thus rendering, as far as their efforts could prevail, his gospel a superfluous, and even ugly excrescence upon it. There is a kind of wisdom, we are told on the best authority, which descendeth not from

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pressly says it is θεων εις ανθρωποις δοσις, the gift of the gods to men-the effect of divine communication. They deemed it supernatural, that reason should discover the will of God; a gift above nature, (δωρεαν υπερ φυσιν νικωσαν την φυσιν,) and overcoming nature in its present state of imbecility. The dead may as easily arise and walk, as the mind of man, fallen, as it is, into a spiritual death, raise itself to God and a divine life. Nothing can enable man to do those things which are above his natural powers, but supernatural aid, and that must come from the influence of the Deity.

It is, however, worth while to mark the discordant and inconsistent opinions of celebrated heathens on the subject of divine assistance. Seneca, Epist. 41.-" No man is a good man without the assistance of God."

Deus in humano corpore hospitans. Epist. 31.—“ God dwelling in the human body."

Yet this same philosopher says, in another place, Est aliquid quo sapiens antecedat Deum. Ille naturæ beneficio, non suo, sapiens est. "In one respect a philosopher excels God. God is obliged to nature for his wisdom, and cannot help being so. The philosopher thanks himself only." Epist. 53.

Atque hoc quidem omnes mortales sic habent, externas commoditates, vineta, segetes, oliveta, ubertatem, frugum et fructuum, omnem, denique commoditatem, prosperitatemque vitæ, a Diis se habere; virtutem autem nemo unquam acceptam Deo retulit. Nimirum recte. Propter virtutem enim jure laudamur, et in virtute recte gloriamur. Quod non contingeret, si id donum a Deo, non a nobis haberemus. At vero aut honoribus aucti, aut re familiari, aut si aliud quippiam nacti sumus fortuiti boni, depulimus mali, cum Diis gratias agimus, tum nihil nostræ laudi assumptum arbitramur. Num quis, quod bonus vir esset, gratias Diis egit unquam? at quod dives, quod honoratus, quod incolumis. Ad rem autem ut redeam, judicium hoc omnium mortalium est, fortunam a Deo petendam, a seipso sumendam esse sapientiam."-Cicero, de Nat. Deor. lib. iii. c. 36."All mankind hold the opinion, that external advantages, such as vineyards, corn-fields, olive-gardens, abundance of all the various fruits of the earth; lastly, every thing that tends to the accommodation and prosperity of life, is derived from the gods; but no man ever acknowledged himself indebted to God

above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish." No wonder that men, who are taught, by their instructors, to pursue this wisdom, and, in effect, to reject the gospel at the very moment they are solemnly professing it, should become (like the wisdom which they cultivate, and which the apostle so strongly reprobates) earthly, sensual, devilish. Much of the profligacy of manners in the present century is to

for his virtue. Undoubtedly this judgment is right and reasonable. For we are properly commended for our virtue, and we justly glory in our virtue; which could not be, if it were a gift of God, and not a possession derived entirely from ourselves. But different is the case when we receive any accession of honour and fortune, or if we get any unlooked-for advantage or avoid any imminent evil; for then, as we thank Gcd for it, so we assume no merit or praise to ourselves on the occasion.

"Did any man ever return thanks to the gods that he was a good man? No; he returns thanks to the gods because he is a rich man, because he has received some public honour, or because he enjoys a state of safety.

"To return then to the point I am maintaining. It is the unanimous opinion of mankind, that success or good fortune in the world is to be sought of God, but that wisdom is to be derived from oneself entirely."-Cicero de Nat.

Multus et nostra civitas et Græcia tulit singulares viros quorum neminem, nisi juvante Deo, talem fuisse credendum est.Cic. de Nat. Deor. lib. ii.-"Our country (Rome) as well as Greece has produced many extraordinary men, not one of whom, can I believe, would ever have been such, but by the assistance of God."

Nemo igitur vir magnus sine aliquo afflatu divino usquam fuit.-Cic. "No man was ever a great man without something

of divine inspiration."

Hic est quisquam gentis ullius qui ducem naturam nactus ad virtutem pervenire potest? Cic. Leg.-"Is there any man of any country in the world who, by the mere guidance of nature, could attain to virtue ?"

Both Cicero's and Seneca's sentiments on this subject are contradictory.

Δεονται ξυναγωνισου Θεου καὶ ξυλληπτορος. Max. Tyr. Diss. 22.-"Men stand in need of God as an assistant and cooperator."

James, iii. 15.

be attributed to the desertion of the religion of our forefathers, and the teaching of a Christianity which has not the savour of life, and was unknown in England at the Reformation.

