SEEM. 11 THE CHRISTIAN DISPENSATION. 45 ages : But in my opinion all the praises which are due to David, and Abraham, fall far short of the labours and sufferings, the zeal and patience, the holiness and the love of that divine man, St. Paul, whose life is recom- mended as an example to the christian world : And nei- ' ther David nor Abraham, nor any of the ancient saints, who had each of them their blemishes, are to be com- pared with the more excellent and perfect pattern of Je- sus the Son of God, who was holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners ; who was without the least blemish in heart and life : He bath given us a glorious example of piety, virtue, and goodness, incomparably superior to all former ages ; it is most inviting indeed, and yet inimitable by all that follow. ' Let us next consider our various motives to duty un- der the New Testament. Are the motives of love and gratitude powerful prin- ciples to encourage and persuade us to every active ser- vice ? Such indeed were the blessings and gifts which God bestowed on men under former dispensations. But what were all those gifts and blessings in comparison of the unspeakable gift of his own Son, to die as a sacrifice in our stead, which is one of the chief themes and glories of the christian revelation ? The love of God to us, made visible in the sufferings of the Son of God for our sins, carries with it a more abundant force of persuasion to work upon our gratitude and our love, than all the dis- coveries of grace from the days of Adam till this day. How can we sin against such astonishing goodness? Against such a sublime instance of divine compassion ? Are the promises and threatenings of God another set of motives to duty? Do the awful gloriesand terrors ofa future and eternal world work upon all tile springs ofour activity and diligence, by hope and fear? Yes certainly, in a high degree. But the former dispensations had but few of these eternal terrors and glories, these threa.tenings and promises relating to an invisible state. All beyond death and the grace had a gloom and darkness upon it in former times, except here and there a glimpse of light that was shot in between the clouds. A few bright sen- tences collected from David, Isaiah, and Daniel, were some of the chief discoveries that we know of in those ancient ages; but in the New Testament the gates of the
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