gives a most affecting account of the character of the Hindoos' religion as a great stimulant to crime. In fact all nations which have not been, directly or indirectly, instructed and benefitted by the Bible, are idolatrous, and in proportion as the circulation of the Scriptures is checked, men have shewn a tendency to relapse into idolatry. This fact appears very evident from the history of the Romish church. During the ninth and two following centuries,-frequently called the dark ages, the Bible was scarcely known, either in this or in the surrounding countries. What was the consequence? The people were brutish and foolish. Every measure calculated to facilitate the progress of arts and sciences was suppressed, popular literature was unknown, and religious ignorance and superstition everywhere abounded. Hence mankind, without the Bible, are enveloped in moral darkness-no matter in what country they may reside, or in what age they may live, or what be their advantages in regard to civilization and political privileges. Therefore, the Eternal Jehovah, in His infinite goodness to lost, bewildered man, has lighted up the Lamp of divine revelation to teach him the knowledge both of Himself and of his own character and condition, -to show him what He is and what we are, and to make us, through Christ, wise unto salvation. This is the great design, both of the Old and New Testaments. They are they which testify of God; which show us what is good, and what the Lord requires at our hands; which set before us the way of life and the way of death; and which teach us what we must do to be saved from the wrath to come, and to inherit eternal life.

It is not in the power of man, independently of revela

tion, to direct his thoughts and steps aright, though we can, in the exercise of our own natural, unassisted powers, do many things contained in the moral law of God; and, though we can, in many cases, even of ourselves, judge what is right, our consciences bearing witness to what is good or evil, either by excusing or accusing us accordingly, yet we are not a sufficent law unto ourselves. Though the law is written on our hearts and consciences, we can never come to a full and clear knowledge of "that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God," which is to direct us. in this life, without His Word. But in the sacred volume, the will of God is clearly revealed; and it fully instructs us in all things which belong to our peace in this life, and our eternal salvation in that life which is to come.

And if a man sin-" for in many things we all offend”— there is no other way of our being assured that we shall not perish, but by the Holy Scriptures. By them we are informed that we have an Advocate with the Father, "Jesus Christ the righteous," who "was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him ;" "He bore our sins in his own body on the tree;" “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their tresspasses unto them." Seeing that the great truths of the Christian religion are revealed to us in God's most Holy Word, we should search the Scriptures diligently and prayerfully, "and receive with meekness,” and all readiness of mind, "the engrafted word, which is able to save our souls." We ought to believe all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets, and to give the more earnest heed to the doctrines and precepts which are taught by Christ and his apostles, that we may

hold fast the form of sound words, and the faith which was once delivered to the saints. That we may not err concerning the faith, let us take care that we be not led away from the truth, by human creeds and the high pretensions of men, who are curious about "times and seasons," or what they term "the signs of the times." Many of these characters turn prophets; professing to be wise upon what is written, they pry into hidden mysteries, which we have no need to know; they have become curious and adventurous in their calculations and conclusions. From such, and such like, "foolish and UNLEARNED questions, profane and vain babblings, and opposition of sciences, falsely so called, let us turn aside." "Let us give no heed to fables,-the commandments of men, and strife about words to no profit," nor suffer ourselves to be misled by new-fangled "philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." (1 Tim. vi. 20; Col. ii. 8.) It was never more necessary to inculcate these apostolic cautions than it is at the present day. New theories, startling for their novelty, and dangerous in their tendency, under some plausible pretext or another, are constantly in process of development. All that is needful for us to know, concerning our common salvation, is plainly taught in the Bible; I mean in the English Bible, in our own plain authorized version, so that he who runs may read. "If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost; in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." 2 Cor. iv. 4.

The Scriptures, then, being plain and easy, so far as is necessary to make us wise unto salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, we ought to read them seriously, with believing hearts, not corrupting or altering anything which God hath said, or in any way perverting the meaning of Scripture so as to harmonize with our own beloved sentiments or private opinions. For thus saith the Lord, by the mouth of Moses, unto the children of Israel: "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it." Deut. iv. 2. And St. John concludes the sacred volume by saying: "If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life." Rev. xxii. 18, 19. It appears, therefore, sufficiently evident, that the Bible is infallible guide in all matters pertaining to the religion of Christianity. We shall therefore proceed to inquire what particular truth the Bible teaches respecting God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the adorable Trinity. Also what it says respecting man, relatively to his origin, his primeval state, his apostacy, his restoration and eternal salvation, together with many different points of doctrine associated therewith.

our sure,

II. ON THE ETERNAL EXISTENCE AND

ESSENCE OF DEITY.

The eternal existence of God implied in the first assertion of the Bible. Only one God, but the original word denotes a plurality. Trinity in unity. What is meant by the word person. The eternity of the Divine existence incomprehensible. God is infinite. The study of natural philosophy of importance. The Bible is a comment on nature. The significant names of the Supreme Being. God is a Spirit-a pure infinite Spirit-a Being of indescribable majesty and glory. God is invisible: several passages on this subject examined. God is an eternal Spirit. None but God is eternal. Matter is not eternal.

Ir is a fact worthy of particular notice, that revelation opens with an assertion which implies the eternal existence of the one and only true God: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth;" and that, before the work of creation, nothing existed but Himself in any part of the universe, which is evident from what Moses says in the 20th chapter of Exodus: "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is." That the self-existent Creator, and first cause of all things, is one and only one, is a truth of infinite importance, and, when fully believed, frees the mind at once from those confused and preplexing notions involved in the doctrine of Polytheism, so prevalent in almost all heathen countries, both in ancient and modern times. I am aware that the opponents of Trinitarianism say, that those who believe in