Earthly, sensual, devilish,' are the epithets which the apostle uses: now let us turn from the written book to the living world. Can any impartial observer deny, without affected candour, that there are many whose conduct deserves these epithets? and can he deny, that they are chiefly among persons who seem to live without God in the world, and to be unbelievers in revelation, though perhaps conformists to the church? Such persons seem to delight in evil; and, like the being from whom the last of these epithets is taken, to go about, seeking whom they may devour.' No man

can be much conversant in any business in the world, especially where there is competition, without meeting with men who hesitate at no falsehood or baseness, and with whom it is never safe to have either conversation or transaction. Plausibly pretending to courteousness, to friendship, to every thing just, right, and amiable, they lie in wait to deceive and to injure. They will do wanton mischief, for its own sake. They will not only demolish the fair fabric of another's happiness, but laugh over the ruins which they have made.

How beneficial would it be for such persons, and

Read, in the following description from Scripture, how men once degenerated, when estranged from God.

"So that there reigned in all men, without exception, blood, manslaughter, theft and dissimulation; corruption, unfaithfulness, tumults, perjury, disquieting of good men, forgetfulness of good turns, defiling of souls, changing of kind, disorder in marriages, adultery, and shameless uncleanness."-Wisdom, c. xiv. 23-29.

for society, if their hearts were renewed by regenerating grace; if they could be persuaded to believe that there really is something more desirable than mammon; something that contributes more to happiness, and the pleasurable enjoyment of life, than show, equipage, living in the eyes of others, and the indulgence of an unfeeling, self-idolizing vanity at the expense of truth, justice, mercy, and every thing that gives solid satisfaction and real dignity. The grace of God would even adorn them, make them more estimable and honourable than the longest series of unmeaning titles, the most brilliant gems in a coronet, the most magnificent houses and parks, and most gaily-painted vehicles. It would do more; it would liberalize and soften their hearts, and make them men, such as the Creator intended them to be, feelingly alive to the charms of goodness, and to the touch of sympathy. The film would be removed from their eyes; and while they consulted the peace and happiness of others, they would see the things that belong unto their own. The horizon of their mental vision, now all sombrous and cloudy, would be beautifully serene. The stream of their lives, now a desolating torrent, abruptly dashing and foaming over its banks, would flow in its proper channel, smooth and clear, blest and blessing in its course.

Surely every thinking and good-natured mortal, who observes what a despicable and detestable, or rather pitiable object, a man may become, however elevated his rank and affluent his fortune, when his heart is hardened, and he feels no sentiment of love to God, or kindness to his fellow-creatures, must wish to promote, and gladly co-operate with others in promoting, the prevalence of the true Spirit of

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Christianity. This alone, operating by grace, can restore the depraved, fallen, wretched creature, become, by his perverseness, earthly, sensual, devilish, to his proper rank, as a rational, immortal being, and to the unspeakable happiness for which he was intended by divine benevolence.

The true spirit of Christianity can alone preserve the church and sincere religion in society.

"I must profess, that I believe the degeneracy from the truth and power of the Christian religion, the ignorance of the principal doctrines of the gospel, and that scorn which is cast on these, and the like expressions, on the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, by such as not only profess themselves to be ministers, but of a higher degree than ordinary, will be sadly ominous to the whole state of the reformed church amongst us, if not timely repressed and corrected."-Dr. Owen.

The Scriptures themselves attribute the corruption of religion, and even the total loss of divine knowledge, to the reasonings of men upon it; when they regard the outward, and neglect or despise the inward testimony.

There is no truth more clearly asserted in Scripture, than that the things of God are not known but by the Spirit of God.

'The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.'-1 Cor. ii. 14.

'He that lacketh these things,' (the graces mentioned in a preceding verse, particularly the partaking of the divine nature,) is blind, and cannot see afar off.'-2 Pet. i. 9.

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Men wanting these graces, and this participation of the divine nature, we are expressly told, grew vain in their imaginations;' professing themselves wise, they became fools; worshipping the creature (and among the created things is to be numbered the faculty of reasoning) more than the Creator. They spoiled the religion of Christ, through philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, and turned the truth of God into a lie. This was in consequence of following the rudiments of the world, kata τα τοιχεια according to the elements and principles of natural reason and philosophy. Wherefore the apostle would have them dead to the rudiments of the world, for they are only the commandments and doctrines of men, vainly puffed up by their fleshly mind, and science falsely so called, consisting of foolish and unlearned questions, which served only to gender strife. -2 Tim. ii. 23.

The apostle gives Timothy a description of human learning