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A 
 
 PRACTICAL VIEW 
 
 OF THE 
 
 PREVAILING RELIGIOUS SYSTEM 
 
 OF 
 
 PROFESSED CHKISTIANS, 
 
 IN THE 
 HIGHER AND MIDDLE CLASSES, 
 
 CONTRASTED ^VITH REAL CMRISTlAMTY* 
 
 —7^ 
 
 BY WILLIAM WILBERFORCE, Esq. 
 
 FROM A LATE LONDOX EDtTIO^. 
 
 Search ihc Scriptures.— John, 5 : 39. 
 
 How charming is divine philosophy! 
 Not harsh and crabbed, as dull tools supposot 
 But musical as is Apollo's lute, 
 And a perpetual feast of nectar'd sweet", 
 Where ao crude surfeit reigiu. — Miltok. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY Tim 
 
 AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY 
 
 150 NASSAU-STREET, NETf-YORK. 
 
 D. r«nihaw PriRMTk 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The main object which the writer has in 
 view is, not to convince the sceptic, or to an- 
 swer the arguments of persons who avow- 
 edly oppose the fundamental doctrines of our 
 religion ; but to point out the scanty and 
 erroneous system of the bulk of those who 
 belong to the class of orthodox Christians, and 
 to contrast their defective scheme with a re- 
 presentation of what the author apprehends 
 to be real Christianity. Often has it filled him 
 with deep concern to observe in this descrip- 
 tion of persons scarcely any distinct know- 
 ledge of the real nature and principles of the 
 religion which they profess. The subject is 
 of infinite importance ; let it not be driven out 
 of our minds by the bustle or dissipations of 
 life. This present scene, with all its cares and 
 all its gayeties, will soon be rolled away, and 
 
IV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 *' we must stand before the judgment-seat of 
 Christ." This awful consideration will prompt 
 the writer to express himself with greater 
 freedom than he should otherwise be disposed 
 to use. This consideration, he trusts, also will 
 justify his frankness, and will secure him a 
 serious and patient perusal. 
 
 Let it only be further premised, that if 
 what shall be stated should to any appear 
 needlessly austere and rigid, the writer must 
 lay in his claim not to be condemned without 
 a fair inquiry whether or not his statements 
 accord with the language of the sacred writ- 
 ings. To that test he refers with confidence ; 
 and it must be conceded by those who admit 
 the authority of Scripture, that from the deci* 
 sion of the word of God there can be no 
 appeal. 
 
CHAPTER r. 
 
 Inadequate conceptionM of the importance of Christicnitf, 
 
 Pag* 
 
 Popular notions of ihe importance of Christianity . 13 
 Scripture account of the same subject . . . .18 
 Two false maxims exposed 21 
 
 1. It signifies little what a man believes — look to his 
 
 practice 21 
 
 2. Sincerity is all in all 21 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Corruption of human nature. 
 
 Sect, I. — Inadequate conceptions of the corruption of 
 
 human nature 25 
 
 True account proved from reason and Scripture . 28 
 
 Sect. II.— Evil spirit 39 
 
 Natural state of man 40 
 
 Christianity affords hope to man in his lost and help- 
 less state 44 
 
 Practical importance and uses of the doctrine of hu- 
 man corruption 45 
 
 Practical advice respecting it, and its practical uses 46 
 Sect. III. — Corruption of human nature, — Objection . 47 
 Objection — That our corruption and weakness, be 
 ing natural to us, will be excused and allowed 
 for, stsiUd and considered 52 
 
6 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Chief defects of the religious system of the bulk of professed Christians, 
 in what regards our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. — With 
 a dissertation concerning the use of the passions in religion. 
 
 Page 
 
 Sect. I. — Inadequate conceptions concerning our Savior 
 
 and the Holy Spirit 55 
 
 Scripture doctrines 55 
 
 Popular notions 57 
 
 Language of one who objects against the religious 
 affections towards our Savior — Also against the 
 operations of the Holy Spirit . . . .58 
 
 Objections discussed and replied to ... 64 
 Sect, II. — On the admission of the passions into religion 67 
 
 True test and measure of the religious affections . 71 
 
 The affections not merely allowable in religion, but 
 highly necessary 75 
 
 Christ the just object of our warm affections . . 79 
 Sect. III. — Considerations of the reasonableness of af- 
 fections towards an invisible Being . . .81 
 
 The affections denied to be possible towards an in- 
 visible Being 81 
 
 This position discussed and answered . , .81 
 
 Special grounds for the religious affections towards 
 our Savior 82 
 
 Unreasonable conduct of our objectors in the pre- 
 sent instance 85 
 
 Appeal to fact in proof of our former positions . 86 
 Sect. IV. — Inadequate conceptions entertained by no- 
 minal Christians of the terms of acceptance with 
 God 88 
 
 Prevailing fundamental misconception of the scheme 
 and essential principle of the Gospel . . .92 
 
 Some practical consequences of this fundamental 
 error 95 
 
CONTENTS. 7 
 
 Condemnation of those who abuse the doctrine of 
 
 free grace 98 
 
 Believing in Christ, what it really implies . . 99 
 The atonement and grace of Christ pressed as the 
 subject of our habitual regard .... 104 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Oh tht prevailing inadequate conceptions concerning the natvre and 
 
 »lrictne$$ of practical Christianity. 
 
 Skct. 1. — Strictness of true practical Christianity . 107 
 Its essential nature opened and stated . .114 
 Its precepts expressed in broad terms . . .119 
 Its precepts universal, because resulting from re- 
 lations common to all Christians . . . 120 
 Strong practical precepts, and other confirmations 123 
 Extreme importance of these considerations . 124 
 Sect. II.— General notion of practical Christianity 
 amongst the bulk of nominal Christians stated 
 and illustrated 125 
 
 General consequences 127 
 
 Appeal to various classes of nominal Christians . 128 
 
 The idle and dissipated 130 
 
 The votaries of sensual pleasures . . . 131 
 The votaries of pomp and parade . . . 133 
 The votaries of wealth and ambition . . . 133 
 
 Conclusion from the review — and general fault of 
 all the above classes 136 
 
 Effects of the fundamental error on our judgments 
 and practice in the case of others . . . 137 
 
 Further effects — Religion degraded mto a set of 
 statutes 139 
 
 Another effect — Religion placed in external actions 142 
 
O CONTENTS 
 
 Page 
 
 Christian tempers not cultivated . . . .143 
 Most men forget that the Christian's life is a life of 
 faith, and the true Christian's character in this 
 
 respect . • 145 
 
 Sunday, and hints for its employment . . . 150 
 Other internal defects noticed .... 153 
 Sect, III. — On the desire of human estimation and ap- 
 plause. The generally prevailing opinions con- 
 trasted with those of the true Christian . . 156 
 
 Universality of the passion 158 
 
 The common notions asserted .... 159 
 The vindication of common notions questioned . 160 
 
 Opinions of pagan moralists 161 
 
 Scripture lessons stated and illustrated . . . 162 
 Generally prevailing notions opposed to those of 
 
 Scripture 162 
 
 Various proofs of the truth of our representations 
 of the opinions on this point of the bulk of nomi- 
 nal Christians 169 
 
 Proof from the House of Commons, and from dueling 169 
 Wherein the guilt of dueling chiefly consists . . 171 
 Real nature of inordinate love of human estimation 172 
 The true Christian's conduct in relation to this 
 
 principle 175 
 
 Parting counsel to those who wish to bring this 
 passion under due regulation .... 185 
 Sect, IV. — The generally prevailing error, of substitut- 
 ing amiable tempers and useful lives in the place 
 of religion, stated and confuted; with hints to 
 
 real Christians 189 
 
 Common language on this head .... 189 
 The worth of amiable tempers estimated by the 
 
 standard of unassisted reason .... 191 
 Many false pretenders to these tempers . . .191 
 
CONTENTS. 9 
 
 P«g« 
 Real nature of amiable tempers when not grounded 
 
 in religion 192 
 
 Their short and precarious duration . . . 193 
 Worth of useful lives estimated by the standard of 
 
 unassisted reason 195 
 
 Real worth of amiable tempers and useful lives, 
 when not grounded in religion, estimated on 
 
 Christian principles 196 
 
 The true Christian really the most amiable and 
 
 useful 199 
 
 Admonition to true Christians .... 204 
 Admonition to the naturally sweet-tempered and 
 
 active 205 
 
 Admonition to the naturally rough and austere . 206 
 Their just praise given to amiable tempers and use- 
 ful lives 209 
 
 Our araiableness of temper and usefulness of life 
 
 apt to deceive and mislead us . . . .211 
 Danger to true Christians from mixing too much 
 
 in worldly business 213 
 
 Advice to such as suspect that they are growmg 
 
 indifferent to religion 212 
 
 Exquisite sensibility — School of Rousseau and 
 
 Sterne 217 
 
 Sect. V. — Some other grand defects in the practical 
 
 system of the bulk of nominal Christians . . 218 
 Inadequate ideas of the guilt and evil of sin . . 219 
 
 Inadequate fear of God 221 
 
 Inadequate sense of the difficulty of gelling to hea- 
 ven • . 227 
 
 Bulk of nominal Christians defective in the love of 
 
 God 233 
 
 Remarks on theatrical amusements . . . 235 
 Practical system of nominal Christians defective in 
 what regards the love of their fellow-creatures . 338 
 
10 CONTENTS. 
 
 Pag« 
 
 True marks of benevolence 239 
 
 Sect. VI.— Grand defect— Neglect of the peculiar doc- 
 trines of Christianity — This evil pursued into its 
 
 eifects 245 
 
 Advice of modern religionists to such as are desi- 
 rous of repenting 248 
 
 Advice given by the Holy Scriptures . . . 249 
 Extreme importance of the point now under discus- 
 sion 250 
 
 The true Christian's practical use of the peculiar 
 
 doctrines of Christianity 252 
 
 Use of the peculiar doctrines in enforcing the im- 
 portance of Christianity 253 
 
 Unconditional surrender of ourselves to God . 255 
 
 The guilt of sin and the dread of its punishment 256 
 In promoting the love of God .... 256 
 
 In promoting the love of Christ . . . .258 
 In promoting the love of our fellow-creatures . 258 
 
 In promoting humility 260 
 
 In promoting a spirit of moderation in early pur- 
 suits, and cheerfulness in suffering . . . 261 
 In promoting courage and confidence in danger, 
 
 and heavenly mindedness .... 263 
 The place held by the peculiar doctrines of Chris- 
 tianity constitutes the grand distinction between 
 nominal and real Christians .... 266 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Om tke excellence of Christianity in certain important particulars. Ar 
 gument which results thence inproof of its divine origin 
 
 Consistency between the leading doctrines and practicai 
 precepts of Christianity . ; . . . .268 
 
CONTEXTS. 11 
 
 Consistency betv\'een the leading doctrines of Chiisda- 
 nity amongst each other 269 
 
 Consistency between the practical precepts amongst 
 each other 269 
 
 A higher value set by Christianity on moral than on in- 
 tellectual attainments 274 
 
 Excellence of Christianity's practical precepts . . 277 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Brief inquiry into the present state of Christianity in this country, vith 
 (tome of the canses which have led to its critical circumstances. Its 
 importance to uf, as a political community ; and practical hints for 
 Khich the foregoing considerations give occasion. 
 
 Preliminary consideration : general tone of moral prac- 
 tice . ' 279 
 
 Present state of Christianity among us . " . . . 283 
 
 Causes from which the peculiarities of Christianity 
 slide into disuse 285 
 
 Christianity reduced to a system of ethics, and a cause 
 assigned which has especially operated in produc- 
 ing this effect 290 
 
 Other bad symptoms as to the practical state of Chris- 
 tianity 294 
 
 The objection, that the author's system is too strict, and 
 that if it were to prevail the world could not go on, 
 considered and refuted 297 
 
 Good effects to us as a political community from the 
 prevalence of vital Christianity .... 300 
 
 Christianity not hostile to patriotism .... 302 
 
 We must either have vital Christianity or none at all . 310 
 
 Political good effects from the revival of Christianity ; 
 and bad ones from its further decline . . . 314 
 
 Practical hints for the conduct of men in power in the 
 case of religion 317 
 
12 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Practical hintg to variova descriptions ofper»on». 
 
 Sect. I. — Difference between nominal and real Chris- 
 tians of the first importance . . . .321 
 Helps in self-examination. Frequent sources of 
 
 self-deception pointed out 324 
 
 Outgrowing or merely changing our vices mistaken 
 
 for forsaking of all sin 326 
 
 Uncharitableness and true charity .... 328 
 Women naturally more disposed to religion than 
 
 men 330 
 
 Innocent young people — Term much abused . 332 
 
 Hints to such as, having been hitherto careless, wish 
 
 to become true Christians 336 
 
 Base nature of the religion of the bulk of nominal 
 
 Christians 343 
 
 Falsehood of the objection, that we make religion 
 
 a gloomy service 346 
 
 Sect. II. — Advice to some who profess their full assent 
 
 to thp fundamental doctrines of the Gospel . 359 
 Sect. III. — Brief observations addressed to sceptics and 
 
 unitarians 357 
 
 Progress of infidelity 358 
 
 Unitarianism a sort of half-way house in the course 
 
 to absolute infidelity 363 
 
 Advantage possessed by deists and unitarians in 
 
 contending with their opponents .... 365 
 Half unbelievers — their system grossly irrational 367 
 Sect. IV. — Advice suggested by the state of the times 
 
 to true Christians 370 
 
PRUTCBTOU 
 
 TH<SfttTEfl!lCSL 
 
 TANCE OF CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 Popular notions.-^ Serif ture account. — Ignorance in thxs cati 
 criminal.-^ Two false maxims exposed. 
 
 Before we consider particular defects in the re- 
 ligious system of the bulk of professed Christians, it 
 may be proper to point out the very inadequate con- 
 ception which they entertain of the importance of 
 Christianity in general, of its peculiar nature, and 
 superior excellence. If we listen to their conversa- 
 tion, virtue is praised, and vice is censured ; piety, 
 perhaps, is applauded, and profaneness condemned. 
 So far is well. But let any one, who would not be 
 deceived by " barren generalities," examine more 
 closely, and he will find, that not to Christianity in 
 particular, but, at best, to religion in general, perhaps 
 to mere morality, their homage is paid. With Chris- 
 tianity, as distinct from these, they are little acquaint- 
 ed : their views of it have been so cursory and su- 
 perficial, that, far from discerning its characteristic 
 essence, they have little more than perceived those 
 2 
 
14 INADEQUATE CONCEPllONS OF 
 
 exterior circumstances which distinguish it from 
 other forms of religion. There are some few facts, 
 and perhaps some leading doctrines and principles, 
 of which they cannot be wholly ignorant ; but of the 
 consequences, and relations, and practical uses of 
 these, they have few ideas, or none at all. 
 
 View their plan of life and their ordinary conduct ; 
 and, not to speak at present of general inattention to 
 things of a religious nature, let us ask, wherein can 
 M'e discern the points of discrimination between them 
 and professed unbelievers ? In an age wherein it is 
 confessed and lamented that infidelity abounds, do we 
 observe in them any remarkable care to instruct their 
 children in the principles of the faith which they pro- 
 fess, and to furnish them with arguments for the de- 
 fence of it ? They would blush, on their child's com- 
 ing out into the world, to think him defective in any 
 branch of that knowledge, or of those accomplish- 
 ments which belong to his station in life; accordingly 
 these are cultivated with assiduity. But the study of 
 Christianity has formed no part of his education ; 
 and his attachment to it, where any attachment to it 
 exists at all, is merely the result of his being born in 
 a Christian country. When such is the hereditary 
 religion handed down from generation to generation, 
 it cannot surprise us to observe young men shaken 
 by frivolous objections and profane cavils. 
 
 Let us beware before it be too late. No one can 
 say what may be the painful results, at a time when 
 
IMPORTANCE OF CHRISTIANITY. 15 
 
 the free and unrestrained intercourse subsisting 
 amongst the several ranks and classes of society, so 
 much favors the general diffusion of the sentiments 
 of the higher orders. 
 
 It cannot be expected, that they who are so little 
 attentive to this great object in the education of their 
 children, should be more so in other parts of their 
 conduct, where less strongly stimulated by affection, 
 and less obviously loaded with responsibility. They 
 are of course, therefore, little regardful of the state of 
 Christianity in their own country ; and still more in- 
 aifferent about communicating the light of divine 
 truth to the nations which " sit in darkness." 
 
 But religion, it may be replied, is not noisy and 
 ostentatious ; it is modest and private in its nature ; 
 it resides in a man's own bosom, and shuns the ob- 
 servation of the multitude. Be it so. 
 
 From this transient and distant view, then, let us 
 approach a little nearer, and listen to the unreserved 
 conversation of their confidential hours. Here, if any 
 where, we may ascertain the true principles of their 
 regards and aversions; the scale by which they 
 measure the good and evil of life. Here, however, 
 you will discover few or no traces of Christianity. 
 She scarcely finds a place amidst the many objects 
 of their hopes and fears, and joys and sorrows. 
 Grateful, perhaps, as well indeed they may be grate- 
 ful, for health, and talents, and affluence, and other 
 blessings, they scarcely reckon in the number this 
 
16 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 grand distinguishing mark of the bounty of Provi- 
 dence ; or if they mention it at all, it is noticed coldly 
 and formally, like one of those obsolete claims to 
 which, though but of small account in the estimate 
 of our wealth or power, we think it as well to put 
 in our title, from considerations of family decorum or 
 of national usage. 
 
 Let\heir conversation take a graver turn : here at 
 length their religion, modest and retired as it is, 
 must be expected to disclose itself; here, however, 
 you will look in vain for the religion of Jesus. 
 Their standard of right and wrong is not the stand- 
 ard of the Gospel: they approve and condemn by a 
 different rule ; they advance principles and maintain 
 opinions altogether opposite to the genius and cha- 
 racter of Christianity. 
 
