moral feeling, or of cramping its best exertions on society, but quite the contrary), How does man stand in the estimation of God? Whether he is like Cain, actuated by his own pride and self-sufficiency, bringing, it may be, a valuable offering to the altar, but forgetting that the only incense which can make it acceptable must arise out of a subdued and humble heart, and consist of the aspirations of faith, meekness, and contrition? Whether the merits of the Redeemer held and appreciated by faith do, as in the service of Abel, afford the sweet-smelling savour which alone can insure acceptance; and the holy influences of His Spirit prepare and sanctify the heart of the obedient offerer? And is this too much for the God of nature and of grace to require? Can any thing short of obedience such as this constitute a religious service, when in the concerns of life every thing else is, in the eyes of a superior, justly believed to be rebellious? Whatever therefore may be said on this subject, in other respects, obedience constant and sincere, must at least be called for in true religion; every other offering, however valuable it may be in itself, cannot reasonably be deemed valuable here. How such a service will assuredly be met on the part of God, will be matter for future consideration. We may, therefore, now conclude on this subject, that the law of the Lord is perfect, and that it is such truly as to make wise the simple.

We shall now only remark in conclusion: If the Scriptures are thus direct, plain, and practical; if their rich and eternal provisions of grace, mercy, and peace, are thus obvious, heart-searching, simple, and efficient; where, let it be asked, is the teacher or the hearer who can be said to have drunk sufficiently deep of their pure and refreshing streams? and where the Church, the Family, or the Individual, who has not, in some degree or other, had recourse to those turbid and agitated waters, which, driven by storms and tempests without, and presenting nothing better than corruption within, cast up hourly to the view and for the sustenance,

nothing but mire and dirt? Is it not then incumbent upon us to redeem the time, seeing that the days are really evil; and to confirm that which remaineth, lest it also be taken out of the way? To rely on system, on secular wisdom, or on secular power, has from the first been the great bane of the Church of God; and, it is more than probable, that these sins, with their consequent chastisements, will never entirely forsake it. Perfection is, indeed, never to be expected; yet it may be true (and of this the Scriptures abundantly assure us), that there are placed within our reach far higher degrees of religious knowledge and experience than any generally found among men; and a far greater meetness for the inheritance of the saints in light, capable of being realised here on earth, than is either known or sought, and which could not but be, both in its exercise and effects, as advantageous to society, as it would be acceptable to Almighty God. Obedience, Simplicity, Faith, are the great qualifications called for; without these, we can never extensively profit; but with them we can never fail.

SERMON III.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.-2 Tim. iii. 16, 17.

It is not my intention here to discuss the various questions relating to the inspiration of the Scriptures, because the Apostle seems to have had in view, in the first member of our text, their divinely inspired authority, rather than any question relating to the manner or mode of their original revelation. I shall, therefore, in the first place, confine myself to the consideration of this point; and then, in the second, proceed to discuss those particulars which form the remainder of our text.

The most interesting light, perhaps, in which the Scriptures present themselves to an inquirer, is the super-human authority, and consequently, the perfect obedience, to which they every where lay claim. The Lord spake unto Abraham, Moses, or one or other of the prophets, is the constant language of the Old Testament; and in unison with this are the declarations of the New. Human authority is every where excluded in this question, and man is treated as a sinful, short-sighted, and, in respect to religion, as an ignorant being. The justness of this position will be considered in a future discourse; it will be sufficient for our present purpose to shew, that a book given as a revelation from above, and intended to be universally beneficial to mankind, must necessarily be of this character.

We know from experience that no moral truths however clearly stated, or ably recommended, can insure universal acceptance. The human intellect cannot be made to bow to any thing short of either purely mathematical demonstration

or supreme authority. The former of these is incompatible with the statement of moral truths; and therefore, to make these binding on all, authority alone can be resorted to. There are, however, still other difficulties which can be overcome in no other way. One is, that of ascertaining what is or is not worthy of acceptation, in all possible cases; and another, the impossibility of enforcing the practice of what may have once been ascertained to be thus acceptable. To the first, the powers of the human mind, assisted by all the advantages of experience, are confessedly unequal; and, to the second, the perverseness and wrongheadedness of the many, will always present an insurmountable obstacle. In these cases, then, authority alone can succeed, and indeed the same holds good in all human laws. To this, then, the Scripture has very wisely, and, as it will be shewn hereafter, very justly, laid claim.

Morality has nevertheless been, and is still, recommended on other grounds. The requirements of society, which have sometimes been termed the fitness of things, have been urged with some success both in ancient and modern times; and, the happiness usually attendant on virtue on the one hand, with the misery inseparable from vice on the other, has occasionally contributed to give a moral tone to the well informed, no less beneficial than it was admirable. On vulgar minds, however, reasoning of this sort can exert no force; and of these the majority of society consists; nor, on the well informed has it ever prevailed to any considerable extent. Authority, therefore, can alone be generally binding. Still, how rational soever and well directed the authority of the Scriptures might have been, there have never been wanting large numbers ready either to disregard this, or else to deny its real existence. With the first of these, who are habitual unbelievers, we are not, at present, concerned. Our business will be, therefore, to consider a few of the leading objections made by the second.

The class of objectors to which we now allude are those.

who have assumed the title of Rationalists, and are principally to be found among the Divines of modern Germany. Their numbers are large, and their learning is considerable; and, as they propose their doctrines on what they deem to be the just principles of Scriptural interpretation, and argue that these are grounded on the deductions of sound reason, they merit the most patient, fair, and impartial, examination.

The principal objection, generally made for the purpose of impugning the absolute authority of the Holy Scriptures, is to the doctrine of miracle. This, say they, is impossible, improbable, and incapable of proof.

With reference to the first position, which is by no means new, it may be replied generally: To determine what is impossible with man, is indeed no difficult thing to effect; but the question here is with respect to the Deity; and, from what we know of his power, it should seem to be no easy task to prove what is impossible with him. For, although we possess some general knowledge of his attributes, we confessedly have not enough to determine either the extent of his power, or the manner in which it must exert itself. These are particulars which neither experience nor science can teach us; and, as the Revelation itself is silent on them, it must follow, that whatever we may think or believe, we certainly have no real knowledge.

From our knowledge, or rather ignorance, therefore, it is perfectly absurd to attempt to determine what is, or what is not, impossible with God. This is a subject manifestly above our capacities; and as such we must for ever leave it. But, it is argued, in the next place, that from what we do know of the order of nature, and the established course of things, it is as impossible as it would be injurious to the whole, that any perturbation or event not provided for, should be allowed to happen; and this, it is added, the doctrine of miracle takes for granted. I answer: This is again, not only to set bounds both to infinite wisdom and power, but to assume a knowledge of things which no man living ever possessed.

f