Divine Sovereignty in Human Salvation

DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY IN HUMAN SALVATION.
BY REV. A. R. BAKER.
BOSTON: NICHOLS AND NOYES. 1866.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866, by NICHOLS AND NOYES, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. CAMBRIDGE: STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY JOHN WILSON AND SONS. DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY IN HUMAN SALTATION.
Number 7. Published by direction of the Congregational Churches of Boston.
What is the sovereignty of God?
SOVEREIGNTY enters into the very idea of government, which, within its own sphere, has one, and can have but one, highest power, one supreme authority. This may exist in an individual, or in a plurality of persons. In. every well-regulated household, it is in the head of the family, whose laws are exempt from foreign control, subordinate only to those of the State and of God, and demand prompt and implicit obedience. In schools and seminaries of learning, it resides in the Principal, who is responsible to the supervisors of education, and to those for whom they act. In the Commonwealth, it is vested in the
Governor, who approves and authenticates, or defeats, the bills of the Legislature; who signs and executes, commutes or remits, the sentences of the Judges; who affixes the seal of the State to the commission of its subordinate officers, and gives them authority. In the Republic, it is exercised by the President, who, in addition to all such acts which he performs for the nation, commands her army and navy, pardons or punishes transgressors of her laws. In the world, it is in God, Who “works all things after the counsel of His will," and Who " does according to His pleasure in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth."
This is His Own definition, from which we learn that God's sovereignty is not caprice, or action without good reason; nor arbitrariness, or action for the mere display of authority: but it is intelligent action, exhibiting the will of the highest power. Divine sovereignty is God's government of the world according to His will, so as to fulfil His purpose in all creatures and events; it implies “His perfect right to govern and dispose of them in conformity with His Own good pleasure." It also implies God's right to command, and our duty to obey. In respect to the system of redemption, to the salvation of men, His language is more precise and specific: "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy; and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So, then, it is not of him that walketh, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." Here sovereignty is exercised in pardoning the guilty, saving the lost.
But what are the characteristics of Divine sovereignty?
In a family, a school, a state, and in every government, we learn the character and plan of the sovereign from his own declarations and acts. Thus we call Tarquin, the Proud; Julian, the Cruel; Job, the Patient Man; Abraham, the Faithful; Solomon, the Wise.
So the sovereignty of God bears the impress of His Own character, holy, wise, and powerful. It is intelligent, for “His understanding is infinite; " powerful, for He is " almighty; " universal, for He "filleth all in all; " uniform, for He is " the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever; " wise, for He abounds " in all wisdom and prudence; ' faithful, for He always fulfils His promises and threatenings; righteous, for " He sitteth upon the throne of His holiness; ' benevolent, for " He is good," supremely good, and "His tender mercies are over all His works; ' compassionate, for " His mercy endureth for ever; " glorious, for He is " the King of glory; ' praiseworthy: " Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord," and all may shout, with the heavenly hosts, " Alleluia; salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, be unto the Lord our God." Such is the adorable sovereignty of God.
But does He reign supreme in the kingdom of grace?
It is eminently desirable that God should rule in this kingdom, with a comprehensiveness embracing the whole plan, with a minuteness extending to every son and daughter of Adam, to every display of His mercy towards each of them. What would you not give to have these qualities always distinguish the sovereignty that rules your family, sanctifying your social relations, multiplying and sweetening the joys of home; converting your habitation into a Bethel, into “the gate of heaven "? What a blessing, if you could have such sovereignty preside over the schools which you attend or sustain! How it would aid the acquisition and communication of knowledge; lighten or remove the burden of discipline; and subordinate education, in the largest, best sense of that word, to the wisest and most benevolent of purposes! If you knew that such sovereignty would always preside over the nation, how that assurance would relieve the fears of your loyal heart, and confirm your faith in the ultimate attainment of the highest consistent welfare of each citizen and of the whole nation! Any people, blessed with the right of elective franchise, would act wisely in choosing a person possessed, as far as possible, of such qualities to rule over them. None but bad men and criminals fear the legitimate exercise of such authority.