 The truth is, their opinions on these subjects are 
 not formed from the perusal of the word of God. 
 The Bible lies unopened ; and they would be wholly 
 ignorant of its contents, except for what they hear 
 occasionally at church, or for some faint traces 
 which their memories may still retain of the lessons 
 of their earliest infancy. 
 
 How different, nay, in many respects, how con- 
 tradictory would be the two systems of mere morals, 
 of which the one should be formed from the com- 
 monly received maxims of the Christian world, and 
 the other from the study of the holy Scriptures I 
 
 It were a waste of time to multiply arg^raenti m 
 
IMPORTANCE OF CHRISTIANITY. 17 
 
 order to prove how criminal the voluntary igno- 
 rance^ of which we have been speaking, must ap- 
 pear in the sight of God. It must be confessed by 
 all who believe that we are accountable, and to such 
 only the writer is addressing himself, that we shall 
 have to answer hereafter to the Almighty for all the 
 means and occasions we have here enjoyed of im- 
 proving ourselves, or of promoting the happiness of 
 others. And if, when summoned to give an account 
 of our stewardship, we shall be called upon to an- 
 swer for the use which we have made of our bodily 
 organs, and of the means of relieving the wants and 
 necessities of our fellow-creatures ; how much more 
 for the exercise of the nobler and more exalted fa- 
 culties of our nature — of invention, and judgment, 
 and memory ; and for our employment of all the in- 
 struments and opportunities of diligent application, 
 and serious reflection, and honest decision ! And to 
 what subject might we in all reason be expected to 
 apply more earnestly, than to that wherein our eter- 
 nal interests are at issue ? When God has of his 
 goodness vouchsafed to grant us such abundant 
 means of instruction in that which we are most con- 
 cerned to know, how great must be the guilt, and 
 how awful the punishment of voluntary ignorance ! 
 And why, it may be asked, are we in this pursuit 
 alone to expect knowledge without inquiry, and 
 success without endeavor ? The whole analogy of 
 nature inculcate* on us a different lesson, and our 
 2* 
 
18 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 own judgments, in matters of temporal interest and 
 worldly policy, confirm the truth of her suggestions. 
 Bountiful as is the hand of Providence, its gifts are 
 not so bestowed as to seduce us into indolence, but 
 to rouse us to exertion ; and no one expects to attain 
 to the height of learning, or arts, or power, or wealth, 
 without vigorous resolution, and strenuous diligence, 
 and steady perseverance. Yet we expect to be Chris- 
 tians without labor, study, or inquiry. This is the 
 more preposterous, because Christianity, being a 
 revelation from God, and not the invention of man, 
 discovering to us new relations, with their corres- 
 pondent duties ; containing also doctrines, and mo- 
 tives, and practical principles, and rules, peculiar to 
 itself, and almost as new in their nature as supreme 
 in their excellence, we cannot reasonably expect to 
 become proficients in it by the accidental intercour- 
 ses of life, as one might learn, insensibly, the maxims 
 of worldly policy, or a scheme of mere morals. 
 
 The diligent perusal of the holy Scriptures would 
 discover to us our past ignorance. We should cease 
 to be deceived by superficial appearances, and to 
 confound the Gospel of Christ with the systems of 
 philosophers ; we should become impressed with 
 that weighty truth, so much forgotten, and never to 
 be too strongly insisted on, that Christianity calls on 
 us, as we value our immortal souls, not merely in 
 general to be religious and moral, but specially to 
 believe the doctrines, and imbibe the principles, and 
 
IMPORTANCE OF CHRISTIANITY. 19 
 
 practice the precepts of Christ. It would be to run 
 into too great length, and is quite unnecessary, 
 though not difficult, to confirm this position beyond 
 dispute, by express quotations from Scripture. And 
 it may be sufficient here to remark in general, that 
 Christianity is always represented in Scripture as 
 the grand, the unparalleled instance of God's bounty 
 to mankind. It was graciously held forth in the ori- 
 ginal promise to our first parents ; it was predicted 
 by a long continued series of prophets ; the subject 
 of their prayers, inquiries, and longing expectations. 
 In a world which opposed and persecuted them, it 
 was their source of peace, and hope, and consolation. 
 At length it approached — the desire of all nations — 
 a multitude of the heavenly host hailed its introduc- 
 tion, and proclaimed its character; " Glory to God 
 in the highest, on earth peace, good will towards 
 men." It is every where represented in Scripture by 
 such figures as may most deeply impress on us a sense 
 of its value. It is spoken of as light from darkness, 
 as release from prison, as deliverance from capti- 
 vity, as life from death. " Lord, now lettest thou thy 
 servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen 
 thy salvation," was the exclamation with which it 
 was welcomed by the pious Simeon ; and it was uni- 
 versally received and professed, among the early con- 
 verts, with thankfulness and joy. At one time, the 
 communication of it is promised as a reward ; at an- 
 other, the loss of it is threatened as a punishment. 
 
20 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 And, short as is the form of prayer taught us by our 
 blessed Savior, the more general extension of the 
 kingdom of Christ constitutes one of its leading pe- 
 titions. 
 
 With what exalted conceptions of the importance 
 of Christianity ought we to be filled by such descrip- 
 tions as these ! Yet, in vain have we " line up- 
 on line, and precept upon precept." Thus pre- 
 dicted, thus prayed and longed for, thus announc- 
 ed and characterized and rejoiced in, we scarcely 
 accept this heavenly treasure poured into our lap 
 in rich abundance ! We turn from it coldly, or, at 
 best, possess it negligently, as a thing of no account 
 or estimation. But a due sense of its value would 
 be assuredly impressed on us by the diligent study 
 of the word of God, that blessed repository of divine 
 truth and consolation. Thence it is that we are to 
 learn our obligations and our duty — what we are to 
 believe, and what to practice. And surely, one would 
 think, it could not be required to press men to the 
 perusal of the sacred volume. Reason dictates, reve- 
 lation commands: " Faith comes by hearing, and 
 hearing by the word of God " — " Search the Scrip- 
 tures " — " Be ready to give to every one a reason of 
 the hope that is in you." Such are the declarations 
 and injunctions of the inspired writers; injunctions 
 confirmed by the commendations of those who obey 
 the admonition. Yet, is it not undeniable, that, with 
 the Bible in our houses, we are ignorant of its con- 
 
IMPORTANCE OF CHRISTIANITY. 21 
 
 tents ; and that hence, in a great measure, it arises, 
 that the bulk of the Christian world know so little, 
 and mistake so greatly, in what regards the religion 
 which they profess ? 
 
 This is not the place for inquiring at large, whence 
 it is that those who assent to the position that the 
 Bible is the word of God, and who profess to rest 
 their hopes on the Christian basis, contentedly ac- 
 quiesce in a state of such lamentable ignorance. 
 But it may not be improper here to touch on two 
 kindred opinions, from which, in the minds of the 
 more thoughtful and serious, this acquiescence ap- 
 pears to derive much secret support. The one is, that 
 it signifies little what a man believes ; look to his 
 practice. The other, of the same family, that siw 
 cerity is all in all. Let a man's opinions and con- 
 duct be what they may, yet, provided he be sincerely 
 convinced that they are right, however the exigen- 
 cies of civil society may require him to be dealt with 
 amongst men, in the sight of God he cannot be cri- 
 minal ! 
 
 It would detain us too long to set forth the vari- 
 ous merits of these favorite positions. The former 
 of them is founded altogether on that grossly falla- 
 cious assumption, that a man's opinions will not m- 
 fluence his practice. The latter proceeds on this 
 groundless supposition, that the Supreme Being has 
 not afforded us sufficient means for discriminating 
 ^ruth from falsehood, right from wrong ; and it im- 
 
22 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 plies, that be a man's opinions ov conduct ever so 
 wild and extravagant, we are to presume that they 
 are as much the result of impartial inquiry and hon- 
 est conviction, as if his sentiments and actions had 
 been strictly conformable to the rules of reason and 
 sobriety. Never, indeed, was there a principle more 
 general in its use, more sovereign in its potency. 
 How does its simplicity also, and brevity, give it 
 rank before the laborious subtleties of Bellarmin ! 
 Clement, and Ravaillac, and other worthies of a simi- 
 lar stamp, from whose purity of intention the world 
 has Jiitherto withheld its due tribute of applause, 
 would here have found a ready plea, and full vindi- 
 cation ! "These, however," it may be replied, "are 
 excepted cases." Certainly they are cases of which 
 any one who maintains the opinion in question would 
 be glad to disencumber himself; because they clearly 
 expose the unsoundness of his principle. But it will 
 be incumbent on such a one, first to explain why 
 they are to be exempted from its operation ; and this 
 he will find an impossible task ; for sincerity in its 
 popular sense, so shamefully is the term misapplied, 
 can be made the criterion of guilt and innocence on 
 no grounds which will not equally serve to justify 
 the assassins who have been instanced. The conclu- 
 sion cannot be eluded ; no man was ever more fully 
 persuaded of the innocence of any action, than these 
 men were, that the horrid deed they w^ere about to 
 perpetrate was not lawful merely, but highly meri* 
 
IMPORTANCE OF CHRISTIANITY. 23 
 
 torious. Thus Clement and Ravaillac being un- 
 questionably sincere, they were therefore indubita- 
 bly innocent ! Nay, the absurdity of this principle 
 might be shown to be even greater than what has 
 yet been stated. It would not be going too far to as- 
 sert, that whilst it scorns to defend petty villains, those 
 who still retain the sense of good and evil, it holds 
 forth a secure asylum to those more finished crimi- 
 nals, who, from long habits of wickedness, are lost 
 alike to the perception and the practice of virtue ; 
 and that it selects a seared conscience, and a heart 
 become callous to ail moral distinctions, as the 
 special objects of its care. Nor is it only in profane 
 history that instances like these are to be found, of 
 persons committing the greatest crimes with h 
 sincere conviction of the rectitude of their conduct. 
 Scripture will afford us parallels ; and it was surely 
 to guard us against this very error that our blessed 
 Savior forewarned his disciples : " The time com- 
 eth, that whosoever killeth you will think that ho 
 doeth God service.'' 
 
 A principle like this must then be abandoned, and 
 the advocates for sincerity must be compelled to ac- 
 knowledge that it must imply honesty of mind, and 
 the faithful use of the means of knowledge and of im- 
 provement, the desire of being instructed, humble 
 inquiry, impartial consideration, and unprejudiced 
 judgment. It is to these we would earne&tly call 
 vou ; to these, ever to be accompanied with fervent 
 
24 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS, &«. 
 
 prayers for the Divine blessing, Scripture every 
 where holds forth the most animating promises. 
 •* Ask, and ye shall receive ; seek, and ye shall find ; 
 knock, and it shall be opened unto you. " — " Ho I 
 every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters." 
 Such are the comfortable assurances, such the gra* 
 cious encouragements to the truly sincere inquirer. 
 How deep will be our guilt, if we slight all these 
 merciful offers! How many prophets and king» 
 have desired to hear the things that we hear, and 
 have not heard them ! Great, indeed, are our op* 
 portunities, great also is our responsibility. Let us 
 awaken to a true sense of our situation. We have 
 every consideration to alarm our fears, or to animate 
 our industry. How soon may the brightness of our 
 meridian sun be darkened 1 Or, should the long- 
 suffering of God still continue to us the mercies 
 which we so much abuse, it will only aggravate our 
 crime, and in the end enhance our punishment* 
 The time of reckoning will at length arrive. And 
 when finally summoned to the bar of God, to give 
 an account of our stewardship, what plea can we 
 have to urge in our defence, if we remain willingly 
 and obstinately ignorant of the way which leads to 
 life, with such transcendent means of knowing it, 
 and such urgent motives to its pursuit? 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 CORRUPTION OF HUMAN NATURE, 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 Inadequate conceptions of the corruption of hwruin natnir^. 
 
 After considering the defective notions of the 
 importance of Christianity in general, which prevail 
 among the higher orders of the Christian world, the 
 particular misconceptions which first come under 
 our notice, respect the corruption and weakness of 
 human nature. This is a topic on which it is pos- 
 sible that many of those, into whose hands the pre- 
 sent work shall fall, may not have bestowed much 
 attention. The subject is of the deepest import. It 
 lies at the very root of all true religion : and, still 
 more, it is emmently the basis and ground-work of 
 Christianity. 
 
 The generality of professed Christians among the 
 
 higher classes, either altogether overlook or deny, 
 
 or, at least, greatly extenuate the corruption and 
 
 weakness here in question. They acknowledge. 
 
 3 
 
26 CORRUPTION Off 
 
 indeed, that there is, and ever has been in the world, 
 a great portion of vice and wickedness ; that man- 
 kind have been ever prone to sensuality and selfish* 
 ness, in disobedience to the more refined and liberal 
 principles of their nature ; that, in all ages and coun- 
 tries, in public and in private life, innumerable in- 
 stances have been afforded of oppression, of rapacity, 
 of cruelty, of fraud, of envy, and of malice. They 
 own, that it is too often in vain that you inform the 
 understanding and convince the judgment. They 
 admit that you do not thereby reform the hearts of 
 men. Though they know their duty, they will not 
 practice it ; no, not even when you have forced them 
 to acknowledge that the path of virtue is that also 
 of real interest and of solid enjoyment. 
 
 These facts are certain ; they cannot be disputed ; 
 and they are at the same time so obvious, that one 
 would have thought that the celebrated apothem of 
 the Grecian sage, •' The majority are wicked," would 
 scarcely have established his claim to intellectual 
 superiority. 
 
 But though these effects of human depravity are 
 every where acknowledged and lamented, we must 
 not expect to find them traced to their true origin. 
 Prepare yourself to hear rather of frailty and infir- 
 mity, of petty transgressions, of occasional failings, 
 of sudden surprisals, and of such other qualifying 
 terms as may serve to keep out of view the true source 
 ofthe evil, and, without shocking the understanding. 
 
HUMAN NATURE. 27 
 
 may administer consolation to the pride of human 
 nature. The bulk of professed Christians speak of 
 man as of a being who, naturally pure, and inclined 
 to all virtue, is sometimes, almost involuntarily, 
 drawn out of the right course, or is overpowered by 
 the violence of temptation. Vice, with them, is rather 
 an accidental and temporary, than a constitutional and, 
 habitual distemper ; a noxious plant, which, though 
 found to live, and even to thrive in the human mmd, is 
 not the natural growth and production of the soil. 
 
 Far different is the humiliating language of 
 Christianity. From it we learn that man is an 
 apostate creature, fallen from his high original, de- 
 graded in his nature, and depraved in his faculties ; 
 indisposed to good, and disposed to evil : prone to 
 vice, it is natural and easy to him ; disinclined to 
 virtue, it is difficult and laborious: that he is tainted 
 with sin, not slightly and superficially, but radically, 
 and to the very core. These are truths which, how- 
 ever mortifying to our pride, one would think (if 
 this very corruption itself did not warp the judg- 
 ment) none would be hardy enough to attempt to 
 controvert. I know not any thing which brings 
 them home so forcibly to my own feelings, as the 
 consideration of what still remains to us of our prim- 
 itive dignity, when contrasted with our present state 
 of moral degradation. 
 
 " Into what depth thou seest, 
 " From what height fallen 1" 
 
28 CORRUPTION OF 
 
 Examine* first with attention the natural powers 
 and facuhies of man; invention, reason, judgment, 
 memory; a mind "of large discourse," "looking 
 before and after," reviewing the past, and thence de- 
 termining for the present, and anticipating the future ; 
 discerning, collecting, combining, comparing. A 
 mind capable not merely of apprehending, but of 
 admiring the beauty of moral excellence ; with fear 
 and hope to warm and animate : with joy and sor- 
 row to solace and soften : with love to attach, with 
 sympathy to harmonize, with courage to attempt, 
 with patience to endure, and with the power of con- 
 science, that faithful monitor within the breast, to 
 enforce the conclusions of reason, and direct and re- 
 gulate the passions of the soul. Truly we must pro- 
 nounce him " m.ajestic, though in ruin," " Happy, 
 happy world!" would be the exclamation of the 
 inhabitant of some other planet, on being told of 
 a globe like ours, peopled with such creatures as 
 these, and abounding with situations and occasions to 
 call forth the multiplied excellences of their nature. 
 
 But we have indulged too long in these delightful 
 speculations ; a sad reverse presents itself on our 
 survey of the actual state of man, when, from view- 
 ing his natural powers, we follow him into practice, 
 and see the uses to which he applies them. Take 
 in the whole of the prospect, view him in every age, 
 and climate, and nation, in every condition and pe- 
 riod of society. Where now do you discover the 
 
HUMAN NATURE. 29 
 
 characters of his exalted nature ? •' How is the gold 
 become dim, and the fine gold changed!" How is 
 his reason clouded, his affections perverted, his con- 
 science stupified ! How do anger, and envy, and ha- 
 tred, and revenge, spring up in his wretched bosom ! 
 How is he a slave to the meanest of his appetites ! 
 What fatal propensities does he discover to evil 
 What inaptitude to good ! 
 
 Dwell awhile on the state of the ancient world ; 
 not merely on that benighted part of it where all lay 
 buried in brutish ignoKince and barbarism, but on 
 the seats of civilized and polished nations, on the 
 empire of taste, and learning, and philosophy : )'et 
 in these chosen regions, with whatever luster the 
 sun of science poured forth its rays, the moral dark- 
 ness was so thick " that it might be felt." Behold 
 their sottish idolatries, their absurd superstitions, 
 their want of natural affection, their brutal excesses, 
 their unfeeling oppression, their savage cruelty ! 
 Look not to the illiterate and the vulgar, but to the 
 learned and refined. Form not your ideas from the 
 conduct of the less restrained and more licentious ; 
 you will turn away with disgust and shame from the 
 allowed and familiar habits of the decent and the 
 moral. St. Paul best states the foots, and furnishes 
 the explanation; "Because they did not like to re- 
 tain God in their knowledge, he gave them over to 
 a reprobate mind." 
 
