the accusing devil of guilt, which daily seeks a harbor in our own bosoms; not to be saved only from the flames and torments of hell in the unseen division of human life, but to be saved first from the hell of fear and suffering which sin and outraged conscience always kindle in a guilty heart; not to win a dreamy rest in sensuous happiness in the yet unseen heaven, but by a patient, generous, and hopeful activity to keep our spirits continually in a heaven of purity and peace, and joy and hope, like an exhaustless fountain, upward springing towards an everlasting life. For so much and so far as it will exist, the hell of that life will grow out of the hell which begins in this life, and the heaven of this life will grow up into the heaven of that now unseen part of the eternal life which is the inalienable heritage of every soul.

DISCOURSE IV.

SPIRITS IN THE CHURCH.

GOD HATH NOT GIVEN US THE SPIRIT OF FEAR, BUT OF POWER, AND OF LOVE, AND OF A SOUND MIND. 2 Timothy i. 7.

THESE lucid and significant words of Paul may justly be employed, not only by the Liberal Christians of the times, as descriptive of their own condition, but also as describing a characteristic of this country and this generation. It is true that much of the religion existing around us is founded on the sentiment of fear. It is not gratitude, not reverence, not the feeling of dependence expressing itself in worship. It is apprehension, or dread of some supposed or possible evil, which is to be deprecated, and if possible averted.

This remark is not intended as an assertion that most of the external observances of religion are made under the immediate influence of fear. This would imply more direct reflection than is usually given to each personal act. But on a close analysis it will be ascertained, that the original motive of

many, if not most persons, in acts which are called religious, is an apprehension of some ultimate personal evil to themselves. Yet it is certain that, among nominal Christians generally, the spirit of fear is not predominant, whether as to the future of what is called time, or the future of what is called eternity. Follow men out into their various vocations, into the business of all professions, into the daily and constant occurrences of domestic life, and ascertain if possible how much the element of fear enters into their immediate motives or feelings, prompting them to action or restraining them from action, impelling them to one course or restraining them from another course. You will probably find that fear is the very lowest in the scale of considerations by which they are influenced. Fear neither of God, of Satan, of hell, of suffering, or punishment of any kind, temporal or eternal, is found to be a powerful, ever-present motive, impelling to or deterring men from action. In the study of the student, in the office of the lawyer, in the counting-room or warehouse of the merchant, in the workshop of the artisan, in the store, in the market, or on the street, where is the man who pauses over every act, and every transaction, and asks himself, What evil may this possibly bring upon me, in a future existence after death? Where is the man who at every act pauses and puts the question to himself, What evil may this possibly bring upon me twenty, ten, or five years after this, here in the present life? Can you find one such man? It will scarcely be deemed presumptuous to allege, that among the three-and-twenty millions of this nation there is no

such man. No, the spirit of fear, whether as to temporal or eternal things, is not the spirit of our people. It is not the characteristic of our age. In this respect some old things have passed away, even if all things have not become new. It is more than probable, that, with a respectable portion of the religious world, the spirit of fear is predominant during the worship hours of the first day of every week. But among those who fear the most, even one day in seven, the pulpit presents Christianity as a scheme of redemption, which serves somewhat as an anodyne to soothe their spirits, and gently and speedily to dissipate their momentary apprehensions. Then every Monday morning, most, if not all, enter upon the routine of ordinary business, with hearts almost free from every shadow of fear which annoyed them for an hour on the previous day. Why is this so? Perhaps it is because of the increase and prevalence of a spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind.

In the course of human progress, man has acquired a larger knowledge of his own power, and has a deeper confidence in his own capacities. The discoveries in science by the few have developed the faculties of the many, and man now finds revealed what was always true, though unperceived, — the great law of adaptation in the universe, and the natural tendency of all things to good. Men now perceive, with more or less distinctness, that all which is called evil, is not inherent in things,— is not the natural order of things, but is the result of restraining, perverting, or in some manner departing from the divine order of nature. Even the proudest

race.

city of Greece in her most palmy days, with all her art, philosophy, and elegant culture, referred everything to gods, and found gods for everything. When overtaken by calamities, in the spirit of fear they erected an altar to the "Unknown God." They seemed to regard each particular evil as the visitation of some one of many conflicting deities; and lest the author of some special visitation should not be numbered in their catalogue of known divinities, the propitiatory altar to the unknown deity was supposed to meet the exigency, and avert the divine displeasure. God is not now believed in as a local, national God, arbitrarily blessing one man or one race, and arbitrarily cursing another man or another The Deity is now worshipped as the sustaining power and life of the universe, leaving man free to bring joy or sorrow to himself by improvement or misimprovement of his powers, yet in boundless wisdom directing all things toward some grander destiny than any now within our actual comprehension. Human knowledge is both more profound and comprehensive now. Probably better than ever before are perceived the true relations of things, animate and inanimate, spiritual and material. The practical application of this knowledge to human wants and comforts indicates clearly the control which man, or mind, may have over the material or visible elements of nature. Man understands better his just pre-eminence in the order of things, and the spirit of love supersedes the spirit of fear, the spirit of power supplants the spirit of superstitious servility. This spirit of power and spirit of love are now the spirits in the Church.