Thus it will be brought into our minds, into our conversation, into our houses and families; and as we dwell under its influence, it will shine through our conduct, and we shall become preachers of the everlasting gospel in the world and governed by the angels of God. This is loud preaching, compared with the preaching of those, who preach for hire and divine for money. For here we declare what our eyes have seen, our ears heard, and our hands handled, of the good word of life, and of the world to come.

powers of the

Therefore I have desired, for our own souls' sakes, that we turn into that volume of the book, and read and search our own hearts, and ascertain from what motives we act-from what kind of spirits, whether from evil angels, or the angels of the dragon, or Michael's angels, which are the power of God. Therefore, unto this light, which is the life of men, which maketh manifest all things, whether right or wrong; to this new covenant placed in your hearts and mouths, that you may hear it and do it; unto this divine and living principle, I desire to recommend you individually: For if attended to, it will make you wiser than all your teachers. It will teach your hands to war, and your fingers to fight against your souls' enemies; and it will sustain your spirits under every trial and affliction. And when time here shall be no more, I am not afraid

to leave it with you as my testimony, it will prepare for each of you; whether in the opinions of men, you may be partakers of heavenly joy or eternal reprobation; it will prepare, for all, in every situation, Scythian or barbarian, bond or free, an habitation in that city, whose walls are salvation, and whose gates are praise, and where "none of the inhabitants can say, I am sick."

SERMON VII.

DELIVERED BY THOMAS WETHERALD, AT THE FRIENDS" MEETING, WASHINGTON CITY, THIRD MONTH 27, 1825.

"FOR to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten." For the living, there is cause of hope and fear; and however the dead may have an appearance of strength, yet they are inanimate, and hastening to corruption; but the dog, though despised when living, is able to perform all the duties of which he is capable; and hence, the only natural division, whether in man or in the inferior part of creation, is between the living and the dead. For "a living dog is better than a dead lion."

I have never yet learned to discover the difference, or to make a distinction, except between righteousness and unrighteousness, godliness and ungodliness, and acts of wickedness amongst the various sects of professing christians. I have never learned to distinguish between Catholics, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Baptists

Methodists, or Quakers. In all these societies I have no doubt there are living members of the Church of Christ, and in all these societies, there are probably dead members, or members of the Church of Antichrist. And also am I convinced, that the dead members are as much more conspicuous among men, as the dead lion is in appearance over the dog. They are often in their societies the most active members, and often received into them from motives impure and unholy; and often introduced into the most solemn station into which man can be called, the ministry of the gospel, so called. And notwithstanding their formidable appearance, they are nothing better, if wanting life, than the dead lion.

Let us look a little into the fruits produced by this death, or by the performance of these dead members of the nominal church.

There are but two Churches in the world, the Church of Christ, and the Church of Antichrist; however, they may be separated into divisions and sub-divisions: and if we are not of Christ, assured I am, that Antichrist is among us. For God is one, and his name one, and he has all power in Heaven and Earth; as the earth is his and its fulness.

So the Church is his own, also, united to him in holy fellowship and spiritual union; but in

stead of having this holy, united, indivisible appearance, at the present day, what does it look like? What are the views of men respecting religion? Nothing better than the impressed views of Job's miserable comforter. "Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up. It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: An image was before mine eyes; there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying, shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall man be more pure than his Maker? Behold he put no trust in his servants, and his angels he charged with folly. But this was seen by Eliphaz, one of Job's friends, and they were reproved, and he justified; and they were required to bring offerings unto Job, the offer for them, before they could be accepted, because they had not spoken right as he did.

The religion of the present day is formidable in appearance, like the spirit which Eliphaz saw, but it is not understood among the various societies of professing christians, and they are too much afraid to investigate the subject; and hence the maxim, that mysteries which we cannot comprehend we must believe, even things which we cannot understand. Is it possible, is it not contrary to every thing that we can have an idea of is it not contrary to human reason, that a man must believe that which he cannot comprehend, or understand? It is an