You cannot but esteem it a blessing that a sovereign God has created and rules the material universe; the clouds which are His chariot; the stormy wind which He directs; the ocean that rolls in the hollow of His hand; the sun, moon, and stars that shine to His praise; "Arcturus, Orion, Pleiades, and the chambers of the south " which .He made; all planets and systems revolving harmoniously at His command: yea, that He governs all the objects of nature, from the falling of a hair to the destruction of a world; and all the events of providence, however trivial or momentous in our esteem. All things are open to His inspection; all, subject to His control. “Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone; Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their hosts; the earth, and all things that are therein; and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth Thee."
It is much more desirable that this adorable Sovereign should reign in the kingdom of grace, to which both nature and providence are subservient. These are but the scaffolding of God's temple, to be removed when its head-stone shall have been laid with shouting, " Grace, grace unto it; " when Jesus, Who " holds the stars in His right hand," and " walks among the golden candlesticks, " shall have put down all rule, and all authority and power; and when " every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, shall be heard, saying, ' Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.' Then Christ will appear as He is in truth, " all in all; ' and salvation by His grace, the end for which the sovereign Ruler made and governs all things, the theme most worthy the aspirations and endeavors of mankind and the praise of " the just made perfect."
Every child of God looks on the land and sea, on the starry heavens, and the various objects of nature, and sings, “My Father made them all." He sees God's hand in every event of providence; and, though "clouds and darkness are': sometimes “round about Him," he rests on the assurance, “righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His throne." In his devotions, he acknowledges and celebrates sovereign grace, which transformed him from a "vessel of wrath” into one of mercy, from an enemy to a friend, from an alien to a child and heir. He prays with David, “Uphold me with Thy free Spirit; then will I teach transgressors Thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto Thee." With the beloved disciple, he says, I was “born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." He cries, with Paul, “It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy." "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor?" "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works." We are enabled “to will and also to do of His good pleasure." With intensity of emotion, he repeats the words of his Divine Master, “I can of Mine Own Self do nothing; “but adds, with the apostle, “I can do all things through Christ Which strengtheneth me.”
Christ, then, is “Head over all things to the Church." He is " the true Vine, ' imparting to each branch life and productiveness; the Alpha and Omega of every man's salvation. God is a Sovereign in the kingdom of grace, as well as in nature and providence.
But how is His sovereignty displayed in our salvation?
1. By the gracious plan which His wisdom devised, His love adopted, His faithfulness and grace carry steadily onward, and are pledged to consummate. We, His intelligent creatures, act by design. If we are faithful parents, we educate our children, and settle them according to the purposes of our wisdom and love. Are we to construct for ourselves a habitation? We make known our wants to an architect, who draws a plan which we adopt and execute. "Every house is builded by some man; but He that built all things is God." But, if we build houses and ships by plans and according to purposes previously adopted, shall we not concede to God the right to form and govern the world and the Church according to the counsel of His mind? The patriarch of Uz says of God, "What His soul desireth, even that He doeth." God Himself adds, “My counsel shall stand; and I will do all My pleasure."
But, respecting the system of grace and mediation, the Bible is full and explicit: "Moreover, whom He did predestinate, them He also called; and whom He called, them He also justified; and whom He justified, them He also glorified." Every step in the process of salvation develops His plan, and teaches the good pleasure of His will. So reasoned the apostle, who contemplated this theme, as we should do, with wonder and admiration: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as He hath chosen us in Him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love; having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace. " If any thing can move the soul to its lowest depths, it is the thought that God so loved it from eternity, and out of His mere good pleasure, as to cherish toward it designs of mercy, and to adopt a plan whereby it may be saved, may sing and shine before Him for ever and ever. In the formation of that plan, God had no counsellor, but acted in the exercise of His adorable sovereignty.
