fluence, or complete novelty, are peculiar to the Gospel dispensation -a law not only thus perfect in itself, but set off and perfectly exemplified in the pure and perfect life of its divine Legislator.

And, as man had fallen through the prevalence of temptation, and his posterity had gone on falling lower and lower, through their inherited weakness and depravity; and man under the Christian dispensation is still the same in nature, though born to higher hopes and privileges; it had been in vain to have proposed these conditions, and left man unable to perform them. Some strength must be imparted beyond what man has naturally; or the very perfection of the law would only render our endeavours the more hopeless. This strength we are taught to expect through the graces of the Holy Spirit; and the very channel through which those graces will be ordinarily conveyed, are expressly laid down.

The waters of baptism are to give the first impulse to the spiritual life, and purify the heart, and place us in a capacity of working out our salvation, by transplanting us out of the state of wrath into the state of grace.

The bread and wine taken sacramentally, as the holy symbols of our Lord's crucified body and blood, are to be the instruments of our strength, and the earnests of our pardon.

The priests and ministers of the Lord are to be the official dispensers of the divine graces.

And the Church itself, as a holy and visible society, under its own divinely appointed governors, and salutary laws, is to be the depository of these graces, and the faithful witness of their efficacy to all generations. Within her bosom, as in the ark of Noah, the Christian rides safely, shut in by the hand of the Lord, and wanting no one thing that is good.-Perfect is his knowledge, as far as is needful or pos

sible in his present state, of God and his attributes; of the means of his own acceptance with him; of the substance of his duty, and the sources of his spiritual strength.

And, added to all these, are the powerful encouragements to the full and conscientious discharge of our duty, held forth in the doctrine of the resurrection, and the reunion of our bodies to our souls, for their mutual enjoyment of a life, compared to which this is but as the mere infancy of our existence; a life, endless in its duration, inconceivable in its glory, and unvarying in the fruition of everlasting happiness. "The righteous shall shine forth, as the sun, in the kingdom of their Father."

What remains then, but to say, in the words of our Lord

"If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them;" if ye live up to what ye know, and strive to shew forth the excellence of your knowledge in the superior sanctity of your lives," as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the lust of the flesh, but purifying your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit."

Is God all just and powerful? Fear Him. Is He all merciful? Love Him. Is He every where present? Think not to hide yourselves from Him. Is He a Spirit? Be ye spiritually minded, and worship Him in spirit and in truth. Is He mysteriously united in three distinct persons? Veil, like the holy seraphim, your faces before Him, and bow yourselves in the deeepest humiliation of soul and body, at the footstool of his mysterious Majesty.

Has the Son of God redeemed us? Let us make Him our Redeeemer, by believing in the efficacy of his death. Has He given us a law whereby we are to walk? Let us obey Him as our Lord, that he may be indeed a Redeemer unto us. Has He promised us abundantly of his Holy Spirit? Let us lay hold on his gracious promise; let us give

it to our children, by baptizing them; let us ask it for them and for ourselves in prayer; let us seek it at the Lord's own table; let us receive it at the hands of his own appointed ministers; let us abide within his holy Church, as members of his mystical body, that, nourished together with Him, we may grow up unto an holy and living temple in the Lord, and be sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, that earnest of our everlasting inheritance. Is this inheritance rich beyond compare, and placed beyond all doubt? Has Christ risen from the dead, that we might rise also? And has the word of truth declared, that "when he shall appear" in his glory, "we we shall be like him," and shall go forth to meet our Lord in the air, and so shall ever be with the Lord." Having these promises, dearly beloved, let us, as the Apostle admonishes "cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit:" let us not choose the service of sin, whose wages is death, but the service of God, whose gift is eternal life," through Jesus Christ our Lord;" let us cast off the works of darkness, and put on all these glorious truths, and holy resolutions, and pious affections, and heavenly hopes, as an armour of light, well knowing that it is high time for every Christian to awake out of the sleep, and folly, and madness of sin, and believe and live, and hope unto the salvation of his soul, through Him, the only Teacher -the perfect Exemplar-the gracious Supporter-the powerful Intercessor and effectual Redeemer and Justifier of Man-the Lord Jesus Christ.

ON RELIGIOUS FEAR.

C.

