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towards them which they exercise towards themselves. Influ enced by such notions, they will trust in God, to patronize them in an evil course. But it is not the true God-it is a phantom of the imagination-that is the object of their trust. Persons of this description are apt to be punctilious and abundant in the performance of the ceremonies of religion, while they are, at the same time, regardless of heart-purity and moral rectitude. They neglect the weightier matters of the law;" and think to make up for the defect, by tithing " mint, annise and cummin." They may love to talk of their experiences, be seemingly much engaged in what they think the spiritualities of religion, and deeply concerned for the salvation of the souls of others, while their own souls are far, very far, from being right with God in this essential matter of trusting in him. The truth is, they feel towards God as a partisan towards his leader, a client towards his patron; and imagine, that, whatever position they take, they are always "on the Lord's side." They conceive that he, of course, is bound to favor them. His cause cannot well be managed without them. Their prayers and efforts avail much. They affect an indecent familiarity with the " King Immortal, Eternal and Invisible," and act as if he needed their advice and the aid of their ingenious contrivances, to carry on the affairs of his kingdom: as if he had not, already, prescribed, in a Book, to which no supplement is needed, the whole of what they and all men ought to know and to do in obedience to his will. Where there is much of this arrogance there must be great weakness and little genuine piety; probably none at all. Yet, such persons are usually confident of their state. They profess to trust God; but their character resembles, too much, that of those whom the Master describes, Matt. 7:21,22. “Not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

The gospel, as has been already noticed, is a persuasive argument: and faith in the Author of the gospel is an active principle. It supposes a purpose. He that trusts another trusts him for something which he expects him to perform, or with something which he believes will be safe in his hands. The believer does both these things: he trusts God with all that he is, and for all that he desires.

Now, there is nothing in the character of God to encourage, much less justify, the expectation that he will favor, or even connive at, iniquity. The wicked-those who allow themselves in an evil course those who are careless even, as to purity and integrity of their principles-cannot, therefore, really trust God. They may, indeed, so far mistake his character, or their own, or both, as to imagine that he will be their friend. But they will be disappointed. It is giving a representation of the matter infinitely below the truth, to say that their confidence is unauthorized:—it is, in the highest degree, insulting to the Almighty. It implies the opinion that he is accessible to corruption, and may be gained over to the side of injustice and iniquity!--What a blasphemous imputation to be cast upon the character of the thrice holy God! Holiness confederate with sin! Iniquity on the throne of the universe! Omnipotence and infinite Wisdom pledged to the cause of universal and eternal disorder and misrule! Such a supposition involves in it the sum and substance of all moral absurdities: and yet it must be verified in fact, or else the confidence of the wicked will be disappointed. The government of the Eternal is fixed. "Justice and judgment are the habitation of his throne. Righteousness and truth go before his face." He is not subject to partialities. He has no favorites. He cannot be bribed or flattered. The prayers of the wicked are an abomination to him. He delights in goodness, and the entire system of things throughout the universe he will so move and direct, as to secure its interests.

So deeply fixed in the human heart is the truth of these sentiments, that fear is always the companion of guilt. The enlightened sinner finds it the most difficult of all things to trust or believe in God. The majesty and purity of the divine character repel him: a sense of unworthiness dashes his rising hopes. Hence the necessity for some strong manifestation of mercy, made in such a way as to preserve the character of God from the imputation that he might connive at sin-an imputation which the unqualified and indiscriminate exercise of mercy would seem to justify. Such a manifestation only can encourage the confidence, and "revive the spirit, of the contrite ones." Here, precisely, lies the glory of the gospel, that it gives such a manifestation-soothing to the penitent, by the hopes of pardon which it inspires; repulsive to the light and inconsiderate expectations of the careless, and the hypocritical, by exhibiting the claims of justice not abated, not neutralized, but sustained and preserved in their utmost vigor on the principle of vicarious atonement. How full of authority, blended with the most at

tractive, overwhelming kindness, is the language of the text, considered as proceeding from the lips of the Author of this atonement, or as I should rather say, from his heart-from the heart of Love-the seat of infinite benevolence and compassion -and addressed to the guilty and the helpless! And, when the heart has been brought to feel its guilt and helplessness, and is made to hear this language—that is the "joyful sound"—that is the "hearing" by which "faith cometh." Then trust in God, and in his Christ, springs up in the soul-working by love— purifying the heart, giving strength for work and for warfare and for suffering, till this state of trial and discipline is ended, and faith gives place to vision, and hope to enjoyment.