 Now direct your view to anothei quarter, to the 
 3» 
 
30 CORRUPTION O* 
 
 aborigines of a new hemisphere, where the baneful 
 practices and contagious example of the old world 
 had never traveled. Surely, among these children 
 of nature we may expect to find those virtuous ten- 
 dencies for which we have hitherto looked in vain. 
 Alas ! our search will still be fruitless ! They are 
 represented by the historian of America, (whose ac- 
 count is more favorable than those of some other 
 great authorities,) as being a compound of pride, and 
 indolence, and selfishness, and cunning, and cruelty ; 
 fyll of a revenge which nothing could satiate, of a 
 ferocity which nothing could soften ; strangers to the 
 most amiable sensibilities of nature.* They appeared 
 incapable of conjugal affection, or parental fondness, 
 or filial reverence, or social attachments ; uniting, too, 
 with their state of barbarism, many of the vices and 
 weaknesses of polished society. Their horrid treat- 
 ment of captives taken in war, on whose bodies they 
 feasted, after putting them to death by the most cruel 
 tortures, is so well known that we may spare the 
 disgusting recital. No commendable qualities re- 
 lieve this gloomy picture, except fortitude and perse- 
 verance, and zeal for the welfare of their little com- 
 munity, if this last quality, exercised and directed 
 as it was, can be thought deserving of commendation. 
 But you give up the heathen nations as indefensi- 
 ble, and wish rather to form your estimate of man 
 
 ♦ Reberlsoo, vol. u. pp. 130, 90, 91. 
 
HUMAN NATURE. 31 
 
 from a view of countries which have been blessed 
 with the light of revelation. True it is, and with 
 joy let us record the concession, Christianity has 
 set the general tone of morals much higher than it 
 was ever found in the pagan world. She has every 
 where improved the character and multiplied the 
 comforts of society, particularly to the poor and the 
 weak, whom, from the beginning, she professed to 
 take under her special patronage. Like her Divine 
 Author, '• who sends his rain on the evil and on the 
 good," she showers down unnumbered blessings on 
 thousands who profit from her bounty, while they 
 forget or deny her power, and set at naught her au- 
 thority. Yet, even in this more favored situation,we 
 shall discover too many lamentable proofs of the 
 depravity of man. Nay, this depravity will now 
 become even more apparent and less deniable. For 
 what bars does it not now overleap? Over what 
 motives is it not now victorious ? Consider well the 
 superior light and advantages which we enjoy, and 
 then appreciate the superior obligations which are 
 imposed on us. Consider in how many cases our 
 evil propensities are now kept from breaking forth, 
 by the superior restraints under which vice is laid 
 among us by positive laws, and by the amended 
 standard of public opinion. Consider, then, the supe- 
 rior excellence of our moral code, the new principles 
 of obedience furnished by the Gospel; and above all, 
 the awful sanction which the dectrines and precepts 
 
dxi CORRUPTION OF 
 
 of Christianity derive from the clear discovery of a 
 future state of retribution, and from the annunciation 
 of that tremendous day " when we shall stand be- 
 fore the judgment-seat of Christ." Yet, in spite of 
 all our knowledge, thus enforced and pressed home 
 by this solemn notice, how little has been our pro- 
 gress in virtue ! It has been by no means such as 
 to prevent the adoption, in our days, of various max- 
 ims of antiquity, which, when well considered, clearly 
 establish the depravity of man. It may not be amiss 
 to adduce a few instances in proof of this assertion. 
 It is now no less acknowledged than heretofore, that 
 prosperity hardens the heart ; that unlimited power 
 is ever abused, instead of being rendered the instru- 
 ment of diffusing happiness ; that habits of vice grow 
 up of themselves, whilst those of virtue, if to be ob- 
 tained at all, are of slow and difficult formation ; that 
 those who draw the finest pictures of virtue, and 
 seem most enamored of her charms, are often the 
 least under her influence, and by the merest trifles 
 are drawn aside from that line of conduct which 
 they most strongly and seriously recommend to 
 others; that all this takes place, though most of the 
 pleasures of vice are to be found with less alloy in 
 the paths of virtue ; whilst at the same time these 
 paths afford superior and more exquisite delights, 
 peculiar to themselves, and are free from the diseases 
 and bitter remorse, at the price of which vicious 
 gratifications are so often purchased. 
 
HUMAN NATURE. 33 
 
 It may suffice to touch very slightly on some other 
 arguments ; one of these (the justice of which, how- 
 ever denied by superficial moralists, parents of strict 
 principles can abundantly testify,) may be drawn 
 from the perverse and fro ward dispositions perceiv- 
 able in children, which it is the business and some- 
 times the ineffectual attempt of education to reform. 
 Another may be drawn from the various deceits we 
 are apt to practice on ourselves, to which no one can 
 be a stranger who has ever contemplated the opera- 
 tions of his own mind with serious attention. To the 
 influence of this species of corruption it has been in 
 a great degree owing that Christianity itself has 
 been too often disgraced. It has been turned into 
 an engine of cruelty, and, amidst the bitterness of 
 persecution, every trace has disappeared of the mild 
 and beneficent spirit of the religion of Jesus. In 
 what degree must the taint have worked itself into 
 the frame, and have corrupted the habit, when the 
 most wholesome nutriment can be thus converted into 
 the deadliest poison ! Wishing always to argue from 
 such premises as are not only really sound, but from 
 such as cannot even be questioned by those to whom 
 this work is addressed, little was said in representing 
 the deplorable state of the heathen world, respecting 
 their defective and unworthy conceptions in what 
 regards the Supreme Being, who even then, how- 
 ever, " left not himself without witness, but gave 
 th«m rain and fruitful seasons, filling their hearts 
 
84 CORRUPTION OF 
 
 with food and gladness." But surely to any who 
 call themselves Christians, it may be justly urged as 
 an astonishing instance of human depravity, that we 
 ourselves, who enjoy the full light of revelation; to 
 whom God has vouchsafed such clear discoveries 
 of what it concerns us to know of his being and 
 attributes ; who profess to believe " that in him we 
 live, and move, and have our being ;" that to him we 
 owe all the comforts we here enjoy, and the offer of 
 eternal glory, purchased for us by the atoning blood 
 of his own Son ; " thanks be to God for his unspeak- 
 able gift;" that we, thus loaded with mercies, 
 should, every one of us, be continually chargeable 
 with forgetting his authority, and being ungrateful 
 for his benefits : with slighting his gracious pro- 
 posals, or receiving them, at best, but heartlessly 
 and coldly. 
 
 But to put the question concerning the natural 
 depravity of man to the severest test ; take the best 
 of the human species, the watchful, diligent, self-de- 
 nying Christian, and let him decide the controversy ; 
 and that, not by inferences drawn from the practices 
 of a thoughtless and dissolute world, but by an ap- 
 peal to his personal experience. Go with him into 
 his closet, ask him his opinion of the corruption of 
 the heart, and he will tell you that he is deeply sen- 
 sible of its power, for that he has learned it from 
 much self-observation, and long acquaintance with 
 the workings of his own mind. He will tell you, 
 
HUMAN NATrRS. 86 
 
 that every day strengthens this conviction ; yea, that 
 hourly he sees fresh reason to deplore his want of 
 simplicity in intention, his infirmity of purpose, his 
 low views, his selfish unworthy desires, his back- 
 wardness to set about his duty, his languor and cold- 
 ness in performing it : that he finds himself obliged 
 continually to confess that he feels within him two 
 opposite principles, and that " he cannot do the things 
 that he would." He cries out, in the language of the 
 excellent Hooker, " The little fruit which we have 
 in holiness, it is, God knoweth, corrupt and unsound : 
 we put no confidence at all in it, we challenge no- 
 thing in the world for it, we dare not call God to reck- 
 oning, as if we had him in our debt books ; our con- 
 tinual suit to him is, and must be, to bear with our 
 infirmities, and pardon our offences." 
 
 Such is the moral historj', such the condition of 
 man. The figures of the piece may vary, and the 
 coloring is sometimes of a darker, sometimes of a 
 lighter hue ; but the principles of the composition, 
 ihe grand outlines, are every where the same. 
 Wherever we direct our view, we discover the me- 
 lancholy proofs of our depravity ; whether we look 
 to ancient or modern times, to barbarous or civilized 
 nations, to the conduct of the world around us, or to 
 the monitor within the breast ; whether we read, or 
 hear, or act, or think, or feel, the same humiliating 
 Jesson is forced upon us. 
 
 Now when we look back to the picture which was 
 
36 CORRUPTION Of 
 
 formerly drawn of the natural powers of man, and 
 compare this, his actual state, with that for which, 
 from a consideration of those powers, he seems to 
 have been originally calculated, how are we to ac- 
 count for the astonishing contrast ? Will frailty, or 
 infirmity, or occasional lapses, or sudden surprisals, 
 or any such qualifying terms, convey an adequate 
 idea of the nature, or point out the cause of the dis- 
 temper ? Hov/ can we account for it, hut by conceiv- 
 ing that man, since he came out of the hands of his 
 Creator, has contracted a taint, and that this subtle 
 poison has been communicated throughout the race 
 of Adam, every where exhibiting incontestable marks 
 of its fatal malignity ? Hence it has arisen, that the 
 appetites deriving new strength, and the powers of 
 reason and conscience being weakened, the latter 
 have feebly and impotently pleaded against those 
 forbidden indulgences which the former have soli- 
 cited. Sensual gratifications and illicit affections 
 have debased our nobler powers, and indisposed our 
 hearts to the discovery of God, and to the conside- 
 ration of his perfections ; to a constant, Avilling sub- 
 mission to his authority, and obedience to his laws. 
 By a repetition of vicious acts, evil habits have heen. 
 formed within us, and have riveted the fetters of sin. 
 Left to the consequences of our own folly, the under- 
 standing has grown darker, and the heart more ob- 
 durate ; reason has at length altogether betrayed her 
 trust, and even conscience herself has aided the 
 
HUMAN NATURE. 37 
 
 delusion, till, instead of deploring our miserable 
 slavery, we have too often hugged, and even gloried 
 in our chains. 
 
 Such is the general account of the progress of 
 vice, where it is suffered to attain to its full growth 
 in the human heart. The circumstances of indi- 
 viduals will be found indeed to differ, but none are 
 ahogether free ; all, without exception, in a greater 
 or less degree, bear about them, more visible or more 
 concealed, the ignominious marks of their captivity. 
 
 Such, on a full and fair investigation, must be 
 confessed to be the state of facts ; and how can this 
 be accounted for on any other supposition, than that 
 of some original taint, some radical principle of cor- 
 ruption? All other solutions are unsatisfactory, 
 whilst the potent cause which has been assigned 
 does abundantly, and can alone sufficiently account 
 for the effect. Thus, then, it appears that the cor- 
 ruption of human nature is proved by the same mode 
 of reasoning as has been deemed conclusive in es- 
 tablishing the existence, and ascertaining the laws 
 of the principle of gravitation ; that the doctrine rests 
 on the same solid basis as the sublime philosophy 
 of Newton ; that it is not a mere speculation, and 
 therefore an uncertain, though perhaps an ingenious 
 theory, but the sure result of a large and actual ex- 
 periment, deduced from incontestable facts, and still 
 more fully approving its truth, by harmonizing with 
 the several parts, and accounting for the various phe- 
 4 
 
38 CORRUPTION OF 
 
 nomena, jarring otherwise and inexplicable, of tho 
 great system of the universe. 
 
 Revelation, however, here comes in, and sustains 
 the fallible conjectures of our unassisted reason. The 
 holy Scriptures speak of us as fallen creatures ; in 
 almost every page we shall find something that is 
 calculated to abate the loftiness and silence the pre- 
 tensions of man. " The imagination of man's heart 
 is evil, from his youth." "What is man, that he 
 should be clean ? and he which is born of a woman, 
 that he should be righteous?" Job, 15: 14. ''How 
 much more abominable and filthy is man, w^hich 
 drinketh iniquity like water!" Job, 15: 16. "The 
 Lord looked down from heaven upon the children 
 of men, to see if there were any that did understand, 
 and seek God. They are all gone aside ; they are 
 altogether become filthy ; there is none that doeth 
 good, no, not one." Ps. 14 : 2, 3. "Who can say, I 
 have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sinC^" 
 l^rov. 20 : 9. " The heart is deceitful above all things, 
 nud desperately wicked: who can know it?" "Be- 
 hold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my 
 mother conceive me " " We were by nature the chil- 
 dren of wrath, even as others, fulfilling the desires of 
 the flesh and of the mind." " O wretched man that 
 I am ! who shall deliver me from the body of this 
 death?" Passages might be multiplied upon pas- 
 sages, which speak the same language, and these 
 again might be illustrated and confirmed at large by 
 
HUMAN NATURE. 39 
 
 various other considerations, drawn from the same 
 sacrea source: such as those which represent a 
 thorough change, a renovation of our nature, as be- 
 ing necessary to our becoming true Christians ; or 
 as those, also, which are suggested by observing 
 that holy men refer their good dispositions and af- 
 fections to the immediate agency of the Supreme 
 Being. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 Evil spirit. — Natural state of man. 
 
 In addition to all which has been yet stated, the 
 word of God instructs us, that we have to contend 
 not only with our own natural depravity, but with 
 the power of darkness, the evil spirit, who rules in 
 the hearts of the wicked, and whose dominion, we 
 learn from Scripture, is so general, as to entitle him 
 to the denomination of " the prince of this world." 
 There cannot be a stronger proof of the difference 
 ^vhich exists between the religious system of the 
 Scriptures, and that of the bulk of nominal Chris- 
 tians, than the proof Avhich is afforded by the subject 
 now in question. The existence and agency of the 
 evil spirit, though so distinctly and repeatedly af- 
 firmed in Scripture, are regarded by many as a pre- 
 judice, which it w^ould now be a discredit to any man 
 of understanding to believe. But to be consistent with 
 ourselves, we might, on the same principle, deny the 
 
40 CORRUPTION OF 
 
 reality of all other incorporeal beings. What is 
 there, in truth, in the doctrine, which is in itself im- 
 probable, or which is not confirmed by analogy ? 
 We see, in fact, that there are wicked men, enemies 
 to God, and malignant towards their fellow-creatures, 
 who take pleasure, and often succeed, in drawing in 
 others to the commission of evil. Why then should 
 it be deemed incredible that there may be one or 
 more spiritual intelligences of similar natures and 
 propensities, who may, in like manner, be permitted 
 to tempt men to the practice of sin ? Surely we may 
 retort upon our opponents the charge of absurdity, 
 and justly accuse them of gross inconsistency, in 
 admitting, without difficulty, the existence and ope- 
 ration of these qualities in a material being, and yet 
 denying them in an immaterial one, in direct con- 
 tradiction to the authority of Scripture, which they 
 allow to be conclusive, when they cannot, and will 
 not pretend, for a moment, that there is any thing be- 
 longing to the nature of matter, to which these quali- 
 ties naturally adhere. 
 
