itself to the understanding and the heart of every man who knows how to value the Bible. During the last twenty years, we have seen the most splendid talents employed in the work of destruction; the riches of the world expended in support of sanguinary and desolating wars, and the physical powers of the human race exerted to promote the schemes of lawless ambition. But now there is univer sal peace. At HIS bidding, who rules the hearts of men and turns race, From the Appendix to the Twelfth Report of the British and F. B. S. Lately published by JOHN ELIOT, Boston---Pray for the Jews; a ser mon, preached at the Thursday lecture, in Boston, August 15, 1816. By THADDEUS MASON HARRIS, D. D. minister of the First Church in Dorchester, published for the benefit of the Female Society of Boston and the vicinity, for promoting Christianity among the Jews; from ISAIAH lxii. 6, 7. "Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence ; and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” OBITUARY. Died in Deerfield, July 27, John Williams, Esq. aged 65. He was a grandson of the first minister of the place; was educated at Harvard College, and, in a happy manner, united the Gentleman and the Christian. He has left a reversion of several thousand dollars in real estate for the benefit of the Deerfield Academy, for which he had ever discovered a parental concern. In Cambridge, England, the Rev. East Apthorp, D. D. aged 83. He was a native of Boston. In England, the celebrated Richard Sheridan. Also, the Rev. Dr. Watson, Bishop of Landoff, aged 80. In Northwood, New-Hampshire, August 11, Rev. Edmund Pillsbury, aged 78. In Albany, General H. K. Van Renssellaer, aged 72. In Sudbury, Rev. J. Bigelow, aged 73. In Boston, Mrs. Rebecca Lowell, widow of the late Judge Lowell, aged 69. A Virginia paper says, in Cumberland county, a whole family died, with the exception of one person, by eating a part of a cabbage, which was boiled whole. On opening the cabbage, a scorpion was found in the centre. THE phrase "evangelical preaching" is much used at the present day, but often in a very capricious or equivocal manner. One discourse is said to be very evangelical; another is called a pretty good practical sermon, but not evangelical; when the principal difference between them is, that certain sectarian phrases were adopted in the one which were omitted in the other. Some discourses are approved as evangelical on account of those phrases, while the leading sentiment is not to be found in the Bible; and others are pronounced not evangelical, while every sentiment is clearly scriptural. When the words are used with propriety, "evangelical preaching" is preaching which is conformable to the spirit of the gospel; or preaching that is consonant to the preaching of Jesus Christ, which we have recorded by the Evangelists. Preaching to be strictly evangelical, should harmonize with the preaching of our Saviour, in the doctrines inculcated, the duties enjoined, the motives Vol. IV. No. 11. 39 urged to enforce obedience, the object of the discourse, and the temper with which it is delivered. If a minister wishes to preach a doctrinal discourse of an evangelical character, it will behove him to inquire whether the doctrine which he thinks of illustrating was ever taught by Jesus Christ. Had this one point been strictly attended to, many discourses which have been termed evangelical, would never have been delivered nor written. In the next place, if a minister wishes to preach a practical discourse of an evangelical cast, he should regard our Saviour's example, and inculcate the temper which he required, and such duties as he enjoined. Supreme love to our heavenly Father, and impartial benevolence one towards another, were considered by our Lord as comprising whatever is required by the law and the prophets. And it ought never to be forgotten, that to love the Lord our God with all the heart, with all the soul, with all the understanding, and all the doctrines of the gospel relating to the character of God, his government of the world, his sending his son to be our Saviour; all the doctrines relating to the character of the Messiah, the object of his mission, his death, resurrection, and ascension, and all that relate to the character and condition of men in the present life, and what they must do to be saved, together with the doctrines of a future resurrection, a day of judgment, and final retribution; these all are reasons and motives for that love and obedience which the gospel requires. When, therefore, the doctrines of the gospel are correctly stated and illustrated, with a view to excite Christian affections, and to promote Christian unity and Christian practice, they are treated in an evangelical manner; such preaching is evangelical preaching. It may be proper more distinctly to remark, that evangelical preaching implies a benevolent object, and a humble, faithful, and beneficent temper. The gospel flows from the benignity of God; it was preached by his Son with the most humble and faithful, and benignant disposition, and in a manner calculated to awaken the attention and to conciliate the affections of all who were not under the dominion of pride or prejudice. He had no party object in view. He sought the good of all. He was faithful in reproving both his friends and his enemies. But even the severity of his reproofs was tempered with compassion. He felt for sinners as all ministers ought to feel. The great object of gospel preaching is to make men wise unto salvation, to persuade them to become the humble and obedient disciples of Jesus, and to walk in love one towards another, that they may serve their generation by the