with agony, HE is ftretched out upon the cross!

The nails are applied to his hands and his feet! Hark! The hammer refounds! - O Chriftians! let me call off your thoughts from a fcene that cannot be uttered, to behold its effects on the frame of Nature.-Lo! the fun veils his face, and is unable to look on ! the ftars at noon-day are feen trembling on the vault of heaven! a fudden earthquake cleaves the rock! and, as if the general audit was already come, the dead arife from their fepulchres, with prophetic horror glaring in their eyes! In the mean time JESUS, hanging betwixt heaven and earth, looks down with pity upon his murderers! He hears the dreadful cry, "His blood be upon us, and "upon our children!" and, looking up to his Father, cries out, "Father, forgive them 5. "for they know not what they do!"-" Now "(we are told) it was about the fixth hour " and there was darknefs over all the earth

until the ninth hour; and the fun was "darkened, and the veil of the temple was "rent in the midft.". The darkness that overfpread the earth appeared to correfpond with that horror which now fell upon the mind of our Redeemer. For a moment a cloud feemed to veil the complacent countenance of the Father! He caft his eye around to behold him, and exclaimed, "My God, "My God! why haft Thou forfaken me?"What do you think, my brethren, was hist agony at that inftant? For your fakes his body

U 2

body writhed, his blood ftreamed, and his lips almoft uttered the language of defpair!

But once more, Christians, turn your eyes to his face, now pale at the approach of death! He raiseth it again to Heaven; and knowing that all was now completed, and exclaiming with a loud voice, "It is finifbed," he bows his head, and gives up the ghoft.

III. SUCH is that fcene which many of you whofe hearts at this inftant may be pained by recollecting it, are foon going to commemorate. Do you feel from the preceding reprefentation, imperfect and feeble as it is, love, pity, and gratitude, alternately excited in your breafts? Are you more zealous now than when you entered this facred houfe, to "do this in remembrance of him?"— Let this truth then be impreffed upon your minds when you are employed in this folemn action, that the commemoration of the death of Chrift can be no further beneficial to you, than as it produceth in you a steady determination to imitate the virtues of his life. "Chrift (fays an apoftle) fuffered for us, "leaving us an example that we may follow "his fteps." As our Saviour's life confifted principally of a series of fufferings; fo in his example are difplayed all thofe virtues which are called out into exercise by adverfity. Patience, fortitude, humility, refignation, forgiveness, thofe excellencies, which, though the objects of our admiration at a di

ftance,

ftance, we are at least able to transfufe into our conduct, shine with distinguished luftre in the example of Chrift. To many of his fufferings you cannot be exposed; by fome of these your refolution would be wholly overthrown. In trials, therefore, of an inferior kind, fuited to your fituation, and proportioned to your ability, let his example animate you to make the most ftrenuous efforts; and while you profefs yourselves to be his difciples, call upon him, as the Hearer of prayer, to render these efforts effectual. While you meditate therefore on his laft fufferings; while you pour out your fouls to him in the fervency of prayer; may your hearts burn within you, like thofe of the difciples, when "he opened to them the fcriptures," and "when he was made known to them in the "breaking of bread!"-May your refolution to imitate him, who was "in all things made "like unto us," be fincere, permanent, and univerfal! May you be enabled to devote yourselves through life to his fervice and obedience; and by a steady adherence to his precepts, may you be prepared for participating with him of eternal felicity in the land of fe ftivity and rejoicing! Amen.

SERMON

XIII.

The Caufe, Symptoms, and Cure, of Indifference to Religion.

By ANDREW GRAY, D. D.

Preached before the Commiffioner to the General Affembly, May 31. 1767.

PSAL. lxxxv. 6..

Will thou not revive us again, that thy people may rejoice in thee?

This generally agreed, that this pfalm was

compofed after the return of the Jews from their captivity, or, at least, revised on that occafion; and delivered to the chief mufician, to be fung as a proper anthem of praife after fo fignal a deliverance. The hiftory of Ezra informs us of the violent op, pofition made by the neighbouring people to the rebuilding of the city and temple, where by the work was for fome time greatly obftructed. To this there feems to be a plain allufion in the 4th and 5th verses, where the pious author deprecates the difpleasure of the Almighty, to which he attributes the danger that threatened this people; and, in our text,

he

he earnestly prays, that God, together with the re-establishment of their civil and ecclefiaftic conftitution, would revive a spirit of true piety and virtue, both among rulers and people, that their joy and happiness might ftand fecure on its true foundation: Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy people may rejoice

in thee?

Thefe words, then, present a subject of the utmost importance to our ferious confideration: That the real happiness of any nation, enjoying the invaluable bleffings of peace and liberty, and profeffing the true religion, confifts in their being animated by its fpirit; without which the greatest national advantages are of little avail. This good man therefore, anxious for the happinefs of his country, prays, not only that the designs of its enemies might be defeated, and its religion and liberty fecured; but likewise that God would inspire his people with a spirit suited to their advantages; that he would banifh from among them a cold indifference to religion, which, in truth, and in the pious man's judgement, bore a more threatening afpect to the public happinefs, than all the malice and violence of their foes; and that he would revive that spirit of piety and righteousness, which alone can fupport and exalt a nation.

In difcourfing further upon this fubject, I fhall,

1. Point out fome of the principal causes

that