 But to dilate no farther on a topic which, however 
 it may excite the ridicule of the inconsiderate, will 
 suggest matter of serious apprehension to all who 
 form their opinions on the authority of the word of 
 God ; thus brought as we are into captivity, and ex- 
 posed to danger ; depraved and weakened within, 
 and tempted from without ; it might well fill our 
 hearts with anxiety to reflect, that the day will come, 
 
HUMAN NATURE. 41 
 
 when " the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, 
 and the elements shall melt with fervent heat ;" 
 *' when the dead, small and great, shall stand before" 
 the tribunal of *' God," and we shall have to give 
 account of all things done in the body. We are na- 
 turally prompted to turn over the page of revelation 
 with solicitude, in order to discover the qualities and 
 character o*f our Judge, and the probable principles 
 of his determination ; but this only serves to turn 
 painful apprehension into fixed and certain terror. 
 First, of the qualities of our Judge. As all nature 
 bears witness to his irresistible power, so we read 
 in Scripture, that nothing can escape his observation, 
 or elude his discovery; not our actions only, but our 
 most secret cogitations are open to his view. " He 
 is about our path and about our bed, and spieth out 
 all our ways," Psalm 139 : 3. " The Lord search 
 eth all hearts, and understandeth all the imagina- 
 tions of the thoughts," 1 Chron. 28 : 9. " And he* 
 will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, 
 and will make inanifest the counsels of the heart." 
 Now, hear his description and character, and the 
 rule of his award : " The Lord our God is a con- 
 suming file, even a jealous God." *' He is of purer 
 eyes than to behold iniquity." " The soul that sin- 
 neth, it shall die." " The wages of sin is death." 
 These positive declarations are enforced by the ac- 
 counts which, for our warning, we read in sacred 
 history, of the terrible vengeance of the Almighty j 
 4* 
 
42 CORRUPTION OF 
 
 his punishment of •' the angels who kept not their 
 first estate, and whom he hath reserved in everlasting 
 chains, under darkness, unto the judgment of the 
 great day:" the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah; the 
 sentence issued against the idolatrous nations of 
 Canaan, and of which the execution was assigned to 
 the Israelites, by the express commant^ of God, at 
 their own peril, in case of disobedience*: the ruin of 
 Babylon, and of Tyre, and of Nineveh, and of Jeru- 
 salem, prophetically denounced as the punishment 
 of their crimes, and taking place in an exact and 
 terrible accordance with the Divine predictions. 
 These are, indeed, matters of awful perusal, suffi- 
 cient, surely, to confound the fallacious confidence 
 of any who, on the ground that our Creator must be 
 aware of our natural weakness, and must be of course 
 disposed to allow for it, should allege that, though 
 unable, indeed, to justify ourselves in the sight of 
 God, we need not give way to such gloomy appre- 
 hensions, but might throw ourselves, with assured 
 hope, on the infinite benevolence of the Supreme 
 Being. It is indeed true, that with the threatenings 
 of the word of God there are mixed many gracious 
 declarations of pardon, on repentance and thorough 
 amendment. But, alas! who of us is there, whose 
 conscience must not reproach him with having tri- 
 fled with the long-suffering of God, and with having 
 but ill kept the resolutions of amendment which he 
 had some lime or other formed in the seasons of re 
 
HUMAN NATURE. 43 
 
 collection and remorse ? And how is the disquietude 
 naturally excited by such a retrospect, confirmed and 
 heightened by passages like these ! " Because I have 
 called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my 
 hand, and no man regarded ; but ye have set at 
 naught all my counsel, and would none of my re- 
 proof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will 
 mock when your fear cometh; when your fear 
 Cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh 
 as a whirlwind ; when distress and anguish cometh 
 upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will 
 not answer ; they shall seek me early, but they shall 
 not find me : for that they hated knowledge, and did 
 not choose the fear of the Lord." Prov. 1 : 24-29. The 
 apprehensions which must be excited by thus read- 
 ing the recorded judgments and awful language of 
 Scripture, are confirmed to the inquisitive and at- 
 tentive mind, by a close observation of the moral 
 constitution of the world. Such a one will find oc- 
 casion to remark, that all which has been suggested 
 of the final consequences of vice, is in strict analogy 
 to what we may observe in the ordinary course, of 
 human affairs, wherein God has established such an 
 order of causes and effects as loudly proclaims the 
 principles of his moral government, and strongly 
 suggests that vice and imprudence will finally ter- 
 minate in misery, however interrupted here below, 
 by hinderances and obstructions apparently of a tern* 
 
44 CORRUPTION OF 
 
 porary nature.* Not that this species of proof was 
 wanted ; for that which we must acknowledge, on 
 weighing the evidence, to be a revelation from God, 
 requires not the aid of such a confirmation : but yet, 
 as this accordance might be expected between the 
 words and the w^orks, the past and the future ordi- 
 nations of the same Almighty Being, it is no idle 
 speculation to remark, that the visible constitution 
 of things in the world around us falls in with the 
 representations here given from Scripture, of the 
 dreadful consequences of vice, nay, even of what' is 
 commonly termed inconsideratenessand imprudence. 
 If such then be indeed our sad condition, what is 
 to be done ? Is there no hope ? nothing left for us 
 " but a fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery in- 
 dignation, which shall devour the adversaries ?" 
 Heb. 10 : 27. Blessed be God ! we are not shut up 
 irrecoverably in this sad condition : " Turn you to 
 the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope ; " hear one 
 who proclaims his designation, " to heal the broken- 
 hearted, to preach liberty to the captives, and reco- 
 vering of sight to the blind. " Those who have 
 formed a true notion of their lost and helpless state, 
 will most gladly listen to the sound, and most justly 
 estimate the value of such a deliverance. And this 
 is the cause, which renders it of such pressing mo- 
 ment not to pass cursorily over those important tc 
 
 ♦ Vide Butler's Analogy. 
 
HUMAN NATURE. 45 
 
 pics of the original and superinduced corruption and 
 weakness of man ; a discussion painful and humili- 
 ating to the pride of human nature, to which the 
 mind lends itself with difficulty, and hearkens with 
 a mixture of anger and disgust ; but well suited to 
 our case, and, like the distasteful lessons of adversi- 
 ty, permanently useful in its consequences. It is 
 here, never let it be forgotten, that our foundation 
 must be laid ; otherwise our superstructure, what- 
 ever we may think of it, will one day or other prove 
 tottering and insecure. This is therefore no meta- 
 physical speculation, but a practical matter. Slight 
 and superficial conceptions of our state of natural 
 degradation, and of our insufficiency to recover from 
 it of ourselves, fall in too well with our natural in- 
 considerateness, and produce that fatal insensibility 
 to the Divine warning to " flee from the wrath to 
 come," which we cannot but observe to prevail so 
 generally. Having no due sense of the malignity of 
 our disease, and of its dreadful issue, we do not set 
 ourselves to work in earnest to obtain the remedy 
 as to a business, arduous indeed, but indispensable : 
 for it must ever be carefully remembered, that this 
 deliverance is not forced on us, but offered to us ; w^e 
 ure furnished, indeed, with every help, and are always 
 to bear in mind that we are unable, of ourselves, to 
 will or to do rightly ; but we are plainly admonished 
 to '• work out our own salvation with fear and trem- 
 bling." Philippians, 2: 12. Watchful, for we are 
 
46 CORRUPTION or 
 
 encorapassed with dangers ; " putting on the whole 
 armor of God," for " we are beset with enemies." 
 
 May we be enabled to shake off that lethargy 
 which is so apt to creep upon us ! For this end, a 
 deep practical conviction of our natural depravity 
 and weakness will be found of eminent advantage. 
 As it is by this we must at first be roused from our 
 fallacious security, so by this we must be kept wake- 
 ful and active unto the end. Let us therefore make 
 it our business to have this doctrine firmly seated in 
 our understandings, and radically worked into our 
 hearts. With a view to the former of these ob- 
 jects, we should often seriously and attentively con- 
 sider the firm ground on which it rests. It is plain- 
 ly made known to us by the light of nature, and ir- 
 resistibly enforced on us by the dictates of our un- 
 derstandings. But, lest there should be any so 
 obstinately dull as not to discern the force of the 
 evidence suggested to our reason and confirmed by 
 all experience, or rather so heedless as not to notice 
 it, the authoritative stamp of revelation is superad 
 ded, to complete the proof; and we must therefore 
 be altogether inexcusable, if we still remain un- 
 convinced by such an accumulated mass of argu- 
 ment. 
 
 But we must not only assent to the doctrine clear- 
 ly, but feel it strongly. To this end, let us accus- 
 tom ourselves to refer to our natural depravity, as 
 to their primary cause, the sad instances of vice and 
 
HUMAN NATURE. 47 
 
 folly of which we read, or which we see around us, 
 or to which we feel the propensities in our own 
 hosoms ; ever vigilant and distrustful of ourselves, 
 and looking with an eye of kindness and pity on the 
 faults and infirmities of others, whom we should 
 learn to regard with the same tender concern as 
 that with which the sick are used to sympathize 
 with those who are suffering under the same dis- 
 temper as themselves. This lesson once well ac- 
 quired, we shall feel the benefit of it in all our future 
 progress ; and though it be a lesson which we are 
 slow to learn, it is one in which study and experi- 
 ence, the incidents of every day, and every fresh ob- 
 servation of the workings of our own hearts, will 
 gradually concur to perfect us. Let it not, after all, 
 then, be our reproach, and at length our ruin, that 
 these abundant means of instruction are possessed 
 in vain. 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 Corruption of human nature. — Objection, 
 
 But there is one difficulty still behind, more for- 
 midable than all the rest. The pride of man is loth 
 to be humbled. Forced to abandon the plea of in- 
 nocAice, and pressed so closely that he can no long- 
 er escape from the conclusion to which we would 
 drive him, some more bold objector, endeavoring to 
 justify what he cannot deny, " Whatever I am," he 
 
48 CORRUPTION OP 
 
 contends, " I am what my Creator made me. If this 
 plea cannot establish my innocence, it must excuse, 
 or at least extenuate my guilt. Frail and weak as I 
 am, a Being of infinite justice and goodness will 
 never try me by a rule which, however equitable 
 in the case of creatures of a higher nature, is alto- 
 gether disproportionate to mine." 
 
 Let not my readers be alarmed ! The writer is 
 not going to enter into the discussion of the grand 
 question concerning the origin of moral evil, or to 
 attempt at large to reconcile its existence, and con- 
 sequent punishment, with the acknowledged attri- 
 butes and perfections of God. These are questions, 
 of which, if one may judge from the little success 
 with which the acUtest and profoundest reasoners 
 have been ever laboring to solve the difficulties they 
 contain, the full and clear comprehension is above 
 the intellect of man. Yet, as such an objection as 
 that which has been stated is sometimes heard from 
 the mouths of professed Christians, it must not be 
 passed by without a few short observations. 
 
 Were the language in question to be addressed to 
 us by an avowed sceptic, though it might not be 
 very difficult to expose to him the futility of his rea- 
 sonings, we should almost despair of satisfying him 
 of the soundness of our own. We should perha?[)S 
 suggest impossibilities, which might stand in the 
 way of such a system as he would establish; we 
 might, indeed, point out wherein (arguing from con- 
 
HTMAN' NATURE. 49 
 
 cessions which he would freely make) his precon- 
 ceptions concerning the conduct of the Supreme Be- 
 ing had been, in fact, already contradicted, particu- 
 larly by the existence at all of natural or moral evil ; 
 and if thus proved erroneous in one instance, why 
 might they not be so likewise in another? But 
 though, by these and similar arguments, we might at 
 length silence our objector, we could not much ex- 
 pect to bring him over to our opinions. We should 
 probably do better, if we were to endeavor rather to 
 draw him off from these dark and slippery regions, 
 and to contend with him on sure ground, and in tho 
 light of day. Then we might fairly lay before him 
 all the various arguments for the truth of our holy 
 religion ; arguments which have been sufficient to 
 satisfy the wisest, and the best, and the ablest of men. 
 We should afterwards, perhaps, insist on the abun- 
 dant confirmation Christianity receives from its being 
 exactly suited to the nature and wants of man ; and 
 we might conclude with fairly putting it to him, 
 whether all this weight of evidence were to be over- 
 balanced by this one difficulty, on a subject so con- 
 fessedly high and mysterious, considering that we 
 see but a part (O how small a part !) of the universal 
 creation of God, and that our faculties are wholly 
 incompetent to judge of the schemes of his infinite 
 wisdom. This seems, at least in general, the best 
 mode, in the case of the objection now in question, 
 of dealing with unbelievers. To adopt the contrary 
 
50 CORRUPTION OF 
 
 plan, seems somewhat like that of any oneAvho, hav- 
 ing to convince some untutored Indian of the truth 
 of the Copernican system, instead of beginning with 
 plain and simple propositions, and leading him on 
 to what is more abstruse and remote, should state to 
 him, at the outset, some astonishing problems, to 
 which the understanding can only yield its slow as- 
 sent, when constrained by the decisive force of de- 
 monstration. The novice, instead of lending him- 
 self to such a mistaken method of instruction, would 
 turn away in disgust, and be only hardened against 
 his preceptor. But it must be remembered that the 
 present work is addressed to those who acknowledge 
 the authority of the holy Scriptures. And in order 
 to convince all such that there is a fallacy in our 
 objector's reasoning, it will be sufficient to establish, 
 that though the word of God clearly asserts the jus- 
 lice and goodness of the Supreme Being, and also 
 the natural depravity of man, yet it no less clearly 
 lays down, that this natural depravity shall never be 
 admitted as an excuse for sin, but that " they which 
 have done evil, shall rise to the resurrection of dam- 
 uation,'* John, 5:29; ''That the wicked shall be 
 turned into hell, and all the people that forget God." 
 Psa. 9:17. And it is worthy of remark, that, as if 
 for the very purpose of more effectually silencing 
 those unbelieving doubts which are ever springing 
 up in the human heart, our blessed Savior, though 
 the messenger of peace and good will to man, has 
 
HUMAN NATURE. 51 
 
 ag-ain aiid again repeated these awful denunciations. 
 
 Nor, it must also be remarked, are the holy Scrip- 
 tures less clear and full in guarding us against sup- 
 posing our sins, or the dreadful consequences of them, 
 to be chargeable on God. " Let no man say, when 
 he is tempted, I am tempted of God : for God cannot 
 be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man." 
 James, 1 : 13. "The Lord is not willing that any 
 should perish." 3 Peter, 3 : 9. And again, where 
 the idea is repelled as injurious to his character ; 
 " Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should 
 die ? saith the Lord God ; and not that he should 
 return from his w^ays and live?" Ezek. 18:23. 
 " For I have no pleasure in the death of him that 
 dieth, saith the Lord God." Ezek. 18 : 32.' Indeed, 
 almost every page of the word of God contains some 
 warning or invitation to sinners ; and all these, to a 
 considerate mind, must unquestionably be proofs of 
 our present position. . 
 
 It has been the more necessary not to leave unno- 
 ticed the objection which we have been now refuting, 
 because, when not avowed in the daring language in 
 which it has been above stated, it may frequently be 
 observed in an inferior degree; and often, when not 
 distinctly formed into shape, it lurks in secret, dif- 
 fusing a general cloud of doubt or unbelief, or low- 
 ering our standard of right, or w^hispering fallacious 
 comfort, and producing a ruinous tranquillity. Let 
 us here remark, that though the holy Scriptures so 
 
52 COPwRUPTION OF 
 
 clearly state the natural corruption and weakness of 
 man, they, throughout, directly oppose the supposi- 
 tion that this corruption and weakness will be ad- 
 mitted as lowering the demands of divine justice, 
 and in some sort palliating our transgressions of the 
 jaws of God. Such a notion is at war with the 
 whole scheme of redemption by the atonement of 
 Christ. But perhaps it may be enough, when any 
 such suo-o-estions, as those which we are condemn- 
 ing, force themselves into the imagination of a Chris- 
 tian, to recommend it to him to silence them by 
 what is their best practical answer : that if our na- 
 tural condition be depraved and weak, our tempta- 
 tions numerous, and our Almighty Judge infinitely 
 holy ; yet that the offers to penitent sinners of par- 
 don, and grace, and strength, are universal and un- 
 limited. Let it not however surprise us, if in all 
 this there seem to be involved difficulties which we 
 cannot fully comprehend. How many such every 
 where present themselves ! Scarcely is there an ob- 
 ject around us that does not afford endless matter of 
 doubt and argument. The meanest reptile which 
 crawls on the earth, nay, every herb and flower 
 which we behold, baffles the imbecility of our limit- 
 ed inquiries. All nature calls upon us to be hum- 
 ble. Can it then be surprising if we are at a loss 
 on this question, which respects not the properties 
 of matter, or of numbers, but the counsels and ways 
 of Him whose " understanding is infinite," Psalm 
 
HUMAN NATURE. 53 
 
 147 : 5. " Whose judgments are declared to be un- 
 searchable, and his ways past finding out ?" Rom. 
 11:33. In this our ignorance, however, we may 
 calmly repose ourselves on his own declaration, that 
 though "clouds and darkness are round about him," 
 yet " righteousness and judgment are the habitation 
 of his throne." Psalm 97 : 2. Let it also be remem- 
 bered, that if in Christianity some things are difficult, 
 that which it most concerns us to know, is plain and 
 obvious. To this it is true wisdom to attach our- 
 selves, assenting to what is revealed where above 
 our faculties, (we do not say contradictory to them,) 
 on the credit of what is clearly discerned and satis- 
 factorily established. In truth, we are all perhaps 
 too apt to plunge into depths which it is beyond our 
 power to fathom ; and it was to warn us against this 
 very error, that the inspired writer, when he has 
 been threatening the people, whom God had selected 
 as the objects of his special favor, with the most 
 dreadful punishments, if they should forsake the law 
 of the Lord, and has introduced surrounding nations 
 as asking the meaning of the severe infliction, winds 
 up the whole with this instructive admonition : •' Se- 
 cret things belong unto the Lord our God ; but those 
 which are revealed belong unto us and to our chil- 
 dren for ever, that we may do all the words of this 
 law." Deut. 29:29. 
 
 To any one who is seriously impressed with a 
 sense of the critical state in which we are here 
 5* 
 
54 CORRUPTION OF HUMAN NATURE. 
 
 placed, it is indeed an awful and an affecting specta- 
 cle, to see men thus busying themselves in these vain 
 speculations of arrogant curiosity, and trifling with 
 their dearest, their everlasting interests. It is but' a 
 feeble illustration of this exquisite folly, to compare 
 it to the conduct of some convicted rebel, who, when 
 brought into the presence of his sovereign, instead 
 of seizing the occasion to sue for mercy, should even 
 neglect and trifle with the pardon which should be 
 ofTered to him, and insolently employ himself in pry- 
 ing into his sovereign's designs and criticising his 
 counsels. Our case, indeed, is, in another point of 
 comparison, but too much like that of the convicted 
 rebel. But there is this grand difference — that, at 
 the best, his success must be uncertain ; ours, if it be 
 not our own fault, is sure : and while, on the one 
 hand, our guilt is unspeakably greater than that of 
 'duy rebel against an earthly monarch ; so, on the 
 other, we know that our Sovereign is " long-suffer- 
 ing, and easy to be entreated ;" more ready to grant, 
 than we to ask forgiveness. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 CHIEF DEFECTS OF THE RELIGIOUS SYSTEM OF 
 THE BULK OF PROFESSED CHRISTIANS, IN WHAT 
 REGARDS OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND THE 
 HOLY SPIRIT WITH A DISSERTATION CONCERN- 
 ING THE USE OF THE PASSIONS IN RELIGION. 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 Inadequate conceptions concerning ou/r Savior and the 
 Holy Spiri'. 
 
