1

which would enable him rightly to discriminate truth
from error, and greater truths from lesser truths. He
has no spiritual taste or relish for evangelical verities.
When regenerate by the Spirit, we shall spontaneously,
as it were, distaste views, contrary to the mind of the
Spirit-views which tend to exalt man, to degrade the
Saviour, to lower the moral standard, or to make sin
a slight evil; and, though they are contrary to our
fallen nature, we shall love and maintain the opposite
scriptural truths. Let us then pray for the promised
new heart and new spirit, (Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27.) In
the words of Bishop Taylor-Without this new
creation, this new principle of life, we may hear the
word of God, but we can never understand it, we
hear the sound but are never the better.' Speaking
afterwards of the different effects which truth produ-
ces, and asking the reason of the difference, he gives
the following answer,The one understands by nature,
and the other by grace; the one, by human learning,
the other by divine; the one reads the Scriptures
without, the other within; the one understands as a
son of man, the other as a son of God; the one per-
ceives by the proportion of the world, and the other
by the measures of the Spirit; the one understands
by reason, and the other by love; and therefore he
does not only understand the sermons of the Spirit,
and perceives their meaning, but he pierces deeper
and knows the meaning of that meaning, that is the
secret of the Spirit, that which is spiritually discerned,
that which gives life to the proposition, and activity to
'the soul.'

COMMUNION WITH GOD is a most important means of divine knowledge. There is a higher study than that derived from acquaintance with human writings; there is a communion beyond that of communion with men; there is a daily and hourly converse with God, the Father of Lights, who is Light itself, and in whom is no darkness at all; a philosopher may be ignorant

of it, but the most learned, if pious, will esteem this to be his best source of highest knowledge, and it is one which the most illiterate Christian is privileged to enjoy. This high and holy, study truly enlightens, it really ennobles, it invariably blesses the soul.* The believer, in the lively exercise of grace, thirsts after this supremely: Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. Christians in the full enjoyment of grace can say, truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. This high and holy fellowship raises us above the fear of man, and leads us to search out for, and be content with, and rely upon the bare word of God, and to profess that word before the world. Had not Luther been a man of much communion with God, he would never have attained his eminent religious knowledge; or confessed it before men in that way which made him such an unequalled blessing in the Reformation.

FAITH AND LOVE are eminent parts of Christian holiness. They are, when genuine, united together; St. James considers faith without love as a nonentitya dead faith—a faith that cannot be shown. Now faith is the very organ and sense by which divine truth is received, and the main grace through which it is profitable. (Heb. iv. 2.) Love, again, is that state of mind which is most eminently adapted to a profitable study. The deceivableness of unrighteousness

*The remarks of Thomas a Kempis are appropriate and striking. 'Let all teachers be silent, let the whole creation be dumb before thee, and do thou only speak to my soul-lest being only outwardly warned, but not inwardly quickened, I die and be found unfruitful; lest the word heard and not obeyed, known and not loved, professed and not kept, turn to my condemnation! Speak, therefore, Lord, for thy servant heareth: thou only hast the words of everlasting life! O speak to the comfort of my soul, to the renovation of my heavenly nature, and to the eternal praise and glory of thy

own name !'

in them that perish arises hence, they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. Love to God and his truth, will stir up the heart and quicken the soul to a holy diligence for further discoveries of both. The same graces will enable us to persevere in maintaining the truth according to the direction, Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. (2 Tim. i. 13.) Where there is the filial confidence and love of a child, its teachableness and tractableness, its ready reliance on its parent's word, and its affectionate heart toward that parent, then is there that state of mind which is best calculated most to advance us in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. xviii. 3, 4.) Nathanael, the Israelite without guile, believed Christ on the first declaration of the Messiah, and on his manifesting this ready faith was assured, thou shalt see greater things than these through love to Christ we obtain farther communications of divine knowledge: he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him.

