of, the waters themselves to be brought you daily, I think it more than probable that some of their most salutary properties would evaporate in the transportation. You must repair therefore to the spring itself, where alone you can enjoy them in their purity, and their other grateful and refreshing properties."

It will not be necessary to pursue at length the parallel between this case and that which it is brought forward to to illustrate. Every reader who possesses any portion of what I may call Christian sensibility of taste, must have been frequently struck with the frigidness of mere doctrinal statements, when compared with the natural, and as it were incidental, manner in which such topics are usually introduced in the Scriptures, not as naked propositions, but as intimately connected with repentance and faith, with love and obedience; with humility and gratitude; in short, with all the graces of the Holy Spirit, and all the du ties and privileges of the believer.

This idea is so well opened in an excellent tractate which has just fallen into my hands, that I shall venture to trespass on your pages with an extract, which will, I trust, amply plead its own claim to admission. Mr. Erskine thus states the argument:-

"In the Bible we uniformly find the doctrines, even those that are generally considered most abstruse, pressed upon us as demonstrations or evidences of some important feature of the Divine Mind, and as motives tending to produce in us some corresponding disposition in relation to God or man. This is perfectly reasonable. Our characters cannot but be in some degree affected by what we believe to be the conduct and the will of the Almighty towards ourselves and the rest of our species., The history * "Remarks on the internal Evidence for the Truth of revealed Religion; by T. Erskine, Esq. Edinburgh, 1820."

CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 227.

of this conduct and this will constitutes what are called Christian

doctrines: if, then, the disposition or character which we are urged to acquire recommend itself to our reasons, and consciences, as right and agreeable to the will of God, we cannot but approve that precept as morally true: and if the doctrine by which it is enforced, carries in it a distinct and natural tendency to produce this diposition or character, then we feel ourselves compelled to admit that there is at least a morul truth in this doctrine. And if we find that the doctrine has not only this purely moral tendency, but that it is also most singularly adapted to assert and acquire a powerful influence over those principles in our nature to which it directs its appeal, then we must also pronounce that there is a natural truth in the doctrineor, in other words, that however contradictory it may be to human. practice, it has however a natural consistency with the regulating principles of the human mind. And farther, if the doctrine be not only true in morals, and in its natural adaptation to the mind of man, but if the fact which it records coincides also and harmonizes with that general idea of the Divine character which reason forms from the suggestions of conscience, and from an observation of the works and ways of God in the external world, then we are bound to acknowledge that this doctrine appears to be true in its relation to God.

"In the Bible, the Christian doctrines are always stated in this connexion: they stand as indications of the character of God, and as the exciting motives of a corresponding character in man. Forming thus the connecting link between the character of the Creator and the creature, they possess a majesty which it is impossible to despise, and exhibit a form of consistency and truth which it is difficult not to believe. Such is Christianity in the Bible: but in creeds 4Z

and church articles it is far other wise. These tests and summaries originated from the introduction of doctrinal errors and metaphysical speculations into religion; and, in consequence of this, they are not so much intended to be the repositories of truth, as barriers against the encroachment of erroneous opinions. The doctrines contained in them, therefore, are not stated with any reference to their great object in the Bible; the regeneration of the human heart, by the knowledge of the Divine character. They appear as detached propositions, indicating no moral cause, and pointing to no moral effect: they do not look to God, on the one hand, as their source; nor to man, on the other, as the object of their moral urgency. They appear like links severed from the chain to which they belonged, and thus they lose all that evidence which arises from their consistency, and all that dignity which is connected with their high design. I do not speak of the propriety or impropriety of having church articles, but of the evils which spring from receiving impressions of religion exclusively or chiefly from this source."

Mr. Erskine proceeds to instance the ordinary statement of the doctrine of the Trinity, as an illustration of his meaning. "It seems difficult," he remarks, "to conceive that any man should read through the New Testament candidly and attentively, without being convinced that this doctrine is essential to, and implied in, every part of the system. But it is not so difficult to conceive, that although his mind is perfectly satisfied on this point, re may yet, if his religious knowledge is exclusively derived from the Bible, feel a little surprised and staggered, when he for the first time reads the terms in which it is announced in the articles and confessions of all Protestant churches. In these summaries, the doctrine in question is stated by itself, divested of all

