The foundation of its power is laid in the CHARACTER WHICH IT GIVES TO GOD; reflecting, as in a mirror, the image of the only being in the universe, to whom our consciences or judgments, unbiassed by prejudice, would allow us to ascribe perfection. Every conceivable attribute is predicated of him which enlightened reason approves, and in just those proportions, which are essential to the highest excellence of the whole. God is just; yet justice with him is not a naked, heartless demand for right; for God is merciful. And mercy is not a weak and sickly indiscriminate act of oblivion for all offences, and complacency towards all offenders, irrespective of character; for he is JusT. "God is love;" but love controlled by that discriminating holiness which cannot behold iniquity, and sanctioned by that indignation at sin which renders him a flame of fire to the incorrigible transgressor, and declares " if he turn not, He will whet his glittering sword." Not a principle is wanting to constitute Him worthy of perfect trust; not a passion ascribed to Him which can detract from his moral excellence. Thus He becomes at once the center of attraction for all beings in his intelligent creation, which are controlled by the same law of love, and the center of repulsion for all others. His perfections are held up as so many brilliant elementary colors, which are beautiful in themselves-glorious in combination as the bow of promise - but which only become the "light of the world," when blended intimately and in their due proportions, communicating life, and becoming the infallible medium of clear and accurate perception of moral objects and relations. Let but one elementary ray be wanting, and every object upon which the beam shall fall will be distorted and discolored. Let but one perfection be abstracted from the character of God, and he is no longer GoD. Power is not God, or knowledge, or wisdom, or justice, or benevolence; but all his perfections, perfectly and harmoniously united in one, constitute the character which demands our homage. Upon this foundation is built a perfect corresponding system of precepts and prohibitions. The keenest scrutiny of carping skeptics can find no point at which its moral code is not impregnable. They dare not assail one of its provisions. They dare not hazard the imputation of ignorance or selfishness by calling in question one of its principles. ne perfection of its code is also seen in its COMPLETENESS. re is nothing defective, no point of duty which is not red, no emergency, amid all the infinite vicissitudes of unprovided for; there is nothing superfluous - no rule h could be spared without leaving a deficit. And withal, mple, summed up in ten simple statutes, which may be en on a single page, instead of filling cumbrous folios; yet so universal in its extent and application - requiring evision, no legislative councils to repeal and reënact, suit• all climes, all ages, all classes and conditions of men, forming by common consent the common law of all ns who become acquainted with its principles. It stands e us as a mirror, reflecting back the perfect image of him se character it portrays, and from whose inspiration it given. Te may also notice the perfection of Revelation in its depment of human character, and adaptation to it. It esses itself to the work of recovering man to God, by ninating his darkness, and sanctifying his corruption. To end, it developes the whole depravity of his character. arches every recess of the heart, "deceitful above all gs and desperately wicked." It holds up the malignity is guilt in all its darkness, conscious of its ability to adster a healing balm to every wound. It speaks to man, as a pure intellect, but as a moral being, lapsed and fallen, capable of hearing and appreciating argument and motive. Deaks to him not merely to please or startle with new wonderful views of God, or to instruct his understanding; to lay its hand upon his raging passions - to regenerate his ciples-to dethrone his chosen divinities, and subdue the le soul to God. o give it such resistless energy, it is invested with a perNot an inducement to obedience, which the erse affords, is wanting - not an appeal omitted. Heaven, h, and hell are exhausted of all that is lovely to inspire, all that is fearful to awe - all that is winning to allure. an emotion, not a sensibility of human nature, remains ddressed or unsolicited to contribute its influence to subthe reigning power of sin. "I HAVE LOVED YOU, saith the Lord," is his valedictory to the ungrateful Jews by Malachi. And the next exhibition of himself is a glorious appeal, in which he commends his love to us by giving his Son to die for us, while we were yet sinners. And the same sentiment again breaks forth from the lips of the disciple, who leaned upon the bosom of Jesus, - "GOD IS LOVE." It is delightful also to contemplate its perfect adaptation to the wants of man. What necessity of his nature is there which it does not reach? what sorrow that it does not assuage? what bereavement for which it does not a thousand fold compensate? what trial for which it does not prepare? what doubt which it does not solve? It walks at ease in palaces and kingly courts; sanctifies the halls and saloons of the rich; adds heavenly luster to the polished and refined; gives full and divine employment to wealth and learning and talent; and yet in the unobserved and retired walks of life, comes home with peculiar excellence. It doubles every joy in prosperity, and takes the sting from adversity. It folds in its embrace the poor and friendless, and takes the beggar from his extremity of misery to the bosom of eternal love. It