THE TEMPERS AND DISPOSITIONS OF THE CHRISTIAN in general have an important influence on his acquiring right views of divine truth. This might be shown at length in contrition, repentance, hope, humility, meekness, long-suffering, and the like. But let us mark it in that which is pre-eminently a Christian grace, humility. With the lowly is wisdom. (Prov. xi. 2.) He giveth grace unto the humble. (James iv. 6. 1 Peter v. 5.) Whosoever shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. xviii. 4.) The meek will he guide in judgment. (Psalm xxv. 9.) The whole system of Christianity is of a humbling character. It places man in his true nothingness before God; (Gal. vi. 3.) and pride is therefore the grand obstruction to a cordial reception of its pure and simple principles. Hence have arisen those self-righteous systems which have been invented

to evade the gospel. But let a man be contrite, self-abased, and poor in spirit, and the main difficulties of receiving divine truth are removed. Salvation by free grace will be his only hope; giving all glory to God, and taking all shame to himself, will be easy to him; the aid of the Holy Spirit will be his highest consolation every doctrine of Christianity is peculiarly adapted to the state of a humble and contrite spirit. O what a test and touchstone of character to the whole human race is the gospel of Jesus Christ! It discriminates, and discloses, and developes every mind which it touches, and the proud in rejecting it are rejected, and the scorners in scorning it are scorned, (Prov. iii. 34.) and the meek are taught his way, and the humble in receiving it are exalted. If Moses was eminent for learning and wisdom; he was also the meekest of men. If Paul had the deepest insight into the mysteries of the gospel, his heart also burned with the most intense love to his Saviour. A serious, teachable, submissive, diligent, pure, candid, upright, and devout spirit, is the very temper of the Christian, and in that temper is the prepared ground in which the truths of religion readily grow and oring forth fruit. (Matt. xiii. 23. Acts xvii. 11, 12.)

Another part of holiness is THE FEAR OF THE LORD: and very influential is this fear to the acquisition of knowledge: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, (Prov. i. 7.) The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, (Prov. xv. 33.) This fear will be a guard against rashly adopting sentiments which have little or no foundation in his word, and will lead us to unfeigned submission to the plain statements of that word. It will keep us in that child-like and humble frame of mind which is peculiarly favorable to the ready reception of truth. Infidel writers have almost invariably manifested the want of this grace. A holy reverence, and a filial fear of God, and a dread of displeasing him, will also raise the soul above the

fear of man, so that man's word will no longer be our ultimate guide, his threatenings our great terror, or his promises our highest hope. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will show them his covenant. And as this fear is the commencement of knowledge, so it is (in the deliberate conviction to which the wisest mind after attaining all knowledge came) our highest good. (Eccl. xii. 13.) It is also the highest and best result of all acquirements. After Job had gone through the knowledge of natural things, he comes, under divine inspiration, to this conclusion, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding. (Job xxviii. 28.)

SIMPLICITY OF PURPOSE TO DO THE WILL OF GOD is a leading characteristic of the holy man, and this is essential to the right perception of truth. The honest ground was the good ground, and the only ground which profitably received the seed of the word. (Luke viii. 15.) If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. If our great and leading aim be wrong; if to acquire the riches, honors, or pleasures of this life, be the chief objects which we have in view, it is like a disease or cataract in the eye, it darkens every part of spiritual truth. But if the heart be converted, and our supreme and leading objects be spiritual, and holy, and heavenly, we shall be prepared readily to admit those truths of which the Bible is so full respecting the vanity of earthly things; we shall acquiesce in, and receive those statements which are opposed to our worldly aggrandizement, and promote our higher and everlasting good. The wisdom of worldly men is in truth the greatest folly, and will be universally in the result acknowledged to be so, but while they hold it to be wisdom, all their judgment of things will be perverted. When thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed, therefore, that the light which is in thee be not darkness. Sin, and all the lusts of the flesh, like a dense mist,