life, and infused into them the bitterness of death and at length, the arch heretic, the man of sin himself arose, and eclipsed the light and heat of the gospel sun, and cast his baleful shade over the whole christian world for upwards of a thousand years,

It

Yet all this is not still sufficient ground of cavil, to give the freethinker full content. is even yet further matter of objection, that the altered circumstances of the christian religion since the reformation, and the great and manifest decline of popery in consequence thereof, is not such a satisfaction as he expects, He does not behold any thing in the present state of the world, at all more favorable to the high pretensions which the gospel pleads, to the promised enlargement, and clear vindicar tion of its truth, which is to stop the mouth of every adversary. But on the very contrary, he hails with secret satisfaction the glo rious commencement of the age of reason, and considers the revolutionary spirit that "rides in the whirlwind and directs the

Ezekiel xvi. 63.-Romans iii. 19.

storm," as a happy omen; and whatever becomes of morality and religion in the cons flict of the political elements, as auspicious nevertheless to philosophy. He sees a broad and easy way opening to the sons of reason, illuminated and encouraged by the bright examples before them, to march on to the ultimate triumph that awaits them over the falling tyranny of superstition and priestcraft: and that though the experiment, so long called for, has been brought to the test, and failed; yet it will be tried again, and the world convinced by its result, that no religion but that of nature is necessary.

beats high in “the

Evil! be thou my

And is it thus that expectation stands on tiptoe, and every heart armies of the aliens ?" good! said the chief foe, and he has pursued it to his own bane, while the final result will be the greater manifestation of the wisdom and goodness of God. Alas! in a state of things so truly ominous, and so depressing, what will be the reflections of the steadfast believer in Jesus?" "Let God be true," he

will say, “and every man a liar.” (Rom. iii. 4.) Let the children of this world found their in

fidel reasoning upon what basis they will, the christian " bath built up himself in his most holy faith, and established it" (Col. ii. 7.) upon a rock, even the rock of ages; against which neither the force of the tumultuary movements of this world, nor the wiles of "the gates of bell" shall be able to prevail. He has well considered the evidences of divine revelation, and finds them such as neither the empty ridicule of scoffers can shake, nor the cool argumentative discussion of their infidel philosophy can invalidate; but his faith, like gold, is only the purer for passing through the fire.* If religion hath endured a long continued oppression, “ and wisdom bath cried without, and lift up her voice in vain in the streets," he refers it to the unsearchable wisdom of God, and enquires for no other reason of his mysterious dispensations, than that he is pleased to give, “many shall be purified, and made white, and tried." (Dan. xii. 10.) And in the most violent concussions of poli

1 Peter, i. 7.

tical rage, and the most portentous aspect of the affairs of this world, he still discerns the traces which the finger of God hath made in the shifting sand; he relies upon his providence that the thunder cloud will burst there only, where God hath given it a commission to destroy, and that eventual good will spring out of temporary evil; "therefore will be not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." (Psalm xlvi. 2.)

The character of our blessed Lord, and the nature of the religion he taught, have not been duly appreciated or not understood, by the philosophers of the opposite party. "The carnal max perceiveth not the things of the spirit of God," says the apostle, "for they are spiritually discerned." There is in some minds a great and manifest want of a qualification indispensably requisite to faith, and that is humility. I do not mean a spirit of fanaticism, but a becoming deference for the wisdom of others, and a moderate estimation of a man's gwn; the want of the former is the source of

D

prejudice, and the absence of the latter shuts a man up in the wilful blindness of selfopinion. The various sects of philosophers amongst the jews, were thus shut out from the benefit of that great "light which shined in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not." So true is that of the apostle, "knowledge puffeth up, but charity" (only another word for humility) "edifieth." The conceit of their own wisdom, and prejudice against that which fell from the lips of Christ to their perpetual confusion, had so hardened their hearts that they only "derided him," while the more teachable minds of even publicans and sinners were convinced. Yet these learned men were in the daily habit of attendance upon the synagogue, and the reading and expounding of those very prophecies to which Jesus constantly made his appeal, and was fulfilling them daily before their eyes. These men ought to have been good judges of the strength and consistency of the evidence thus laid before them, yet nothing can be more evident than the prejudice with which they judged of them, and the falseness of the conclusion to