*And I have often remarked, that whatever subject I have been upon, after having explained the truths contained therein, I have been _naturally_ and _easily_ led to Christ as the _substance_ of every one. If I treated on the being and glorious perfections of God, I was thence _naturally_ led to discourse of Christ as the only “way to the Father.”――If I attempted to open the misery of our fallen state, it was natural from thence to shew the necessity of Christ to undertake for us, to atone for our sins, and to redeem us from the power of them.――If I taught the commands of God, and shewed our violation of them, this brought me in the most easy way, to speak of the Lord Jesus Christ, as one who had “magnified the law” we had broken, and who was “become the end of it for righteousness, to every one that believes.” And never did I find so much freedom and assistance in making all the various lines of my discourses meet together, and center in Christ, as I have frequently done among these Indians.
*I have frequently been enabled to represent the divine glory, the infinite preciousness and transcendent loveliness of the great Redeemer; the suitableness of his person and purchase to supply the wants, and answer the utmost desires of immortal souls.――To open the infinite riches of his grace, and the wonderful encouragement proposed in the gospel to unworthy, helpless sinners.――To call, invite, and beseech them to come and give up themselves to him, and be reconciled to God through him.――To expostulate with them respecting their neglect of one so infinitely lovely, and freely offered.――And _this_ in _such a manner_, with such freedom, pertinency, pathos, and application to the conscience, as I never could have made myself master of by the most assiduous application. And I have often at such seasons been surprisingly helped in adapting my discourses to the _capacities_ of my people, and bringing them down into such easy, vulgar, and familiar methods of expression, as has rendered them intelligible even to Pagans.
_Secondly_, It is worthy of remark, that numbers of these people are brought to a strict compliance with the rules of _morality_ and _sobriety_, and to a conscientious performance of the _external duties_ of Christianity; without their having them frequently inculcated upon them.
God was pleased to give the grand gospel truths such a powerful influence upon their minds, that their lives ♦were quickly reformed, without repeated harangues upon _external_ duties. There was indeed no room for any discourses but those that respected the _essentials_ of religion, and the _experimental_ knowledge of divine things, while there were so many inquiring daily, not how they should regulate their _external_ conduct; but how they should escape from the wrath to come――obtain an _effectual change of heart_, and get an interest in Christ.――So that my _great work_ still was to lead them into a further view of their total depravity: to shew that there was no goodness in them: no good dispositions or desires; no love to God, or delight in his commands; but, on the contrary, hatred, enmity, and all manner of wickedness.――And at the same time to open to them the glorious remedy provided in Christ for helpless perishing sinners, and offered freely to those who have no goodness of their own, no “works of righteousness,” to recommend them to God.
♦ “werely” replaced with “were”
When these truths were felt _at heart_, there was no vice unreformed, ――no external duty neglected.――――Drunkenness, the darling vice, was broken off, and scarce an instance of it known for months together. The practice of _husbands_ and _wives_ in putting away each other, and taking others, was quickly reformed. The same might be said of all other vices.――――The reformation was general; from the _internal_ influence of divine truths upon their hearts; and not because they had heard these vices particularly exposed, and repeatedly spoken against.
*So that experience, as well as the word of God, and the example of Christ and his apostles, have taught me, that the preaching, which is best suited to awaken in mankind a lively apprehension of their depravity and misery,――to excite them earnestly to seek after a change of heart, and to _fly for refuge_ to Christ, as the only _hope set before them_, is most _successful_ toward the reformation of their external conduct.――I have found that close applications of divine truth to the conscience, strike death to the root of all vice; while smooth harangues upon _moral virtues_ and _external duties_, at best only lop off the _branches_ of corruption.