St. Matthew's gofpel, Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

Time would fail me to tell of the five thousand converted fome days after, of Cornelius and his houfehold, Lydia and her household; in a word, of all who were truly brought to Chrift in the first age of Chriftianity. "The Lord opened their hearts. The Holy Ghoft fell upon them; and they walked in his comforts. Chrift was evidently set forth crucified before their fpiritual eyes. He dwelt in their hearts by faith; they lived not, but Chrift lived in them." They agreed in saying, with St. Paul, If any man have not the Spirit of Chrift, by whom he is favingly known, he is none of his.

Stephen's experience is alone fufficient to decide the point. When brought before the council, they all, faw his face, as it had been the face of an angel. Being full of the Holy Ghoft, he wrought no miracle, he fpake no new tongue; but "looked steadfastly up into heaven, and faw the glory of God, and Jefus ftanding at the right hand of God; and faid, Behold, I fee the heavens opened and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." This manifestation was calculated only for the private encouragement and comfort of the pious Deacon. It anfwered no other end, but to enrage the Jews and make them account him a greater blafphemer and a wilder enthufiaft, than they did before. Accordingly they cried aloud, ftopped their ears, ran upon him, caft him out of the city, and ftoned him; while Stephen under the powerful influence of the manifeftation, kneeled down, called upon God, faying, Lord Jefus receive my fpirit, and lay not this fin to their charge. Hence we learn, first, that nothing appears fo abfurd and wicked to Pharifees and formalifts, as the doctrine I maintain. They› lofe all patience, when they hear that Chrift really manifefts himself to his fervants. No blafphemy like this in the account of those, who are wife, learned and prudent in their own eyes. Secondly, that the most exalted faints need a fresh manifeftation of the glory,

love and prefence of Christ, that they may depart this life in the triumph of faith.

If you object, that Stephen was thus favoured, because he was about to suffer for Chrift, and, that it would be great prefumption to expect the like support, I reply, in the five following obfervations. 1. We are called to suffer for Chrift as well as Stephen, though perhaps not in the fame manner and degree. 2 We often need as much fupport from Chrift, to ftand against the Children of men that are fet on fire, whofe teeth are fpears and arrows, and their tongues a fharp fword; and to quench the fiery darts of the devil, as the martyr did to ftand a fhower of ftones. 3. It is perhaps as hard to be racked with the gout, or to burn feveral days in a fever on a fick bed, as you or I may be forced to do, as to be for a few minutes. with Shadrach and his companions in a burning furnace, or to feel for a fleeting moment the anguish of bruifed flesh and a fractured skull, with our triumphant martyr. No one knows, what pangs of body and agonies of foul may accompany him through the valley of the fhadow of death. If our Lord himfelf was not above being strengthened by an angel that appeared to him from heaven, furely it is no enthufiafm to fay, that fuch feeble creatures as we are, ftand in need of a divine manifestation, to enable us to fight our last battle manfully, and to come off more than conquerors. We betray unbelief, if we fuppofe, that Christ cannot do for us what he did for Stephen; and we betray our prefumption, if we fay, we want not the affistance, which this bold champion ftood in need of. 5. The language of our church is far different: "Grant," fays fhe, in her collect for that Saint's day, " O Lord, ❝ that in all our sufferings here on earth for the testi"mony of thy truth, we may fteadfastly look up to "heaven, and, by faith, behold the glory that shall be "revealed; and, being filled with the Holy Ghost, "may learn to love and blefs our perfecutors, by the "example of thy firft martyr, St. Stephen, who pray"ed for his murderers, O bleffed Jefus, who standest

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at the right hand of God to fuccour all thofe, who fuffer for thee."

You fee, Sir, that I have the fuffrage of the Church of England; and yours too, if you do not renounce our excellent liturgy ; so that, if I am an enthusiast for expecting to be filled with the Holy Ghoft, and by faith to behold the glory that fhall be revealed, as well as St. Stephen, I am countenanced by a multitude of the beft and greateft men in the world.

But fuppofe you reject the teftimony of St. Stephen, and of all our Clergy (when in the defk) touching the reality and the neceffity too of our Lord's mani fefting himself on earth, after his afcenfion into hea ven, receive at leaft that of St. Luke and St. Paul. They both inform us, that "as Saul of Tarfus went to Damafcus, the Lord, even Jefus, appeared to him in the way. Suddenly there fhone a light from hea ven above the brightness of the fun, fo that he fell to the earth, and heard a voice, faying, Saul, Saul, why perfecuteft thou me? And he faid, who art thou Lord? And the Lord faid, I am Jefus, whom thou perfecute ft. So powerful was the effect of this manifeftation of Chrift, that the finner was turned into a faint, and the fierce, blafpheming perfecutor into a weeping, praying apostle.

