nature of which we cannot have the most distant comprehension, Comparing, then, spiritual things with natural, and the deficiency there is in the intellectual faculties of some of us, together with the proneness there is, even where this deficiency exists, to enter into disputable points, it is a matter of no surprise that man should find himself at a loss to unravel the mysteries of the heavenly kingdom.

The humble Christian is willing to accept whatever degree of divine knowledge the Omnipotent is pleased to favour him with, believing it is inconsistent with his state of dependence to be dissatisfied with that dispensation, against which, by all his own efforts, he can make no resistance; and perhaps, by being thus ignorant, he is exempted from those dangers to which those are exposed whose refined notions lead them to suppose they are able to remove mountains. "Where he can't unriddle, he learns to trust:" whereas the infidel, tired with investigation, and finding himself as ignorant of the truth as before he began, conceives all to be a deception without considering that he has not a capacity in his natural state to receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him;""neither can he know them,

because they are spiritually discerned," 1 Cor it. 14, he hastily concludes that these inspired teachers are mistaken.

If the unbeliever should be so far tempted as to reject the Scriptures altogether, because of some difficulties they contain,--which it is to be feared too many have done,—there is great reason to apprehend, without a breach of charity, that such an one may by argument and reasoning be brought to deny the being of God also, because of some difficulties which he cannot explain in the moral government of the world.

"If the Scriptures be not of divine revelation, then there never can be a revelation that shall oblige us to believe it; since there can be no stronger evidence for that than for Scripture. He, therefore, that pretends not to believe Scripture revelation for want of evidence, cannot be convinced of the truth of any. By the use of reason, and the sense we have of good and evil, we may learn obscurely what is acceptable to God; but yet, without revelation, we can as little know what is on our part necessary toward attaining that happiness, as we do what the condition of a future state is, and wherein the happiness of it consists. And therefore, as far as certainty is preferable to hope, and knowledge to conjecture, so much is the comfort of revela

tion beyond that of nature; and so much is it becoming our heavenly Father, who gave us our being, to acquaint us with what may make us happy; and this the Scripture revelation, opened to our minds by the spirit of truth, will fully accomplish."-Vide Dr. Clarke on Revelation.

We must suppose Christianity to be either true, or at least credible: we cannot therefore but impute the highest irreverence and the most presumptuous rashness to those who treat it as a light matter. It can never be justly esteemed of little consequence, till it be proved to be false. "Nor do I know," says Bishop Butler, "a higher and more important obligation which we are under, than that of examining most seriously into the evidence of it, supposing its credibility; and of embracing it, upon supposition of its truth."-Bishop Butler's Analogy.

I shall conclude this Section by recommending the following observation to the careful attention of youthful readers in particular:

"When our taste for compositions of any sort, or our pursuits in life, are such as occasion us to contemn or neglect the holy Scriptures and the simplicity of the Gospel, it is a sad proof that the mind has begun to be perverted, and the way prepared for great depravity of heart. Whatsoever, therefore, tends to lessen

our esteem for and perusal of those venerable and highly-interesting communications of the divine will, should be regarded with apprehension, and avoided with the utmost solicitude."L. Murray's Power of Religion on the Mind.

SECTION V.

ON FAITH.

So much has been said in the preceding Sections in allusion to this subject, as in a great measure to preclude the necessity of adding much here: suffice it to say, that the word itself implies trust and confidence as well as belief. It is necessary therefore to know how far we are possessed of this one great means of our salvation through Jesus Christ. We could bring many arguments from Scripture to prove that, according to the Christian system, "without faith it is impossible to please God ;"" that faith is the gift of God;"" that man is justified by faith in Jesus Christ, and not by the works of the Law;" and that "the just shall live by faith." But we have professed not to

rest all our proof from Scripture, though we mean not to lay it wholly aside, when we think it will answer our purpose, or convey either instruction or information to such of our readers as are willing at least to consider this important subject.

We shall therefore endeavour to prove the reasonableness and necessity of such a blessed medium as faith, for the help, strength, and encouragement of man in his pursuit after eternal happiness; for it would ill become a reasonable being even to suppose he was created to perish as the beasts of the field.

It is no uncommon thing to hear persons of a sceptical disposition reprobate faith altogether, not only as unnecessary in this enlightened age, but as degrading to the rational character; and boldly assert that it is inconsistent to believe more than we can see, or are capable of accounting for. But such persons have not taken in the full extent the difficulty such a want of faith would evidently produce. In the first place, let it be asked, Through what medium have they come to any certainty respecting the being of God? If it is answered, His outward works are a sure evidence of it; we would then ask, By what means did the supposition arise in their minds, that His outward works were any crite