 That God so loved the world, as of his tender 
 mercy to give his only Son Jesus Christ for our 
 redemption : 
 
 That our blessed Lord willingly left the glory of 
 the Father, and was made man: 
 
 That " he was despised and rejected of men ; a 
 man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief:" 
 
 That " he was wounded for our transgressions ;" 
 and " was bruised for our iniquities :" 
 
 That " the Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all ;" 
 
 That at length he humbled himself even to the 
 death of the cross, for us, miserable sinners; to the 
 
56 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF OUR 
 
 end that all who, with heart)^ repentance and true 
 faith should come to him, might not perish, but 
 have everlasting life : 
 
 That he is now at the right hand of God, making 
 intercession for his people : 
 
 That, " being reconciled to God by the death of 
 his Son, we may come boldly unto the throne o\ 
 grace, to obtain mercy and find grace to help in 
 time of need :" 
 
 That our heavenly Father " will surely give hiy 
 Holy Spirit to them that ask him :" 
 
 That "the Spirit of God must dwell in us :" and 
 that *' if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is 
 none of his :" 
 
 That by this Divine influence " we are to be re- 
 newed in knowledge after the image of Him who 
 created us," and "to be filled with the fruits of 
 righteousness, to the praise of the glory of his 
 grace ;" that, •' being thus made meet for the in- 
 heritance of the saints in light," we shall sleep in 
 the Lord ; and that, when the last trumpet shall 
 sound, this corruption shall put on incorruption ; 
 and that, being at length perfected after his likeness, 
 we shall be admitted into his heavenly kingdom : — 
 
 These are the leading doctrines concerning our 
 Savior, and the Holy Spirit, which are taught in the 
 holy Scriptures, and held by the church of England. 
 The truth of them, agreeably to our general plan, 
 will be taken for granted. Few of those who have 
 
SAVIOR AND UOLY SPIRIT. 67 
 
 been used to join in the established form of worship, 
 can have been, it is hoped, so inattentive as to be 
 ignorant of these grand truths, which are to be found 
 everj'- where dispersed throughout our excellent 
 liturgy. AVould to God it could be presumed, with 
 equal confidence, that all who assent to them in 
 terms, discern their force and excellency in the un- 
 derstanding, and feel their power in the affections, 
 and their transforming influence in the heart ! What 
 lively emotions are they calculated to excite in us, of 
 deep self-abasement, and abhorrence of our sins ; and 
 of humble hope, and firm faith, and heavenly joy, 
 and ardent love, and active unceasing gratitude ! 
 
 But here, it is to be feared, will be found the 
 grand defect of the religion of the bulk of professed 
 Christians : a defect, like the palsy at the heart, which, 
 while, in its first attack, it changes but little the ex- 
 terior appearance of the body, extinguishes the in- 
 ternal principle of heat and motion, and soon extends 
 its benumbing influence to the remotest fibers of .the 
 frame. This defect is closely connected with that 
 which was the chief subject of the last chapter: 
 " They that are whole need not a physician, but they 
 that are sick." Had we duly felt the burden of our 
 sins, that they are a load which our own strength is 
 wholly unable to support, and that the weight of 
 them must finally sink us into perdition, our hearts 
 would have rejoiced at the sound of the gracious in- 
 vitation, " Come unto me, all ye that labor and are 
 
58 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF OUR 
 
 heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matt. 1 1 : 
 28. But in those who have scarcely felt their sins 
 as any incumbrance, it would be mere affectation to 
 pretend to very exalted conceptions of the value and 
 acceptableness of the proffered deliverance. This 
 pretence, accordingly, is seldom now kept up ; and 
 the most superficial observer, comparing the senti- 
 ments and views of the bulk of the christian world 
 with the articles still retained in their creed, and 
 with the strong language of Scripture, must be 
 struck with the amazing disproportion. 
 
 To pass over the throng from whose minds reli- 
 gion is altogether excluded by the business or the 
 vanities of life, how is it with the more decent and 
 moral ? To what criterion shall we appeal ? Are 
 their hearts really filled with these things, and 
 warmed by the love which they are adapted to in- 
 spire? Then surely their minds are apt to stray to 
 them almost unseasonably ; or at least to hasten back 
 to them with eagerness, when escaped from the 
 estrangement imposed by the necessary cares and 
 business of life. 
 
 " And how," it may be perhaps replied, '• do you 
 know but that the minds of these people are thus 
 occupied ?" Let us appeal to a test to which we re- 
 sorted in a former instance. •' Out of the abundance 
 of the heait the mouth speaketh." Take these per- 
 sons, and lead the conversation to the s'lbject of reli- 
 gion. The utmost which can be effected is, to bring 
 
SAVIOR AND HOLY SPIRIT. 59 
 
 them to talk of things in generalities ; there is no- 
 thing precise and determinate, nothing which im- 
 plies a mind used to the contemplation of its object. 
 In vain you strive to bring them to speak on that to- 
 pic, which one might expect to be ever uppermost 
 in the hearts of redeemed sinners. They elude all 
 your endeavors ; and if you mention it yourself, it 
 is received wfth no very cordial welcome, if not 
 with unequivocal disgust ; it is, at the best, a forced 
 and formal discussion. The excellence of our Sa 
 vior's moral precepts, the kindness, and simplicity, 
 and self-denial, and unblemished purity of his life, 
 his patience and meekness in the hour of death, can- 
 not indeed be spoken of but with admiration, when 
 spoken of at all, as they have often extorted unwil- 
 ling praise from the most daring and malignant iu' 
 fidels. But are not these mentioned as qualities in 
 the abstract, rather than as the perfections and linea- 
 ments of our Patron, and Benefactor, and Friend, 
 " who loved us, and gave himself for us ;" of Him 
 " who died for our ofTences, and rose again for our 
 justification ;" " who is even now at the right hand 
 of God, making intercecsion for ws?" Who would 
 think that the kindness, and humanity, and self-de 
 nial, and patience in suffering, which we so dryly 
 commend, had been exerted towards ourselves, in 
 acts of more than finite benevolence, of which we 
 were to derive the benefit, in condescensions and la 
 bors submitted to for our sakes, in pain and igno- 
 miny endured for our deliverance ? 
 
60 INADECIUAXE CONCEPTIONS OF OUR 
 
 The Unitarian and Socinian, who deny or explain 
 away the peculiar doctrines of the Gospel, may be 
 allowed to feel and talk of these grand truths with 
 little emotion. But in those who profess a sincere 
 belief in them, this coldness is insupportable. The 
 greatest possible services of man to man must appear 
 contemptible, when compared with " the unspeaka- 
 ble mercies of Christ :" mercies so dearly bought, 
 so freely bestowed — a deliverance from eternal mi- 
 sery — the gift of " a crown of glory, that fadeth not 
 away." Yet, what judgment should we form of such 
 conduct as is here censured, in the case of any one 
 who had received signal services from afellov/-crea- 
 ture ? True love is an ardent and active principle : 
 a cold, a dormant, a phlegmatic gratitude are con- 
 tradictions in terms. When these generous affections 
 really exist in vigor, are we not ever fond of dwell- 
 ing on the value and enumerating the merits of our 
 benefactor ? How are we moved when any thing is 
 asserted to his disparagement ! How do we delight 
 to tell of his kindness ! With what pious care do we 
 preserve any memorial of him which we may hap- 
 pen to possess ! How gladly do we seize any oppor- 
 tunity of rendering to him, or to those who are dear 
 to him, any little good offices, which, though in 
 ,hemselves of small intrinsic worth, may testify the 
 sincerity of our thankfulness ! The very mention of 
 his name will cheer the heart, and light up the 
 countenance! And if he be now no more, and if he 
 
SAVIOR AND HOLY SPIRIT. 61 
 
 had made it his dying request that, in a way of his 
 own appointment, we would occasionally meet to 
 keep the memory of his person and of his services 
 in lively exercise ; how should we resent the idea 
 of failing in the performance of so sacred an obliga- 
 tion! 
 
 Such are the genuine characters, such the natu- 
 ral workings of a lively gratitude. And can we be- 
 lieve, without doing violence to the most established 
 principles of human nature, that where the effects 
 are so different, the internal principle is in truth the 
 same? 
 
 If the love of Christ be thus languid in the bulk 
 of nominal Christians, their joy and trust in him 
 cannot be expected to be very vigorous. Here again 
 we find reason to remark, that there is nothing dis- 
 tinct, nothing specific, nothing which implies a mind 
 acquainted with the nature and familiarized with the 
 use of the Christian's privileges, habitually solacing 
 itself with the hopes held out by the Gospel, anima- 
 ted by the sense of its high relations and its glori- 
 ous reversion. 
 
 The doctrine of the sanctifying operations of the 
 Holy Spirit appears to have met with still worse 
 treatment. It would be to convey a very inadequate 
 idea of the scantiness of the conceptions, on this head, 
 of the bulk of the Christian world, to affirm merely 
 that they are too little conscious of the inefficacy of 
 their own unassisted endeavors after holiness of 
 6 
 
62 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF OUR 
 
 heart and life, and that they are not daily employed 
 in humbly and diligently using the appointed means 
 for the reception and cultivation of the divine assist- 
 ance. It would hardly be to go beyond the truth to 
 assert, that for the most part their notions on this 
 subject are so confused and faint, that they can 
 scarcely be said to believe the doctrine at all. 
 
 The writer is prepared to hear it urged, that often 
 where there have been the strongest pretences to 
 religious affections, there has been little or nothing 
 of the reality of them ; and that even omitting the 
 instances of studied hypocrisy, what have assumed 
 to themselves the name of religious affections, have 
 been merely the flights of a lively imagination, or 
 the working of a heated brain : in particular, that 
 this love of our Savior dwells only in the disordered 
 mind of the enthusiast. That religion is of a more 
 steady nature ; and that she rejects with scorn the 
 support of a mere feeling, indeterminate, trivial, and 
 useless ; a feeling varying in different men, and even 
 in the same man at different times, according to the 
 accidental flow of the animal spirits ; a feeling of 
 which it may perhaps be said, we are, from our 
 very nature, hardly susceptible towards an invisible 
 Being. 
 
 "As to the operations of the Holy Spirit," it 
 may probably be further urged, that "it is perhaps 
 scarcely worth while to spend much time in inquir- 
 ing into tiie theory, when, in practice at least, it is 
 
SAVIOR AND HOLY SPIRIT. 63 
 
 manifest that there is no sure criterion whereby any- 
 one can ascertain the reality of them, even in his 
 own case, much less in that of another. All we 
 know is, that pretenders to these extraordinary as- 
 sistances have never been wanting to abuse the 
 credulity of the vulgar, and to try the patience of the 
 wise. The doctrine, to say the best of it, can only 
 serve to favor the indolence of man. It is, therefore, 
 true wisdom to attach ourselves to Avhat is more solid 
 and practical ; to the work of rectifying the disorders 
 of the passions, and of implanting and cultivating 
 the virtues of the moral character. You are contend- 
 ing for that which not only is altogether unworthy 
 of our Divine Master, but which, with considerate 
 men, has ever brought his religion into suspicion 
 and disrepute, and, under a show of honoring him, 
 serves only to injure and discredit his cause." Our 
 objector, warming as he proceeds, will perhaps as- 
 sume a more impatient tone. " Have not these doc- 
 trines," he may exclaim, " been ever perverted to 
 purposes the most disgraceful to the religion of 
 Jesus ? If you want an instance, look to the standard 
 of the Inquisition, and behold the Dominicans tor- 
 turing their miserable victims for the love of Christ.* 
 Or would you rather see the effects of your prin- 
 ciples on a larger scale, and by wholesale, (if the 
 phrase may be pardoned,) cast your eyes across the 
 
 • This was the motto on their banner. 
 
C4 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF OUR 
 
 Atlantic, and let your zeal be edified by the holy 
 activity of Cortez and Pizarro, and their apostles of 
 the western hemisphere. To what else have been 
 owing the national persecutions, and religious wars 
 and crusades ; whereby rapacity, and pride, and 
 cruelty, sheltering themselves under the mask of this 
 specious principle, have so often afflicted the world ?" 
 
 Objection discussed. 
 
 That the sacred name of religion has been too 
 often prostituted to the most detestable purposes; 
 that furious bigots, and bloody persecutors, and self- 
 interested hypocrites, of all qualities and dimensions, 
 have falsely called themselves Christians, are me- 
 lancholy and humiliating truths, which, as none so 
 deeply lament them, none will more readily admit, 
 than they who best understand the nature, and are 
 most concerned for the honor of Christianity. We 
 are ready to acknowledge, also, without dispute, that 
 the doctrines of religious affections and divine as- 
 sistances have almost, at all times, been more or less 
 disgraced by the false pretences and extravagant 
 conduct of fanatics and enthusiasts. Ali this, how- 
 ever, is only as it happens in other instances, wherein 
 the depravity of man perverts the bounty of God. 
 Why is it here only to be made an argument, that 
 there is danger of abuse? So is there, also, in the 
 case of all the potent and operative principles, whe- 
 
SAVIOR AND HOLY SPIRIT. 65 
 
 ther in the natural or moral world. Take, for an 
 instance, the powers and properties of matter. These 
 were, doubtless, designed by Providence for our 
 comfort and well-being ; yet they are often misap- 
 plied to trifling purposes, and still more frequently 
 turned into so many agents of misery and death. 
 Suppose religion were discarded, then liberty re- 
 mains to plague the world ; a power which, though, 
 when well employed, the dispenser of light and hap- 
 piness, has been often proved, and eminently in 
 this very instance, to be capable, when abused, of 
 becoming infinitely mischievous. Well, then, ex- 
 tinguish liberty — blot out courage ; and so might 
 you proceed to extinguish, one by one, reason, and 
 speech, and memory, and all the discriminating 
 prerogatives of man. But, perhaps, more than 
 enough has already been urged in reply to an ob- 
 jection so indefensible as that which would equally 
 warrant our condemning any physical or moral 
 faculty altogether, on account of its being occasion- 
 ally abused. 
 
 As to the position, that there is no way whereby 
 the validity of pretensions to the religious affections 
 may be ascertained, it must partly be admitted. 
 Doubtless, we are not able always to read the hearts 
 of men, and to discover their real characters ; and 
 hence it is that we in some measure lie open to the 
 false and hypocritical pretences which are brought 
 forward so triumphantlv. But then these pretences 
 6* 
 
66 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS, &c. 
 
 no more prove all similar claims to be founded in 
 falsehood and hypocrisy, than there having been 
 many false and interested pretenders to wisdom and 
 honesty would prove that there can be no such 
 thing as a wise or an honest man. We do not argue 
 thus but where our reason is under a corrupt bias. 
 It is no more than our blessed Master himself taught 
 us to expect ; and when the old difficulty is stated, 
 ". Didst thou not sow good seed in thy field, whence 
 then hath it tares?" his own answer furnishes the 
 best solution, •* An enemy hath done this." Hypo- 
 crisy is indeed detestable, and enthusiasm sufficiently 
 mischievous to justify our guarding against its ap- 
 proaches with jealous care. Yet we are apt to draw 
 too unfavorable conclusions from unpleasant appear- 
 ances. The mode and language in which a vulgar 
 man will express himself on the subject of religion, 
 will probably be vulgar ; and it is difficult for peo- 
 ple of literature and refinement not to be unreason- 
 ably shocked by such vulgarities. But we should 
 at least endeavor to correct the rash judgments which 
 we may be disposed to form on these occasions, and 
 should learn to recognize and to prize a sound tex- 
 ture and just configuration, though disguised beneath 
 homely or uncouth drapery. 
 
SECTION II. 
 
 On the admission of the passions into religion. 
 
 The objection, that by insisting on the obligation 
 of making our blessed Savior the object of our reli- 
 gious affections, we are degrading the worship of 
 ihe understanding, and are substituting a set of mere 
 feelings in its stead, deserves most serious conside- 
 ration. If it be just, it is decisive ; for ours must be 
 mquestionably a " reasonable service." Rom. 12: 1. 
 
 This notion of the affections being out of place in 
 religion, is indeed an opinion which appears to be 
 generally prevalent. Mankind are apt to be the 
 dupes of misapplied terms ; and the progress of the 
 persuasion now in question, has been considerably 
 aided by an abuse of language not sufficiently check- 
 ed in its first advances, whereby that species of reli- 
 gion which is opposite to the warm and affectionate 
 kind, has been suffered, almost without disturbance, 
 to usurp- to itself the epithet of rational. But let not 
 this claim be too hastily admitted. Let the position 
 in question be thoroughly and impartially discussed, 
 and it will appear, if I mistake not, to be a gross and 
 pernicious error. 
 
 It cannot but afford a considerable presumption 
 against the doctrine which we are about to com- 
 bat, that it proposes to exclude at once from the ser- 
 vice of religion, so grand a part of the composition 
 
68 ON THE ADMISSION OF THE 
 
 of man ; that in this our noblest employment it con- 
 demns, as worse than useless, all the most active and 
 operative principles of our nature. One cannot but 
 suppose that, like the organs of the body, so the ele- 
 mentary qualities and original passions of the mind 
 were all given us for valuable purposes by our all- 
 wise Creator. It is indeed one of the sad evidences 
 of our fallen condition, that they are now perpetually 
 rebelling against the powers of reason and con- 
 science, to which they should be subject. But even 
 if revelation had been silent, natural reason might 
 have, in some degree, presumed that it would be the 
 effect of a religion which should come from God, 
 completely to repair the consequences of our super- 
 induced depravity. The schemes of mere human 
 wisdom had indeed tacitly confessed that this was a 
 task beyond their strength. Of the two most celebra- 
 ted systems of philosophy, the one expressly confirm- 
 ed the usurpation of the passions ; while the other, 
 despairing of being able to regulate, saw nothing left 
 but to extinguish them. Christianity would not be 
 driven to any such wretched expedients ; it is her 
 peculiar glory and her main office to bring all the 
 faculties of our nature into their just subordination 
 and dependence ; that so the whole man, complete 
 in all his functions, may be restored to the true ends 
 of his being, and be devoted to the service and glory 
 of God. •' My son, give me thine heart ;" " Thou 
 shr't love the Lord thy God with all thy heart ." 
 