its Scripture accompaniments; and is made to bear simply on the nature of the Divine essence, and the mysterious fact of the existence of Three in One. It is evident, that this fact, taken by itself, cannot in the smallest degree tend to develop the Divine character, and therefore, cannot make any moral im. pression on our minds. In the Bible, it assumes quite a different shape: it is there subservient to the manifestation of the moral character of God. The doctrine of God's combined justice and mercy in the redemption of sinners, and of his continued spiritual watchfulness over the progress of truth through the world, and in each particular heart, could not have been communicated without it, so as to have been distinctly and vividly apprehended: but it is never mentioned except in connexion with these objects; nor is it ever taught as a separate subject of belief. There is a great and important difference between these two modes of statement. In the first, the doctrine stands as an isolated fact, of a strange and unintelligible nature, and is apt even to suggest the idea, that Christianity holds out a premium for believing impossibilities. In the other, it stands indissolubly united with an act of Divine holiness and compassion, which radiates to the heart an appeal of tenderness most intelligible in its nature and object, and most constraining in its influence. The abstract fact, that there is a plu rality in the unity of the Godhead, really makes no address either to our understandings, or our feelings, or our consciences. the obscurity of the doctrine, as far as moral purposes are concerned, is dispelled when it comes in such a form as this- God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him might not perish, but have everlasting life.' Or this:

But

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will

send in my name, he shall teach you all things. Our metaphysical ignorance of the Divine essence is not indeed in the slightest degree removed by this mode of stating the subject: but our moral iguorance of the Divine character is enlightened; and that is the thing with which we have to do. We love or hate our fellow-creatureswe are attracted to or repelled from them-in consequence of our acquaintance with their moral characters; and we do not find ourselves bound from the exercise of these feelings, because the anatomical structure of their frames is unknown to us, or because the mysterious link which binds the soul to the body has baffled all investigation. The knowledge communicated by revelation is a moral knowledge, and it has been communicated in order to produce a moral effect upon our characters; but a knowledge of the Divine essence would have as little bearing upon this object, as far as we can see, as a knowledge of the elementary essence of matter."

I shall give one example more from Mr. Erskine's essay, of the mode in which Divine truth is apt to be perverted by passing through the hands of men.

"The doctrine of the atonement through Jesus Christ, which is the chief corner stone of Christianity, and to which all the other doctrines of revelation are subservient, has had to encounter the misapprehension of the understanding as well as the pride of the heart. This pride is natural to man, and can only be overcome by the power of the truth: but the misapprehension might be removed by the simple process of reading the Bible with attention; because it has arisen from neglecting the record itself, and taking our information from the discourses or the systems of men who have engrafted the metaphysical subtilties of the schools upon the unperplexed statement of the word of God. In or

der to understand the facts of revelation, we must form a system to ourselves; but if any subtilty of which the application is unintelligible to common sense, or uninfluential on conduct, enters into our system, we may be sure that it is a wrong one. The commonsense system of a religion consists in two connexions ;-first, the conuexion between the doctrines and character of God which they exhibit; and secondly, the connexion between these same doctrines and the character which they are in tended to impress on the mind of man. When, therefore, we are considering a religious doctrine, our questions ought to be, What view does this doctrine give of the character of God? And what influence will it have on the mind of man?' Now, the Bible tells us, that God so loved the world, as to give his Son for it. He tells us also, that he did this, that he might shew himself just, even when justifying the ungodly; and that he might magnify the law, and make it honourable. The mercy and the holiness of the Divine cha racter, therefore, are the qualities which are exhibited by this doctrine. The effect upon the character of man, produced by the belief of it, will be to love Him who first loved us, and to put the fullest confidence in his goodness and willingness to forgive-to associate sin with the ideas both of the deepest misery and the basest ingratitude-to admire the unsearchable wisdom and the high principle which have combined the fullest mercy with the most uncompromising justice-and to love all our fellow-creatures from the consideration that our common Father has taken such an interest in their welfare, and from the thought, that as we have been all shipwrecked in the same sea, by the same wide-wasting tempest, so we are all invited by the same gracious Voice to take refuge in the same haven of eternal rest.”