2. But this is also displayed by the covenants which He formed and revealed in fulfilment of His plan. These are reducible to two, the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace. In the first of these, He formed angels, created mankind, and proffered eternal life on condition of perfect obedience. What the law says to one, it says to all: He that obeyeth shall live (Galatians 3:12); but " the soul that sinneth, it shall die ' (Ezekiel 18:20). Lucifer and others of the heavenly host fell from the privileges of this Divine constitution. So also did our first parents. By their “disobedience," " many were made sinners; ' that is, all their posterity were corrupted, constituted sinners, and brought under the wrath and curse of a broken law, so ruined that no works of future obedience could save them. Here, whatever link you strike, the tenth or ten thousandth breaks the chain alike. “By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified." "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."
Sin ruined this provision for human salvation. But God's love did what it always intended to do: it promulgated a system of mediation, a covenant of grace in which eternal life is freely offered us, and even urged upon our acceptance, on condition of faith. “By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God."
Of these two covenants, the first admitted of no modification, but was complete from the moment of its proclamation. The second was gradually developed; it rose and increased like the king of day. Adam and the antediluvians saw only the morning star of redemption; Abraham and other patriarchs, the early dawn; Moses and the prophets, the brightening light; while the disciples of Christ behold " the Sun of righteousness," rising and shining in the greatness of His strength.
Hear how God speaks of justification by each of these covenants: "Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that the man which doeth these things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise. ... If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Of each covenant salvation is the end. Both were adopted out of His mere good pleasure, and express His holy sovereignty. “God, willing to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction, that he might make known the riches of His glory, on the vessels of mercy." Mark the words: " endured with much long-suffering" the guilt and misery of some of His accountable creatures that He might more clearly reveal His glorious sovereignty in the salvation of others; even as the sun, in his march through the heavens, appears brighter in contrast with the dark spots on his disk. Like prisons and dungeons in civil government, hell is a dark spot in the universe; but it is necessary for persistent covenant-breakers; sovereignty subordinates it to the highest general good: and therefore all may sing, "Alleluia; for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."
3. The adorable sovereignty of God appointed Christ the Mediator of the covenant of grace. Sin cut us off from access to God, from His favor that is life, and His loving kindness that is better than life. God would deliver us; but how could He, without the subversion of supreme authority, the compromise of right, the evasion of the threatened penalty? We needed some one to satisfy for our offences, to atone for our sins, and to procure for us free forgiveness. All had sinned; not one of the human race could make satisfaction for the rest. Angels could not; for they must keep the law constantly and perfectly, to secure their own salvation. Who could or would undertake the mighty work?
When God inquired, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? ' His eternal Son replied, " Here am I: send Me." God, in the exercise of His holy sovereignty, “laid help upon One that is mighty," " Jesus Christ the righteous." He chose and appointed Him our Mediator, a Day's-man, an Umpire between Himself and us, human, and therefore able to comprehend our guilt and misery imputed to Him; Divine, and therefore capable of understanding perfectly the claims to be met and satisfied; Immanuel, the God-man who laid one hand on the throne and the other on the footstool, and became the way perfect and entire, whereby Divine mercy could be consistently conveyed to us, and our prayers and praises ascend to Him. " Such an High Priest became us, Who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as other high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for His Own sins, and then for the people's: for this He did once, when He offered up Himself." "Him God set forth to be a propitiation, to declare His righteousness for the remission" of our sins. He died our death, and exhausted our curse, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him, and that God might be just, and yet justify us miserable offenders. We adore the sovereignty which selected Him for our Mediator, the only Personage that could make an atonement for our sins; and when we think of Him laying aside the glory He had with the Father before the world was, veiling His divinity with humanity, suffering, praying, groaning, bleeding, dying for our sins, rising for our justification, ascending to heaven, and preparing mansions for our everlasting abode, we exclaim, with the chief of the apostles, "Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! '
4. Sovereignty selected fallen men, rather than apostate angels, to be the objects of Divine mercy.
Angels existed before the creation of mankind; for, when God laid the corner-stone and foundation of this world, they celebrated the event. “The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy." In the scale of being, they were originally exalted far above us, and probably possessed minds endowed with faculties more enlarged, knowledge and wisdom more profound; and they were capable of service more pure and exalted. Why, then, did God pass by the angels who fell, and “whom He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day," and provide redemption for mankind? Why took Christ on Him the nature, not of angels, but of the seed of Abraham? Reason and speculate as we may on these questions, they resolve themselves at last into this: "Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in Thy sight."
