credit        ,transcribed from the     
#ahaj ,mathews and ,leigh edition by    
,david ,price1 email  ccx#jgdpglaf4org  
,,sermons                               
,,by ,,the ,,late                       
,,rev4 ,,richard ,,de ,,courcy i        
99 99 99 99 99                          
,with an ,essay on                      
,,pure ,,and ,,undefiled ,,religion     
and a ,preface by ,rev4 ,brian ,hill    
99 99 99 99 99                          
,,second ,,edition4                     
99 99 99 99 99                          
,london3                                
,mathews and ,leigh                     
#ahaj                                   
99 99 99 99 99          ,,preface  ,,by 
,,the ,,present ,,editor4      ,,the    
following ,essay and ,sermons were      
published1 by subscription1 soon  after 
the ,author's death1 and were honored   
with as respectable a list of           
subscribers1 as any work now extant4    
,mr4 ,,de ,,courcy was so worthy a man1 
so distinguished a ,christian1 and so   

excellent a preacher1 that we need  not 
wonder1 that all who had the happiness  
of his acquaintance1 or  enjoyed the    
benefit of his public ministry1 wished  
to have1 in their  possession1 some     
memorial of so valuable a friend4  ,mr4 
,de ,c4's views of  the gospel were     
truly evangelical1 the ,parishioners of 
,saint ,alkmond  enjoyed the unspeakable
 advantage of a faithful ministration of
 the word  of life2 for1 what he himself
 tasted and felt1 and handled1 of the   
good  word of ,god1 the preacher1 with  
much zeal1 affection and earnestness1   
recommended to others3 the devotions of 
the desk and the instructions of  the   
pulpit were not at variance2 but1 the   
one explained1 elucidated and  enforced 
the other1 wherever this great man      
officiated4  ,the attention of  hearers1
 of all descriptions1 was sure to be    
arrested1 by the importance  of the     
doctrines on which he insisted1 the     
clearness with which he  defended them1 
and the fervor with which they were     

enforced3 his labors  were abundantly   
blessed2 and multitudes1 we hope1 will  
appear as his  crown of rejoicing1      
another day4    ,when the present       
proprietors 7who are also the           
publishers7 of the work1  first         
contemplated its republication1 it was  
both their wish and  intention to       
gratify the religious public with a     
memoir of the ,author1  and arrangements
 were made for that purpose2 but a      
friend of the deceased  expressed a     
wish1 that it might not be carried into 
execution3 it is  therefore withheld4   
,happy would it be for the ,christian   
,church1 if all who officiate at her    
altars could give as full proof of their
 ministry4  ,mr4 ,de4 ,c4 has not  only 
ably vindicated the peculiar doctrines  
of the gospel1 but he has  shown1 in a  
very masterly manner1 that those who    
claim to themselves the  title of       
gospel-ministers1 are the only persons  
who preach according to  the #ci        
,articles1 and that1 instead of being   

the enemies of the  ,establishment1 are 
its only consistent friends and its most
 able  defenders4  ,having1 cordially   
and without mental reservation1         
equivocation or disguise1 signed the    
,articles1 and declared his assent  and 
consent to all and every thing they     
contain1 and being convinced1  after the
 most serious investigation and earnest 
prayer1 that the  doctrines of the      
,church of ,england are the doctrines of
 the gospel1 he  would have accused     
himself of hypocrisy and wickedness1 had
 he not  founded all his services upon  
those important truths1 which are found 
both in the ,bible and the ,prayer-book4
  ,and1 it is asked1 ,what churches  are
 so well attended1 as those in which the
 pure word of ,god is preached8  ,what  
clergymen are so truly exemplary in     
their conduct1 as those who are  termed 
evangelical ministers8 and1 ,what       
congregations are so ready to  every    
good word and work1 as those who attend 
such preachers8  ,immoral1              

antichristian shepherds scatter the     
flock2 the pious pastor1 by his truly   
evangelical labors1 keeps them in the   
fold4  ,when persons leave the          
,established ,church1 it is1 in a great 
majority of instances1 because they     
cannot receive there the true bread of  
life1 and their souls hunger  and thirst
 after that1 which they cannot find1    
where they would  otherwise willingly   
attend4  ,let the established clergy    
preach the  gospel1 and they will have  
no cause to complain of increasing      
,sectaries4  vi  ,of the first edition1 
very few copies 7more than were         
subscribed  for7 being printed1 the     
present publishers presume that they are
  performing an office very acceptable1 
to the religious public1 in  presenting 
them with a new edition of a volume of  
sermons possessing  every recommendation
 which such a work can have4  ,here will
 be found  the purest doctrines         
expressed in the most eloquent and      
glowing language1  and enforced with all

 the ardor of the ,christian ,minister4 
,feeling their  immense importance1 and 
being fully convinced that the gospel is
 the  power of ,god unto salvation to   
every one who believes it1 ,mr4 ,de ,c4 
has  not shunned to declare the whole   
counsel of ,god2 he has preached the    
doctrines of the gospel practically1 and
 enforced its duties  evangelically2 he 
has rescued the scripture-doctrines from
 the false  imputation1 that the grace  
of ,god leads to licentiousness2 he has 
described ,christian faith1 not only in 
its nature1 but in its effects2 he  has 
shown1 how the grace of ,god operates on
 the heart1 and is productive  of the   
peaceable fruits of holy obedience4  ,if
 modern infidels possessed  sufficient  
candor1 to read the ,essay on ,pure and 
,undefiled ,religion1  they must be     
convinced1 that the love of ,god and    
,jesus ,christ is the only  source of   
purity of morals1 that every species of 
morality which has not  this foundation1
 is superficial in its nature and       

uncertain in its  operation2 while he   
has also shown1 that the heart which is 
enlightened  by the ,spirit of ,god1 and
 purified by the ,spirit of ,christ1    
will be the  seat of every holy and     
heavenly temper4    ,the present        
,editor1 who is totally unconnected with
 the family of the  deceased1 is far    
from thinking that ,mr4 ,de ,c4's works 
need any  recommendation from him4      
,they speak for themselves2 they need   
only to  be known in order to be        
admired2 for they will always be read   
with both  pleasure and profit1 so long 
as evangelical piety1 fervent devotion  
and  genuine godliness1 have any charms 
in the estimation of the servants of    
,christ4    ,london1 ,may1 #ahaj4       
,,preface ,,to ,,the ,,first ,,edition4 
,,the following discourses1 which were  
found among the manuscripts of the      
,author after his decease1 will1 no     
doubt1 be extremely acceptable to       
those1 who have been accustomed to hear 
the word of truth from his lips1  and   

