I allude to the murders that are committed in duels, and which have greatly, and increasingly, defiled our land. It has been said, and with too much reason, that our laws are sanguinary. They doubtless are so in many instances; but on the subject of duelling, whether from the laws themselves, or from the influence of those who administer them, or from the connivance of those who are sworn to give a verdict according to them, they are criminally lax: and on this account, as well as for the cruelties of the slavetrade, God has a controversy with us. I know that political expediency is urged in support of both these evils: but what have we to do with expediency in express opposition to the commands of God? Let me recall to your minds that declaration of God already cited, that "blood defileth the land, and that the blood that is shed therein cannot be cleansed but by the blood of him that shed it:" and let me turn your attention to another passage, which I would to God that every senator might hear, yea that it might reach the ears of majesty itself, forasmuch as it would reflect no inconsiderable light on the circumstances in which we are involved: you will find it written in 2 Kings xxiv. 2—4. "The Lord sent against him (the king of Judah) bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it. . . . Surely at the commandment of the Lord came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; and also for the innocent blood that he shed, (for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood,) which the Lord would not pardon." The Jews probably ascribed the INVASION of their country to the cupidity or anger of the Babylonish monarch: and we also itself may in some cases contribute to the evil which it is intended to repress; to repress I say, rather than to punish; for, if public report may be credited, the penalty recently adjudged was expressly said to be, not a punishment inflicted on the offender, but a compensation to the injured party. In this view the crime is never punished as a crime, when no less a punishment than death was by God's law to be awarded to it.

may trace our present dangers to the insatiable ambition of a tyrant: but in our case, as well as theirs, it is certain, that " at the commandment of the Lord all this is come upon us:" and the same reason also may be assigned, "Our land is defiled with blood," with the blood of thousands of our fellow-creatures in Africa, and with the blood of murderous duellists in our own land; with "blood (I say) which the Lord will not pardon." Moreover, these iniquities must be considered as sanctioned by the legislature, because they who alone have the power, adopt no measures to cleanse the land from these horrible defilements. God therefore has taken the matter into his own. hands, and has stirred up once more our inveterate enemies to avenge his quarrel. The time is come when he is about to "make inquisition for blood," and when he will require at our hands both the innocent blood that we have shed, and the guilty blood which we have forborne to shed. O that we might take warning ere it be too late; and put away the evils which are likely to involve us in utter ruin!

Thus it appears that the ordinance before us is by no means uninstructive, or irrelevant to the present occasion, when God's representatives in judgment are about to investigate causes, and to execute the laws. And we hope that in delivering our sentiments on such momentous concerns we shall not be thought to have exceeded our province, or to have transgressed the rules which modesty, combined with faithfulness, would prescribe.

But we are to consider the appointment of these cities of refuge in another view also; namely, II. As a typical institution

The whole of the Mosaic economy was "a shadow of good things to come;" and the typical import of it is illustrated at large in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Of course it cannot be expected that every particular part of it should be opened to us with the same precision. What was most essential to the understanding of Christianity, was explained to us

This was an Assize Sermon, preached at Cambridge, July, 1803.

fully, and the parallel drawn by an infallible hand. What was less necessary, was merely referred to, without any express delineation of its import; its signification being clearly to be gathered from the light reflected on other parts, and from the analogy of faith.

There is not much said respecting the typical import of the cities of refuge; yet there are plain and manifest allusions to it. The prophet says, "Turn to your strong hold, ye prisoners of hope;" in which words he marks the precise state of those who had fled to the cities, as "prisoners of hope." St. Paul speaks of Christians as "fleeing for refuge to the hope set before them;" wherein he alludes not only to the cities themselves, but to the care taken to keep the roads leading to them in good repair, and by direction-posts to point it out to those, who, if retarded by obstacles, or detained by inquiries, might lose their lives. Again, alluding to the danger of those who should be found out of the borders of the city, he expresses his earnest desire to "be found in Christ." But in explaining images of this kind there is need of much caution and sobriety, lest, while we endeavour to illustrate Scripture, we give occasion to the adversary to regard it as fanciful and absurd. We are however in no danger of exceeding the limits of sober interpretation, if we say that the cities of refuge were intended to teach us three things;

That we are all obnoxious unto death;

That there is one only way for our escape; and, That they who flee to the appointed refuge are safe for ever.

That we are all obnoxious unto death, is plain to every one that acknowledges the authority of Scripture. We all are sinners: as sinners, we are condemned by the holy law of God; which says, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." We are therefore in the situation of the man-slayer, pursued by him whose right it is to avenge himself on

d Deut. xix. 3.

us for our transgressions. Whether our transgressions have been more or less heinous, his right is the same, and our danger is the same, if we be overtaken by his avenging arm. We may urge many pleas in extenuation of our guilt; but they will be of no avail. We may not have been so bad as others; but we "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God:"-" every mouth therefore must be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God." The very calling of Christ by the name, Saviour, is a plain confession, that in ourselves we are lost; for "he came to save only that which was lost."

Further proof of this being unnecessary, we proceed to observe next,

That there is but one way for our escape

There were many cities in Canaan; but none afforded protection to the man-slayer, except those which had been separated for that express purpose. We too may think that there are many refuges for us; but all, except one, will be found" refuges of lies, which will be swept away with the besom of destruction." Repentances, reformations, almsdeeds, are all good and proper in their place; but none of them, nor all together, can ward off the sword of divine vengeance, or afford security to our souls. Christ is the only refuge: his blood alone can expiate our guilt: "his name is the tower to which we are to run for safety;" "neither is there any other name given under heaven whereby we can be saved." The man-slayer might perchance escape the vigilance of the avenger, or, if overtaken, might successfully withstand him but who can elude the search of the Almighty, or resist his power? The hope is vain. We must flee to Christ, or perish for ever.

The urgency of the case is methinks a sufficient reason for our fleeing to Christ with all expedition. But if we need any further stimulus, let us reflect on the next hint suggested by the text; namely,

That they who flee to the appointed refuge are safe for ever

The man-slayer might stand within the gates of

the city, and defy the threats of his adversary: for the whole city were pledged for his security. And may not the sinner, who has taken refuge in Christ, behold without alarm the threatenings of the law, secured as he is by the promise and oath of Jehovah? From the city of refuge indeed they who had committed wilful murder were brought forth for execution. But was ever one cast out who came to Christ? Was ever one taken from that sanctuary in order that he might suffer the sentence of the law? It is possible that through the remissness of the magistrates the rights of those privileged cities might be violated: but who shall violate the engagements of Jehovah? Who shall break in to destroy a sinner lodged in the bosom of his Lord? God himself assures us, that "there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus."

There is however a striking and salutary intimation given us, respecting the necessity not only of fleeing to Christ, but of abiding in him. If the man-slayer for one moment ventured beyond the bounds of the city, he lost his privilege, and became exposed to the wrath of the avenger. Thus, if after we have escaped, as we think, from the vengeance of our God, we grow insensible of our guilt and danger, and do not carefully, by renewed applications to the Saviour, abide in him, we expose ourselves to the most imminent peril: for, as "we cannot escape if we neglect so great salvation," so neither can we, "if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth: there will remain nothing for us then but a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation to consume us." Our situation will even be worse than ever; and "our latter end be worse than the beginning for it would have been better never to have known the way of righteousness, than, after we have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to us."

Permit me then to address you all as in the situation before described, (for none of us will presume to deny that we are sinners, or that, as sinners, we are obnoxious to the divine displeasure;) and let me