5. The amiable sovereignty of God fixed the simplest conditions to our pardon and eternal life.
It is the prerogative of the highest power to specify the terms on which its clemency may be enjoyed. This belongs to parents in the family, to the Governor in the state, to the President in the nation. And that power displays its magnanimity and glory by making the terms as simple and easy of compliance as may be consistent with the general good and the personal welfare of its subject. If a parent forgives his disobedient child without a confession of his fault and a pledge of reformation, he weakens family government, and encourages waywardness. If a chief magistrate pardons criminals while a spirit of insubordination still reigns in their hearts, it is presumption for him to expect social order and general tranquillity in the nation. So in the moral government of God, and under the reign of grace, we who have sinned cannot enjoy the smile of Divine favor, till we " put away sin by righteousness, and iniquity by turning unto the Lord;' till our rebellion against God is succeeded by loyalty to Him; till our impenitence yields to godly sorrow, our unbelief to a childlike trust, our carnality to spirituality, our heart of stone to one of flesh. Therefore God's sovereignty, which commands us to make a new heart and a new spirit, to repent, believe, and obey the Gospel, speaks with the wisest reference to our good, to the welfare of Christ's kingdom and to the glory of the Lord. It specifies the simplest conditions on which grace can be received and enjoyed. As the drunkard must reform before he can inherit the blessings which reward temperance, so every sinner must become holy, his heart must beat in unison with God's; he must love what God loves, and hate what He hates; and he himself must be refashioned in the moral image which he lost by the fall, or he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Through this gate every man must pass or perish.
6. Out of His mere good pleasure, God sent His Spirit to dispose and enable us to comply with these conditions of life everlasting .
Sin has so debased and enfeebled us that we cannot do the good we would. “Ye cannot serve the Lord; for He is a holy God." Of yourself alone, you cannot make you a new heart, repent, believe, or obey the Gospel. The Saviour says, “No man can come to Me, except the Father Which hath sent Me draw him." He draws you by His Spirit, by the prayers of His people, by the institutions of religion, and the means of grace.
If you imagine you are both able and willing to perform these duties, make the attempt; and the experiment will be likely to convince you that you must have such help as the Holy Spirit alone can render. The Bible compares this Divine Helper to the wind or atmosphere which circles and pervades every material object, but which you must inhale in order to sustain your animal life.
Yet God was under no obligation to send you His Spirit; or, having sent it, to continue His gracious strivings a moment, especially after your grieving and resisting Him. The gift and operation of the Spirit are expressions of Divine sovereignty: so, too, are all His whispers in the recesses of your mind, all His calls to repentance, all His impulses to faith, all His motives to obedience, all His earnest pleadings by the voice of providence, and the living ministry, all the intercessions which He inspired in your behalf. Each of these is a witness of His good pleasure, a fresh proclamation of His desire for your salvation, a new endeavor to lead you to Christ, to give you the new heart which you are commanded to make, the repentance and faith which you are required to put forth, and the salvation which you should work out; for it is God that worketh in you and with you, and disposes and enables you to work out obedience.
7. In the exercise of His holy sovereignty, God makes distinctions in the display of His grace.
He chose Noah, before other antediluvians, to preserve His Church from the flood; formed His covenant with Abraham, rather than with any of his contemporaries; called the Jews, in preference to other nations, to be His peculiar people; chose David, out of the sons of Jesse, to rule His kingdom; Mary to be the mother of the infant Saviour; Paul, before other persecutors, to become the chief of the apostles; Christians at Antioch, before other disciples, to commence Foreign Missions.
