vii. 3, &c.), by cultivating those dispositions of mind which accord as well with the divine communications as with our own relative and responsible character.

This preparation of mind may be resolved into the following particulars.

L-DEVOUT GRATITUDE FOR THE FACT AND CHARACTER

OF THE DIVINE REVELATION.

If we have any thing like just conceptions of the high and holy character of God, and of our own debased and abject condition, we shall not fail to approach the volume of inspiration with sentiments of the profoundest gratitude to HIM, for having favoured us in such circumstances with any communication of his will; but especially for the character and design of those communications which are presented to us in the Bible. Separated from the Author of our being by a course of sinful disobedience, and totally incapacitated by the depravation of our will and affections, for both his service and presence, He might have justly abandoned us to the imaginings of our own hearts, destitute of the guidance of any further light from his own infinite intelligence. In that case, how deplorable must have been our moral condition! Cut off from God-under the domination of the powers of darkness-following the dictates of the most fierce and turbulent passions, we could only have proceeded from one stage of depravity and wretchedness to another, until we should have found ourselves placed beyond the reach of even the Divine compassion itself. But "the day-spring from on high has visited us;" the light of His truth has pierced through the gloom with which we are surrounded-" they who sat in darkness and in the region of the shadow of death have seen a great light," and in the midst of our rebellion we are arrested by the voice of God, in accents the most tender and merciful"Unto you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men" (Prov. viii. 4): "How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you," i. 22, 23. Now we say, that the mere fact of a divine revelation intended to benefit our condition, is amply sufficient to excite our warmest gratitude, and to inspire us with the most intense interest and reverential feeling, whenever we approach the oracles of God.

But if we proceed to examine into the character of these Divine communications, our obligations will appear greatly augmented, and our gratitude should be proportionably ex

cited. Be it observed, then, that it is in the Holy Scriptures, only, that we have

1. Rational and influential discoveries of God.

In

In proof of this assertion we need only refer to the state of opinion in those parts of the world where the light of revelation has not beamed, or where it has been quenched by the opposition of sin. Amidst all the speculations of philosophy for which Greece and Rome were so renowned, at what certainty did their most celebrated philosophers arrive, even on the simple but momentous fact of the existence of an intelligent first cause?* Doubt and uncertainty marked the conclusions of their profoundest investigations, and reduced them to the rank of mere probabilities. With respect to his character and perfections, and the interest which He took in the moral government of the world, they were at a still greater loss, and involved in the most bewildering perplexities. fact, the whole history of man, whether wandering in the wilds of savage independence, or enjoying the higher advantages of civilised society, abundantly confirms the humiliating truth, that "the world by wisdom knew not God," 1 Cor. i. 21. But turn we to the Scriptures, and what sublime and influential discoveries are there made of the Being and perfections of GOD! How demonstrative are the evidences of His beinghow convincing the proofs of His moral government — and how influential the character which He sustains towards us! How rational and just are the exclamations of the regal Prophet, "The entrance of thy word giveth life"-" It giveth understanding to the simple!" Ps. cxix.

2. An intelligible account of the origin of moral evil.

Nor let this be regarded as a subject of trifling moment : it is intimately connected with just views of the righteous system of God's moral government, and the final destinies of the human race. In confirmation of this assumption, as well as that on the former topic, we might confidently appeal to the speculations of those who were either destitute of the guidance of revelation, or who have rashly and impiously abandoned its proffered assistance. A detail of the monstrous notions which have been entertained on this subject,

* As it would exceed the limits of this work to give even a superficial sketch of the opinions of the ancients on the being and attributes of God, the reader is referred to Enfield's "History of Philosophy," or to Skelton's "Deism Revealed.”

"The possession of the Bible alone," said the amiable Montgomery, in a speech delivered before the Philosophical Society of Sheffield-"the possession of the Bible alone-including treasures of history, jurisprudence, poetry, and ethics, capable above all other books of informing, expanding, delighting, and exalting the mind, while the heart is purified, -the possession of the Bible alone, with the power of reading and understanding its wonderful and blessed contents, sets the humblest Christian among us above the most enlightened heathen philosopher in the true knowledge of the true God."

will not comport with our assigned limits, nor is it, indeed, necessary to our present design. Our own times have witnessed one mighty, but unhappy spirit, who, rejecting the guidance of the inspired records, and turning with disdain from the information which they have brought within our reach, has indulged in his uncurbed and unhallowed speculations, till lost in the bewilderings of his own imagination, he has fearlessly impugned the goodness of his Creator, and blasphemed the name of his God! Such is the boasted wisdom of man, if left to the resources of his own intellect. But this deficiency is supplied by the Bible. In this the mystery which has been hidden from ages is made manifest; the conduct of God stands absolved from every imputation which infidelity has thrown upon it, and every part of the moral government of the Creator is seen to harmonize with the perfections of his character. Through the same medium, also, and exclusively, we learn

