Depart thou cursed unto everlasting fire. And lo! the melancholy world of sin and suffering unfolds to receive thee. Mark in the entrance, the man, whom thou has plundered of life, and happiness, and heaven already waiting to pour on thy devoted head for the infinite wrongs which thou hast done to him, the wrath and vengeance of eternity.

At the close of the awful survey, cast thine eyes once more around thee, and see thyself, and thy brother duellists, the examples, the patrons, and the sole causes, of all succeeding duelling. Were the existing advocates of this practice to cease from upholding it; were they to join their own efforts to the common efforts of man, and hunt it out of the world; it would never return. On thee, therefore, and thy companions, the innumerable and immense evils of future duelling are justly charged. To you, a band of enemies to the peace and safety of man; a host of Jeroboams, who not only sin but make Israel.to sin through a thousand generations, will succeeding ages impute their guilt and there sufferings. Your efficacious and baneful examples, will make thousands of childless parents, distracted widows, and desolate orphans, after you are laid in the grave. You invite

posterity to wrest the right of deciding private controversies out of the hands of public justice; and to make force and skill the only umpires between man and man. You entail perpetual contempt on the laws of man, and on the laws of God; kindle the flames of civil discord; and summon from his native abyss anarchy, the worst of fiends, to lay waste all the happiness, and all the hopes of mankind.

At the great and final day, your country will rise up in judgment against you, and accuse you as the destroyers of her peace, and the murderers of her children. Against you will rise up in judgment all the victims of your revenge, and all the wretched families, whom you have plunged in hopeless mis

ery. The prowling Arab and the remorseless savage, will there draw nigh, and whiten their crimes by a comparison with your's. They indeed were mur. derers; but thy were never dignified with the name, nor blessed with the privileges, of Christians. They were born in blood, and educated to slaughter.-They were taught from their infancy, that to fight, and to kill, was lawful, was honorable and virtuous. You were born in the mansion of knowledge, humanity, and religion. At the moment of your birth you were offered up to God, and baptized in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. You were dandled on the knee, and educated in the school, of piety. From the house of God you have gone to the field of blood; and from the foot of the cross to the murder of your friends. You have cut off life in the blossom, and shortend, to the wretched objects of your wrath, the day of repentance and salvation. The beams of the Sun of Righteousness, shining with life-giving influence on them, you have intercepted; the smile of mercy, the gleam of hope, the dawn of immortality you have overcast forever. You have glutted the grave with untimely slaughter, and helped to people the world with perdition.Crimsoned with guilt, and drunk with blood, Nineveh will ascend from the tomb, triumph over your ruin, and smile to see her own eternal destiny more tolerable than yours.

29

CHRISTIANS BOUND TO DISTINGUISH THEM.

SELVES FROM THE WORLD.

A SERMON

BY

STEPHEN FENN.

MINISTER OF A CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, HARPERSFIELD,

NEW-YORK.

MATTHEW V. xlvii.
-What do ye more than others?

HE who knew what was in man, addressed him. self directly to the heart. His mode of teaching was calculated to bring out to view every trait in the human character; and to shew, not only to others, but to ourselves, what we are. That strong propensity in human nature to conform to a sinful world is partic ularly condemned; and christians are called upon to distinguish themselves from others, by their piety and good works. Christianity requires activity. He who would be a follower of Him, who went about doing good,' must not indulge in sloth and inactivity; but, like a watchman, must be constantly on his guard against a subtle enemy, and ever ready to answer the calls of his Lord and Master.

The eyes of the Jews were upon Christ and his disciples: The eyes of the world are upon us. Mankind estimate the christian religion, by the lives of christian professors.

In order to prepare the minds of his disciples for that vital and active piety, which he was about to inculcate, the Saviour brings out to their view, in the context, the character and life of sinners. In the 43d

verse, he says: Ye have heard that it has been said, thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy.' This was the very dictate of the natural heart. 'But

1

I say unto you, love your enemies; bless them, that curse you; do good to them that hate you; and pray for them who despitefully use you, and persecute you. For if ye love them, which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethern only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so?'

This question contained in the text, may be justly considered as amounting to a positive injunction: 'Christians, it is my expectation-it is my will, that ye do more than others. Others love themselves, and love those who promote their personal interest; but you must have that general benevolence, that love to God and man, which shall enable you to do good to your enemies, and to stand ready to sacri'fice your lives in the service of God.'

Are these hard sayings? Does the Redeemer of men require more of his elect, than is reasonable? By no means: the Master whom we serve, is not hard, or austere.

To impress upon your minds the reasonableness of our Saviour's requirement, that christians should do more than others, I observe,

1st. More is done for christians, than for others.

True salvation is purchased for the whole world. But such is the depravity of human nature, that men, unassisted by special grace, will not come unto Christ, that they may have life. By nature christians are as perverse and obstinate as others. But to them, God has, in infinite mercy, granted this special grace, this richest of heavenly gifts, without which, all other blessings were in vain. Their proud hearts have been humbled; their blind eyes have been opened. The snares of the devil, in which they have been entangled, have been broken, and his