In the economy of His grace, does He not now do more for our nation than for the tribes of Central Africa; more for one church, family, and individual than for another? Does any one doubt whether he bestowed grace on John, the beloved disciple, not received by Judas Iscariot? Now, as of old, what diversity in the endowments of God's people! By the same Spirit, " to one is given the word of wisdom; to another, the word of knowledge; to another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, discerning of spirits; to another, divers kinds of tongues: to every man severally as He will." He imparts to one convert a quicker perception of sin; to a second, more adorable views of Christ; to a third, clearer and more comprehensive conceptions, of the plan and covenants of God; to a fourth, overflowing love; to a fifth, stronger faith; to a sixth, a larger measure of humility; to a seventh, more steadfastness or zeal. There are “diversities of operation, but the same Spirit working all in all," and calling each to improve his peculiar gifts, and to perform the special service for which they qualify him. All such distinctions display His sovereign grace, and prepare each of its subjects for the part he is to sing in the new song of heaven.
Who 'will not rejoice in the display of Divine sovereignty in human salvation?
Has not God a right to do what He will with His Own? Had He not a perfect right to create the world according to His eternal purpose? to form both angels and men, and to endow the mind of each according to the good pleasure of His will? to place them all under the covenant of works? and, when they fell by sinning against Him, to reveal to mankind a system of grace? to elect His Own Son as our Mediator? to allow Him to become incarnate, to suffer and die, for our redemption? God Himself asks, " Is thine eye evil because I am good? ' Who doubts His right to pass by the angels that fell, and to show mercy to men? to offer salvation to you and to me on the simplest possible conditions? to send His Spirit to help us comply with the terms of pardon and eternal life? to make or to allow all the distinctions which we witness in the display of grace? Why, then, should any object to His sovereignty in our salvation?
Is its action mysterious? Of course, the finite cannot embrace the Infinite. Yet we believe and act constantly 011 what we very imperfectly comprehend. We know not how our body and soul are united in one person; but we believe the fact of that union, and daily act upon it. In our childhood, we could not always comprehend the principles on which our parents issued their commands; but our confidence, working by love, prompted obedience. “Shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? "
How can God's sovereignty make Him appear a partial Being? He has clearly revealed His will; He sincerely invites all to accept proffered mercy; He gave His Son to redeem and save the lost, sent His Spirit and commissioned His Church to call mankind, and is faithful in the execution of His promises and threatenings. He nowhere approves of sin, but suffers it for a season to exist, even as wise earthly rulers sometimes allow the transgression of their laws for a short period, either in the hope of overcoming evil with good, or to render more manifest the necessity and justice of punishment. He treats all men better than they deserve, and has good and sufficient reasons for all the distinction which He makes in the economy of His grace. If any unreconciled heart object, inspiration answers, " Nay, man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, Why hast Thou made me thus? “Underlying this objection is the old man, which is corrupt, and in arms against his supreme Ruler.” Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth; but woe to him that striveth with his Maker!” He must surrender, or perish.
Does the sovereignty of God in salvation interfere with the freedom of man? No; as well ask, whether the laws of the solar system, and the revolution of the planets, interfere with the activity of the inhabitants of the earth; whether the currents of the ocean hinder the action of the fish that swim therein; whether the wind prevents the flight of birds through the air; whether the plan of a campaign destroys the responsibility of the officers and men who execute it; whether the authority of a wise and loving father suspends the personal accountability of his own offspring. When parents live and act in their children, earthly rulers in their subjects, think it not strange that " God works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure" You are to work out what He works in you. Let His promise encourage, sustain, and crown with success, your endeavors to obtain eternal life. What are the special duties to which the sovereignty of God in salvation now calls you?