will of God, and become meet for the inheritance of saints in heaven. From this concise view of evangelical preaching will it not appear, that too much of the preaching, which has by some been called evangelical, is far from being entitled to that appellation? And that many discourses are censured as not evangelical, which are strictly conformable to the preaching of the Lord Jesus. How often have sermons been termed evangeli cal, when the very object of them was to excite and inflame the passions and prejudices of one sect of Christians against another; and when the spirit and manner of delivery have been perfectly indicative of such an unwarrantable object! On the contrary, how often has plain, practical, and important sermons been reproached as not evangelical, when the sentiments of the discourses have been in perfect harmony with our Saviour's preaching? Is it not a lamentable fact, that mere effusions of party spirit, with a few appropriate sectarian phrases, will by many be denominated evangelical preaching, while by the same persons the most serious, important, and well written discourses on Christian morality will be reproached as more becoming the character of Plato or Seneca than that of a Christian minister? To such a person we would seriously recommend one more careful perusal of our Saviour's sermon on the mount, and, after an impartial examination, let him ask himself this solemn question:-Had every sentiment in this sermon been contained in a discourse of a minister against whom I have strong prejudices, and nothing discordant with these sentiments found in it, should I have allowed the discourse to be evangelical? Imperfection is doubtless attached to all the preaching of the present day; and every preacher needs the candour of his brethren and his hearers. The defects of some are greater than the defects of others; but if more respect were paid by all preachers to the sentiments contained in our Saviour's discourses, and to the temper with which he delivered them, there would probably be less occasion and less disposition among ministers to censure one another. I am far from desiring that any class of ministers should discard scripture phraseology in their preaching, or that they should omit to urge Christian morality from Christian motives; but I wish all Christians to be made duly sensible, that there is at this day, in several particulars, a most striking difference between gospel phraseology and that which pass es with many for evangelical, OF PRAYING FOR ONE ANOTHER; AND OF THE SIN UNTO DEATH, AND NOT UNTO DEATH. [Continued from page 304.] II. Or the distinction here made between sins, there is a sin unto death; and there is a sin not unto death. For those known to be guilty of the former, we have no encouragement to pray. I do not say that he shall pray for it: but a promise is made that ་ prayers for other sinners shall not be in vain. He shall ask-be who sees another sin, a sin not unto death, and he [God] shall give him life, for them that sin not unto death. But what is the sin unto death? St. Paul says, The wages of sin is death.* Here no distinction is made: and doubtless, every sin deserves death, and would be the occasion of it, were strict justice executed upon it: but God is merciful to our unrighteous ness. Sinners may find mercy with him. If it was not so, who could be saved? There is none good but one; that is God. There is not a just man upon earth, who doth good and sinneth not.‡ All have sinned.& What then is the sin unto death? There is one sin which is certainly unto death-blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. This sin our Saviour hath declared shall not be forgiven, either in this world, or that to come.T Could we know that any person had committed this sin, we should have no encouragement to pray for him. But in this age of the world, it is perhaps impossible to know that any one hath committed it. The sin, which our Lord declared unpardonable, was imputing to infernal agency that which was evidently wrought by the spirit of God.As casting out devils, or demons, with a word, which was done by Christ. That Christ was holy; that he reproved sin, and called men to holiness, and set the example of it, his enemies could not deny. It must then be the last stage of depravity, which could attribute to infernal agency, miraculous power used only to do good, both to the souls and bodies of mankind. Such was the use our Saviour made of power. All his miracles were totally different from those pretended to be wrought by the sorcerer, or juggler, both in their nature and manner of operation; they were miracles of mercy, every way worthy their divine author, and evinced a power divine in the sent of God. To charge one who went about doing good, and only doing good, with being in league with the powers of darkness, who are full of malice and wickedness, what absurdity, as well as impiety! Such was this sin, which Christ declared should never be forgiven. We can conceive of no means which could operate on such sinners→→ people who could sin thus wilfully against the clearest light. But nobody is now circumstanced as those sinners were-hath such proof of Christ's truth as they had, they cannot therefore sin against such light, or abuse such advantages. We are not sure therefore, that that sin can now be committed. There is indeed that which somewhat resembles it; the part sometimes acted by those who have great awakenings, strong and deep convictions of sin, its sinfulness, and their own sinfulness and need of mercy to pardon, and grace to save them. Some who are thus made to * Rom. vi. 23. † Heb. viii. 12. Mat. xix. 17. § Rom. iii. 23. ¶ Mat, xii. 31. |