and see if he find any thing there to bear him out in his idea: next let him consult his own conscience, let him advise with that inward monitor, which never speaks falsely, though it often speaks in vain; will it countenance him? and, last of all, let him raise his eyes to heaven, and, lifting up his voice in prayer, let him inquire of that Being, before whom he will one day stand to give an account of the deeds done in the flesh-let him ask boldly at the throne of grace, nothing doubting-let him honestly obey its suggestions and we may rest assured that day will never be dishonoured by a deed unworthy of it. And may He who searcheth into the secrets of all hearts, and knoweth even now what is in the thoughts of every one of us, may that gracious power find in our hearts—if not the tree of eternal life deeply rooted, as it should be rooted, and growing up, as it should grow, and spreading forth its branches, as it should spread them forth, and bearing fruit, an hundred fold, as it should bear fruit,-if not this, at least may he find therein the seed of faith, be that seed ever so small, be it even mildewed, lying even in parched ground; and may he who willeth not that any should perish, but that all should be made alive, may he, in his boundless compassion, moisten it with the dew of his favour, and cause it to put forth strong and healthy shoots, and make its way above the surface of the soil, and become a comely plant, and bud and blossom, and be, at length, "like a tree planted by the rivers of water," that bringeth forth its fruit in due season, and whose "leaf shall not wither." Now to God, &c. SERMON V. DUTIES OF MASTERS TO SERVANTS. COLOSSIANS iv. 1. Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that ye also have a master in heaven. IN proportion as the Christian scheme of religion, taken as a whole, exceeds immeasurably any other scheme of religion that has been proposed for the reception of mankind, so does each individual part, examined separately, manifest the same unvarying superiority. Of the utility, or even of the necessity, of some rules for moral observance, man, by the light of nature, that is to say, by the primary revelation of the will of God, made in the instant that the shapeless dust assumed an animate form, has attained a defective conviction; when violence, treachery, oppression, injustice, bad faith, were found to be of dangerous consequences to society,-which they were found to be almost as early as society existed, and it was seen that order, fidelity, protection, justice, good faith, mainly contributed to promote its stability and welfare, the reflecting part began to consider by what methods they could curb the former propensities, and recommend the latter. They took the line and the plummet; they, as accurately as their imperfect knowledge admitted, measured the genius and character of man; they placed him in every possible circumstance, they viewed him in every imaginable relation; they overtook him in the cradle, and they followed him to the grave. Many and various were the conclusions which resulted; these they analyzed, they compared, classed together, and made the ground-work of their system; laws appeared, wherein the several duties of society were specifically enforced, relating to husbands, wives, fathers, children, masters, servants; to secure obedience to these laws, they attached to their violation the only penalties they knew of, or could believe available, namely, such as affected the person or the estate of the offender; farther than this they went not, they sought to inculcate no higher motive, the stream of natural affections was suffered to flow on in its accustomed channel, they had not fathomed the secret of diverting its current for the use and amelioration of mankind: let us not despise them for this, let us not smile at their weakly and abortive efforts; it is highly probable, notwithstanding the rapid advances in cultivation we have been making, and are making still,—it is highly probable, I |