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of Christ,. " For ye know the f;raccof our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he wa* rich, yet for your t&ake» be became poor, that ye. through bis poverty^ oiigtit be rich/' These poor members of the Hebrew Ilfl] «01l's CON-tllOVKnsV WITH tll£ LaN1>. 94fi church were distressed by famiDe, &a are chif |K>or iiS ntir church and nation >l thi« lime; the ministers of the cUurchtrs of Christ have under- taken to tn&ke collecci(ms for tlieir sake : in this behalf I am u$iDg my faculty of preachiog; and hario]^ fulfilled the holier part of my oHicc by jualifying: (iud in thi» national vuitaLion, ! do now address myaclf to the charitable and gracious function of my ofScc. which is. to litir you up by the example of the grace of Christ, to shew grace ai this lime to the poor and afflicted of his members. Your Lords iclf-abasemciit from the highest fJace in heaven to the lowest degree uj>on the earlh ; from being the owner of aH thiu|jii (for not only were all things made by him, but for him), to become a disowned wanderer, who had not whereto lay his head ;^thi» sacrifice of uncreated hoikour and uDirersal possession waa made on account of our poverty and wretchedness, in the abst^D^e of all obljgalion, and without the pos&i* bility of any return. Had he stood on any terms, bad ho waited till we deserved, or even besought^ his help, then our case bad stUI lain over ; for there was a madness mixed with our folly, which made rebellion against the ways of God seem good ^port, or brave manhood; which made the fitrawa, ami dnat, and molh-eaten ^nodt of tinm »eem crowns and riches, and an cvcrlusling portion. It was not because we had done any thing to win us favour in the courts above, to which wo were alienated in our hearts by sin ; nor that we were likely to give its grace and mercy welcome ; nor reverence the high party who, in meekness and ' loving-kinducss brought them down, not on the i flOD'j COVTKOVCUT WITH THC LAK0. [Du, sccoBiil of urAiriunaie merit, and mndesl want* and help grskciously besought, which ar« wuat to move tlie heart of man to bounty; but apoDolh«r accounu, which arc wont to steel thebumafi hMit.j and make it hard as stone towards the distreasedi namely, becauAC, though pOTcrty-fttrickoi, and alt lasting wealth bereaved, without hope without God ill the world, we were proud vaunting towards God, who could a)oD« earich as, conteraptuotis^andtowardseTerygoodthin^repro* bate ; beeauso we had Dot the head to iniigin^^ or the heart to befwech, anything better; dot