be convinced of sin, would feel their guilt in breaking the law of God, in withholding their hearts from him; when a spirit of inquiry was awakened, his solicitude for their spiritual welfare was proportionably increased he urged them without delay to repent and believe the

gospel; he exposed every false resting-place, stripped them of every excuse; attempted to reduce them to the necessity of fleeing to Christ; he shut them up to the faith; the penitent, whose hearts were humbled, he directed to the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. His object was to bring them into a state of acceptance with God; for while their hearts were unhumbled and their sins were unforgiven, they were every moment exposed to the divine displeasure; no duty, however seriously performed, would be acceptable, for they that are in the flesh cannot please God. To bring about a reconciliation with their offended Maker, he pointed them to Christ, the Days-man, the Mediator; assuring them that through this man is preached forgiveness of sins-that through Christ they could be justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses.

In visiting such a city as Rome, a place of such immense business, where so much talent would be found, he knew enough of the world to expect that all would be interested in secular concerns-some would be intent upon the accumulation of wealth, others would be equally engaged in the pursuit of pleasure— multitudes would be enlisted in the race of worldly honor: in order to do them good, he must arrest their attention, bring them to feel that they had other interests at stake; that he could show them a more excellent way to live; that the gospel he preached was from God, and had claims which it was reasonable to acknowledge and dangerous to deny. He could not expect them to receive his assertions without proof, nor forsake all and follow Christ, without evidence of their lost condition and his ability to save. He would therefore, as in the case of Felix, adapt his instructions to their character and circumstances; he would reason to carry the understanding; preach the law, to enlighten the conscience and produce a sense of sin; he would hold up the doctrines of the cross to remove a sense of guilt. He desired to come in the fullness of the blessing, converting them from the error of their ways. Outward attention, therefore, was not enough; regular observance of the Sabbath, though desirable, would not satisfy; he aimed at a radical, entire, and saving change-any thing short of this, he knew, would leave them without the kingdom of God. The whole history of the apostle's

labors will show how simple was his aim, how uniform his object; what he desired for his kindred, according to the flesh, he desired for all, that they might be saved. For this Christ came into the world, for this his gospel was preached; he could not therefore find time to indulge a taste for literature or the fine arts; the love of Christ constrained him, the personal ministry of Christ was his pattern; he went in search of the lost, and rejoiced when he could bring back a wanderer to the fold. The converted he gathered into the church. There is no evidence that he ever encouraged a sinner to hope in the mercy of God who lived in the neglect of duty hence there is no evidence in the Acts of the Apostles that any were accounted Christians who did not own Christ before men. And when it is recollected that a profession of religion was a step that attracted notice and generally exposed men to persecution; that for the most part laws were found in the statute-book authorizing the persecution of the saints, you will see that it required some energy of principle to be a Christian. The question of following Christ was not then agitated for weeks and months; it was decided promptly, in view of all the consequences.

Having gathered his converts into the visible church, he did not leave them to relapse into sin or sink into indolence. He urged upon them to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ; he represented the Christian life as a race to be run, the crown to be won was conferred only at the end—as a warfare which continued while we were in the flesh. He enjoined upon all the followers of Christ to forget the things that were behind, and press forward-to make progress in holiness. He assigned to each his appropriate duty, and gave no encouragement of divine approbation to such as shrunk from a just responsibility. His anxiety for men did not cease when they were gathered into the church. He watched over them with Christian faithfulness; he followed them with his prayers, aided them by his counsels, and gave them to understand that they would prosper in religion in proportion as they were active in duty and benevolent in their feelings. His daily prayer was, that they might know what was the hope of their calling, and what their peculiar dispensation.

3. He desired also to be instrumental in imparting to them the consolations of the gospel.