who1 engaged by his eloquence1 and won  
by his entreaties1 have1  through the   
influence of divine grace1 which he     
never failed to inculcate  as the source
 of all holy desires1 dedicated         
themselves to ,god through  ,jesus      
,christ1 and become wise unto salvation4
    ,as the copies were written         
delicately fair1 and with wonderful     
accuracy1  no pains were requisite to   
decipher1 no labor was wanted to correct
 them2  so that the reader has1 in this 
volume1 the genuine works of him1 whose 
name it bears2 ix and1 whatever he may  
think of the doctrines which it         
contains1 ,i am much mistaken1 if he    
will not be struck with admiration at   
the fertility of imagination1 the force 
of argument1 and the uncommon  elegance 
of language1 which are herein displayed4
  ,but1 let him take  heed1 that his    
attention be not too much engaged by the
 gay flowers of  oratory2 let him       
compare what he here finds written with 
the scriptures  of truth1 and let him   

not be in haste1 either to censure or   
approve1 till  a competent share of     
divine knowledge1 and a thorough        
acquaintance with  the work itself1     
enable him to decide1 with some         
appearance of justice1  on its merits4  
,i feel the more inclined to recommend  
this advice1 from the impression1  which
 a cursory view of the following        
discourses made upon my mind2  for1     
wishing to pay all possible respect to  
the memory of my deceased  friend1 no   
sooner was the idea of a publication    
suggested1 than ,i  volunteered my      
services to carry it through all its    
stages1 not thinking1  at the moment1 of
 any difficulties1 which might occur in 
the  accomplishment of the design4  ,not
 many hours1 ,i believe1 elapsed1 before
  ,i began to consider1 that some degree
 of responsibility attached to me as  an
 ,editor1 and that ,i was bound not to  
make known to the world any  sentiments1
 of which ,i did not thoroughly approve2
 at least1 not without  offering an     

antidote for the evil1 which they might 
occasion4  ,under this  persuasion1     
though extremely reluctant to obtrude   
myself on the public  notice1 or to     
provoke controversy from the ,author's  
admirers1 ,i sat down  with the         
determination not to let a sentence pass
 unregarded1 which ,i did  not conceive 
to be strictly conformable to the word  
of ,god4  ,accordingly1  when ,i had    
perused a few discourses ,i wrote my    
animadversions freely2  but when ,i had 
read and considered all with more minute
 attention1 ,i  found that several of my
 objections were levelled against words 
and  phrases1 and that1 though ,i choose
 to express myself upon some points     
differently from the ,author1 we were   
perfectly agreed in the principal       
doctrines of the ,christian             
dispensation4  ,this being the case1 ,i 
have  thought it sufficient to refer the
 reader to his ,bible1 the standard of  
truth and orthodoxy2 and though1 among  
the variety of opinions which  distract 

the ,christian world1 he may conceive it
 to be almost impossible  to find the   
road to glory1 yet ,i will venture to   
assure him1 the word of  ,christ        
authorizing me to do so1 if his eye be  
single his whole body  shall be full of 
light2 ,mat4 vi4 #bb2 i4e4 he shall be  
able clearly to  discern the way of     
salvation2 for the ,sun of              
,righteousness shall dispel  the mists  
of error1 and gradually diffusing his   
beams over the soul1  shall shine more  
and more1 even to the full splendor of  
the perfect day4    ,as ,i firmly       
believe1 that the following discourses1 
read with candor and  attention1 are    
likely to be productive of much good1 ,i
 shall here take  the liberty of        
obviating the objections1 which may be  
made to one point  of doctrine1 which   
forms a prominent feature in the whole4 
,i allude to  the justification of a    
sinner by the imputed righteousness of  
,jesus  ,christ4  ,this doctrine1 as it 
is expressed in one or two passages1    

might  induce a hasty reader to throw   
aside the book1 and condemn it severely 
as leading to licentiousness4  ,but1 ,i 
can assure him1 that the late ,vicar  of
 ,saint ,alkmond admitted no such       
consequences2 and ,i only request him to
  read attentively all the discourses in
 this volume1 and he will be  convinced 
that what has been written upon that    
subject is neither  designed to set     
aside the necessity of self-examination1
 nor of personal  holiness4  ,as a proof
 of the former1 ,i beg leave to refer   
him more  particularly to ,sermon ,,vi4 
p4 #bdj2 and of the latter1 to the whole
 of  ,sermon ,,ii4 upon the dedication  
of the heart to ,god2 in which1 as well 
as  in several others1 he will find the 
most forcible exhortations to  maintain 
purity of heart1 and to abound in the   
practice of every good  work2 insomuch1 
that if he should take occasion1 from   
any thing here  written1 to sin1 that   
grace may abound1 let him recollect1    
that he will  meet the ,author before   

the judgment-seat of ,christ1 where he  
must render  an account for his         
perversion and want of candor1 as well  
as for all his  other crimes4    ,but   
not only upon this1 but also upon other 
subjects handled in these  discourses1  
there have been1 and still are1 great   
diversities of  sentiment among divines1
 not merely among such as are skilful in
  controversy1 and void of the spirit of
 heavenly love1 but among others1  who  
are warmly attached to the cause of     
,christ1 who labor much in the  word and
 doctrine1 and whose piety1 humility1   
and other graces1 evidently  prove that 
they are born from above1 and live under
 the continued  influence of the spirit 
of holiness4  ,these1 conceiving the    
several  systems1 which they have       
embraced1 to be most conducive to the   
glory of  ,god1 set them forth with all 
the eloquence and argument of which they
 are  capable2 and sometimes1 it must be
 confessed1 in their zeal to defend the 
truth1 forget the candor1 which is due  

