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we think to climb up to God by immediate vision, and to read in His effulgent Countenance our own special favour-we shall, I fear, find our wings scorched, their wax melted, and fall down from this towering height of ungrounded persuasion with much damage to our spiritual health. Safer, far safer, certainly it is, to look for and to behold the conformity of our souls to God's will, in the reflected light of His written Word, and seek to discover from thence what are His thoughts to us-ward!

On the whole, then, we ought never to rest fully assured that we have communion with God, till we are fully assured we have conformity to His Will, and we can never know that we have conformity to His Will, without a careful comparison of our thoughts and deeds with His Will, as clearly revealed to us in His Written Word; and here we must return at last to the great Scripture Marks in the NewTestament.

We should ever remember that our treasure is committed to earthen vessels, and our strength joined with much weakness. St. Peter thought he was as sure of his state, as the warmest saint on earth can now think to be. He could hardly bear his Saviour to caution him against the deceitfulness of his own heart, or to make the least doubt of the warmth of his zeal, or the strength and soundness of his Faith. In short the best men have ever had their doubts, their vicissitudes. Saint Paul spoke modestly of his own state. He did not say he had already attained; but he followed after "if so be that he might attain." David had his changes; sometimes boasting that he

was upon a Hill that never could be moved; and again sunk down into the lowest vale of Heaviness.

Young converts are apt to place too much to the account of their first motions, towards the Heavenly Life; and many good and sober Christians are on the other hand too apt to be disquieted in vain, by dwelling on the threatnings of the Law, without the Consolations of the Gospel. They forget to consider that Jesus Christ came to call sinners to repentance; that perfect obedience is not the condition of His new and better Covenant; that there are few whose hearts are so purified with love and humility as to be without mixture of frailty. And if a sense of this prompts them to better resolutions, excites them to repentance and newness of life, and quickens them to all holy diligence; notwithstanding for fear of self-deceit and consciousness of their own unworthiness-they cannot fully assure themselves of their acceptance with God; yet to pronounce such men to be out of the state of Salvation, or to think that many good people are not accepted in this way-would be the most presumptuous censure!

Far be such presumption from us! Charity to our Brethren, (knowing that we also are encompassed about with infirmities) as it is above all speculative points of belief: so it is the last and true mark of our own belief, which remains to be particularly enforced.

How long, alas! how long shall the divided sentiments of Christians be a reproach to their name? How long shall Circumstantials prevail over Essentials? embittering the followers of the lowly Jesus,

and enflaming their breasts with a madness even unto death? A sense of this made the mild Melancthon, when he came to die, thank God, that he was going to be removed from temptation to sin, and the fierce rage of religious zealots.

The first Christians were the admiration of the world for their love to each other, in their humble persecuted state. And I believe were God to visit us in His anger, and let loose the enemies of our religion upon us, no circumstantials would then divide heart from heart. Alas! my Brethren, will nothing less than such a purging as this-will not the spirit of the Gospel itself-prevail on us to remove this stone of stumbling-to wipe away this reproach of our profession?

Why should those part on earth, who all expect to meet again in Heaven? Though a perfect union in lesser matters, is not attainable here, yet this would never amount to a breach of unity in affection; if men would not lay stress where God has laid none. Unity of judgment is needful indeed for the well-being of Christianity; but unity of affection is essential to the very Being itself, and was the badge Christ wished his Disciples to be known by. If we cast this badge away, on every slight apprehension, we declare ourselves none of His.

In matters of doubtful speculation, why cannot good men suffer each other to be at rest according to the measure of light that is in them? Why should an agreement in the conception of some poor controversial point of divinity be made the badge of Christianity, and set in eminent place above all

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practical religion? Surely, my Brethren—I will repeat it again-there is greater weight and moment of Christianity in Charity, than in all the doubtful questions about which the Protestant churches have been puzzling themselves, and biting and devouring each other since the days of our reformation.

We have given true Scripture Faith its due weight. We know that it is the foundation of Love and Obedience and all Divine Virtues-But to multiply matters of faith by human inventions, and to let zeal run out in things of this nature, is to weaken Charity. It is tempting God. It is to be forever laying Foundations, neglecting the superstructure; and forgetting St. Paul's judgment--who declared it his sentence, that his advice concerning such things is, that we trouble not the Brethren, that we should all be Workers together in Building up the Body of Christ's Church. But what sort of building must that be, where the hearts and tongues of the builders are at variance with each other? Where there is no Unity of Design, no Agreement or Good-will; but Envying, Strifes and Confusion among the workmen? Where some members will get an immoderate fondness for one particular part of Doctrines; where they will not bear to hear the whole plan of the Gospel; where they are full of censure and bitterness; where they will desert their stated ordinances, run from place to place to indulge their own hasty conceptions, and pronounce their Instructors carnal, who labour with all conscience, "to be clear from the Blood of their Flock, and to declare unto them all the counsel of God,"* and run from place to place to in

Acts Ch. xx. ver. 26, 27.

dulge their own hasty conceptions-Can this be the true Fruits of the Spirit?

I speak, my Brethren, with great plainness—but yet with great Love-This may build up the walls of a Babel-but cannot rear up the Walls of Jerusalem, which is to be a City of Peace, at Unity within itself!

Unbelievers too receive great Triumph from this. In vain do we tell them that Christianity is a Divine Religion-worthy of all men to be received. Their reply is at hand. If you would be called the followers of Christ, shew us that you have the Spirit of Christ's Doctrines, by their dwelling in you. Shew us the Divinity of his Doctrines, by its influence on your Lives. First be agreed among yourselves what your Religion is, before you press it for our acceptance. Were it truly Divine, it would be so clear and explicit as to admit of no controversy in points of Faith. Would a Religion from God, kindle the wild-fire of unhallowed Zeal, or sanctify Wrath, and Railings, and Curses, and Persecutions, and Murders, to do God service?

These charges admit their answers. But their true and most powerful answer would be in the lives of Christians-following that Divine Love which is the Spirit of the Gospel, and bringing down their Religion from their Heads to their Hearts.

It is a misfortune incident to our imperfect condition in this world, that the best things may be abused. That Liberty which is necessary for repelling temporal as well as spiritual bondage-that freedom of debate and inquiry which ought to be maintained

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