speaks in tones of thunder and a glare of lightning to the secure in sin, and puts a cup into the hand of Omnipotent wrath, the dregs of which are to be wrung out for all the wicked of the earth. When attention is arrested and agonizing fears excited, it opens another seal, and the debasing turpitude of sin is beheld in such monstrous shape, that even personal danger is forgotten in con 1 templating its odiousness and guilt. When overwhelmed with conviction, and ready to sink self-condemned into a hopeless abyss of well-earned misery, Jesus of Nazareth, the Lamb of God appears, proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord, ready to bind up the broken hearted, and cover the defenceless with his robes of love. He smiles upon the first symptom of relenting, and fans the kindling flame of penitence, and presses the penitent in his embrace with assurance of forgiveness. Evermore it walks by his side-is a glory before him and a cloud behind; and when flesh and heart fail him, it is the strength of his heart and his portion forever. Here is the foundation of its living energy, when compared with systems of ethics. While they condemn the follies of men, they bring so imperfect a substitute, and enforce their principles with so feeble inducements, that it is not wonderful, their instructions, men should approve the better but the worse. They graft the fig upon a thistle, and look pes upon the thorn. The gospel calls upon men to ish a minor for an infinitely superior good, and enthe call by considerations the most solemn and impresLe universe can furnish. se inducements, set home by the eternal Spirit, are to e the flinty heart, having slain its enmity by the cross mortify the pride of life - to crush the whole array of zed hostility to God, and overturn and overturn, till he right it is shall reign king of nations. cit of all Grace! descend upon us - baptize the church hy vivifying influences. Enter into this body, created ne own inspiration, and give it resistless energy. ere is yet another aspect in which it is important not o contemplate, but to study the Bible as a perfect revenamely, the RELATIVE FULNESS, with which it treats arious departments of religious instruction. It may unedly be regarded as a perfect transcript of the mind of in regard to the proportions in which divine truth should ngled in the public and private instructions of religion. ying aside those portions which relate to the civil polithe theocracy, and that succession of historical records n are serviceable mainly in substantiating its divinity, and rating its changeless moral principles, it may safely be ed as a measure of the importance which every Christian er should attach to its various parts, and the fulness and ency with which they should be discussed. This will De measured by the abstract or relative importance of opics merely, but by the NATURE OF THE TOPIC. It may - important to believe in the Divinity of Christ as to at of sin. But while the former is simply declared and entally alluded to, the latter forms the burthen of their and is urged in every variety of form and enforced by variety of motive. here is a natural reason for this. The declaration which res belief is addressed to the understanding; and if the ment is conclusive, conviction is produced, which will be ing; but the argument which calls for repentance is adsed to the heart, whose impressions are evanescent as the morning dew. The belief, once established, remains, till counteracted by opposing testimony; but the conviction of duty vanishes, and must often be renewed and enforced by every variety of illustration. Such is the tenor of the Scriptures. Duty, instead of being crowded into an inference, is made a theme, frequently, cogently discussed and enforced; while abstract truths once inculcated are seldom reviewed, unless disturbed by false teachers. Who can estimate the amount of Moral power withdrawn from the Christian Sanctuary, by a perpetual repetition of truths, uniformly believed, almost to the exclusion of duties as uniformly neglected? Who can tell how much of modern speculation and polemics, and tenacious, rigid adherence to certain forms of discipline would be avoided, if the sword of the spirit bore the same ethereal temper in our hands, as in the hands of Paul? What a paralysis would fall upon all the business of life, if every agent, to whom was committed the accomplishment of important works, should call his men together at every returning sun to hear a lecture demonstrating that it is the sun; that the sun is the fountain of light, and that light is the medium of vision; and THEREFORE we must work while the day lasts! If controversy were limited to as few topics, and engrossed as small a portion of thought and feeling and effort as it did with James and John, when the Savior had instructed them to fellowship those who followed not with them - what mighty energy would be imparted to the united ministry of Christ! It is worthy of observation in this connexion, how completely the code of moral instruction in the New Testament is disencumbered of a ponderous ritual. Every external observance, connected with the New Dispensation, is so slightly developed, as to be in many respects debatable. We recognise the duty of Baptism distinctly enjoined, but the mode and circumstances are left quite out of sight. A public profession of faith in Christ is constantly insisted upon, but to what extent that profession shall reach-how minute shall be the detail of its articles, in what form the Christian community shall be organized, is left in so much uncertainty, that we can hardly gather from the word of God the outlines of a |