upon which the incredulous continually striking, as upon dangerous rocks, make shipwreck of all their boasted morality.

The last article, recounted in this part of our creed, must be supposed to have a prodigious influence upon the minds of men. Take away the doctrine of a judgment day, in which an infinitely holy and powerful God will render unto every man according to his works; you then take from the wicked those salutary fears which restrain them in the career of vice, and from the righteous those glorious hopes which are the strongest incentives to a life of godliness.

CHAPTER VII.

The connection of morality with the third part of the apostles' creed.

THE first article, in the third part of this ancient confession of faith, respects the confidence which every believer indulges in the Divine grace, or rather, in that Holy Spirit which sanctifies the sinful and con. soles the afflicted. If, by an obstinate incredulity, we reject this sacred Comforter, we refuse the wisdom and power which result from an intimate union with the Father of lights, and disclaim all fellowship with that Divine Mediator, whose humanity is far removed from the sight of men. As we could derive no possible advantage from a sun, whose rays, concentrated in himself, should neither visit our eyes with their cheering light, nor our bodies with their kindly heat, so, if the Almighty neither illuminates our minds by the Spirit of truth, nor animates our souls by the Spirit of charity, we may reasonably suppose him to have as little interest in the concerns of men as the statue of Olympian Jupiter.

The remainder of this creed respects the nature of the Church and the privileges of its members.

To destroy the doctrines which relate to the holiness of those who truly appertain to the Church of God, the universality of that Church, and "the communion of those saints" of whom it is composed;-this is to overthrow the barriers which form the pale of the Church, confounding the holy with the profane, and the sincere with the hypocritical.

Take away the doctrine that "respects the remission of sins," and you leave us in a state of the most cruel uncertainty. You take away from penitents that expectation which sustains them; and from believers the gratitude that engages them to love much, because much has been forgiven them, Luke vii, 47. You destroy the most powerful motive we have to pardon the offences of our neighbour, Eph. iv, 32, and leave us in a state of solicitude incompatible with that internal peace which is the peculiar privilege of Christians, John xiv, 27.

Rob us of the doctrine of a future resurrection, and you leave us weak in times of danger, alarmed in times of sickness, and wholly in bondage to the fear of death. But, while we remain in possession of this exhilarating truth, we can follow, without fear, the standard of the cross; the most cruel torments are rendered tolerable; and we can submit, without repining, to a temporary death, looking forward to a glori ous resurrection and a happy immortality.

CHAPTER VIII.

Consequences of the foregoing observations.

ALL crimes are founded upon those errors which are first embraced in theory, before they are adopted in practice, Overthrow these errors by opposing to them pure and incontrovertible doctrines, and you destroy sin in the bud. On the other hand, true virtue is produced by truth. Oppose a lie to this truth, and, if it be admitted, you destroy the seeds of virtue. So long as the first man had his heart penetrated with the certainty of this doctrine, "If I am ungrateful enough to disobey my Creator, I shall die," so long he remained in a state of innocence. But to this doctrine the tempter opposed his false promises. You shall not surely die," said he; on the contrary, "you shall become [wise and happy] as gods." No sooner were these delusive doctrines assented to on the part of Adam, but his understanding becoming necessarily clouded, his will was immediately beguiled: and thus, blindly following the temp tation, he fell into an abyss of misery.

Doctrines, whether they be good or bad, still continue to have the same influence upon the conduct of men; and to suppose the contrary, is to suppose that light and darkness can never cease to produce their ordinary effects. The following doctrine, "Out of the pale of the Romish Church there is no salvation," has filled Europe with fires, scaffolds, and massacres. Eradicate this doctrine from every prejudiced heart, and plant in its room the following Scriptural truth, “God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation, he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him," and, in the place of stream. ing blood, we shall see streams of charity uninterruptedly flowing through every Christian kingdom.