The consideration of this subject is of great importance to Christian ministers, as it may assist them to discover the most efficacious method of introducing doctrinal points to the notice of mankind. It is not by "vain jangling," by a disputatious philosophy, or even by a strain of pure didactic remark, that men are best built up in their most holy faith. The teachers of religion should take the Scriptures as their model and guide in this as in other respects. The doctrine of the Trinity, we have already seen, is most efficaciously preached by them, when, like the Apostle, they set before men, "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost," pointing out the relation which these Divine Persons are pleased to bear to us in the economy of redemption, with all the correlative duties and privileges which flow from the doctrine. The same argument applies to various other principles and precepts of Scripture, which are apt to become cold and barren, when disjoined from their allotted place in the Christian scheme; but have a very different aspect when presented with the vivid associations and practical references which accompany them in the revealed word of God.

X. Q.

to your soul's health here, and to its happiness hereafter. This more excellent way he sets before them in the chapter from which the text has been taken. It is the possession and cultivation of charity, of love to God and man, filling the heart, and influencing the conduct.

In order to establish the value and supreme importance of this grace, St. Paul shews us, that all other graces, and even the most costly sacrifices, are as nothing without it. "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels;" though I should be able to discourse with the loftiest eloquence, and in every language, of the things of God;-" though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge;" -"though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains;" though I have the power of working the most stupendous miracles;-nay, "though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned;" though I should even be a martyr for the faith, and have not charity, have not love as the governing principle of my heart and life;-all these things will "profit me nothing"without this "I am nothing."

The Apostle then proceeds to describe the nature and effects of this grace, and exhibits a most attractive view of its excellent and amiable properties :-but its highest commendation is to be found in the words of the text, where, after placing it in immediate connexion with faith and hope, he gives the de cided preference to charity: "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."

This verse affords us a compen dious view of the characteristic qualities of the true Christian. He is distinguished by the possession of faith, hope, and charity. It is true that his salvation is not to be ascribed to the possession of these graces as its cause. On the contrary, salvation, by whomsoever at

tained, is the effect of the free grace and unmerited love of God to man. Still, however, it is no less certain, that whoever is a partaker of this salvation differs essentially from other men; and this difference-namely, the difference between one who is a real Christian and one who is not-is pointed out in the text. The real Christian is actuated by faith, hope, and charity; and though these graces can in no way be considered as deserving heaven, yet are they the means by which God prepares him for it, and without which he can never obtain admission into that blessed place. Bearing this in mind, let us consider these three graces more particularly, and in their order.

1. What is faith?-This is a subject which is often discussed, but little understood. The Scriptures throughout give the impression that faith is a matter of the highest moment, and closely connected with all that is important in our relations with God; for, "without faith," we are expressly told, "it is impossible to please him." And yet perhaps there is no point on which so many mistakes have been and are now committed. Some regard faith as a mere specu lative assent to the facts recorded in Scripture, similar to that which we yield to the statements made in any other well-authenticated history, but as having no more connexion with practice in the one case than in the other. This, however, is to place the revelation of God's mercy to man on the same footing with the narratives of human strife and contention.Others again conceive of faith as a mere feeling excited in the mind, they know not how, and not standing on the ground of rational and satisfactory evidence. Some regard it as one of those good works on account of which we are to be justified before God, and as thus in fact procuring our acceptance; a view wholly opposed to the grace of the Gospel; while others re

present it as a confident persuasion of our acceptance independently of any fair scriptural evidence which can be adduced of our being true Christians-a view of the subject which can only be considered as gross enthusiasm, and as directly opposed to the soberness of Divine truth. Faith bears the same meaning in the Bible which it does in the ordinary intercourse of human society: it is the influential belief of testimony; or, according to the Apostle's own definition, so strong and vivid a perception of the truth and infinite moment of what God has revealed as renders our belief" the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen."

It is impossible to read the eleventh chapter of the Hebrews, where the real nature and effects of faith are exhibited by a number of striking examples, without perceiving that it is in the commonly received sense that we are to understand the term faith, as meaning belief. The Bible tells us, that it is by faith-that is, by believing the Gospel-that we become interested in its blessings. When the Gospel is preached, we can perceive that it produces very different effects on different persons. Some derive from it an entirely new view of themselves, of their obligations and relations to God, of their future prospects, and of the necessity of abandoning their sins, and devoting themselves to their Saviour's service, if they would escape the threatened judgments of God, and inherit eternal life. And why do they do so? Because they really believe the word of God; they perceive the force of its evidence; they feel that its truths regard themselves as well as others; and that their own happiness or misery for time and eternity are involved in the statements and declarations, the threatenings and promises, of Scripture. And feeling this, they act upon their convictions, and there apply for pardon, peace, strength, and salvation, where