to persons1 who are equally  zealous    
with themselves1 and who may1 perhaps1  
have a larger share of  that divine     
love1 which forms the best ,christian1  
though he may be far  from making the   
most able disputant4  ,that which       
constitutes the essence  of             
,christianity appears to me to be       
comprised within a very small  compass4 
,the law is our school-master1 to bring 
us unto ,christ1 that  we may be        
justified by faith2 ,gal4 iii4 #bd2 and 
faith1 working by love1  through the    
operation of the ,holy ,ghost1 gives us 
a disposition to  cleanse ourselves from
 all filthiness of flesh and spirit1 and
 to perfect  holiness in the fear of the
 ,lord4  ,this1 ,i repeat it1 appears to
 me to be  the essence of ,christianity2
 but1 as the talents and capacities of  
men  are various1 as there is a         
constitutional peculiarity in every     
individual1 and as education1 custom1   
and connexions1 conspire to  constitute 
the character1 it must be expected that 

truth will be  exhibited in divers      
manners1 not always in its native beauty
 and  simplicity1 but clothed with the  
gaudy decorations of human wisdom and   
philosophy1 about which1 and not about  
the truth itself1 contentions may       
arise1 to the great grief and concern of
 every sincere and pacific  disciple of 
the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4    ,it has    
been thought proper to introduce the    
following ,discourses with an  ,essay1  
found also among the ,author's papers1  
entitled1 ,pure and  ,undefiled         
,religion1 delineated in its ,nature1   
,influence1 ,fruits1  ,evidences1 and   
,consummation4  ,though no text be      
prefixed to it1 yet  it seems to have   
been originally designed for the pulpit1
 and to have  been written when the     
subject of negro emancipation first     
engaged the  attention of ,parliament4  
,it is unnecessary in this place to     
point out  its excellencies2 suffice it 
to say1 that every friend of ,pure and  
,undefiled ,religion will rejoice that  

so valuable a treatise was not          
disregarded1 and consigned1 with various
 unfinished ,essays1 to oblivion4       
,,the ,,editor4          ,,pure  ,,and  
,,undefiled ,,religion1  ,,delineated   
,,in ,,its  ,,nature1 ,,influence1      
,,fruits1  ,,evidences1 ,,and           
,,consummation4          ,,religion6    
thou the soul of happiness2      ,and   
groaning ,calvary of thee6  ,there shine
      ,the noblest truths2 there        
strongest motives sting2      ,there    
sacred violence assaults the soul2      
,there nothing but compulsion is        
forborne4                               
,,night ,,thoughts4    ,its advocates   
have not been in general either many1 or
 mighty1 or noble1  or wise1 according  
to this world2 but1 on the contrary1    
riches1  strength1 philosophy1 and      
opulence1 have distinguished its        
enemies4  ,hypocrisy hath assumed its   
mask1 to give religion its deepest      
reproach1  to wound it in the house of  
its friends1 and to arm its adversaries 

with  plausible objections4  ,and yet1  
amidst all the attempts of men of       
different complexions1 to destroy or    
deny its existence1 to abuse or         
blaspheme its doctrines1 to pervert its 
nature1 to divest it of its  essence1 or
 to obscure its lustre2 still1 religion 
is a glorious reality1  and1 like its   
divine ,author1 from whom it derives its
 origin and  influence1 is the same     
yesterday1 to-day1 and for ever4  ,an   
attempt1 at  least1 to illustrate1 if   
not to prove this position1 is the      
design of the  following pages4  ,the   
arrangement ,i propose1 is1 to consider 
religion in  its origin1 its foundation1
 its nature1 its influence1 its  fruits1
 and evidences2 and recommend it1       
principally from a  consideration of its
 importance1 its consolations1 its      
loveliness1  its end1 and prospects4    
#a4  ,as to the origin of religion1 it  
requires little argument to prove  it   
divine4  ,as the very word itself       
implies something that binds the  heart 

under the strongest ties of love1       
homage1 and obedience to the  ,supreme  
,being2 what can produce this           
disposition1 and give force to those    
obligations1 but that system of infinite
 grace which ,god himself revealed  unto
 man immediately after the fall8 which1 
in subsequent and brighter  discoveries1
 formed the basis1 and invigorated the  
principles of that  religion1 which     
distinguished the character of ,old     
,testament saints1 and  afterwards      
attained its meridian lustre under the  
clear economy of the  gospel1 and in the
 lives of that noble army of martyrs2   
the history of  whose sanctity1         
sufferings1 and conquests1 even unto    
death1 is1 in fact1  the history of true
 religion exemplified in its influence1 
its origin1  and its triumphs4    ,it is
 an established maxim of revelation1    
that all things are of ,god4  ,no one   
doubts1 but the credulous atheist1      
whether the universe be the  result of  
his power4  ,but the ,creator of the    

universe and the great  ,author of our  
religion1 is one and the same agent4    
,john1 i4 #a4  ,the  former was created 
and arranged by ,omnipotence1 and the   
latter no less  required the exertions  
of that attribute of ,deity4  ,the      
heavens declare  his glory1 as ,creator4
  ,in religion1 considered as a plan of 
redeeming  mercy1 shines the glory of   
his grace4  ,the firmament1 with all the
 orbs  that move there1 according to the
 rules of the most systematic           
contrivance1 and regular though         
amazingly swift rotation1 deciphers his 
wisdom4  ,but it is in the plan of      
redemption that the manifold wisdom  of 
,god is more illustriously and          
advantageously displayed4  ,religion1   
considered as a system1 applying itself 
to the state of man1 not as in          
innocence1 but under the ruin of the    
fall1 is entirely of ,god4  ,man had  no
 hand in forming it1 nature no power in 
executing it4  ,it equally  surpassed1  
in every point of view1 the expectations

 and the desert1 the  wisdom and power1 
of man4  ,considered in its renovating  
and practical  tendency1 as a system of 
morals1 its origin is equally of ,god4  
,this  appears from the various         
representations of the purity of its    
precepts1  as well as from the          
expressive epithets given to it in the  
sacred  scriptures4  ,it is called the  
wisdom that is from above1--the kingdom 
of heaven1--the new creation1--the being
 born from above1--the new man1  which1 
after ,god1 is created in righteousness1
 c4--the fruits of the  spirit1 c4  ,if 
union to ,christ be the root of true    
religion1 and good  works its fruit1    
both are from ,god4  ,,of ,,him are ye  
in ,christ ,jesus4  #a  ,cor4 i4 #cj4   
,we are ,,his workmanship created in    
,christ ,jesus unto good  works4        
,ephes4 ii4 #aj4  ,from whence we may   
deduce this scripture axiom2  that      
religion1 doctrinally or practically    
considered1 is1 as to its  original1 the
 offspring of heaven1 and the sole      