The miser imagines that riches are the sovereign good, and that the highest pleasure consists in counting over and over his splendid hoards. The debauched youth is confident that the sovereign good consists in sensual gratification, and the highest gratification in the enjoyment of a frail beauty, destined to be the prey of worms. Destroy these groundless persuasions by solid doctrines: demonstrate to these infatuated creatures that God himself is the sovereign good, and that this good is offered to us in Jesus Christ; and that the highest enjoyment consists in having the heart penetrated with Divine love, and in looking forward with a lively hope of being one day eternally united to God. Convince them of these momentous truths, and the charms by which they have been captivated so long, will be immediately broken. Ah! how delightful is it to behold such sensual reasoners awaking from their deathful slumber, and crying out, with St. Augustine, "O eternal sweetness! Ineffable greatness! Beauty for ever new! Truth, whose charms have been so long unnoticed, alas, how much time have I lost in not loving thee !"

Sound reason must unavoidably submit to the force of these observavations, the truth of which is demonstrated by the general conduct of mankind. But, perhaps, the best method of reasoning with the incredu. lous, is to point out the consequences of their own system. Imagine a man, who, instead of receiving the doctrines of the Gospel, publicly

presumes to make the following declaration: "I believe not in God the Creator: I trust not in any Mediator, nor acknowledge any sanctifying Spirit. And, as I believe not in God, so I believe not in what is called his Church; nor do I look upon the communion of those who worship him in any other light than that of a mere chimera. I believe not in the remission of sins. I look for no resurrection, nor indulge any hope of everlasting life. Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die." Were any man seriously to repeat in your hearing such a confession of his faith, would you fix upon such a one for the management of your estate? Would you intrust him with the charge of your wife, or choose him for the guardian of your children? Would it be possible for you to depend upon his word, or confide in his honesty? Now, imagine this very infidel, in some future season, convinced of his former errors, and firmly persuaded that he acts under the eye of an omniscient God, who will bring "every work into judgment, with every secret thing," Eceles. xii, 14: suppose him smiting upon his breast with the peni tent publican, and determining, with St. Paul, to know nothing "among men save Jesus Christ and him crucified," 1 Cor. ii, 2: would you not indulge a better opinion of this man, in his believing state, than when he rejected, with modern philosophers, the doctrines of Christianity? It could not possibly be otherwise so true it is, that, in certain cases, your conduct will give the lie to your arguments against the utility of evangelical doctrines.

J. J. Rousseau professes to have hated bad maxims less than evil actions: when, as a wise man, he should have detested the former as the cause of the latter. It is not sufficient that we profess to make the principles of virtue the ground of our conduct, unless that basis be established upon an immovable foundation. Without attending to this rule, we resemble those Indians, who suppose the world to be founded upon the back of an elephant, while that elephant is supported by the shell of a tortoise; and who, perfectly satisfied with such a discovery, attempt not to understand any more of the matter.

A system of morality, how beautiful soever it may appear, unless it be supported by doctrines of the utmost consistency and firmness, may be compared to a splendid palace erected upon the sands: in some unexpected storm it will assuredly be swept away, proving, at once, the disgrace of its builder, and the ruin of its inhabitant.

CHAPTER IX.

An appeal to experience.

EXPERIENCE goes far in the decision of many difficult questions, and before it the most subtle sophism cannot long maintain its ground. To this, therefore, we cheerfully appeal for the happy effects of the Gospel. Ye incredulous sages of the day, show us a single enemy to the doctrines of revelation, who may truly be called an humble man, conducting himself soberly, justly, and religiously, in all the trying circumstances of life. Through the whole circle of your infidel acquaintance, you will seek such a one in vain.

If it be said that J. J. Rousseau, though a professed skeptic, presented us with the portrait of a perfectly honest man: we answer, in the first place, that J. J. Rousseau rejected not the Gospel as an obstinate enemy; but rather counted it an affliction that he was unable to embrace its doc. trines. And, secondly, that this philosopher was equally destitute of humility and religion.

It must be confessed that there are multitudes of inconsistent persons in the world, who constantly deceive themselves, and who frequently delude others, by their fallacious notions of faith and incredulity. We meet with many, who, while they rank themselves in the number of believers, are usually employed in the works of infidels, And, on the other hand, we observe divers penitent worshippers, who, through an excess of humility, account themselves no better than infidels, while they manifest in their conduct the fidelity of Christians. But these par, ticular exceptions are insufficient to destroy the general rule here contended for: since the former must be looked upon as believers, and the latter as infidels, only in appearance. The first have not sincerity enough to acknowledge their secret incredulity; and the last have not light sufficient to determine their exact advancement in the Christian faith. The latter deserve our pity, while the former merit our indignation.