PASSIONS INTO RELIGION. 69 
 
 such are the direct and comprehensive claims which 
 are made on us in the holy Scriptures. We can 
 scarcely indeed look into any part of the sacred vo- 
 lume without meeting abundant proofs that it is the 
 religion of the affections which God particularly re- 
 quires. Love, zeal, gratitude, joy, hope, trust, are 
 each of them specified ; and are not allowed to us 
 as weaknesses, but enjoined on us as our bounden du- 
 ty, and commended to us as our acceptable w'orship. 
 AVhere passages are so numerous, there would be 
 no end of particular citations. Let it be sufficient, 
 therefore, to refer the reader to the word of God. 
 There let him observe, too, that as the lively exer- 
 cise of the passions towards their legitimate object is 
 always spoken of with praise, so a cold, hard, unfeel- 
 ing heart, is represented as highly criminal. Luke- 
 warmness is stated to be the object of God's disgust 
 and aversion ; zeal and love, of his favor and de- 
 light; and the taking away of the heart of stone, 
 and the implanting of a warmer and more tender na- 
 ture in its stead, is specifically promised as the ef- 
 fect of his returning favor, and the work of his re- 
 newing grace. It is the prayer of an inspired teach- 
 er in behalf of those for whom he was most interest- 
 ed, " that their love " (already acknowledged to be 
 great) "might abound yet more and more." Those 
 modes of worship are set forth and prescribed, which 
 are best calculated to excite the dormant affections, 
 and to maintain them in lively exercise ; if we look 
 
70 ON THE ADMISSION OF THE 
 
 to the most eminent of the Scripture characters, we 
 shall find them warm, zealous, and aflectionate. 
 When engaged in their favorite Avork of celebrating 
 the goodness of their Supreme Benefactor, their 
 souls appear to burn within them, their hearts kin- 
 dle into rapture : the powers of language are inade- 
 quate ; and they call on all nature to unite with 
 them in hallelujahs of gratitude, and joy, and praise. 
 The man after God's own heart most of all abounds 
 in these glowing effusions ; and his compositions 
 appear to have been given us in order to set the tone, 
 as it were, to all succeeding generations. Accord- 
 ingly, (to quote the words of a late excellent prelate, 
 who was himself warmed with the same heaven- 
 ly flame,) "in the language of this divine book, the 
 praises of the church have been offered up to the 
 throne of grace from age to age." Again, when it 
 pleased God to check the future apostle of the Gen- 
 tiles in his wild career, and to make him a monu- 
 ment of transforming grace, was the force of his af- 
 fections diminished, or was it not only that their di- 
 rection was changed ? He brought his affections 
 entire and unabated into the service of his blessec 
 Master. His zeal now burned even with an increase 
 of brightness; and no intenseness, no continuance 
 of suffering could allay its ardor, or damp the fer- 
 vors of his triumphant exultations. Finally: the 
 worship and service of the glorified spirits in hea- 
 ven is not represented to us as a cold, intellectua. 
 
PASSIONS INTO RELIGION. 71 
 
 investigation, but as the worship and a3rvice of gra- 
 titude and love. And surely it will not be disputed 
 that it should be, even here, the humble endeavor of 
 those who are promised, \vhile on earth " to be made 
 meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints 
 in light," to bring their hearts into capacity for 
 joining in those everlasting praises. 
 
 But it may be advisable here to guard against a 
 mistaken supposition, that the force of the religious 
 affections is to be mainly estimated by the degree of 
 mere animal fervor, by ardors, and transports, and 
 raptures, of which, from constitutional temperament, 
 a person may be easily susceptible : or into which 
 daily experience must convince us that people of 
 strong conceptions and of warm passions may 
 work themselves without much difficulty, Avhere 
 their hearts are by no means truly or deeply inte- 
 rested. These high degrees of the passions bad men 
 may experience, good men may want. They may 
 be affected ; they may be genuine ; but, whether ge- 
 nuine or affected, they form not the true standard by 
 which the real nature or strength of the religious 
 affections is to be determined. To ascertain these 
 points, we must examine whether they appear to be 
 grounded Id knowledge, to have their root in strong 
 and just conceptions of the great, manifold excellen- 
 ces of their objects, or to be ignorant^ unmeaning, or 
 vague : whether they are natural and easy, or con- 
 strained and forced : wakeful and apt to fix on their 
 
72 ON THE ADMISSION OF THE 
 
 great objects, delighting in their proper nutriment, 
 the exercises of prayer and praise, and religious 
 contemplation ; or voluntarily omitting offered occa- 
 sions of receiving it, looking forward to them with 
 little expectation, looking back on them with little 
 complacency, and being disappointed of them with 
 little regret. We must observe whether these reli- 
 gious affections are merely occasional visitants, or 
 the abiding inmates of the soul : whether they have 
 the mastery over the vicious passions and propensi- 
 ties, with which, in their origin, and nature, and ten- 
 dency, they are at open variance ; or whether, if the 
 victory be not yet complete, the war is at least con- 
 stant, and the breach irreconcilable. We must ob- 
 serve whether they moderate and regulate all the 
 inferior appetites and desires, which are culpable 
 only in their excess, thus striving to reign in the 
 bosom with a settled, undisputed predominance. 
 We must examine whether, above all, they manifest 
 themselves by prompting to the active discharge of 
 the duties of life: the personal, and domestic, and re- 
 lative, and professional, and social, and civil duties. 
 Here the wideness of their range and the universa- 
 lity of their influence will generally distinguish them 
 from those partial efforts of diligence and self-denial 
 to which mankind are prompted by subordinate mo- 
 tive«j. All proofs, other than this deduced from con- 
 duct, are in some degree ambiguous. This, this 
 only, whether we argue from reason or from Scrip- 
 
PASSIONS INTO RELIGION. 73 
 
 ture, is a sure, infallible criterionf From the daily 
 incidents of conjugal and domestic life, we learn 
 that a warmth of affection, occasionally vehement, 
 but superficial and transitory, may consist with a 
 course of conduct exhibiting incontestable proofs of 
 neglect and unkindness. But the passion, which 
 alone the holy Scriptures dignify with the name of 
 love, is a deep, not a superficial feeling : a fixed and 
 permanent, not an occasional emotion. It proves the 
 validity of its title by actions corresponding with its 
 nature, by practical endeavors to gratify the wishes 
 and to promote the interests of the object of affection. 
 " If a man love me, he will keep my sayings." 
 " This is the love of God, that we keep his com- 
 mandments." This, therefore, _is the best standard 
 by which to try the quality ; qj-, the quality being as- 
 certained, to estimate the strength of the religious 
 affections. Without suffering ourselves to derive too 
 much complacency from transient fervors of devo- 
 tion, we should carefully and frequently prove our- 
 selves by this less dubitabie test ; impartially examin- 
 ing our daily conduct; and often comparing our ac- 
 tual with our possible services, the fair amount of 
 our exertions with our natural or acquired means 
 and opportunities of usefulness. 
 
 We are perfectly ready to concede to the objector, 
 
 whose arguments we have so long been considering, 
 
 that the religious affections must be expected to be 
 
 more or less lively in different men, and in the same 
 
 7 
 
74 ON THE ADMISSION OF IHE 
 
 man at different times, in proportion to natural tem- 
 pers, ages, situations, and habits of life. But to 
 found an objection on this ground, would be as un- 
 reasonable as it were altogether to deny the obliga- 
 tion of the precepts which command us to relieve 
 the necessities of the indigent, because the infinitely 
 varying circumstances of mankind must render it 
 impossible to specify, beforehand, the sum which 
 each individual ought, on the whole, to allot to 
 this purpose, or to fix, in every particular instance, 
 on any determinate measure and mode of contribu- 
 tion. To the one case, no less than to the other, we 
 may apply the maxim of an eminent writer ; ''An 
 honest heart is the best casuist." He who every 
 where but in religion is warm and animated, there 
 only phlegmatic and cold, can hardly expect (espe- 
 cially if this coldness be not the subject of unfeigned 
 humiliation and sorrow) that his plea on the ground 
 of natural temper should be admitted; any more 
 than that of a person who should urge his poverty 
 as a justification of his not relieving the wants of the 
 necessitous, at the very time that he should bo 
 launching out into expense without restraint, on oc- 
 casions in which he should be really prompted by 
 his inclinations. In both cases, " it is the willing 
 mind which is required." Where that is found, 
 "every man will be judged according to what he 
 hath, and not according to what he hath not." 2 Cor. 
 8: 12. 
 
PASSIONS INTO RELIGION. 75 
 
 After the decisive proofs already adduced from the 
 word of God, of the unreasonableness of the objec- 
 tion to the admission of the passions into religion, all 
 farther arguments may appear superfluous to any 
 one who is disposed to bow to scriptural authority. 
 Yet, the point is of so much importance, and, it is 
 to be feared, so little regarded, that it may not be 
 amiss to continue the discussion. The best results 
 of our understanding will be shown to fall in with 
 what clearly appears to be the authoritative lan- 
 guage of revelation ; and to call in the aid of the 
 affections to the service of religion will prove to be 
 not only what sober reason may permit, but to be 
 that which she clearly and strongly dictates to our 
 deliberate judgments, as being what the circumstan- 
 ces of our natural condition indispensably require. 
 We have every one of us a work to accomplish, 
 wherein our eternal interests are at stake ; a work 
 to which we are naturally indisposed. We live in 
 a world abounding with objects which distract our 
 attention and divert our endeavors ; and a deadly 
 enemy is ever at hand to seduce and beguile us. If 
 we persevere, indeed, success is certain ; but our 
 efforts must know no remission. There is a call on 
 us for vigorous and continual resolution, self-denial, 
 and activity. Now, man is not a being of mere in- 
 tellect. 
 
 Video meliora proboque, deteriora sequor,* 
 
 • I see W'bat is right, and approve it, but practice what ii wroof . 
 
76 ON THE AD5HSSI0N OF THE 
 
 is a complaint which, alas ! we all of us might daily 
 utter. The slightest solicitation of appetite is often 
 able to draw us to act in opposition to our clearest 
 judgment, our highest interests, and most resolute 
 determinations. Sickness, poverty, disgrace, and even 
 eternal misery itself, sometimes in vain solicit our 
 regards ; they are all excluded from the view, and 
 thrust as it were beyond the sphere of vision, by some 
 poor, unsubstantial, transient object, so minute and 
 contemptible as almost to escape the notice of the 
 eye of reason. 
 
 These observations are more strikingly confirmed 
 in our religious concerns than in any other; because 
 in them the interests at stake are of transcendent im- 
 portance : but they hold equally in every instance, 
 according to its measure, wherein there is a call for 
 laborious, painful, and continued exertions, from 
 which any one is likely to be deterred by obstacles, 
 or seduced by the solicitations of pleasure. What 
 then is to be done in the case of any such arduous 
 and necessary undertaking? The answer is obvi- 
 ous : You should endeavor not only to convince the 
 understanding, but also to affect the heart : and for 
 this end, you must secure the reinforcement of the 
 passions. This is indeed the course which would 
 be naturally followed by every man of common un- 
 derstanding, who should know that some one for 
 whom he was deeply interested, a child, for instance, 
 or a brother, were about to enter on a long, difficult, 
 
PASSIONS INTO RELIGION. 77 
 
 perilous, and critical adventure, wherein success was 
 to be honor and affluence, defeat was to he contempt 
 and ruin. And still more, if the parent were convinc- 
 ed that his child possessed faculties which, strenu- 
 ously and unremittingly exerted, would prove equal 
 to all the exigences of the enterprise, but knew him 
 also to be volatile and inconstant, and had reason to 
 doubt his resolution and his vigilance ; how would the 
 friendly monitor's endeavor be redoubled, so as to 
 possess his pupil's mind with the worth and dignity 
 of the undertaking, that there should be no opening 
 for the entrance of any inferior consideration ! "Weigh 
 well," he would say, " the value of the object for 
 which you are about to contend, and contemplate and 
 study its various excellencies, till your whole soul 
 be on fire for its acquisition. Consider too, that, if 
 you fail, misery and infamy are united in the alter- 
 native which awaits you. Let not the mistaken nq'- 
 tion of its being a safe and easy service, for a mo- 
 ment beguile you into the discontinuance or remis- 
 sion of your efforts. Be aware of your imminent 
 danger, and at the same time know your true secu- 
 rity. It is a service of labor and peril; but one 
 wherein the powers which you possess, strenuously 
 and perse veringly exerted, cannot but crown you 
 with victory. Accustom yourself to look first to the 
 dreadful consequences of failure ; then fix your eye 
 on the glorious prize which is before you ; and when 
 your strength begins to fail, and your spirits are well 
 7* 
 
78 ON THE ADMISSION OF THE 
 
 nigh exhausted, let the animating view rekindle 
 your resolution, and call forth in renewed vigor the 
 fainting energies of your soul." 
 
 It was the remark of an unerring Observer, "the 
 children of this world are wiser in their generation 
 than the children of light." And it is indisputably 
 true, that in religion we have to argue and plead 
 with men for principles of action, the Avisdom and 
 expediency of which are universally acknowledged 
 in matters of worldly concern. So it is in the in- 
 stance before us. The case which has been just de- 
 scribed, is an exact but a faint representation of our 
 condition in this life. Frail and •' infirm of pur- 
 pose," we have a business to executeof supreme and 
 indispensable necessity. Solicitations to neglect it 
 every where abound : the difficulties and dangers are 
 numerous and urgent ; and the night of death com- 
 eth, how soon we know not, " when no man can w^ork." 
 All this is granted. It seems to be a state of things 
 wherein one should look out with solicitude for some 
 powerful stimulants. Mere knowledge is confess- 
 edly too weak. The affections alone remain to 
 supply the deficiency. They precisely meet the oc- 
 casion, and suit the purposes intended. Yet, when 
 we propose to fit ourselves for our great undertak- 
 ing, by calling them in to our help, we are to be 
 tOM that we are acting contrary to reason. Is this 
 reasonable, to strip us first of our armor of proof, 
 and then to send us to the sharpest of encounter ? 
 
PASSIONS INTO RELIGION. 79 
 
 To summon us to the severest labors, but first to 
 rob us of the precious cordials which should brace 
 our sinews and recruit our strength ? 
 
 Let these pretended advocates for reason then con- 
 fess their folly, and do justice to the superior wis- 
 dom as well as goodness of our heavenly Instructor, 
 Avho, better understanding our true condition, and 
 knowing our frowardness and inadvertency, has 
 most reasonably, as well as kindly pointed out and 
 enjoined on us the use of those aids which may coun- 
 teract our infirmities ; who commanding the effect, 
 has commanded also the means whereby it may be 
 accomplished. 
 
 And now, if the use of the affections in religion^ 
 in general, be at length shown to be conformable to 
 reason, it will not require many words to prove that 
 our blessed Savior is the proper object of them. We 
 know that love, gratitude, joy, hope, trust, (the affec- 
 tions in question,) all have their appropriate objects. 
 Now it must be at once conceded, that if these ap- 
 propriate objects be not exhibited, it is perfectly un- 
 reasonable to expect that the correspondent passions 
 should be excited. If we ask for love, in the case 
 of an object which has no excellence or desirable- 
 ness ; for gratitude, where no obligation has been 
 conferred ; for joy, where there is no just cause ot 
 self-congratulation ; for hope, where nothing is ex- 
 pected ; for trust, where there exists no ground of 
 reliance ; then, indeed, we must kiss the rod, and 
 
80 ON THE ADMISSION, &c. 
 
 patiently submit to correction. This would be in- 
 deed Egyptian bondage, to demand the effects with- 
 out the means of producing them. Is the case then 
 so? Are we ready to adopt the language of the 
 avowed enemies of our adorable Savior ; and again 
 to say of him " in whom dwelleth all the fullness of 
 the Godhead bodily," that " he hath no form nor 
 comeliness ; and when we shall see him, there is 
 no beauty that we should desire him ?" Isa. 53 : 2. 
 Is it no obligation, that he who " thought it not rob- 
 bery to be equal with God," should yet, for our 
 sakes, " make himself of no reputation, and take upon 
 him the form of a servant, and be made in the like- 
 ness of men ; and humble himself, and become obe- 
 dient unto death, even the death of the cross ?" Phil. 
 2 : 6-8. Is it no cause of "joy, that to us is born 
 a Savior," Luke, 2 : 10, 11, by whom we may "be 
 delivered from the power of darkness, and be made 
 meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints 
 in light?" Col. 1 : 12, 13. Can there be a "hope 
 comparable to that of our calling," Eph. 1:18, 
 " which is Christ in us, the hope of glory ?" Col. 1 : 
 27. Can there be a trust to be preferred to the reli- 
 ance on "Christ Jesus, who is the same yester- 
 day, to-day, and for ever?" Heb. 13 : 8. Surely, if 
 our opponent be not dead to every generous emo- 
 tion, he cannot look his own objection in the face 
 without a blush of shame and indignation. 
 
SECTION III. 
 
 Consideration of the Teasonabkness of affections towards an 
 invisible Being. 
 
 Forced at last to retreat from his favorite position, 
 and compelled to acknowledge that the religious af- 
 fections towards our blessed Savior are not unrea- 
 sonable ; he still, however, maintains the combat, 
 suggesting that, by the very constitution of our na- 
 ture, we are not susceptible of them towards an in- 
 visible Being ; in whose case, it will be added, we 
 are shut out from all those means of communication 
 and intercourse which knit and cement the union 
 between man and man. 
 
 We mean not to deny that there is something in 
 this objection. It might even seem to plead the au- 
 thority of Scripture in its favor — " He that loveth 
 not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love 
 God whom he hath not seen ?" 1 John, 4 : 20. We 
 receive impressions more readily from visible ob- 
 jects, we feel them more strongly, and retain them 
 more durably. But though it must be granted that 
 this circumstance makes it a more difficult task to 
 preserve the affections in question in a heahhful and 
 vigorous state, is it thereby rendered impossible? 
 This Avere indeed a most precipitate conclusion : 
 and any one who should be disposed to admit the 
 truth of it, might at least hesitate, when he should 
 
82 REASONABLENESS OF AFFECTIONS 
 
 reflect that the argument applies equally against the 
 possibility of the love of God, a duty of which the 
 most cursory reader of Scripture, if he admits its 
 divine authority, cannot but acknowledge the indis- 
 pensable obligation. But we need only look back 
 to the Scripture proofs which have been lately ad- 
 duced, to be convinced that the religious affections 
 are therein inculcated on us, as a matter of high and 
 serious obligation. 
 