glorious work of ,him1  by whom1 through
 whom1 and to whom1 are ,,all ,,things4 
#b4  ,the foundation of religion4  ,this
 foundation the scriptures have         
expressly laid in the life and death of 
him who was the ,mediator of the  new   
covenant1 having been made1 as a surety1
 responsible for the  performance of its
 grand and awful stipulations4  ,behold1
 says ,jehovah1  ,i lay in ,zion for a  
foundation1 a stone1 a tried stone1 a   
precious  corner stone1 a sure          
foundation4  ,isa4 xxviii4 #af4  #a     
,pet4 ii4 #f4  ,other foundation can no 
man lay1 says ,st4 ,paul1 than that is  
laid1  which is ,jesus ,christ4  #a     
,cor4 iii4 #aa4  ,this foundation1 when 
it is  laid in the heart by ,,faith1    
which produces a dependence on the      
salvation  of the ,son of ,god1 becomes 
the only basis of the sinner's hopes1   
and  forms within him a living and      
permanent principle of real godliness4  
,convinced of the evil of sin1 and      
justly apprehensive of suffering its    

awful penalty1 as a transgressor of the 
law1 he looks for relief from his       
fears1 and pardon for his offences1 to  
the ,lamb of ,god1 who taketh away  the 
sin of the world4  ,whatever is not     
built on this foundation may  satisfy   
the conscience and comport with the     
religion of that man1 who  never saw his
 guilt in the mirror of ,god's law2 but 
every hope not  founded on the          
,redeemer's righteousness will prove    
infinitely  presumptuous and dangerous1 
and nothing give peace to the           
conscience1 but  what secures the honour
 of the broken law1 and provides an     
adequate  satisfaction for the          
inflexible justice of ,heaven2 and      
nothing can do  either1 but the atoning 
blood of ,jesus ,christ applied by faith
 in that  gospel testimony1 which       
declares1 that he who shed it1 thought  
it no  robbery to be equal with ,god1   
and presented himself on the cross a    
sin-atoning victim to ,almighty ,god4   
,however1 therefore1 we may admit the   

dictates of candour respecting some     
points of doubtful disputation1 and     
embrace in ,christian love the differing
 parties respectively2 we can  never    
give up the doctrine of the atonement1  
without yielding up to our  adversaries1
 at the same time1 the very essence of  
truth1 the glory of  the gospel1 and the
 only foundation of our hopes and       
prospects for ever4  ,nay1 we may boldly
 affirm1 that the scheme of religion    
that is not formed  upon this plan1     
wants every thing essential to the glory
 of the divine  perfections1 and every  
thing that can consistently secure the  
peace and  salvation of man1 as a       
sinner4  ,all the opponents of this     
truth1 who  choose to discriminate      
themselves by names flattering to their 
pride1 or  declarative of their         
attachment to some stale and            
long-exploded heresy1  are in the same  
predicament with ,jews and ,greeks2 the 
basis of whose  religion was pride and  
self-righteousness4  ,what men call     

natural  religion1 rational religion1 or
 ,new ,jerusalem doctrine--those pompous
  schemes of human contrivance1         
emblazoned with glittering epithets to  
catch the unwary1 and only suited to the
 wild fancy of visionaries and          
deists--,i say1 what men thus call      
religion1 if not founded on the         
propitiation and righteousness of the   
,son of ,god1 is the religion of        
,satan1 and must lead to his kingdom4   
,for1 how that system1 which leaves  out
 the infinite virtue of the death of    
,jesus1 as an expiation for sin1  can   
ever bring a man to heaven1 ,i cannot   
conceive1 when ,i find it  written1     
there remaineth no more sacrifice for   
sin1 when that is denied  or degraded1  
but a certain fearful looking-for of    
judgment4  ,heb4 x4  #bf1 #bg4  ,so     
that1 as true religion is in its origin 
of ,god1 who planned  its system1 and   
plants its celestial seed in the heart2 
so1 in its  foundation1 it is equally   
divine1 being built on the knowledge of 

,christ  crucified1 and through faith in
 his blood4  ,rom4 iii4 #be4    #c4     
,the nature and influence of religion   
demand our next  consideration4  ,to    
judge accurately both of the one and the
 other1 it  will be necessary to        
abstract whatever is circumstantial1    
external1  nominal1 or adventitious1 and
 to confine our ideas to that which is  
essential and intrinsic4  ,and in this  
disquisition1 we only act by the  same  
rule1 which we observe when forming a   
judgment of the real worth of  an       
individual4  ,we leave out the accidents
 of birth1 office1 titles1  fortune1 and
 form our idea of the man from his mind1
 from the state of  his heart1 from his 
virtuous excellence4  ,any other mode of
 forming an  estimate of characters in a
 moral point of view1 only tends to     
confound  our ideas1 and leads to a     
servile admiration of what is neither   
great nor  excellent in itself3 which   
lays the foundation of all the false    
homage  men often pay to profligacy and 

meanness1 because they happen to be     
titled and rich4  ,apply this to        
religion4  ,we cannot form a true       
estimate  of its nature from the pomp   
and dignities with which the profession 
of it  is invested in some of its       
ostensible patrons2 nor from any        
external  forms1 however excellent in   
themselves1 if men rest in them1 and go 
no  farther4  ,forms no more constitute 
religion1 than the external trappings   
of rank and retinue constitute the man4 
,on the contrary1 ,st4 ,paul  classes   
with the very worst of characters1      
those1 who have only the form  of       
godliness1 but deny its power4  #b ,tim4
 iii4 #e4  ,so does the prophet         
,isaiah1 when describing those who drew 
nigh to ,god and honoured him with      
their lips1 while their hearts were     
,,far ,,from him1 ,isa4 xxix4 #ac2      
though in the language of pomp and      
delusion they vainly boasted1 ,the      
temple of the ,lord1 the temple of the  
,lord are these4  ,true religion is  the

