joy." And as the gospel continually enlarges the views of christians in regard to the church, so it continually enlarges their hearts towards it and makes them feel more deeply interested in its prosperity.

4. The gospel enlarges the hearts of believers towards all mankind. The gospel is founded in universal benevolence and tends to diffuse the same spirit in the hearts of all, who embrace it. Paul's heart was once confined to his own personal interest, but as soon as he embraced the gospel, his heart was enlarged in benevolence towards all the nations of the earth. His heart's desire and prayer to God was, that both Jews and gentiles might know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he had sent. The gospel still has the same effect upon all who cordially embrace it. They feel interested in the temporal and eternal good of all mankind. Their benevolent hearts are continually expanding towards all nations, as their knowledge of their perishing condition increases. It is the gracious design of the gospel to spread holiness and happiness among all nations; and those, who embrace it, cordially approve of this design; and their hearts extend as far as the design of the gospel extends and dispose them to seek and promote the salvation of perishing sinners all over the world. They feel as angels feel in respect to the success of the gospel, who rejoice when one sinner repenteth, when one addition is made to the number of Christ's friends and when one soul is saved from the wrath to come.

5. The gospel enlarges the hearts of believers towards all created beings, whether holy or unholy, and towards every living creature. The righteous man regards the good of every creature capable of enjoying

good, from the highest angel to the smallest insect.--These all belong to God and are a part of his interest. He regards with an equal and impartial eye all his intelligent and unintelligent creatures. And as all these are employed to promote the design of the gospel; so those, who embrace it feel interested in every created being in the universe. God has employed all the angels, good and bad, to carry into effect the gracious design of the gospel. And he has constantly employed the beasts of the field and the fowls of heaven, as well as every human creature, to promote the same important end. Hence every creature is really valuable as connected with the gospel; and therefore all, who embrace it, must feel their hearts enlarged to encircle in the arms of their benevolence, all the creatures of God.

They all stand in

6. The gospel enlarges the hearts of believers to take an interest in all the events, that ever have been and ever will be brought to pass. separably connected with the great and extensive design of the gospel which assures believers that all things are theirs, whether past, present, or to come and shall eventually work together for their good. They must feel interested in that great transaction in eternity, when the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost concerted the great scheme of redemption. They must feel interested in the creation, preservation, and government of the world; in all past and present events, which come to their knowledge; in all the events predicted in the scriptures of truth; in the transactions of the last day and in all the future scenes of eternity. Every true believer has an important interest in every thing, that has existed and that ever will exist. And so far as he understands and loves the gospel, his heart is

growing more and more extensive, as his real interests appear to increase. And it is the direct tendency of the gospel to enlarge his heart, until it extends to the utmost bounds of creation and feels interested in every created and uncreated object.

IMPROVEMENT.

1. If the gospel tends to enlarge the views and hearts of those, who embrace it; then unbelievers have no just ground to object against it, as enfeebling the minds and contracting the hearts of men. They have often and strenuously objected against the gospel, as having a tendency to belittle and enfeeble both the natural and moral powers of the mind, and to unfit mankind for great and noble actions; and for this reason they wish it might be disbelieved, rejected and banished out of the world. Nor is this opinion confined to professed infidels, but is adopted by many, who profess to believe the gospel. How many men of eminence, in both public and private stations, who are in the sanguine pursuit of what they deem great and noble objects, are very averse from embracing the gospel, because they imagine it would contract their views, cool their zeal and weaken their exertions to obtain the great things they have in hope and prospect? How many parents are afraid, that their children should embrace the gospel and become serious and religious, which they imagine would restrain them from vanity and ambition and prevent them from making their fortunes, and raising their reputation in the view of the world? And how many of the rising generation neglect and oppose religion for the sake of appearing more gay, more sprightly, more manly and more noble in the eyes of those, whose fa

of men.

vor they wish to secure? But this objection, made by so many against the gospel, is absolutely groundless, absurd and criminal. For it appears from what has been said, that the gospel has a direct tendency to enlarge the heart and expand the views, the hopes and prospects of all, who embrace it. And this is confirmed by innumerable instances of its expanding and ennobling influence upon the understandings and hearts Did it not enlarge the heart and invigorate the mind of young Moses, of young Joseph, of young Joshua, of young Samuel, of young David, of young Solomon, of young Josiah, of young Jabez, of young Daniel, and of young Paul? Whoever had greater and nobler objects in view, than these pious young men ? or whoever pursued their great and noble objects, with more zeal, fortitude, resolution, wisdom and success? Whoever made a greater and better figure on the stage of life? or whoever went off the stage of life with more dignity, or brighter hopes and prospects? Do you ask, how the gospel produced such great and good effects upon the minds of these pious men? The answer is plain and intelligible. It caused them to renounce low, mean, vain, trifling objects and raised their attention to divine and eternal objects, which expanded their views and enlarged their hearts and fired their zeal to promote the glory of God and the everlasting good of their fellow-men. And it is the natural tendency of the gospel to produce such happy effects, in a greater or less degree, upon the hearts and lives of all, who embrace it. How happy would it be for the young and the old, the high and the low, to embrace the gospel, which would make them wise and great and useful and happy in time and eternity!

2. If the gospel tends to enlarge the hearts of those who embrace it; then we see why the scripture represents believers as far more amiable and excellent than unbelievers. God, who perfectly knows the worth, the excellence and importance of all classes of men, represents saints as far more amiable, excellent and valuable than sinners. He says, "the righteous is more excellent than his neighbour." He says "the saints are the excellent of the earth." He calls them his jew. els, his treasure, his inheritance, his glory. He measures the greatness, the goodness and the worth of men by their hearts; and according to this standard, sinners are lighter than vanity, in comparison with the righteous, whose understandings are expanded and whose hearts are enlarged, by the great truths and great objects exhibited in the gospel. How superior was Moses to Pharaoh, Mordecai to Haman and Paul to the philosophers of Athens? God weighs men in an equal balance; and when the greatest, the wisest. the richest and best of sinners are weighed in his bal ance, they are all found wanting, and are as chaff to the wheat, in comparison with saints. When Belshaz zar was thrown into the balance with Daniel, he was lighter than a feather in comparison with that great and good man. The heart of the greatest and best sinner in the world is small, mean and contracted, in comparison with the benevolent, enlarged heart of the least saint on earth. The largest heart, that any sinner ever possessed and carried about with him, was never larger than a part, or the whole of this small, changeable and perishing world; but the heart of the least christian is as large and boundless as eternity. His love is eternal love; his hope is an eternal hope; his