 If the principles of love, and gratitude, and joy, 
 and hope, and trust, are not utterly extinct within 
 us, they cannot but be called forth by the various 
 corresponding objects which the contemplation of 
 our blessed Redeemer would gradually bring forth 
 to our view. Well might the language of the apos- 
 tle be addressed to Christians, " Whom having not 
 seen, ye love ; in whom, though now ye see him not, 
 yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and 
 full of glory." 1 Pet. 1 : 8. 
 
 Our blessed Savior, if we may be permitted so to 
 say, is not removed far from us ; and the various re- 
 lations in which we stand towards him seem pur- 
 posely made known to us, in order to furnish so 
 many different bonds of connexion with him, and 
 consequent occasions of continual intercourse. He 
 exhibits not himself to us " dark with excessive 
 brightness," but is let down as it were to the possi- 
 bilities of human converse. We may not think that 
 he is incapable of entering into our little concerns, 
 
TOWARDS AN* INVISIBLE BEING. 83 
 
 and sj'mpathizing with them; for we are graciously 
 assured that he is not one " wlno cannot be touched 
 with the feeling of our infirmities, having been in 
 all points tempted like as we are." Heb. 4 : 15. The 
 figures under which he is represented, are such as 
 convey ideas of the utmost tenderness. " He shall 
 feed his flock like a shepherd ; he shall g^aher the 
 lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and 
 shall gently lead those that are with young." Isaiah, 
 40 : 11. *' They shall not hunger nor thirst, neithtr 
 shall the heat nor sun smite them ; for he that hath 
 mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs 
 of water shall he guide them." Isaiah, 49 : 10. "I 
 will not leave you orphans,"* was one of his last 
 consolatory declarations. John, 14: 18. The children 
 of Christ are here separated indeed from the per- 
 sonal view of him ; but not from his paternal affec- 
 tion and paternal care. Meanwhile let them quicken 
 their regards by the animating anticipation of that 
 blessed day, when he " who is gone to prepare a 
 place for them, will come again to receive them unto 
 himself." Then shall they be admitted to his more 
 immediate presence : " Now we see through a glass, 
 darkly ; but then face to face : now I know in part ; 
 bit then shall I know even as also I am known." 
 1 Cor. 13:12. 
 Surely more than enough has been now said to 
 
 ♦ The word ''comfortless" is rendered in the margin, 
 orphans. 
 
84 REASONABLENESS OF AFFECTIONS 
 
 prove that this particular case, from its very nature 
 furnishes the most abundant and powerful conside- 
 rations and mean« for exciting the feelings ; and it 
 might be contended, without fear of refutation, that 
 by the diligent and habitual use of those considera- 
 tions and means, we might, with confident expecta- 
 tion of success, engage in the work of raising our 
 affections towards our blessed Savior to a state of 
 due force and activity. But, blessed be God, we have 
 A still better reliance ; for the grand circumstance of 
 all yet remains behind, which the writer has been 
 led to defer, from his wish to contend with his op- 
 ponents on their own ground. This circumstance 
 is, that here, no less than in other particulars, the 
 Christian's hope is founded, not on the speculations 
 or the strength of man, but on the declaration of 
 Him who cannot lie — on the power of Omnipotence. 
 We learn from the Scriptures that it is one main 
 part of the operations of the Holy Spirit, to implant 
 these heavenly principles in the human mind, and 
 to cherish their growth. We are encouraged to be- 
 lieve that, in answer to our prayers, this aid from 
 above will give efficacy to our earnest endeavors, 
 if used in humble dependence on divine grace. 
 We may, therefore, with confidence take the mesns 
 which have been suggested. But let us, in our tarn, 
 be permitted to ask our opponents, have they humbly 
 and perseveringly applied for this divine strength ?- 
 or, disclaiming that assistance, perhaps as tempting 
 
TOWARDS AN INVISIBLE BEING. 85 
 
 them to indolence, have they been so much the more 
 strenuous and unwearied in the use of their own 
 unaided endeavors ? or rather, have they not been 
 equally negligent of both 1 Renouncing the one, they 
 have wholly omitted the other. But this is far from 
 being all. They even reverse all the methods which 
 we have recommended as being calculated to in- 
 crease regard ; and exactly follow that course which 
 would be pursued by any one who should wish to 
 reduce an excessive affection. Yet thus leaving un- 
 tried all the means which, whether from reason or 
 Scripture, we maintain to be necessary to the pro- 
 duction of the end, nay, using such as are of a di- 
 rectly opposite nature, these men presume to talk to 
 us of impossibilities ! We may rather contend that 
 they furnish a fresh proof of the soundness of our 
 reasonings. We lay it down as a fundamental posi- 
 tion, that speculative knowledge alone, that mere 
 superficial, cursory considerations, will be of no avail. 
 Nothing is to be done without the diligentjcontinued 
 use of the appointed method. They themselves af- 
 ford an instance of the truth of our assertions ; and 
 while they supply no argument against the efficacy 
 of the mode prescribed, they acknowledge at least 
 that they are wholly ignorant of any other. 
 
 But let us now turn our eyes to Christians of a 
 
 higher order, to those who have actually proved the 
 
 truth of our reasonings ; who have not only assumed 
 
 the name, but v/ho have possessed the substance, and 
 
 8 
 
86 REASONABLENESS <)F AFFECTIONS 
 
 felt the power of Christianity ; who, though often 
 foiled by their remaining corruptions, and shamed 
 and cast down under a sense of their many imper 
 fections, have known in their better seasons what it 
 was to experience its firm hope, its dignified joy, its 
 unshaken trust, its more than human consolations. 
 In their hearts, love also towards their Redeemer 
 has glowed ; a love not superficial and unmeaning, 
 (think not that this would be the subject of our 
 praise,) but constant and rational, resulting from a 
 strong impression of the worth of its object, and 
 heightened by an abiding sense of great, unmerited^ 
 and continually accumulating obligations ; ever mani- 
 festing itself in acts of diligent obedience or of patient 
 suffering. Such was the religion of the holy martyrs 
 of the sixteenth century, the illustrious ornaments of 
 the Christian church. They realized the theory 
 which we have now been faintly tracing. Look to 
 their writings, and you will find that their thoughts 
 and aflfections had been much exercised in habitual 
 views of the blessed Jesus. Thus they used the re- 
 quired means. What were the effects ? Persecution 
 and distress, degradation and contempt, assailed them 
 in vain : all these evils served but to bring their af- 
 fections into closer contact with their object ; and not 
 only did their love feel no diminution or abatement, 
 but it rose to all the exigencies of the occasion, and 
 burned with an increase of ardor ; and when brought 
 forth at last to a cruel and ignominious death, they 
 
TOWARDS AN INVISIBLE BEING. 87 
 
 repined not at their fate; but rather rejoiced that 
 they were counted worthy to suffer for the name of 
 Christ. By the blessing- of God the writer might 
 refer to still more recent times. But lest his authori- 
 ties should be disputed, let us go to the apostles of 
 our Lord ; and while, on a very cursory perusal of 
 their writings, we must acknowledge that they com- 
 mend and even prescribe to us the love of Christ, as 
 one of the chief of the Christian graces ; so, on a 
 more attentive inspection of those writings, we shall 
 discover abundant proofs that they were themselves 
 bright examples of their own precept ; that our 
 blessed Savior was really the object of their warmest 
 affection, and what he had done and suffered for 
 them the continual matter of their grateful remem- 
 brance. 
 
 The disposition so prevalent in the bulk of nomi- 
 nal Christians, to form a religious sj^-stem for them- 
 selves, instead of taking it from the word of God, is 
 strikingly observable in their scarcely admitting, 
 except in the most vague and general sense, the 
 doctrine of the influences of the Holy Spirit. If we 
 look into the Scriptures for information on this par- 
 ticular, we learn a very different lesson. We are in 
 them distinctly taught, that " of ourselves we can do 
 nothing;" that "we are by nature children of wrath," 
 and under the power of the evil spirit, our under- 
 standings being naturally dark, and our hearts averse 
 from spiritual things ; and we are directed to pray 
 
88 REASONABLENESS OF AFFECTIONS drc. 
 
 for the influences of the Holy Spirit to enlighten our 
 understandings, to dissipate our prejudices, to purify 
 our corrupt minds, and to renew us after the image 
 of our heavenly Father. It is this influence which 
 is represented as originally awakening us from 
 slumber, as enlightening us in darkness, as " quick- 
 ening us when dead," Eph. 2 : 1-5, as " delivering 
 us from the power of the devil," as drawing us to 
 God, as " translating us into the kingdom of his 
 dear Son," Col, 1 : 13, as creating us anew in Christ 
 Jesus," Eph. 2 : 10, as " dwelling in us, and walk- 
 ing in us;" 2 Cor. 6: 16; so that "putting off the 
 old man with his deeds," we are to consider our- 
 selves as •• having put on the new man, which is 
 renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that 
 created him;" Col. 3 : 9-10, and as those who are 
 to be •' an habitation of God through the ,Spirit," 
 Eph. 2 : 22. It is by this divine assistance only that 
 we can grow in grace, and improve in all holiness. 
 So expressly, particularly, and repeatedly does the 
 word of God inculcate these lessons, that one would 
 think there were scarcely room for any difference 
 of opinion among those who admit its authority. 
 Sometimes* the whole of a Christian's repentance 
 and faith, and consequent holiness, are ascribed 
 generally to the Divine influence ; sometimes these 
 
 * See Dr. Doddridge's Eight Sermons on Regeneration, a 
 most valuable compilation; and M'Laurin's Essay on Di- 
 vine Grace. 
 
INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS, Jcc. 89 
 
 are spoken of separately, and ascribed to the same 
 Almighty power. Sometimes different, particular 
 graces of the christian character, those which res- 
 pect our duties and tempers towards our fellow-crea- 
 tures, no less than those which have reference to the 
 Supreme Being, are particularly traced to this source. 
 Sometimes they are all referred collectively to this 
 common root, being comprehended under the com- 
 pendious denomination of "the fruits of the Spirit." 
 In exact correspondence with these representations, 
 this aid from above is promised, in other parts of 
 Scripture, for the production of those effects ; and the 
 withholding or withdrawing of it is occasionally 
 threatened as a punishment for the sins of men, and 
 as one of the most fatal consequences of the Divine 
 displeasure. 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 Inadequate conceptions entertained by nominal Christians of 
 the terms of acceptance with God. 
 
 If then it be indeed as now stated — that, in con- 
 tradiction to the plainest dictates of Scripture, the 
 sanctifying operations of the Holy Spirit, the first 
 fruits of our reconciliation to God, the purchase of 
 our Redeemer's death, and his best gift to his true 
 disciples, are too generally undervalued and slight- 
 ed ; if it be also true, as was formerly proved, that 
 >ur thoughts of the blessed Savior are confused and 
 8* 
 
90 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 faint, our afTections towards him languid and luke- 
 warm, little proportioned to what those who at such 
 a price have been rescued from ruin, and endowed 
 with a title to eternal glory, might be justly expect- 
 ed to feel towards the Author of their deliverance ; 
 little proportioned to what has been felt by others, ran- 
 somed from the same ruin, and partakers of the same 
 inheritance : — if this, let it be repeated, be indeed so, 
 let us not shut our eyes against the perception of our 
 real state ; but rather endeavor to trace the evil to its 
 source. We are loudly called on to examine well 
 our foundations. If any thing be there unsound and 
 hollow, the superstructure could not be safe, though 
 its exterior were less suspicious. Let the question 
 then be asked, and let the answer be returned with 
 all the consideration and solemnity which a ques- 
 tion so important may justly demand, whether, in the 
 grand concern of all, the means of a sinner's accep- 
 tance with God, there is not reason to apprehend, 
 that the nominal Christians whom we have been 
 addressing, too generally entertain very superficial 
 and confused, and (to speak in the softest terms) high- 
 ly dangerous notions ? Is there not reason to fear, 
 that with little more than an indistinct and nominal 
 reference to Him who "bore our sins in his own body 
 on the tree," they really rest their eternal hopes on 
 a vague, general persuasion of the unqualified mer- 
 cy of the Supreme Being ; or that, still more errone- 
 ously, they rely in the main on their own negative 
 
TERMS OF ACCEPTANCE WITH GOD. 91 
 
 or positive merits ? " They can look upon their lives 
 with an impartial eye, and congratulate themselves 
 on their inoffensiveness in society ; on their having 
 been exempt at least from any gross vice, or if 
 sometimes accidentally betrayed into it, on its never 
 having been indulged habitually ; or if not even so," 
 (for there are but few who can say this, if the term 
 vice be explained according to the strict requisitions 
 of the Gospel,) "yet on the balance being in their 
 favor, or, on the whole, not much against them, . 
 when their good and bad actions are fairly weigh 
 ed, and due allowance is made for human frailty." 
 These considerations are sufficient for the most part 
 to compose their apprehensions ; these are the cor- 
 dials which they find most at hand in the moments 
 of serious thought, or of occasional dejection ; and 
 sometimes perhaps, in seasons of less than ordinary 
 self-complacency, they call in also to their aid, the 
 general persuasion of the unbounded mercy and pity 
 of God. Yet persons of this description by no 
 means disclaim a Savior, or avowedly relinquish 
 their title to a share in the benefits of his death. 
 They close their petitions with the name of Christ; 
 but if not chiefly from the effect of habit, or out of 
 decent conformity to the established faith, yet surely 
 with something of the same ambiguity of principle 
 which influenced the expiring philosopher, when he 
 ordered the customary mark of homage to be paid 
 to the god of medicine. 
 
92 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 Others go farther than this ; for there are many 
 shades of difference between those who flatly re- 
 nounce, and those who cordially embrace the doc- 
 trine of redemption by Christ. This class has a sort 
 of general, indeterminate, and ill understood depen- 
 dence on our blessed Savior. But their hopes, so 
 far as they can be distinctly made out, (for their 
 views also are very obscure,) appear ultimately to 
 be founded on the persuasion that they are now, 
 through Christ, become members of a new dispen- 
 sation, wherein they will be tried by a more leni- 
 ent rule than that to which they must have been other- 
 wise subject. Their reasoning is this : " God will 
 not now be extreme to mark what is done amiss ; 
 but will dispense with the rigorous exactions of his 
 law, too strict, indeed, for such frail creatures as we 
 are to hope that we can fulfill it. Christianity has 
 moderated the requisitions of Divine justice ; and 
 all which is now required of us, is thankfully to trust 
 to the merits of Christ for the pardon of our sins, and 
 the acceptance of our sincere though imperfect obe- 
 dience. The frailties and infirmities to which our 
 nature is liable, or to which our situation in life ex- 
 poses us, will not be severely judged ; and as it is 
 practice that really determines the character, we 
 may rest satisfied, that if, on the whole, our lives be 
 tolerably good, we shall escape with little or no pun- 
 ishment, and, through Jesus Christ our Lord, shall 
 be finally partakers of heavenly felicity." 
 
TERMS OF ACCEPTANCE WITH GOD. 93 
 
 We cannot dive into the human heart, and there- 
 fore should always speak with caution and diffi- 
 dence, when from external appearances or declara- 
 tions we are affirming the existence of any internal 
 principles and feelings ; especially as we are liable 
 to be misled by the ambiguities of language, or by 
 the inaccuracy with which others may express 
 themselves. But it is sometimes not difficult to any 
 one who is accustomed (if the phrase may be allow- 
 ed) to the anatomy of the human mind, to discern, 
 that generally speaking, the persons who use the 
 above language rely not so much on the merits of 
 Christ, and on the agency of Divine grace, as on 
 their own power of fulfilling the moderated requisi- 
 tions of Divine justice. He wi]l hence therefore 
 discover in them a disposition rather to extenuate 
 the malignity of their disease, than to magnify the 
 excellence of the proffered remedy. He will find 
 them apt to palliate in themselves what they cannot 
 fully justify, to enhance the merit of what they be- 
 lieve to be their good qualities and commendable ac- 
 tions, to set, as it were, in an account the good against 
 the bad ; and if the result be not very unfavorable, 
 they conceive that they shall be entitled to claim the 
 benefits of our Savior's sufferings as a thing of 
 course. They have little idea, so little, that it might 
 almost be affirmed that they have no idea at all, of 
 the importance or difficulty of the duty of what the 
 Scripture calls "submitting ourselves to the righ- 
 
94 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OP 
 
 teousness of God ;" or of our proneness rather to jus- 
 tify ourselves in his sight, than in the language of 
 imploring penitents to acknowledge ourselves guilty 
 and helpless sinners. They have never summoned 
 themselves to this entire and unqualified renuncia- 
 tion of their own merits and their own strength ; 
 and therefore they remain strangers to the natural 
 loftiness of the human heart, which such a call 
 would have awakened into action, and roused to re- 
 sistance. All these their several errors naturally 
 result from the mistaken conception entertained cf 
 the fundamental principles of Christianity. They 
 consider not that Christianity is a scheme for "jus- 
 tifying the ungodly," Rom. 4 : 5, by Christ's dying 
 for them " when yet sinners,"* Rom. 5 : 6, 8 ; a 
 scheme "for reconciling us to God, when enemies;" 
 
 * The writer trusts he cannot be misunderstood to mean 
 that any, continuing sinners and ungodly, can, by believing, 
 be accepted or finally saved. The following chapter, par- 
 ticularly the latter part of it, (section vi.) would abundantly 
 vindicate him from any such misconstruction. Meanwhile, 
 he will only remark, that true faith (in which repentance 
 is considered as involved) is in Scripture regarded as the 
 radical principle of holiness. If the root exist, the proper 
 fruits will be brought forth. An attention to this considera- 
 tion would have easily explained and reconciled those pas- 
 sages of St. Paul's and St, James' epistles, which have fui- 
 nished so much argument and criticism. St. James, it may 
 be observed, all along speaks of a man, not who has faith, 
 but who says that he has faith. Vide James, 2 : 14, &c. &c. 
 