 religion of the heart4  ,for ,god is a 
spirit2 and they who worship  him1 must 
worship him in spirit and in truth4     
,solomon describes its nature1 when he  
demands1 in the name of ,jehovah1  ,my  
son1 give me thy heart4  ,prov4 xxiii4  
#bf4  ,so does ,st4 ,paul1 who  says1   
,the kingdom of ,god is not meat and    
drink1 does not consist in  outward     
things1 but is righteousness1 peace1 and
 joy in the ,holy ,ghost4  ,rom4 xiv4   
#ag4  ,and again1 when endeavouring to  
undeceive the ,jews1 who  were blind on 
this very point1 he says1 ,he is not a  
,jew who is one  outwardly1 neither is  
that circumcision which is outward in   
the flesh3  but he is a ,jew who is one 
inwardly1 and circumcision is that of   
the  heart1 in the spirit1 not in the   
letter1 whose praise is not of men but  
of ,god4  ,rom4 ii4 #bh1 #bi4  ,forms   
may be excellent2 the means of grace    
are necessary1 and of divine            
institution4  ,they are however but     
means1  and operate1 through the        

blessing of ,god1 as the transparent    
medium does1  which admits the light of 
the sun into a place of worship4  ,but  
he who  rests in them1 and supposes a   
regular attendance upon them to be the  
whole of what is required in religious  
homage1 thinks and acts as  absurdly as 
a man1 who1 trusting to a transparent   
medium still to give  him light1 after  
the sun had quitted the horizon and     
ceased to illuminate  the hemisphere1   
should find himself involved in the     
darkness of night4  ,a  sad but true    
emblem of the situation of the sinner1  
whose heart is not  given up to ,god and
 changed by his grace2 who sits down    
contented with  the formalities of      
religion1 though in the region and      
shadow of death1  till death dissolves  
the delusion1 and consigns him to the   
blackness of  darkness for ever4        
,when we say that religion is the       
religion of the heart1 we mean to extend
  our description of its nature far     
beyond outward form1 or mere moral      

decency4  ,religion includes morality1  
but it comprehends much more4  ,a       
sinner may be outwardly moral1 and      
inwardly immoral1 as the pharisees      
were1 full of self-righteousness1 pride1
 love of the world1 and  hypocrisy4     
,the civilization produced by morality  
alone1 is like the  whiting of a        
sepulchre1 which is full of rottenness  
within4  ,our ,lord's  advice to such   
characters among the ,jews1 was1 cleanse
 first that  which is ,,within4  ,the   
essential characteristics of the        
religion of the  heart1 are faith1      
humility1 and love3 the first of these  
graces1  leading the renewed sinner to  
eye nothing for the justification of his
  person before ,god1 or the peace of   
his conscience1 but the complete work   
of ,jesus finished on the cross2 the    
second1 making him abhor himself and    
repent as in dust and ashes2 and the    
third1 prompting him to love1 with a    
supreme and ardent affection1 that      
gracious ,god1 who hath loved him in    

his ,son2 and to whom1 from that sacred 
and noble principle1 he wishes  heart   
and life to be solemnly and unreservedly
 consecrated4  ,but1 in the  religion of
 a mere moralist1 these three graces    
make no constituent part4  ,his faith is
 dead1 being made up of speculation1 and
 some general  notions1 without any     
regard to the sacrifice of ,jesus       
,christ4  ,his  humility1 if he pretend 
to any1 is feigned1 or consists in      
condescending  to let the ,redeemer have
 a share in the honour of his salvation4
  ,and  his love1 having no gospel root1
 is servile1 or imaginary1 or absolutely
  false1 not springing from a sense of  
the pure love of ,god to sinners in  his
 crucified ,son4  ,in short1 he has     
every thing of religion but its         
essence4  ,and1 wanting that1 nothing   
remains in his possession to boast  of1 
but the shadow1 and the form2 whereas1  
religion itself is a sacred  flame      
kindled at the cross of ,christ2 which1 
while contemplating the love  that bound

 him there1 has1 like the living        
creatures in ,st4 ,john's  vision1 ,rev4
 iv4 eyes within1 to view with sorrow   
the fallen and guilty  nature1 which    
requires his blood to cleanse it1 and   
his love to conquer4  ,a sight that     
softens the heart1 and diffuses         
throughout all its powers a  sense of   
the love of ,god1 the strongest         
incentive to gratitude and  obedience4  
,hence1 a celebrated ,christian poet of 
our own says1        ,talk they of      
morals8  ,o thou bleeding love6         
,thou ,maker of new morals to mankind6  
,the grand morality is love of thee6    
#d4  ,in describing the influence of    
religion1 we mean not to extend it  so  
far as to suppose it extirpates every   
vestige of the fall1 or destroys  all   
the relicks of human frailty4  ,it is   
not the religion of angels1 nor  of the 
spirits of just men made perfect1 but   
the religion of the soul  imprisoned in 
the body1 and embarrassed by that       
enclosure1 in the  exertion of its      

faculties1 that is the subject of our   
consideration4  ,it  is the religion of 
sinners1 saved by grace2 and1 as        
sinners1 to the very  last moment of    
life1 depending upon grace alone3 in    
whom1 amidst their  various conflicts1  
and numberless infirmities1 it          
nevertheless produces  the most         
surprising effects4  ,observe its       
influence on the heart of a  sinner4    
,it softens what was obdurate as the    
rock1 and fixes what was  inconstant as 
the wind2 arrests the fugitive in his   
flight from the ways  of ,god1 and      
brings the once profligate prodigal back
 to his father's  house with a heart    
pierced with sorrow for past            
transgressions1 and more  deeply still  
by a sense of the love that pardons     
them4  ,it makes the  stout-hearted     
tremble before the majesty and power of 
,jehovah1 and  constrains the abandoned 
to give up the most beloved lusts4  ,it 
produces  greater wonder still1 in      
obliging the pharisee to give up his    

self-righteousness1 and the formalist to
 trust no longer in his forms4  ,it can 
light up a sacred flame in the breasts  
that had been frozen with  formality1   
and dilate with sentiments of pure      
benevolence a heart long  contracted by 
self-complacency or worldly-mindedness4 
,it bursts the  bonds of the captive who
 had been tied and bound with the chain 
of his  sins2 and makes the             
self-conceited rationalist1 who is no   
less a captive  than the profligate1 to 
sit down1 ,mary-like1 at the feet of    
,jesus1 in the  character of a pupil1 a 
novitiate1 a fool4  ,it pours the balm  
of comfort  into the breast of the      
afflicted1 tempted mourner1 and makes   
the bones  that had been broken to      
rejoice4  ,psal4 li4  ,what was it that 
so  instantaneously stopped ,saul in his
 career of cruelty and persecution1  and
 changed a blasphemer into a preacher of
 the faith1 which once he  destroyed8   
,what was it that brought ,magdalen1 a  
prostitute1 to bathe the  feet of ,jesus

