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sent age, and which all good men must be equally solicitous to counteract; is not, we trust, to be attributed to a defect of system in our public seminaries, or to the wilful neglect of those whose duty it is to superintend them; so much as to the notorious prevalence of some other causes, over which they have no controul.

Still the charge in question, indiscriminate and unqualified as it is, being of a nature to do injury, without the probability of doing good; the Framers of it cannot but expect, to be made amenable to the private judgement of every individual, who feels interested for the credit of the society of which he is a member. For my own part, I should consider myself unworthy the advantages I may have received from a public education, as well as unjust to the sentiment I entertain of the excellency of the Wiccamical Institution; did I forego the present opportunity of entering my decided protest against a charge, so far at least as that Institution is concerned in it, notoriously false in itself; a charge which I conceive, has not been more inconsiderately made, than it has been injudiciously circulated.

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DISCOURSE VIII.

HEB. XII. 1.

Wherefore, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight which doth so easily beset us; and let us run with patience the race that is set before us; looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our Faith.

No discoveries can be made in Divine Revelation, until we are dispossessed of all those prejudices which are incompatible with it: that so we may be at liberty to examine spiritual subjects by that light, which the spirit of God has afforded for the purpose.

The different point of view in which the same subjects are seen by different per sons, depends on the different qualities of the medium, through which they pass.

The

The mind of man acts like a mirror; which reflects images of objects placed be'fore it, with a degree of truth in exact proportion to its own perfection. Should the surface of the metal be imperfectly polished, or should any unfortunate twist have taken place in the casting, the object reflected must necessarily assume a confused or distorted appearance, correspondent with the mirror's defect.

Thus it is with the human mind. Should its polish be defective for want of proper education; or should principles be laid up in it, which give an indirect turn to its exercise of reflection and judgement; the subject brought before it will bear testimony to the imperfection under which it labours; in such case, every conclusion upon it will wear the mark of confusion or obliquity, in proportion as the causes necessarily productive of such effects are found to prevail.

When Christianity was preached to the Jews, they could not understand it, because they wanted information relative to its essential object. Wedded to their law, and considering it to be of perpetual obli

gation,

gation, they looked not beyond the letter of it. At the time of our Saviour's ap→ pearance in the flesh, the only advantages which they expected from their promised Messiah were of a temporal nature: whilst the privileges of the Church were regarded by them, in their character of the chosen people of God, as their exclusive patrimony. The Jews therefore stumbled at the very threshold of Christianity; a threshold which they will never pass over, till they have acquired correct information with respect to the nature of Christ's kingdom. Till this desired event takes place, the preaching Christ crucified must continue to be, what it now is, " to the Jews a stumbling block."

When Christianity was preached to the Gentiles, the heads of the wise men among them had received such an unfortunate direction from the pride of human science, as in a manner distorted (if we may so say) the simplicity of the Gospel into downright foolishness. Taken up with the parade of boasted system, and the ornaments of polished language, they were indisposed to relish truths, however import

ant,

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