Methinks I hear you fay, True, into an apostle but are we called to be apoftles? No, Sir, but we are called to be Chriftians-to be converted from fin to holinefs, and from the kingdom of darknefs to the Kingdom of God's dear Son. St. Paul's call to the apoftlefhip is nothing to his being made a child of God. Judas was a Chriftian by profeffion, an apostle by call, and a devil by nature. And what is Judas in his own place to the meaneft of God's children? -to poor Lazarus in Abraham's bofom? All, who go to heaven, are firft turned from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. This turning fometimes begins by a manifeftation of Chrift; witnefs the authentic account of Colonel Gardner's converfion, published by his judicious friend Dr. Dod

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dridge; and the more authentic one of our apoftle's converfion, recorded three times by St. Luke. And

I dare advance upon the authority of one greater than St. Luke, that no one's converfion ever was completed without the revelation of the Son of God to his heart. I am the way and the door, fays Jefus, no man cometh to the Father but by me. Look unto me, and be ye faved, all ye ends of the earth. Our looking to him for falvation would be to as little purpofe, was he not to manifeft himself to us, as our looking towards the east for light, if the fun were not to 'rife upon us.

The revelation of Chrift, productive of St. Paul's converfion, was not the only one with which the apoftle was favoured. "At Corinth the Lord encouraged and fpake to him in the night by a vision.

Be not a

fraid but fpeak and hold not thy peace; for I am with thee, and no man fhall hurt thee." On another occafion, to wean him more from earth, Christ favoured him with the nearest views of heaven. "I knew a man in Chrift, fays he, whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell, who was caught up into the third heaven into paradife, and heard words, which it is not poffible for man to utter." And he informs us

farther, that left he fhould be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, a messenger of Satan was fuffered to buffet him. When he had been brought before the Sanhedrim for preaching the gofpel, St. Luke informs us, that "the night following, the Lord ftood by him, and faid, be of good cheer, Paul; for as thou haft teftified of me in Jerufalem, fo must thou bear witnefs alfo at Rome." The fhip, in which he failed, being endangered by. a ftorm, there ftood by him, "the angel of God, whose he was, and whom he ferved, faying, Fear not, Paul, &c."

St. Paul was not the only one to whom Chrift manifefted himself in this familiar manner. Ananias of Damafcus was neither an apoitle, nor a deacon; nevertheless, to him "faid the Lord in a vifion, Ana

mias. And he faid, Behold, I am here, Lord; and the Lord faid, Arife, and go into the ftreet, which is called Straight, and enquire in the houfe of Judas for one called Saul of Tarfus; for behold he prayeth." In like manner Philip was directed to go near and join himself to the Eunuch's chariot. And St. Peter being informed, that three men fought him, Arife, faid the Lord, and go with them, doubting nothing, for I have fent them.

Whether we place these manifeftations in the clafs of the extraordinary, or of the mixt ones, we equally learn from them, lft, That the Lord Jefus revealed himself as much after his afcenfion as he did before. 2dly, That if he does it to fend his fervants with a gofpel meffage to particular perfons, he will do it much more to make that meffage effectual, and to bring falvation to thofe who wait for him.

As for the revelations of Chrift to St. John, they were fo many, that the laft book of the new teftament is called the Revelation, as containing ehiefly an account of them. "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, fays the apoftle; and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet faying, I am the first and the laft. I turned to fee the voice, that fpake with me, and I faw one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt with a golden girdle. His head and hair were as white as fnow, and his eyes as a flame of fire, his feet like unto fine brafs burning in a furnace, his voice as the found of many waters, and his countenance as the fun fhining in his ftrength. When I faw him, I fell at his feet as dead; and he laid his hand upon me, faying, Fear not, I am the firft and the last. I am he, that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive for evermore; and have the keys of hell and death. Write the things which are and fhall be." One of the things, which our Lord commanded John to write, is a moft glorious promife, that he ftands at the door of the human heart, ready to manifeft himself even to poor lukewarm Laodiceans; and that, if any man hear his voice