 with tears of penitence and joy1 and to
 wipe them with the  hairs of her head8 
,what was it that tore ,zaccheus from an
 occupation of  worldly-mindedness and  
extortion1 and disposed him to make     
restitution1  and to give half his goods
 to the poor8  ,what was it that made   
,paul and  ,silas sing praises to ,god1 
though smarting under the lashes they   
had  received1 and when confined to a   
loathsome prison8 that kept ,stephen    
composed1 and filled him with rapturous 
views of the glory of ,god1 even  when  
his murderers were taking his life2 and 
that enabled those pious  heroes of     
antiquity1 mentioned in the ,epistle to 
the ,hebrews1 to perform  so many       
wonders8  ,it was the sovereign         
influence of religion in the  first     
instance1 its softening and converting  
power in the second1 its  expanding     
efficacy in the third1 and its          
victorious operation in the  last4      
,mark the influence of religion on      
society4  ,it is the grand cement of    

pure and permanent friendship among     
individuals2 is the great  preservative 
against disorder and discord in         
families2 is the sacred bond  of union  
in the assemblies of the righteous2 the 
only safe guarantee of  the faith of    
nations2 the healer of divisions2 the   
sovereign peace-maker  between          
contending parties2 and the most        
powerful antidote against  strife1      
animosity1 and revenge1 and all the     
other vindictive and  turbulent         
passions1 that disquiet the breasts of  
individuals1 break the  bonds of        
domestic tranquillity1 or disturb the   
peace of nations4  ,from  whence come   
wars and fightings among you8 says ,st4 
,james3 ,from religion8  ,no1 from the  
want of it4  ,come they not hence8 even 
from your lusts that  war in your       
members4  ,were religion but universally
 known1 and the  empire of the ,prince  
of ,peace as extensive as the dominion  
of pride and  secular power1 of ambition
 and revenge1 we should then see all the

  belligerent powers of the earth beat  
their swords into plough-shares1  and   
their spears into pruning-hooks1 and    
wars of every kind cease for  ever4     
#e4  ,the evidences of religion4        
,religion1 when possessing its sacred   
empire in the heart1 is in scripture    
called by different names1 according  to
 the different faculties which it       
governs1 or the passions respectively   
which it controls4  ,in the             
understanding1 it is light2 in the      
affections1  love2 in the will1         
acquiescence and submission4  ,in the   
passions of the  renewed mind1 it is the
 fear of the ,lord1 which is the        
beginning of  wisdom2 the hope that     
maketh not ashamed2 the joy that is     
unspeakable and  full of glory2 the holy
 shame that covers the soul with        
overwhelming awe  in a view of the      
presence and condescension of ,god2 the 
peace that  passeth all understanding4  
,under crosses1 it is patience2 under   
affronts  and injuries1 meekness2 under 

persecution and losses for ,christ's    
sake1  fortitude and resignation2 in    
prosperity1 humbleness of mind2 in      
adversity1 spiritual support2 in death1 
triumph4  ,considered in a complex      
point of view1 either as implying the   
commencement of the divine power  that  
produces1 or the progressive influence  
of the grace that advances1  that       
assemblage of the fruits of the ,spirit1
 which form religion into a  sort of    
bright constellation2 it is1 the new    
birth1 sanctification1 the  divine life1
 the image of ,god restored1 the soul's 
union to ,christ1 and a  growing        
meetness for the everlasting inheritance
 of the saints in light4    ,religion1  
when it can produce tempers so sacred1  
and so benign1 must  necessarily display
 its nature in a course of external     
evidence before  the world4  ,being in  
its effects pure1 and preserving him who
 is the  subject of it undefiled from   
the corruptions that are in the world1  
it  must necessarily teach us to live   

righteously1 soberly1 and godly1  amidst
 every temptation to injustice1         
intemperance1 and impiety1 to which  we 
are every day exposed2 as well as       
provide for the laws by which every     
relation in social life ought to be     
governed1 from the prince and  subject1 
down to the very lowest ranks of        
subordinate characters4  ,but  let us   
attend to the particular evidence       
adduced by ,st4 ,james4  ,pure  religion
 and undefiled before ,god1 even the    
,father1 is this2 to visit the          
fatherless and widows in their          
affliction1 and to keep himself         
unspotted  from the world4  ,of all the 
situations1 which the calamities of life
  distinguish among the sons and        
daughters of affliction1 none could be  
more to the apostle's purpose1 than that
 of the orphan and the widow2 and  none 
more apposite1 as an evidence of true   
religion1 than to visit  such4  ,the    
state of the orphan is greatly to be    
pitied1 as being  destitute of the guide

 of his youth1 and deprived by a        
premature stroke  of him1 to whom nature
 directs him to look up as to his       
guardian and  support2 in a world too1  
in a passage through which1 youth stands
 so much  in need of all that a wise and
 tender father can do for his offspring4
  ,the widow is an object of still      
greater commiseration2 who1 besides the 
affliction of having been bereft of her 
dearest earthly friend1 is left  to     
struggle alone with the difficulties of 
a family and of the world1 to  educate  
with maternal solicitude the party that 
became an orphan by the  same calamity  
which made her a widow1 and to suffer an
 affliction1 which  is the more         
poignant1 as her sex1 age1 and the      
tender relation in which  she had been  
placed1 would contribute to make her    
feel more sensibly the  loss1 to which  
the orphan seldom adverts4  ,these are  
the parties1 whom  pure and undefiled   
religion enjoins us to visit2 not for   
the purpose of  mere form or curiosity1 

but for the purpose of administering    
actual  relief1 and mingling with the   
acts of beneficence the counsel and     
consolations1 which the religion of     
,jesus inspires4  ,but how few love to  
make such visits6 and how fewer still1  
to make them in this style6  ,had our   
apostle made it a mark of religion to   
frequent scenes of  dissipation1 to run 
the round of worldly pleasure1 to mix   
with each  convivial assembly1 and to   
visit only the house of laughter and    
levity1  what multitudes would put in   
their claim to religion and to the      
recompense annexed to it6  ,but let not 
the sons and daughters of  dissipation  
deceive themselves4  ,religion seeks    
different society1 loves  different     
pleasures1 visits the abodes of         
wretchedness and sorrow1 and  prefers   
the house of mourning1 where it can shew
 its sympathy1 impart its  benefits1 and
 learn lessons suited to the condition  
of suffering and  short lived humanity1 
above all the gilded scenes of earthly  

