pretended to pay. Our SAVIOUR, also, takes notice of the same indisposition to attend to practice, in the Pharisees. "Whatsoever they bid you observe," said CHRIST to some of his followers, "that observe and do; but do not ye after their works; for they say, and do not.”* Moreover the apostle Paul, in the beginning of his Epistle to the Romans, when summing up his heavy charge against the Jews, dwells particularly on their disposition to hear their law, as well as to become teachers of it to others, while they paid no obedience to it themselves. "Thou, therefore," says he, "which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? For the name of GOD is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written."+ And it is partly in the same spirit, that he said to them, before: "For not the hearers of the law are just before GOD; but the doers of the law shall be justified."

XLVII.

ST. MATTHEW, VII. 24-29.

SAME SUBJECT.-PART II.

THE Scriptures, then, let it be remembered, repeatedly guard us against that disposition, which there is in man, to betake himself to a religion which consists merely in talking, or in hearing; or, in some way, stops short of real practice.

Let us now proceed to show, how this subject applies itself to the present age. It is obvious to any person of discernment, that the world now abounds with persons who can read and admire religious books; and can hear and ap* Rom. ii. 13. † Rom. ii. 21, 22 24.

Rom ii. 13.

prove very religious Sermons; and yet, in their own lives, are irreligious. And it is important, both that such persons should themselves be reproved; and that others should be guarded against complimenting men of this class for their religion; and thus encouraging their delusion.

The causes, which now lead them thus to hear and approve, what, nevertheless, they will not practise, are, in part, no doubt, the same as those to which we have already adverted. Sometimes, men are prejudiced in favour of a book or a sermon, by some high idea which they happen 10 have conceived of the writer or of the preacher, either in respect to his religious wisdom, and orthodoxy; or to his humanity, and benevolence; or to his learning, and talents, or to his rank and estimation, in the world, or in the Church-just as the multitude were disposed, at one time, to favour the preaching of CHRIST, through that high idea of His character, with which His miracles had just before inspired them. For men do not choose suddenly to find fault with him, whom they have been lately led to praise; and under whose banners they have recently been enlisted.

Again, there are also many now, perhaps, as there were formerly, who both hear, and read, what relates to religious subjects, with a degree of carelessness and inattention, as well as of dulness and ignorance, which are almost inconceivable; and which are only to be accounted for, by the unconcern in which they live in respect to their souls. But we ought here to speak, more particularly, of that class of persons, who have both an ear to hear, and a tongue to speak, concerning religion, and seem in some serious way to receive the Gospel; but are by no means prepared to follow up those doctrines to which they assent, into all their practical consequences. Some of these persons not only profess the Gospel, and hear it, and speak of it; but they commend it also to others; they extol the preacher of it; and they put themselves forward as the most zealous members of his party but they are not yet rightly aware, what new tempers they have to exercise; what new trials, to

encounter; what new self-denials, to practise; what new habits, to attain; and, in short, what a completely new life they will have to lead; if they embrace the true Gospel, as they profess to do. At present, they are perhaps eager for doctrine; not understanding, if the doctrine be sound, how vast must be the change of practice. They fail, when a question arises respecting this, or the other, point of Christian conduct; and perhaps, are now led so to interpret doctrine, or so to confine themselves to it under a shew of zeal for doctrinal truth, as to justify, or at least, in some degree to palliate, the lamentable deficiencies of their own temper and life.

This class of persons, therefore, like many of CHRIST'S hearers of old, may be compared to those, who begin to build a tower, but are not able to finish. For here, undoubtedly, is the difficulty of the present day. It lies, not in hearing, as some seem to suppose, nor in agreeing to what is heard it consists, not in adopting the very same sentiments with the preacher, and in following him with eagerness, as the multitude followed CHRIST. The difficulty is in doing. It consists both in receiving the doctrines practically, for that is the true way of believing them; and also in following them up into all their proper consequences, in.our own actual practice. Men should take care, indeed, in the first place, that the words, which they hear, are sound words; that they are not the mere opinions of men, but the sayings of CHRIST; but let not the care to hear certain tenets supersede all other care. Unbelievers, indeed, have often reproached Christianity, for being a religion which impressed certain speculative articles of faith; while, to judge by the lives of its professors, it made no very great demands, in the way of practice. CHRIST, however, has given no ground for this observation of the unbelievers. He has not been defective in urging practical duties witness almost every part of His Sermon on the Mount.

We say, indeed, that doctrine also is most important;

but, then, we also say, that doctrine rightly received is the sure and only foundation of all good practice. Let every zealot for doctrine, then, remember, that there is something new to be done, in consequence of every new truth, which he receives; and that every doctrine, every precept, every mystery even of our faith, has its practical tendency, and its proper practical use. The preaching of modern ministers should, like that of CHRIST to the multitude, be so far practical as to have an evident tendency to convert men from their present practice; or, if they have, in the main, been already thus converted, to make them still go on, examining and improving their practice, in a thousand particulars. The ear to hear the minister should be a consequence of having a desire of this practical amendment in the beart.

XLVIII.

ST. MATTHEW, VII. 24—29.

SAME SUBJECT.-PART III.

IN continuing the subject of these verses; it must be borne in mind, that there is another large class, who have another way of deceiving themselves: they are practical in their ideas, both of morality and religion, and they take great credit for being so. But their sayings are not the sayings of CHRIST; they are the sayings rather of the heathen moralist, or of the prudent man of this world: their morality does not amount to Christian morality; nor their practice, to Christian practice. It may be useful to call to the recollection of such persons those Christian precepts which are contained in the Sermon on the Mount; and to point out, in what manner a truly practical hearer of those

sayings of our LORD would be likely to meditate upon them.

"I perceive," he would say to himself, "that this new Prophet, who is come into the world, and has been working so many miracles, in proof of his Messiahship, delivers a far different doctrine from that to which we, Jews, have been accustomed. How many new truths have been taught us truths also, which He declares, that we must reduce to practice; for the conclusion of His Sermon has been one continued warning, that we are not His real disciples, unless we do the things which He hath commanded. I pecreive, that the poverty of spirit, of which He hath spoken, must be truly felt by me; that I must also know, what it is to hunger and thirst after righteousness; that I must become meek and peaceable; that I must be content to be very serious, and even to mourn for a while, if I may but be comforted hereafter; that I must acquire a disposition to show mercy, to forgive injuries, to love even my enemies; and patiently to bear such provocations as may be offered to me. I find, that I must also lend, and give away my substance, with a large and liberal spirit. I learn, that I am no longer to do any thing, to be seen of men; and that the whole fabric of my superficial and external virtue, which had been chiefly founded on a regard to character with my fellow creatures, must be pulled down, in order that it may be succeeded by a principle of real purity in my very heart. How utterly have I mistaken that law of GOD, to which I had been fancying that I paid obedience.

"I now understand, that the law requires me, not only not to kill, but not to be so much as angry, without a cause:—not on not to perjure myself, but not even to use an expression which implies want of reverence towards GoD; not only not to commit adultery, but not to indulge an unchaste idea, in my imagination. I find, also, that, if I become a follower of this JESUS, I am to expect persecution for righteousness' sake. I have been informed that my prayers, instead of being offered up, only or chiefly, in public, and consisting of vain repetitions,