A SERMON

DELIVERED AT THE ORDINATION OF SAMUEL NEWELL, ADONIRAM JUDSON, SAMUEL NOTT, GORDON HALL, AND LUTHER RICE, FIRST MISSIONARIES FROM AMERICA TO THE HEATHEN IN ASIA. SALEM, FEB. 6, 1812.

Psalm 67.- GOD BE MERCIFUL UNTO US, AND BLESS US; AND CAUSE HIS FACE TO SHINE UPON US. THAT THY WAY MAY BE KNOWN UPON EARTH, THY SAVING HEALTH AMONG ALL NATIONS. LET THE PEOPLE PRAISE THEE, O GOD; LET ALL THE PEOPLE PRAISE THEE, LET THE NATIONS BE GLAD AND SING FOR JOY. LET THE PEOPLE PRAISE THEE, O GOD; LET ALL THE PEOPLE PRAISE THEE. GOD SHALL BLESS US; AND ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH SHALL FEAR HIM.

No intelligent Christian can be a stranger to the benevolent desires and pleasing anticipations here expressed. Every good man has a heart to feel for his fellow creatures, and endeavors to promote their temporal welfare. But, when he contemplates the value of their immortal souls, and what Jesus has done to save them from perdition, his tenderest affections are kindled; pure and heavenly love pervades and warms his heart. He longs for the eternal felicity of his kindred and friends, his country and the world. His desire and prayer is, that all human beings may forsake their evil ways and turn to the Lord. With this holy affection reigning in his heart, the devoted Christian presents himself a living sacrifice unto God; and counts it a privilege to do and to suffer anything for the advancement of his cause. He is ready

In this state, no
Stripes, imprison-

to "endure all things for the elect's sake." difficulty discourages, no danger alarms him. ment and death lose their terrors. Every degree of success attending the dispensation of the gospel yields him the purest pleasure. But this pleasure increases his pious desire. The progressive enlargement of the kingdom of Christ will constantly enlarge the benevolence of his heart. While there is a nation or tribe under heaven not subdued to Christ; the fervent Christian cannot rest. His unalterable object is, that the knowledge of the Lord may fill the earth.

This, brethren, is the true spirit of our religion. This is the affection which glows in every new born soul. This is the principle which governs and animates the church of Christ.

On this new and interesting occasion, my desire is to excite your benevolence, and to persuade you by suitable motives, To

MAKE THE SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL AND THE CONVERSION OF THE WORLD, THE OBJECT OF YOUR EARNEST AND CONSTANT PURSUIT.

My first motive is the worth of the soul. Man, a creature of yesterday, is made for immortality. The human mind will be ever active. No labor can exhaust it. No length of ages can waste its vigor. No pressure of guilt or suffering can destroy its activity. Such a mind, destined to exist and act forever, destined to the bliss of heaven, or the pains of hell, lives in every human being, in the savage as well as the citizen; in the heathen as well as the Christian; in the Hindoo, the Chinese, and the Hottentot, as well as the European or American. In the name of him who died on Calvary, I call upon you, Christians, to labor for the salvation of beings that will never die. Of what consideration is their color, language, education, or manners? Here all distinctions vanish. Learned and ignorant, refined and rude, honorable and base, are all on a level in point of accountableness to God and immortality of soul. Rise then above all the distinctions which misguide our judgments, and seek the salvation of this great family of immortal beings.

In some favored hours of divine illumination, have you not seen and felt the ineffable preciousness of your own souls? Have you

not cast away everything as dross, for eternal salvation? And has not the grace of God taught you to love your neighbor as yourselves? See the millions who dwell in darkness. Their souls are as precious as your own. The wisdom of God the blood of the dying Saviour has so declared. Change places with them. Put yourselves in their condition, and them in yours. You are then spending your life in a land of darkness, ignorant of God, slaves to the basest superstition and most hateful vices. Moved by pity and love, they send a herald of the cross to preach salvation in your ears. He comes and speaks to you of Jehovah and his law; discloses your guilt, and points you to the judgment day. He preaches to you Jesus, the Saviour of sinners. With trembling, broken hearts you go to the Saviour, and he gives you rest. How happy your state! Would you not forever exalt the Redeemer's name? Would you not love and thank the messenger of his grace, and those who sent him? Now, if salvation would be so great a blessing to you, why not to those who are actually in the condition here supposed? And if you would love and thank those who sought your salvation, why not secure to yourselves the same love and gratitude from heathens saved by your labors?