But turn your eyes upon an enlightened believer. Behold St. Paul, after his memorable submission to the persecuted Jesus! The love of God possesses his soul, and he consecrates all his powers to the service of his exalted Master. Appointed to instruct the ignorant, he discharges his important commission with indefatigable zeal. Carrying to the afflicted both spiritual and temporal succours, he appears to be borne from east to west, as upon the wings of an eagle. He is ready to spend and be spent for the common interests of mankind. He proves his fidelity and gratitude to Christ at the hazard of his life. His magna. nimity and fortitude, his resignation and patience, his generosity and candour, his benevolence and constancy, are at once, the amazement of his enemies and the glory of his followers. Behold this converted Pharisee, and acknowledge the wondrous efficacy of evangelical doctrines.

Ye slaves of philosophical prejudice! how long will you mistake the nature of doctrines so happily adapted to humble supercilious man, so perfectly calculated to destroy both presumption and despair; to bend the most hardened under the tender pressure of mercy, and carry up grateful believers to the sublimest summit of virtue? Behold three thousand Jews submitting, at the same instant, to the constraining power of these doctrines. Through their transcendent efficacy, innumerable miracles are still daily operated among us. They dispel the mists of ignorance, they destroy the seeds of injustice, they extinguish irregular desires, and open in the heart a source of universal charity! Thus, "the multitude of them that [formerly] believed were of one heart and one soul," &c. Enjoying together the sovereign Good, it was not pos sible for them to contend with each other for the trifling enjoyments of time and sense. God had given them his only begotten Son; how then could they refuse any thing to their indigent brethren!

Long after St. Luke had borne testimony to the unexampled charity

of Christians, we find Tertullian citing the following testimony, which his heathen cotemporaries were constrained to bear in favour of the same Christian virtue. 66 Behold," say they, "how these Christians love, and are prepared to die for each other!" "Yes," adds this celebrated Christian father, "we who have but one heart and one soul are not afraid to have one purse. Among us all things are common, except our wives."**

If the testimony here produced should be disregarded, because drawn from the writings of a professed advocate for Christianity, we will readily come to another test. Pliny bears witness to the pure conversation of the persecuted Christians of his time. And the Emperor Julian himself, one of the most enlightened, as well as implacable enemies of Christianity, exhorted his heathen subjects to practise among themselves the duties of charity, after the example of Christians, "who abound," said he, "in acts of benevolence." And as to the joy, with which they sacrificed their lives, when occasion so required, "they go," continues he, "to death as bees swarm to the hive." Such influence have the doctrines of our holy religion upon the conduct of its sincere professors, even by the confession of their inveterate enemies.

It appears, then, that St. Paul was employed like an experienced moralist, while he was engaged in erecting the sacred edifice of morality upon the solid foundation of evangelical truths. And the doctrines he made choice of, as peculiarly suited to this purpose, were those which respect the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. Upon these he laid the greatest stress, and from these he drew his most persuasive arguments to virtue and piety. Witness that memorable exhortation delivered to his Roman converts: "I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service," Rom. xii, 1.

To withhold from the degenerate this cheering truth that "they are bought with a price," 1 Cor. vi, 20, is to deny them one of the most powerful motives to love and glorify "God in their bodies and in their souls," which appertain to him by the endearing right of redemption, as well as by that original right of creation, to which they are generally rendered insensible by the afflictions and disappointments of life. Instruct them concerning the sanctity of the Divine law; set before them the guilt of their innumerable offences, and the just fears to which such discoveries must naturally give rise, will make existence itself an intolerable burden. But when the Gospel of our redemption begins to dissipate their doubts, and allay the anguish of their remorse, they will be enabled to go on their way rejoicing through the strictest paths of obedience and morality.

Vide, inquiunt [gentes] ut [isti Christiani] invicem se diligunt, et ut pro alte rutro mori sunt parati. Qui animo animaque miscemur, nihil de rei communicatione dubitamus. Omnia indiscreta sunt apud nos, præter uxores. Apologeticus, chap. 39.