shall be damned. He that believeth not the Son, after hearing him evangelically announced, shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. He is condemned already: for every one, that doeth evil, hateth the light of the Gospel, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Upon this principle, as conformable to experience as to sound reason, the Gospel is not absolutely rejected, except by those, who are either visibly corrupted, as Pilate and Felix, or secretly depraved, as Judas and Caiphas. And it was to persons of this character, that Christ addressed himself in the following terms "How can ye believe, who receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? If any man will do the will of Him that sent me," and follow the light that is imparted to him, " he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." Hence, when any, who have been consecrated to Christ by baptism, are seen withdrawing from the foot-stool of their Master to the schools of philosophy, or, at least, making no advances in true holiness; we may rest assured, that their decline is caused, or their spiritual growth prevented, by the secret indulgence of some vicious inclination. These philosophizing moralists, and these lukewarm disciples may be compared to the fruit, that falls before it has attained to the perfection of its species examine such fruit, and you will find under a beautiful appearance, either a destructive worm, or loathsome rottenness. Such is the apostatizing deist under the most specious forms he can possibly assume.

When J. J. Rousseau expressed himself in the following terms: "If God judges of faith by works, then to be a good man, is to be a real believer;" he was not far beside the truth, provided, that, by a good man, he intended one, who lives in temperance, justice, and the fear of God; since every man, in whom these virtues are discoverable, is assuredly principled in the true faith. Such a one is a real believer, according to that

economy of grace, under which Job, Josiah, and Socrates, shone out to the glory of GoD; men, who either possessed principles of faith, or whose best actions are no more to be admired, than those of our domestic animals.

This writer had less distinct views of truth, when he added, "The true christian is the just man; unbelievers are the wicked :" since there are just men, who are not yet christians, as there are studious persons, who cannot yet be accounted profound scholars. Moreever, there are many, who, like the centurion Cornelius, do not yet believe the Gospel, because they : have never heard that Gospel explained with precision and fidelity and surely such deserve not to be termed absolutely unjust men. The latter proposition approaches indeed nearer the truth," Unbelievers. are the wicked:" yet this is false; except the term unbeliever be taken for one, who obstinately disbelieves the Gospel: since a good man, who receives the first part of the Apostles' Creed,may yet, like Nathaniel and Nicodemus, be so forcibly held back by involuntary prejudice, with respect to the other parts of the same Creed, that he may fluctuate long between truth and error. It is by propositions so vague and insiduous, that our philosophers delude themselves and beguile their disciples.

But replies J. J. Rouseau," have we power to believe? Is the not being able to argue well imputed to us as a crime? Conscience informs not, what we are to think, but what we are to do it teaches us not to reason well, but to act well." And are all the faculties of man, except his conscience, to be considered as utterly useless, with regard to this important matter? Let it however, be granted, that a wicked and haughty person has it not in his power to believe; yet it is highly necessary that he should fear the truth, so long as he gives himself up either to actions or inclinations, that are manifestly evil. Thus the conscious robber can never overcome his fear of justice, so long as he is

disposed to continue his iniquitous practices: but if, after making full restitution, he should become sincerely upright, maintaining a conscience void of offence toward GoD and toward man, he will tremble no more at the idea of judges, tribunals, or executions.

If it be asked, what secret vice it was, that would not suffer so honest a man as J. J. Rousseau to embrace the gospel? Without searching into the anecdotes of his life, we may rest satisfied with the discovery he has made of his own heart, in this single sentence: "What can be more transporting to a noble soul than the pride of virtue!" Such was the pride which made him vainly presume, that he had power sufficient to conquer himself, without invoking the assistance of GOD; and by which he was encouraged to assert, that the doctrines of the Gospel were such as "no sensible man could either conceive or admit." Such was the vir tuous pride, which would not suffer the pharisees to receive the humiliating truths of the Gospel, and which filled the heart of Caiaphas with jealousy and hatred against Christ.

There is no species of pride more insolent than that, which gives rise to the following language. "It is "asserted, that God so loved the world, as to give "his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in "him should not perish, but have everlasting life." "These tidings, whether they be true or false, are high❝ly acceptable to many: but, for my own part, I open"ly declare, that I reject, with contempt, the idea of "such a favour. I read with attention those writ❝ings, which tend to unfold the mysteries of nature, "but resolve never to turn over those authors, who "vainly attempt to establish the truth of the Gospel. "This subject, though it has occupied the thoughts "and engaged the pens of enquiring students for these "seventeen hundred years, I shall ever regard as un"worthy my attention. I leave it to the vulgar, who ❝ are easily persuaded of its importance. My virtue

are sufficient to expiate my crimes, and on these I "will resolutely depend, as my sole mediators before "GOD." If this is implicitly the language of every man, who obstinately rejects the doctrines of the Gospel, what heights of presumption, and what depths of depravity, must lie open, in the souls of such, to the eye of Omniscience! Reason and Revelation agree to condemn them. Behold the ground of their sentence. "Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble."

Reason itself is sufficient to discover, that before the Supreme Being nothing can appear more detestable than the pride of a degenerate and ungrateful creature. And if so, the deists of Socrates's time must have been far less culpable, than those of the present day. The former, conscious of the uncertainty with which they were encompassed, made use of every help they could procure, in the pursuit of truth, with unwearied assiduity. The latter, presuming upon their own sufficiency, decide against doctrines of the utmost importance without impartially considering the evidences produced in their favour. The former, by carefully examining every system morality proposed to their deliberation, discovered a candour and liberality becoming those, who were anxiously "feeling after God, if haply they might find him." The latter, by condemning Revelation, without calmly attending to the arguments of its advocates, manifest a degree of prejudice, that would be unpardonable in a judge, but which becomes execrable in a criminal, who is pressed by the strongest reasons to search out the truth.

Plato, in the sixth book of his Republic, introduces his Master marking out the dispositions necessary to a virtuous man. "Let us begin, says Socrates, by recounting what qualities are necessary to him, who would one day become an honest man and a true philosopher. The first quality is the love of truth, which he ought to seek after in every thing and by every

means; true philosophy being absolutely incompa tible with the spirit of delusion. He, who has a sincere desire to obtain wisdom, cannot confine himself to things, that are here below, of which he can acquire but an uncertain knowledge. He is born for truth, and he tends to it with an ardour, which nothing is able to restrain." Ye, who oppose philosophy to Revelation, and reject, without thoroughly investigating, the doctrines of the Gospel, can you be said to discover an attachment to truth, as sincere as that of Socrates? Do ye not rather esteem that an excessive fondness for truth, or even a dangerous species of enthusiasm, which the wisest heathens have looked upon, as the first disposition requisite to an honest man?

Plato and his master, who scrupulously acknowledged the truth wherever they discovered it, were assuredly in a state of acceptance before God, without an explicit acquaintance with Jesus Christ: for where the Almighty hath not strewed,there will He never expect to gather; and where He hath scattered only the first truths of the Gospel, there He never will require that precious fruit, which He expects to be produced by the highest truths of Revelation. Thus the husbandman is content to reap nothing but barley in a field, where nothing but barley has been sown.... But if, after sowing the same field with the purest wheat, it should produce only tares with a few scattered ears of barley; he would, undoubtedly, express a degree of surprise and displeasure, at having his reasonable expectations so strangely disappointed..

In the new Testament we find a remarkable parable to this purpose, where mankind are considered as the domestics of God's immense houshold. In this parable the Almighty is represented as collecting his servants together, and confiding to the care of each a separate loan, to be employed for the mutual interest of the covenanting parties. To one of his domestics he imparts five talents; to another two; while a third has no more than a single talent committed to his