splendor4  ,and we may be bold to say1  
that if the pleasure-taker could1 from  
the  highest style of sensual           
indulgence1 prove1 that he tasted       
delight in any  degree equal to that1   
which he feels1 who makes the widow's   
heart to  dance for joy2 we would then  
leave him in peaceable possession of the
  amusements that engross his time4     
,but as he can never possibly prove it1 
we must mortify him in the midst of his 
gratifications1 by telling him1  that he
 who liveth in pleasure is dead while he
 liveth2 dead to the  life of religion  
and to the offices of real humanity2 and
 that there is  an awful day            
approaching1 in which the ,judge of     
heaven and earth shall  say to sinners  
of a certain description1 ,in as much as
 ye did it not to  one of the least of  
these1 ye did it not unto me4    ,but   
humanity and charity do not constitute  
the whole of religion4  ,something more 
is required2 and that is1 that a man    
keep himself  unspotted from the world4 

,the christian character1 or the        
conversation  of a true believer1 is1   
according to scripture metaphor1        
represented  under the emblem of a white
 garment2 the color denoting purity and 
glory4  ,they who walk consistently with
 their profession1 are described as not 
sullying the purity of it4  ,so our     
,lord says of some in the church of     
,sardis1 ,thou hast a few names even in 
,sardis1 which have not defiled  their  
garments1 and they shall walk with me in
 white1 for they are  worthy4  ,rev4    
iii4 #d4  ,perhaps the allusion in both 
places is made to  the custom of        
arraying1 as the word signifies1 all    
candidates for  offices1 as among the   
,romans1 in white robes4  ,christians   
are candidates  for glory4  ,they are   
adorned in the white garment of         
,christ's  righteousness for their      
justification before ,god2 ,rev4 iii4   
#e2 and they  wear the sacred robe of   
personal holiness1 as the justification 
of their  character before men4  ,the   

former is incapable of defilement1 and  
is that  fine linen1 clean and white1 in
 which the bride1 the ,lamb's wife1 is  
to  be adorned in the grand             
solemnization of her nuptials in the    
last day4  ,the latter1 when under the  
inspection of omniscience1 and compared 
with  the extensive purity of the law1  
requires to be washed and made white in 
the blood of the ,lamb4  ,rev4 viii4    
#ad4  ,it is this last robe1 the        
,christian's walk and character1 which  
it is incumbent upon him to keep        
unspotted from the world4  ,and as a    
white garment shews any accidental      
defilement on it sooner and more        
conspicuously1 than one of a different  
color2 this application of the emblem   
points out the greater necessity of     
watching against every inconsistency1   
that would disgrace his profession  and 
bring his character into suspicion4     
,the world watches for his  halting1 and
 will be ready upon every occasion to   
impute faults where  there are none1 and

 to aggravate and triumph in real ones4 
,if  defamation1 false charges1         
misrepresentations1 untruths1 could     
really  blot the ,christian's garment1  
it would be never white4  ,but the      
blackening of the wicked in this        
respect1 is all their own4  ,happy and  
blessed the ,christian1 who1 when the   
world says all manner of evil of  him1  
proves by his conduct1 that it is       
falsely for ,christ's sake4  ,but  it is
 not from hence that his principal      
danger arises4  ,the world is less  to  
be feared when it frowns1 than when it  
smiles2 and many a professor1  who has  
stood firm in the midst of opposition1  
has been hugged to death  by caresses4  
,in short1 he1 who is truly wise1 will  
consider the world as  a hostile        
country1 in which the enemy of his soul 
has spread ten thousand  snares for the 
purpose of alluring to destruction4     
,the whole armour of  ,god1 and all the 
power of grace1 will be requisite to    
guard and keep him  amidst such         

innumerable dangers as compass him      
about4  ,the power1 which  the world has
 of accommodating its baits and changing
 its temptations1  will demand the      
exertion of every grace of the christian
 soldier4  ,his  experience will        
instruct him when to resist1 and when to
 flee2 when to  exercise caution1 and   
when to summon up fortitude4  ,sometimes
 he will be  in danger of loving the    
world2 at other times1 of fearing it too
 much4  ,the course of this world being 
totally opposite to the word of ,god1   
and  its principles1 maxims1 and        
amusements1 tending to promote error1   
vanity1  and sin1 he will often         
recollect the words of ,solomon1 ,can a 
man take  fire in his bosom1 and his    
clothes not be burned8  ,can one go upon
 hot  coals1 and his feet not be burned8
  ,so he that goeth in to his           
neighbour's wife2 whosoever toucheth    
her1 shall not be innocent4  ,prov4  vi4
 #bg1 #bi4  ,and he will pray with      
,david1 ,keep back thy servant from     

presumptuous sins1 let them not have    
dominion over me1 then ,i shall be      
upright1 and ,i shall be innocent from  
the great transgression4  ,psal4  xix4  
#ac4  ,the words of ,st4 ,paul too1 warn
 and animate him4  ,come out  from among
 them1 and be ye separate1 and touch not
 the unclean thing1  and ,i will receive
 you1 and will be a ,father unto you1   
and ye shall be my  sons and daughters1 
saith the ,lord ,almighty4  #b ,cor4 vi4
 #ag1 #ah4    ,but it is not only from  
the spots of gross criminality1 or the  
commission  of flagrant offences1 that  
religion teaches us to keep ourselves   
pure and  undefiled4  ,even the smallest
 approaches to these1 or a temptation to
  any1 in the secret workings of inward 
depravity1 give the ,christian          
infinitely more pain1 than acts of      
injustice do the fraudulent2 a life of  
unremitted excess1 the licentious2 or   
adultery1 that epitome of all           
villanies1 the wretch1 who1 by          
committing it1 gives the most deadly    