Imagine your children, parents, brothers, sisters this moment in pagan darkness. Would not your hearts leap for joy to see these dear young ministers going to teach them the way of life? Would anything be too precious to part with in order to animate their zeal, and help them to rescue from ignorance and ruin the objects of your love? But have not the heathen souls as precious as the souls of your kindred? -Nay, they are your kindred; allied to you by the ties of a common nature; children of the same family. In every human being you see a brother or a sister.

The second motive by which I urge you to seek the conversion of all mankind is the plenteousness of the provision which Christ has made for their salvation. Were there anything scanty in this provision, anything circumscribed in the offers of mercy, our zeal for propagating the gospel would be suppressed; the hand of

Christian charity would be paralyzed. But the word of eternal truth has taught us that Jesus is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world; that a rich feast is prepared, and all things ready; that whosoever will may come and take of the water of life freely. This great atonement is as sufficient for Asiatics and Africans, as for us. The door of Christ's kingdom is equally open to them and to us. Unnumbered millions of our race have entered in; and yet there is room. The mercy of God is an exhaustless ocean. His benevolence is unbounded. You have, then, full scope for your pious efforts. In your labors and prayers for the salvation of men, you cannot go beyond the proper bounds. You are not straitened in God. You have no occasion to fear that in this cause your zeal and activity will exceed the abundance of divine grace. You have a warrant from God to strive for the salvation of the whole world. And wherever the preaching of the cross shall excite them that are lost to seek salvation, their salvation will be found. Persuade the whole heathen world to enter into the kingdom of Christ, and they will all be admitted. Every perishing sinner on earth would find the same welcome with yourselves. Remember then, Christians, you cannot exhaust the mercy of God. Exert yourselves to the utmost for the salvation of mankind; your exertions will fall far short of the length and breadth of redeeming love.

The third motive, I shall present, is the command of our Lord; -"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." This command is an expression of the heart of Jesus; a display of the vastness of his love. It would be very easy to show that the obligation of this command is limited to no age or nation. The reasons which moved the apostles to preach the gospel to every creature, remain in full force. Nations without the gospel are as wretched now as they were in the time of the apostles. Their salvation is as important, and as easily accomplished.

Will any say this command is obligatory upon the ambassadors of Christ, and not upon private Christians? It is indeed the duty of ambassadors of Christ to go and preach the gospel to all

the world. The Messiah is given to be a light to the Gentiles. They must hear the glad tidings. "But how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach, except they be sent?" If ministers must go forth, the Christian world must send them. If they must devote their life to the business of evangelizing the heathen, the Christian world must support them.

Does the thought arise, that the apostles went forth without such support? They did; -for there was no Christian nation overflowing with wealth, to support them. But whatever their peculiar circumstances obliged them to do, the general maxim which they laid down was, "that no man goeth a warfare at his own charges."

But I make my appeal to your generosity. Those who go to teach your brethren in pagan lands, must be maintained. But at present they cannot receive maintenance there. The heathen must be converted, and formed into Christian societies, before adequate provision for the ministers of Christ can be expected from them. Will you then see your missionaries, who have left all to preach the gospel of peace among the heathen, reduced to the necessity of abandoning their sacred office, and engaging in servile labor for their daily bread? Will you see the ambassadors of peace from America, clothed in rags, and compelled to beg or starve? And must they tell the heathen that they are thus forsaken of their Christian brethren who have enough and to spare?

It is obvious, that the Christian community at large has a deep concern in the command of Christ, "to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." I urge this command of our risen Saviour, as absolutely requiring you to seek the conversion of the world. The command was given just before our Lord ascended into heaven. He had finished his work on earth, and was about to return to his Father and our Father, to his God and our God. He knew the ruined state of man, and the saving power of his cross. With the love and authority of the King of Zion, he gave the command, to evangelize all nations. And who that has the heart

of a Christian can refuse obedience?

My fourth motive is derived from the conduct of those who