Two opposite errors are of frequent occurrence among Christians. Some persons delight to dwell on the contemplation of the Divine

goodness: to their thoughts the merciful design of the Gospel readily occurs; in their view, privilege prevails over duty in the scheme of salvation; according to their apprehension, the study of the Holy Scriptures and the practice of devotion ought to be simply pleasurable, and should prove the means of enkindling and keeping alive within them, love, and thankfulness, and joy. They are almost strangers to fear: religion seems to them, to consist chiefly in the cultivation and the exercise of warm affection and of earnest zeal. There are other Christians whose temper of mind and character of feeling are quite opposite. These persons regard the whole subject of religion with awful reverence: every precept of the law occurs to their minds in close connection with that high authority which enjoins and sanctions it; every privilege suggests to their thoughts the majesty of that exalted Being who condescends to grant it ; whenever they listen to the voice of God, as speaking in His word, they shrink back with involuntary dread, and use au effort with themselves, lest they should suspend attention to that which they humbly confess themselves bound both to learn and to obey. As I have already intimated, these opposite characters are both chargeable with error. True religion is not on the one hand a concern unmixedly awful; neither is it on the other an affair which is calculated to excite and to render active no other affections than those of love and gratitude. It must be remembered that this holy principle then produces its right effect, when it imparts to the timid some firmness of resolution, and confidence of hope, and inspires the man of sanguine and cheerful temperament with a respectful reverence for the majesty of God. Whatever may be the fault of the abashed and fearful, it is at all events certain that the over-confident cannot be right: if there is more present unhappiness

in the case of the former, there is undoubtedly more safety. In all instances of Christian virtue, the affection of fear, as well as other affections of the soul, must be alive and active; but it must be a fear pure in character, and well regulated in degree. It may be confidently asserted that genuine piety is ever deeply founded on such fear. Several of the inspired writers use this single word in the comprehensive sense of religion as it relates to God; and by this practice, they lead the attentive reader to conclude that this particular affection holds a prominent place in the formation and developement of the religious character. It is thus that the Psalmist declares: "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all they that do his commandments." Psal. cxi. 10. It is thus too that Solomon expresses the same sentiment in the same language: "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding." Prov. ix. 10. "The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom." Prov. xv. 33. Indeed to the reader of the book of Proverbs, the expression "the fear of the Lord" is familiarly known as a short account of true piety. In like manner, when St. Peter, in the New Testament, would sum up the whole of our duty towards God, he does so in the brief but significant admonition: "Fear God." Now fear, as it enters into pure religion, consists, partly, in an awful reverence for the Divine Majesty; and partly, in a humble distrust of human infirmity. As it consists in the former of these elements, it is the principle of lowliness, of self-abasement, of respectful homage, and of grave and solemn worship: as it consists in the latter element, it is the principle of caution, of dependence on the help of Divine grace, of careful and diligent obedience.

In the first place, religious fear consists in an awful reverence for

the Divine Majesty. In the piety of the faithful Christian there is never found any symptom of familiarity with the great and glorious object of his love and of his confidence. He forgets not the sublime nature of that Being, to whom he addresses his supplications, and offers up the tribute of his praise. In the moments of devout retirement and of public prayer he equally remembers that God is in heaven and that himself is upon the earth: he therefore prostrates himself before the throne of the Almighty with lowliness of mind, and is careful that his words be few, the well chosen and respectful expression of his inward feelings of gratitude and love. His confidence, encouraged by the promises of Holy Scripture, is tempered with awe, and he does not venture to give utterance to it rashly or in haste. In formularies that have been consecrated by the use of the devout in every age of the Church, he finds the safest and the best mode of celebrating the praises and magnifying the mercy of his "Father, which is in heaven:" he is not careful about novelty of language but studiously consults how he may best conform the temper of his soul to the forms of saints and martyrs, and confessors of the Universal Church. He is much afraid of any discordancy between the inward feelings of his heart and the language of his lips; and instead of aiming at a glowing ardour of the latter, he is intent on the far more important and more difficult task of regulating the former aright. Nor is such reverence as produces these effects in any degree, at variance with a due reliance on the Divine goodness. He who is most strongly impressed with the sublime majesty of God, is likely to form the justest estimate of the clemency of that High and Holy Being; and love, awakened and cherished by a becoming sense of clemency, is only purified from the grossness of earthly affection, by an accompanying sense

of the power and glory of Him, who is the object of it.