stab  to his own reputation1 and the    
deepest wound to his neighbour's peace4 
,an idea in the imagination1 a thought1 
a word1 any sudden sally of  unguarded  
temper1 that cannot be justified or     
harboured1 without grieving  the ,holy  
,spirit1 and violating truth1 will give 
him pain1 and excite  resistance1 and   
produce humiliation4  ,the conscience of
 the believer  being cleansed from dead 
works to serve the living ,god1 is      
susceptible  of the slightest spot2     
while that1 which is totally defiled by 
long  accumulated guilt1 feels no uneasy
 sensation1 and sees not its own        
pollution4  ,being made the seat of     
sensibility as well as of purity1 the   
conscience1 though wounded with even a  
slight offence1 is like the tender      
organ of the eve1 when only a mote      
incommodes or lacerates its delicate    
texture4  ,it makes him weep1 and robs  
him of repose1 till that blood  which   
washes out the deepest or the slightest 
stain of sin1 and that  ,spirit who     

subdues its power1 renew their          
respective and sovereign  influence4    
,this guard against the access of inward
 defilement1 and this  gospel mode of   
cleansing it1 are the only safe         
preservatives from grosser  corruptions4
  ,therefore1 as the heart1 like tinder1
 is too susceptive of  the sparks of    
temptation1 he shuns the converse of    
those1 through whom he  might be drawn  
aside2 thinking his character too sacred
 to be habitually  mixed or trusted with
 the company of the gay and irreligious2
 and his  peace too precious1 to be lost
 by what1 in review1 must often give so 
much pain1 without the smallest real    
advantage4  ,even if there were no      
other argument to enforce the necessity 
of keeping ourselves unspotted  from the
 world1 this is sufficiently strong and 
alarming2 that that very  world1 by a   
sinful conformity to which1 men contract
 guilt and risk  salvation1 after having
 acted as tempter1 will1 like ,satan1 be
 the very  first to turn accuser1 and   

tormentor4    ,the consolations of      
religion4  ,when we recommend the       
consolations of  religion1 as an        
argument to engage men to enter upon the
 experience and  practice of it1 we     
cannot so far delude their hopes1 as to 
insinuate1  that it excludes every idea 
of trouble and conflict1 as well as     
every  sensation of sorrow and          
solicitude4  ,as compared to a warfare1 
a  pilgrimage1 a race1 religion must1 of
 course1 presuppose enemies1 who  cannot
 be overcome without fighting2 a        
journey1 that cannot be undertaken  and 
completed without difficulties2 and a   
prize1 which cannot be won by  indolence
 and inaction4    ,every science and art
 is attended with difficulties2 and     
nothing that is  useful and ornamental  
in the business of life can be acquired 
without  study1 and toil1 by which the  
value and pleasure of the acquisition   
are  proportionably increased4  ,can any
 persons1 then1 reasonably expect1 that 
in a world lying in the wicked one1 they

 should meet with no opposition8  in a  
body of sin and death1 they should feel 
no conflicts8 that their  peace should  
remain undisturbed by any annoyance from
 ,satan8 that no  thorns should perplex 
their path in a wilderness1 in which    
nothing  naturally grows but sorrow1    
sin1 and care8 and that their head      
should be  hereafter adorned with an    
immortal crown1 without sustaining one  
previous  cross1 or making one sacrifice
 in their way to it8  ,they cannot      
suppose  this4  ,the great ,author of   
religion says1 ,except a man deny       
himself1  take up his cross and follow  
me1 he cannot be my disciple4  ,strive  
to  enter in at the strait gate4  ,yet1 
to encourage the diffident1 and fix  the
 resolution of the hesitating and the   
timid1 an apostle assures us1  that ,god
 hath given everlasting consolation and 
good hope through grace  to all         
believers in ,christ4    ,the ,lord     
himself says1 ,as one whom his mother   
comforteth1 so will ,i  comfort you4    

,in the world you shall have            
tribulation2 but in me1 you  shall have 
peace4  ,the unhappiness of mankind     
arises in general from  five principal  
causes2 from guilt in the conscience1   
tyranny in the  passions1 want of real  
enjoyment in what they possess1 want of 
spiritual  resource under affliction1   
and an inordinate love of life1 which   
makes  death terrible1 and even the     
thought of it the most imbittering      
intruder  into the human breast4  ,but  
against all this mass of wretchedness1  
religion provides an antidote4  ,if we  
know and follow ,christ1 he will  bring 
the peace which he purchased on the     
cross1 into our conscience2 he  will    
sanctify and govern our passions1 and   
make our heart the seat of his  peaceful
 dominion2 the enjoyment of his favor1  
which is better than  life1 will give a 
sacred zest to ordinary comforts1 and   
fill up in our  soul1 a void1 which the 
whole world cannot satisfy2 he will keep
 us  resigned amidst the cares of life1 

and tranquil in the prospect of its     
awful close4  ,life shall have no real  
bitterness2 sin1 no dominion2 the       
smiling world1 no real charms2 and      
death1 no real sting1 when we can say1  
,my beloved is mine1 and ,i am his4     
,under crosses and adversity1 we  shall 
never want a spring of comfort in the   
salvation of ,jesus1 nor want  a friend1
 when interested in the love of ,him1   
who drank up the dregs of  inexpressible
 sorrow1 that we might partake of the   
richest ingredients in  the cup of      
gospel consolation4  ,however chequered 
our scene of life may  be in the        
dispensations of ,providence1 being made
 up of joys and sorrows1  hopes and     
fears1 crosses and comforts1 his grace  
will enable us to adopt  the language of
 primitive ,christianity1 and say1 ,we  
are troubled on  every side1 yet not    
distressed2 perplexed1 but not in       
despair2  persecuted1 but not forsaken2 
cast down1 but not destroyed2 as        
sorrowful1  yet always rejoicing2 as    

having nothing1 and yet possessing all  
things4  #b ,cor4 iv4 #h1 #i4  ,as      
tribulation aboundeth1 our consolations 
in ,christ  shall much more abound4     
,and as they flow from a source1 which  
is as  perennial as it is pure1 and are 
founded upon a basis as firm as the     
covenant and oath of ,jehovah1 can any  
language describe the happiness of  true
 religion1 when its real votaries can   
pronounce in faith and  experience1 the 
two following sentences of sacred writ8 
,our light  affliction1 which is but for
 a moment1 worketh for us a far more    
exceeding and eternal weight of glory4  
,we know that when the earthly  house of
 this tabernacle is dissolved1 we have a
 building of ,god1 a house  not made    
with hands1 eternal in the heavens4