3. The method by which the salvation of man is effected, and the medium of his approach to God.

Living, as we do, in the midst of this light, we are not, it is to be feared, sufficiently impressed with a consciousness of its high importance, and of its infinite value. Should this be the case, we shall do well to direct our attention towards those less favoured beings who are deprived of its advantages. Do not the cruel and degrading superstitions of the pagan world, both in ancient and in modern times, shew us in the most convincing manner, that, apprehensive of the wrath of some unknown but offended deity, the great question which agitates the mind and presses its terrors upon the conscience of men is this:-"How shall man be justified with God?" But of this, alas! they are ignorant. The prophet has described in language no less just than forcible, the fearful anxiety and distressing uncertainty which agitate the mind of man in such circumstances.- "Wherewithal shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" Mic. vi. 6. On a mind thus fearfully agitated by an overwhelming apprehension of the Divine displeasure, and without any well-grounded hope of averting its impending doom, what must be the exhilirating effects of the merciful announcements of the gospel? -and what must be the thrilling sensibilities of the heart, when these discoveries are first made and apprehended? The design of this revelation is to

announce the gracious purposes of God in the salvation of man from the guilt and punishment of sin;-his purposes of pardoning the guilty-of sanctifying the unholy-of giving strength to the helpless, and power to them who have no might. And it further informs us of the medium through which we may succesfully approach the throne of God, and acceptably urge our petitions for an interest in these unspeakably important benefits. In the midst of the overwhelmings of our grief and the despondency of our spirit, produced by a consciousness of having displeased the Author of our being, our hopes are animated with the most encouraging assurances that there is a way opened to his throne, through which we may pass and successfully urge our plea:-" Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession:" "Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.". -“Wherefore

he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them," Heb. iv. 14, 16; vii. 25.

4. In the Scriptures, only, are the truth and certainty of a future state revealed.

Upon this, as well as upon each of the former subjects referred to, men, without the light of Revelation, must have remained in utter darkness; or, if this be thought too strong an expression, we say, destitute of all satisfactory information. It is true that some efforts have been made to demonstrate the immortality of the soul, upon principles independent of Scripture; but without any desire to depreciate the labours of those who have employed themselves in the investigation, we may be allowed to remark, that the mere circumstance of no one ever having arrived at any thing like certainty on the subject, till brought within the reach of the light of inspiration, is enough to justify a suspicion that the superiority of modern ratiocination over that of the ancients in this respect, is derived, perhaps unconsciously, from the discoveries of the written word. We have been repeatedly reminded of the sentiments of Socrates, Plato, Cicero, and others, who by the mere exercise of reason, it is said, discovered that the present is not the only state of being—that the existence of man does not terminate with this life, but that there remains a state where virtue will be rewarded and vice punished. Granting that such discoveries as these have been made, and which, indeed, we have no disposition to deny, we ask those who vaunt of philosophy, for the purpose of derogating from the value of

revelation-we ask such persons what it cost these individuals in the pursuit of the knowledge in question, ere they could triumph in its possession? Did the oppugners of revelation ever follow these master spirits in their mental excursions ?— Did they ever make an effort to discipline their own minds to the same severe and laborious course of investigation, which these were obliged to prosecute through toilsome months and years ? We fear they have not so done; and they are therefore incompetent to determine how many there are who would have attained to the same degree of assurance on this topic as the worthies to whom we have referred. The process by which the truth was thus to be arrived at, was too complex to engage the attention of the great proportion of men, and therefore God in his infinite compassion made known a shorter way. That way is to be found in the Scriptures: and we are prepared for the sneer and laugh of the witling when we say, that the most illiterate man who can read his Bible, and avail himself of the information therein contained, knows more about a future state of existence than either Socrates or Plato. And what is of infinitely more value than this, the knowledge of the former is both more influential and more satisfactory than that of the latter. So dubious did the evidence upon which the conclusions of philosophy rested appear to the minds of the persons to whom we have been referred, that they were far from satisfied of the certainty of the doctrines which they endeavoured to impose on others. In circumstances when the support of such principles were most needed, the confidence of the philosopher forsook him, and in the contemplation of death he viewed the existence of a future state as a problem which was not to be solved. Even Cicero speaks of this doctrine as doubtful, and in his treatise on Old Age he introduces the elder Cato mentioning it as an opinion he was fond of, rather than as a doctrine he could demonstrate; and comforts himself, after enumerating all the arguments he could think of for it, with this reflection upon the whole;—that if the soul dies with the body, the petty philosophers, who opposed themselves to the opinion of the soul's immortality, ceasing to be, as well as himself, would not laugh at his credulity. Plato, in his Phadon, makes Socrates speak with some doubt concerning his own arguments, and introduces Simmias saying to him, "We ought to lay hold of the strongest arguments for this doctrine, that either we ourselves, or others can suggest to us. If both ways prove ineffectual, we must, however, put up with the best proofs we can get, till some promise, or revelation shall clear up the point to us." The wisdom of