The principle, then, or essential element, of faith is trust in God. This one principle may be acted out in various ways. One, and a principal one, of these is "a belief of the truth." The credit we give to the statements of any person in whom we have confidence, is one of the ways in which that confidence exerts itself. Yet, some truth must be believed respecting God, before we can trust him: "He that cometh unto God must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of all them that diligently seek him." If it be asked, Is there no more than this necessary to be believed in order to faith, and therefore, to salvation? the safest answer would be, That we should, on such points, confine ourselves to "what is written." Infants are saved without the actual belief of any truth. Cornelius had faith before Peter was sent to preach to him. For, before that, his prayers and alms came up with acceptance before God: and without faith, we know, it is impossible to please God. The saints of the Old Testament had faith: but they did not believe all the truths of the gospel, for these truths were not all then revealed. That the heathen world, generally speaking, are out of the way of salvation, is a lamentable fact, made manifest by their atrocious vices. But, that many orthodox assenters to the truths of christianity are in the same deplorable condition-is not this a fact, made manifest with equal certainty, and by the saine means? That it is impossible for any individual living, or whe ever did live, beyond the sound of the gospel, to have such a knowledge of the character and will of God as to lead to faith in him, I would not take upon me to affirm. Neither the Bible nor our standards would warrant such an affirmation. But the question, How much truth is necessary for a man to believe in order to faith or trust in God? is widely different from this other question with which it has sometimes, strangely, been confounded, How much truth must a man believe, in order to his becom

answer.

ing a member of the Presbyterian church under the care of the General Assembly? The former of these questions no man can No answer that could be given would apply in all cases. The same quantity of truth, which might suffice in certain circumstances, might not, in others. But the latter of these questions let our standards answer. Break down these standards

-and our sanctuary would become a Babel. Good people cannot all meet together for worship in the same church, at any rate. Let those meet together who can agree. Paul and Barnabas had a contention; and they separated, to end it. Some think they have found "a more excellent way." For one, I must approve of the conduct of Paul and Barnabas, not for their dissention, but for their agreeing to separate, rather than prolong the dispute. But their separation was not a separation of Christian fellowship, nor of church fellowship. That is a very different matter. Alas! for the divisions into communions-separate, hostile communions, which have taken place in the church of Christ! And yet, it seems, they are too few! What is the cause? What is the cause! Does not every body see, that it is the unhallowed, the absurd fondness of too many theologians for carrying the spirit of light, flippant, superficial speculation into every thing sacred. In theology there can be no discoveries. Practical theology has been settled long ago: mystical theology never can be settled by disquisition. It is not a matter for disquisition, but for implicit credence. The Homousians and the Homoiousians, had they lived and disputed incessantly till this day, (as, by the help of Aristotle, they might,) would have been no nearer an agreement than when their discussion began. They discussed-the essence of God!

In like manner, the circumstantials of Christianity never can be settled by disputation. Were the Christian world prepared to receive the truth, many particulars here might be specified. But the Christian world has not yet learned that the "kingdom of heaven is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Plain, practical things are neglected, because we would be profound! Paul, discoursing on a certain subject, stopped short, as if on the brink of an unfathomable abyss, and exclaimed, "O, the depth!" But, now, there are those thanks to "the march of mind" who can fathom these depths!

In the mean time, the plain facts, precepts and doctrines of the Gospel-rich mines of glory and beauty-themes which "the angels desire to look into," and which it were worthy the eloquence

of an angel's tongue to preach-are contemptuously passed by! And some miserable Shibboleth is taken up instead. And this it is, which has divided the church-yea, and threatens still further to divide the church!

Opposites illustrate each other. The opposite of faith is unbelief. Unbelief were a venial sin, compared with what it is, did it consist in withholding the assent of the understanding from any one truth, or from all the truths, contained in the Bible. But in this-in any thing like this-it does not consist. It lies deep in man's moral nature. No amount of evidence can conquer it. The wicked do not believe in the good. There are those among us, who think themselves wiser than common people, and possessed of stronger thinking faculties than the most-because their understandings are balanced in sceptical equilibrium on the question, whether there is a God! Why? Has nature no voice to them? Is there no earth for them to see, teeming with fruits, and clothed in beauty? No succession of day and night?—no revolving seasons?-no varying winds and flying clouds?-no stars, glittering in the azure sky?-no moon, walking in brightness, to cheer the night?-no sun, with floods of golden radiance, creating the day? Are they incapable of discerning, throughout all nature, a perfect harmony and adjustment of one thing to another-the signatures of power, wisdom and goodness in every thing around them, especially in every thing that lives and moves? No. They are not idiots. Why, then, not recognize a Presiding Mind? Because one of the attributes of that mind is Goodness, and they do not believe in goodness, on earth, or in heaven. It has been justly said, that if reason be against a man, he will be against reason. So here: if goodness be against a man, he will be against goodness. Unbelief, like faith, belongs not chiefly or primarily to the head: it consists in the estrangement of the heart from God and moral excellence, and its consequent supreme devotion to the world and self. The reason why unbelief rejects the truth of God, is because it belongs to its nature to withhold its confidence from goodness when it speaks, as well as when it exerts itself in any other way.

To this is owing its damning malignity. Men" choose darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil." To say, that a man's belief must necessarily be according to the evidence, is as shallow in philosophy, as it is false in theology. Except in abstract science, the intellect never acts independently. In all other cases it is in the power of taste and passion to dethrone reason, and usurp her place. In common life this is