The other element of a right religious fear which I have mentioned is a humble distrust of human infirmity,which immediately issues in a principle of caution, of dependence on Divine aid, of careful and diligent obedience. The sincere and earnest Christian is justly afraid of himself. If a proper apprehension of the Divine majesty serves to shew him the enormity and malignant nature of sin, a growing acquaintance with himself lays open to his view his own liability to transgression; and he despairs of being able always to stand upright, if he is left to his own strength. For his own part, however, he is anxious to leave nothing undone; he strives to be continually on his guard; he arms himself with every instrument and means of caution; he accustoms himself to detect remote tendencies towards evil, and to discover beforehand what may ultimately en. tangle him in sin; he lives under a constant and practical persuasion that the first step in morals, although it be always easy, and sometimes almost imperceptible, is yet ever of incalculable moment. This cautious distrust of himself is followed by a humble dependence on Divine aid. For the weakness, of which he is conscious, he finds promised in Holy Scripture an adequate and appropriate supply of grace and strength; and on that supply he depends with firm as surance but he seeks it through the appointed channels of Divine institution, and expects it in such manner and degree as will not supersede, but assist his own powers, and will increase rather than abate his own activity. In the posture of devotion, and with the accents of earnest prayer, he awaits the secret communications of that hallowed influence, which he thankfully confesses to be the principle of all purity within him. In the language of the Psalmist he 66 prays: O that my

ways were directed to keep thy statutes!" "Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes, and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding and I shall keep thy law. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies. Quicken thou me in thy way." (Psalm cxix.) Whilst his prayer, if not couched in these exact terms, is at least such in meaning and effect; his active powers are all awake, and are employed in a course of circumspect and diligent obedience. The fear of failing in his duty is not excessive; in that case it would dishearten and deter from action; but it is strong enough to rouse him to efforts at once zealous and persevering. Thus, instead of disheartening, it has rather the effect of exciting and animating. It is the fear, not of a slave, but of a loyal and obedient son. Failure is the object of apprehension, not because of the severity, but of the goodness of God; and whilst the Christian is persuaded that he cannot too much distrust himself, he is equally convinced that the Lord and Master, whom he sincerely strives to honour and obey, will interpret his actions with favourable allowance, and with gracious condescension to the weakness of our nature.

That religious fear, whose elements I have been endeavouring to disclose, cannot be a source of unhappiness. It is rather a fruitful source of courage and of serenity of mind; for it has been well observed that it is "the fear which banishes all other fear." It is that" fear of the Lord, in which is strong confi dence." (Prov. xiv. 26.) It is that fear, which renders truly blessed him who lives under its influence.

Surely he" that feareth with this fear" shall not be moved for ever: he shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord; his heart is established; he shall not be afraid until he see his desire upon his enemies." (Psalm cxii. 6, 7, 8.)

Dent. xix. 14.

"Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's land-mark."

Joshua xv. 6. and xviii. 17. "The border went up to the stone of Bohan."

NUMA introduced deities, under the nature of termini, or boundaries. In Romulus's time, neither the Roman territories in general, nor the estates of private persons, had any fixed limits; Numa therefore ordered stones dedicated to Jupiter terminalis to be placed on the border of the Roman state, to mark the just extent of it. The same was done with regard to the lands of private property; and these landmarks became a kind of deities. To remove them was deemed a sacrilege of so heinous a nature, that any man might with impunity slay the transgressor; and, in order to ren der the law yet more inviolable, Numa instituted a festival, called Terminalia, in honour of the Dii Termini, (which in his time were nothing more than square stones or posts, to which a religious honour was paid; afterwards they were adorned with statues representing human figures, were crowned with flowers, and rubbed with perfumes.) The owners of lands met on the confines of their estates, and there made their offerings of loaves and the first gatherings of their fruits and harvests. Hooker's Roman History, vol. i. p. 127.-D. Hal. b. ii. p. 133, 134.—Plut. p. 71.

A large stone, set upright, marks each man's property, in some places, in others only a few sticks; as no man ever thinks of removing his neighbour's land-mark.-Parson's Travels in Asia and Africa, p. 36.

That this offence was considered in a very serious light, may be col

2

lected from the following commencement of one of Alciphon's Epistles:-"Not even they who had defaced land-marks, or profaned the Eleusynian mysteries, could have so much to dread as I had, having fallen, O ye gods! into the hands of that accursed Phanomacha, since she found that ber husband was attached to that Ionian girl, who plays tricks with balls and the lamps, she has suspected that I was accessary to the intrigue."

In the Institutes of Menu, which are supposed to have been written in the twelfth century before Christ, we find, amongst other laws, that the destroyers of known land-marks must suffer such corporal punishment as will disfigure them; as, for instance, depriving them of their eyes or hands.--Maurice's India Ant. vol. vi. 395.