THE ESSENTIALS OF RELIGION,

ETC. ETC.

Descendants of the illustrious Abraham!

Ir may surely be reckoned among the signs of the times in which we live, that many persons, wholly unconnected with your nation by any human ties, are yet influenced by so deep concern for your spiritual and eternal welfare, as to use every endeavour to awaken your earnest attention to the principles and duties of Religion. In the name of many such, I request your patient perusal of this Tract; and, as we cannot be charged with any selfish motive in addressing you, surely it is but reasonable, on your part, to accept the exhortation, as it is given, in love, and with that solemnity of spirit which is suitable to the importance of the subject. We may the rather expect this, as we do not desire you to take for granted what we say. No, we entreat you earnestly to consider the subject, and to compare what we advance with the declarations of that Volume which both you and we acknowledge to be given by inspiration of God. We refer to the Scriptures of the Old Testament for the proof of" those things which we assert; and our language among you is, "To the Law, and to the Testimony: if we speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in us." (Is. viii. 20.)

But, while we acknowledge, as fully as you can do, the authority of Moses and the Prophets, there is another important portion of Holy Scripture, which you reject, as if it were inconsistent with that which you receive; though it is, in truth, nothing more than the completion of that series. of communications which it pleased God to make to your fathers. From the fall of Adam to the present day, God has revealed only one Religion to men,—but in different degrees of clearness and fulness, in successive ages, till the Divine System was fully developed. Hence, while you

receive that portion of the series which extends from Moses to Malachi, you are not consistent in rejecting what follows, from Matthew to Revelation,-which is, in fact, only the continuation and completion of the same Sacred Volume. To prove this, it will be necessary to lay aside all human systems, and simply to institute a comparison between these two portions of Scripture, upon such points as are manifestly fundamental in Religion. Search them, then, for yourselves. Compare the language and declarations of the one with those of the other; and then answer, from your own enquiries and convictions, the following questions:

I. Do they give different views of the Character of the Divine Being?

II. Do they give different views of the natural state and moral condition of man?

III. Or of the way by which alone man can draw near to God with any hope of acceptance?

IV. Or, lastly, of the necessity of a great spiritual change, a renewal of his heart and mind, wrought in him by a Divine power and influence, without which man cannot, and will not, serve God in spirit and in truth?

On each of these points, I propose to compare the most remarkable declarations of the Old and New Testaments: and then to make a few practical remarks.

CHAPTER I.

Of the Divine Character, as revealed in the Scriptures-That this is widely distinguished from the views of idolaters and philosophersThe exact agreement of the Old and New Testaments on this point.

LET us first enquire, Whether these two volumes give us different views of the Divine Character?

There is something peculiar in the moral character of the Divine Being as revealed to us in the Scriptures. It is remarkably distinguished from all the representations of mere philosophers, and from all the vain imaginations of the heathen, who have ever been willing to suppose, that God is such an one as themselves. The God of the Scriptures is at once unspeakably more holy than even the purest phi

losophy (unassisted by revelation) has ever represented its imaginary Deity; and yet He is more wonderful also in grace and mercy. HE is "a just God, and a Saviour; there is none beside him." (Is. xlv. 21.) Mankind, either in attempting to magnify the mercy of the Deity, lose sight of his justice altogether; or else, in endeavouring to establish his justice, so circumscribe his mercy as to leave the sinner hopeless. But the Scripture represents to us, in the Divine Being, an awful justice and holy abhorrence of all sin, in wonderful and harmonious combination with boundless mercy-e -even to the chief of sinners. The whole history of God's dealings with your nation, from the call of Abraham to this day, might be aptly considered in illustration of this character: as indeed is remarkably pointed out in many passages of Scripture, particularly Ps. cv. cvi. and Ez. xx., to which I refer you. When the Lord proclaims his Name to Moses, observe how He characterizes Himself by this very union of wonderfully contrasted attributes. "The LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and fourth generation." (Ex. xxxiv. 6, 7.) He is declared to be " 'glorious in holiness, fearful in praises." (Ex. xv. 11.) "He is the Rock, his work is perfect : for all his ways are judgement: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he" (Deut. xxxii. 4); and yet He exhausts the images of tenderness and love in his promises of mercy to his people, "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee." (Is. xlix. 15.) "As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem." (Is. lxvi. 13.) Hear his proclamations to the guilty, "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.-I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy

sins. I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.-Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your For as the heavens are ways my ways, saith the LORD. higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Is. i. 18, xliii. 25, xliv. 22, lv. 7-9.)

Take also the following passages from other prophets, "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity." (Hab. i. 13.) "Who can stand

before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him," (Nah. i. 6,) which may be contrasted with the next verse, "The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him," (Nah. i. 7,) and with that remarkable expression, "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because be delighteth in mercy. He will turn us again, he will have compassion upon us; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." (Mic. vii. 18, 19.)

That the views of the sweet psalmist of Israel were nothing different, appears from the following representations of the holiness and righteousness of the God whom he adored: "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an