A faithful use of all the means of grace. These are the tools of this Divine art, the appointed instruments of salvation, by which a sovereign God works in you the salvation which He requires you to work out “with fear and trembling." If you are a believer, and would mature your faith and piety; or if you are an unbeliever, " without God and without hope in the world," and would be saved by Christ and His gospel, sanctify the Sabbath, remembering the day to keep it holy. Attend regularly and faithfully public worship, " in season and out of season; " for " Thy way, God, is in the sanctuary," His way of instruction in Divine knowledge, of consolation, and of salvation. " Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life." Like the Bereans, try the sermons you hear by this Divine standard, appealing “to the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no truth in them." Pray, like the poor publican, “God be merciful to me a sinner; ' for every one who asks in such a spirit is heard and blessed.
But God's adorable sovereignty in salvation calls you to comply with the conditions of mercy. Your inviting Saviour cries in your ear, "Come unto Me;' " take My yoke upon you: ' that is, " Submit yourself as a loyal subject unto My government; yield your will in sweet submission to Mine; confess and forsake your sins; return unto Me, and I will return unto you. Repent, believe, and obey the gospel: for i behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.' If you verbally or practically reply, " No, not now" you really, and so long as you continue of the same mind, rebel against His supreme authority; you return His ocean love with hatred; you hinder prayer in your behalf; you resist and grieve His waiting, striving Spirit. Every moment you do this, you hazard your soul; that lost, what can you account gain? All is lost, irrecoverably and for ever lost!
But you need not, you must not, longer incur that awful risk; you must not allow the favored moment, " big with mercy," to pass unimproved, and to force from you the lamentation, " The harvest is passed, the summer is ended, and I am not saved." God forbids it; " the Spirit and the Bride" forbid it; your own reason and conscience forbid it.
Come, like the prodigal, to your offended Sovereign, and say, " Father, I have sinned against heaven and before Thee, and am no more worthy to be called Thy son: make me as one of Thy hired servants." Then He will meet and embrace you, will make you His child and heir; heaven will rejoice; and you yourself will join in the song, “Worthy is the Lamb! "
Addresses to Church
BY THE
CONGREGATIONAL PASTORS OF BOSTON,
RECOMMENDED BY THE
Boston Congregational Council.
The following are now published, and ready for delivery:
No. 1. THE RESULT or COUNCIL. Complete.
No. 2. THE CHRISTIAN'S RECONSECRATION. By Rev. E. K. ALDEN, Pastor of Phillips Church.
No. 3. THE WORLDLINESS OF NOMINAL CHRISTIANS. By Rev. Dr. WEBB, Pastor of Shawmut Church.
No. 4. THE DUTY OF CHRISTIANS TO UNITE WITH SOME CHURCH, AND THE DUTY OF CHURCH-MEMBERS TO UNITE WITH THE CHURCH WHERE THEY STATEDLY WORSHIP. By Rev. S. P. FAY, Pastor of Salem Church.
No. 5. THE DUTY OF DAILY SECRET PRAYER and DAILY STUDY OF THE BIBLE. By Rev. J. M. MANNING.
No. 6. REVIVALS OF RELIGION. By Rev. J. E. TODD.
No. 7. THE DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY IN ITS RELATION TO HUMAN SALVATION. By Rev. Mr. BAKER.
The remaining Addresses will follow at intervals of about one
week; viz:
THE SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL IN THE CITY AMONG THE POOR, AND THOSE WHO HABITUALLY NEGLECT THE SERVICES OF THE SABBATH. By Rev. Dr. DEXTER.
THE CHRISTIAN'S DUTY TO WORK FOR THE SAVING or SOULS. By Rev. Mr. BINGHAM.
THE DUTY OF A MORE STRICT OBSERVANCE OF THE SABBATH. By Rev. Dr. BLAGDEN.
THE POWER AND OFFICE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. By Rev. Dr. ADAMS.
THE POWER OF PRAYER. By Rev. Dr. KIRK.