TERMS OF ACCEPTANCE WITH GOD. 95 
 
 and for making the /ruits of holiness the effects,* 
 not the cause of our being justified and reconciled : 
 that, in short, it opens freely the door of mercy to 
 the greatest and vilest of penitent sinners; that 
 obeying the blessed impulse of the grace of God, 
 whereby they had been awakened from the sleep of 
 death, and moved lo seek for pardon, they might 
 enter in, and through the regenerating influences of 
 the Holy Spirit might be enabled to bring forth the 
 fruits of righteousness. They rather conceive of 
 Christianity as opening the door of mercy, that 
 those who on the ground of their own merits could 
 not have hoped to justify themselves before God, 
 may yet be admitted, for Christ's sake, on condition 
 of their having previously satisfied the moderated 
 requisitions of Divine justice. In speaking to others 
 also of the Gospel scheme, they are apt to talk too 
 much of terms and performances on our part, on 
 which we become entitled to an interest in the suf- 
 ferings of Christ ; instead of stating the benefits of 
 Christ's satisfaction as extended to us freely, "with- 
 out money and without price." 
 
 The practical consequences of these errors are 
 such as might be expected. They tend to prevent 
 that sense which we ought to entertain of our own 
 natural misery and helplessness ; and that deep feel- 
 ing of gratitude for the sufferings, merits, and inter- 
 cession of Christ, to which we are wholly indebted 
 *Vide note, ch. 4, sec, 6. 
 
96 1NADE(1UATE CONCEPTIONS Of 
 
 for our reconciliation to God, and for the will and 
 the power, from first to last, to work out our own 
 salvation. They consider it too much in the light of 
 a contract between two parties, wherein each, inde- 
 pendently of the other, has his own distinct condi- 
 tion to perform ; man — to do what they account hia 
 duty ; God — to justify and accept for Christ's sake : 
 if they fail not in the discharge of their condition, 
 assuredly the condition on God's part will be faith- 
 fully fulfilled. Accordingly, we find in fact, that 
 those who represent the Gospel scheme in the man- 
 ner above described, give evidence of the subject 
 with which their hearts are most filled, by their 
 proneness to run into merely moral disquisitions, 
 either not mentioning at all, or at least but cursorily 
 touching on the sufferings and love of their Re- 
 deemer ; and are little apt to kindle at their Savior's 
 name, and, like the apostles, to be betrayed by their 
 fervor into what may be almost an untimely des- 
 cant on the riches of his unutterable mercy. In 
 addressing others also whom thej'' conceive to be 
 living in habits of sin, and under the wrath of God, 
 they rather advise them to amend their ways as a 
 preparation for their coming to Christ, than exhort 
 them to throw themselves with deep prostration oi 
 soul at the foot of the cross, there to obtain pardon 
 and find grace to help in time of need. 
 
 The great importance of the subject in question 
 will justify having been thus particular. On a ques- 
 
TERMS OF ACCEPTANCE WITH GOD. 97 
 
 tion of such mao^itude, to mistake our meaning 
 should be impossible. But after all which has been 
 said, let it also be remembered, that except so far as 
 the instruction of others is concerned, the point of 
 importance is, the internal disposition of the mind. 
 The great question is, where the dependence for par- 
 don, and for holiness, is really placed ; not what the 
 language is in which men express themselves. 
 
 If this so generally prevailing error concerning 
 the nature of the gospel offer be in any considerable 
 degree just, it will explain that so generally prevail- 
 ing languor in the affections towards our blessed 
 Savior which was formerly remarked, and that in- 
 adequate impression of the necessity and value of 
 the assistance of the Divine Spirit. According to 
 the soundest principles of reasoning, it may be also 
 adduced as an additional proof of the correctness of 
 our present statement, that it so exactly falls in with 
 those phenomena, and so naturally accounts for them. 
 For, even admitting that the persons above men- 
 tioned, particularly the last class, do at the bottom 
 rely on the atonement of Christ ; yet on their scheme, 
 it must necessarily happen, that the object to which 
 they are most accustomed to look, from which they 
 most habitually derive complacency, is rather their 
 own qualified merit and services, though confessed 
 to be inadequate, fhan the sufferings and atoning 
 death of a crucified Savior. The affections to- 
 wards our blessed Lord cannot be expected to flou* 
 9 
 
'98 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 rish, because they receive not that which is necessary 
 to their nutriment and growth. If we would love 
 him as affectionately, and rejoice m him as triumph- 
 antly as the first Christians did, we must learn like 
 them to repose our entire trust in him, and to adopt 
 the language of the apostle, " God forbid that I 
 should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ." Gal. 6 : 14. "Who of God is made unto 
 us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, 
 and redemption." 1 Cor. 1 : 30. 
 
 Doubtless there have been too many who, to their 
 eternal ruin, have abused the doctrine of salvation 
 by grace ; and have vainly trusted in Christ for par- 
 don and acceptance, when by their vicious lives they 
 have plainly proved the groundlessness of their pre- 
 tensions. The tree is to be known by its fruits ; 
 and there is too much reason to fear that there is no 
 principle of faith, when it does not decidedly evince 
 itself by the fruits of holiness. Dreadful indeed will 
 be the doom, above that of all others, of those loose 
 professors of Christianity, to whom at the last day 
 our blessed Savior will address those words, " I 
 never knew you ; depart from me, ye that work in- 
 iquity." But the danger of error on this side ought 
 not to render us insensible to the opposite error ; ; . 
 error against which in these days it seems particu- 
 larly necessary to guard. It is far from the inten- 
 tion of the writer of this work to enter into the 
 niceties of controversy ; but surely he may be per- 
 
TERMS OF ACCEPTANCE WITH GOD. • 99 
 
 niitted to contend, that those who in the main be- 
 lieve the doctrines of the church of England, are 
 bound to allow that our dependence on our blessed 
 Savior, as alone the meritorious cause of our ac- 
 ceptance with God, and as the means of all its bless- 
 ed fruits and glorious consequences, must be not 
 merely formal and nominal, but real and substantial ; 
 not vague, qualified, and partial, but direct, cordial, 
 and entire. "Repentance towards God, and faith 
 towards our Lord Jesus Christ," was the sum of the 
 apostolical instructions. It is not an occasional in- 
 vocation of the name, or a transient recognition ot 
 the authority of Christ, that fills up the measure of 
 the term, believing in Jesus. This we shall find no 
 such easy task ; and if we trust that we do believe, 
 we should all perhaps do well to cry out in the 
 words of an imploring suppliant, (he supplicated 
 not in vain,) " Lord, help thou our unbelief." We 
 must be deeply conscious of our guilt and misery, 
 heartily repenting of our sins, and firmly resolving 
 to forsake them: and thus penitently "fleeing for 
 refuge to the hope set before us," we must found 
 altogether on the merit of the crucified Redeemer 
 our hopes of escape from their deserved punishment, 
 and of deliverance from their enslaving power. This 
 must be our first, our last, our only plea. We 
 are to surrender ourselves up to him to " be washed 
 m his blood," Rev. 1 : 5, to be sanctified by his 
 Spirit, resolving to receive him for our Lord and 
 
100 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 Master, to learn in his school, to obey all his com- 
 mandments. 
 
 We would still more particularly address our- 
 selves to others who are disposed to believe that 
 though, in some obscure and vague sense, the death 
 of Christ, as the satisfaction for our sins, and for the 
 purchase of our future happiness, and the sanctify- 
 ing influence of the Holy Spirit, are to be admitted 
 as fundamental articles of our creed, yet that these 
 are doctrines so much above us, that they are not 
 objects suited to our capacities ; and that, turning our 
 eyes from these difficult speculations, we should fix 
 them on the practical and moral precepts of the Gos- 
 pel. " These," they alledge, " it most concerns us to 
 know ; these therefore let us study. Such is the frailty 
 of our nature, such the strength and number of our 
 temptations to evil, that in reducing the gospel mo- 
 rality to practice we shall find full employment : and 
 by attending to these moral precepts, rather than to 
 those high mysterious doctrines which you are press- 
 ing on us, we shall best prepare to appear before 
 God on that tremendous day, when ' He shall judge 
 every man according to his works.' 
 
 " * Vain wisdom all, and false philosophy !' " 
 
 It will at once destroy this flimsy web, to reply in 
 the word? of our blessed Savior, and of his beloved 
 disciple — *' This is the work of God, that ye believe 
 on him whom he hath sent." John, 6 : 29. " This is 
 
TERMS OF ACCEPTANCE WITH GOD. 101 
 
 his commandment, That we should believe on the 
 name of his Son Jesus Christ," 1 John. 3 : 23. In 
 truth, if we consider but for a moment the opinions 
 of men who argue thus, we must be conscious of 
 their absurdity. This may be not inconsistently the 
 language of the modern Unitarian ; but surely it is 
 in the highest degree unreasonable to admit into our 
 scheme all the grand peculiarities of Christianity, 
 and having admitted, to neglect and think no more 
 of them ! " Wherefore," (might the Socinian say,) 
 " wherefore all this costly and complicated machine- 
 ry ? It is so little like the simplicity of nature, it is 
 so unworthy of the Divine hand, that it even offends 
 against those rules of propriety which we require to 
 be observed in the imperfect compositions of the 
 human intellect."* 
 
 Well may the Socinian assume this lofty tone with 
 those whom we are now addressing. If these are 
 indeed the doctrines of revelation, common sense 
 suggests to us that from their nature and their mag- 
 nitude they deserve our most serious regard. It is 
 the very theology of Epicurus to allow the existence 
 of these " heavenly things," but to deny their con- 
 nexion with human concerns, and their influence on 
 human actions. Besides the unreasonableness of this 
 conduct, we might strongly urge also in this con- 
 nexion the profaneness of thus treating as matters of 
 
 ♦ Nee Dens intersit, &c. 
 
102 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 subordinate consideration those parts of the system 
 of Christianity which are so strongly impressed on 
 our reverence by the dignity of the person to whom 
 they relate. This very argument is indeed repeatedly 
 and pointedly pressed by the sacred writers.* 
 
 Nor is the profane irreverence of this conduct 
 more striking than its ingratitude. When from read- 
 ing that our Savior was " the brightness of his Fa- 
 ther's glory, and the express image of his person, 
 upholding all things by the word of his power," we 
 go on to consider the purpose for which he came on 
 earth, and all that he did and suffered for us ; surely 
 if we have a spark of ingenuousness left we shall 
 condemn ourselves as guilty of the blackest ingrati- 
 tude, in rarely noticing, or coldly turning away, on 
 whatever shallow pretences, from the contemplation 
 of these miracles of mercy. For those minds, how- 
 ever, on which fear alone can operate, that motive is 
 superadded : and we are plainly forewarned, both 
 directly and indirectly, by the example of the Jewish 
 nation, that God will not hold them guiltless who 
 are thus unmindful of his most signal acts of con- 
 descension and kindness. But as this is a question 
 of pure revelation, reasonings from probability may 
 not be deemed decisive. To revelation therefore we 
 must appeal ; and as it might be to trespass on the 
 reader's patience fully to discuss this most important 
 
 ♦ SeeHeb. 2:l,&c. 
 
TERMS OF ACCEPTANCE WITH GOD. 103 
 
 subject, we must refer him to the sacred writings 
 themselves for complete satisfaction. We would 
 earnestly recommend i-t to him to weigh with the ut- 
 most seriousness those passages of Scripture wherein 
 the peculiar doctrines of Christianity are expressly 
 mentioned * and farther, to attend with due regard to 
 the illustration and confirmation which the conclu- 
 sions resulting from those passages receive inci- 
 dentally from the word of God. Those who main- 
 tain the opinion which we are combating, will hereby 
 become convinced that theirs is indeed an unscrip- 
 tural religion; and will learn, instead of turning off 
 their eyes from the grand peculiarities of Chris- 
 tianity, to keep these ever in view, as the first prin- 
 ciples whence all the rest must derive their origin, 
 and receive their best support.* 
 
 * Any one who wishes to investigate this subject, will do 
 well to study attentively M'Laurin's Essay on Prejudiceij 
 against the Gospel. — It may not be amiss here to direct the 
 reader's attention to a few leading arguments, many of them 
 those of the work just recommended. Let him maturely 
 estimate the force of those terms, whereby the apostle in the 
 following passages designates and characterizes the whole 
 of the Christian system. " We preach Christ crucified." 
 " We determined to know nothing among you, sare Jesus 
 Christ, and him crucified." The value of this argument 
 will be acknowledged by all who consider that a system is 
 never designated by an immaterial or an inferior part of it, 
 but by that which constitutes its prime consideration and 
 essential distinction. The conclusion suggested by this re- 
 mark is confirmed by the Lord's supper being the rite by 
 
104 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OP 
 
 Let us then, each for himself, solemnly ask our- 
 selves, whether ice have fled for refuge to the ap- 
 pointed hope ? And whether we are habitually look- 
 ing to it, as to the only source of consolation? 
 *' Other foundation can no man lay :" there is no 
 other ground of dependence, no other plea for pardon ; 
 bi'' ' ere there is hope, even to the uttermost. Let 
 u& ,^oor then to affect our hearts with a deep con- 
 
 which our Savior himself commanded his disciples to keep 
 him in remembrance ; and indeed a similar lesson is taught 
 by the ordinance of baptism, which shadows out our souls 
 being washed and purified by the blood of Christ. ObseiA'^e 
 next the frequency with which our Savior's death and suf- 
 ferings are introduced, and how often they are urged as 
 practical motives. 
 
 " The minds of the apostles seem full of this subject. 
 Every thing put them in mind of it ; they did not allow them- 
 selves to have it long out of their view, nor did any other 
 branch of spiritual instruction make them lose sight of it." 
 Consider next that part of the epistle to the Romans, where- 
 in St. Paul speaks of some who went about to establish their 
 owTi righteousness, and had not submitted themselves to 
 the righteousness of God. May not this charge be in some 
 degree urged, and even more strongly than in the case of 
 the Jews, against those who satisfy themselves with vague, 
 general, occasional thoughts of our Savior's mediation ; and 
 the source of whose habitual complacency, as we explained 
 above, is rather their being tolerably well satisfied with 
 their own characters and conduct *? Yet St. Paul declares 
 concerning those of whom he speaks, as concerning persons 
 %vho3« sad situation could not be too much lamented, that he 
 had Ifreat heaviness and continual sorrow in his heart. 
 
TERMS OF ACCEPTANCE WITH GOD. 105 
 
 viction of our need of a Redeemer, and of the value 
 of his offered mediation. Let us fall down humbly 
 before the throne of God, imploring pity and pardon 
 in the name of the Son of his love. Let us beseech 
 him to give us a true spirit of repentance, and of 
 hearty undivided faith in the Lord Jesus. Let us not 
 be satisfied till the cordiality of our belief be con- 
 firmed to us by that character of the apostle, " that to 
 
 adding still more emphatical expressions of deep and bitter 
 regret. 
 
 Let the Epistle to theGalatians be also carefully examined 
 and considered ; and let it be fairly asked, what was the par- 
 ticular in which the Judaizing Christians were defective, 
 and the want of which is spoken of in such strong terms as 
 these ; that if frustrates the grace of God, and must debar 
 from all the benefits of the death of Jesus 1 The Judaizing 
 converts were not immoral. They seem to have admitted 
 the chief tenets concerning our Savior. But they appear to 
 have been disposed to trust, (not wholly, be it observed also, 
 but only in part,) for their acceptance with God, to the Mo' 
 saic institutions, instead of reposing wholly on the merits of 
 Christ, Here let it be remembered, that when a compliance 
 with these institutions was not regarded ajs conveying this 
 inference, the apostle showed by his own conduct that he 
 did not deem it criminal ; whence, no less than from the 
 words of the epistle, it is clear that the offence of the Ju. 
 daizing Christians whom he condemned, was what we have 
 stated ; not their obstinately continuing to adhere to a dis« 
 pensation, the ceremonial of which Christianity had abro- 
 gated, or their trusting to the sacrifices of the Levitical law, 
 which were in their own nature inefficacious for the blotting 
 out of sin. See Heb. 7, 8, 9, 10. 
 
106 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS Of 
 
 as many as believe Christ is precious ;" and let us 
 strive to increase daily in love towards our blessed 
 Savior ; and pray earnestly that " we may be filled 
 with joy and peace in believing, that we may abound 
 in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." 
 Let us diligently put in practice the directions for- 
 merly given for cherishing and cultivating the prin- 
 ciples of the love of Christ. With this view let us 
 labor assiduously to increase in knowledge, that 
 ours may be a deeply rooted and rational affection. 
 By frequent meditation on the incidents of our Sa- 
 vior's life, and still more on the astonishing circum- 
 stances of his death ; by often calling to mind the 
 state from which he proposes to rescue us, and the 
 glories of his heavenly kingdom ; by continual in- 
 tercourse with him of prayer and praise, of depend- 
 ence and confidence in dangers, of hope and joy in 
 our brighter hours ; let us endeavor to keep him 
 constantly present to our minds, and to render all 
 our conceptions of him more distinct, lively, and in 
 tclligent. The title of Christian is a reproach to us, 
 if we estrange ourselves from Him after whom we 
 are denominated. The name of Jesus is not to be 
 to us like the Allah of the Mohammedans, a talisman 
 or an amulet to be worn on the arm, as an external 
 badge merely, and symbol of our profession, and to 
 preserve us from evil by some mysterious and unin^ 
 telligible potency ; but it is to be engraven deeply on 
 the heart, there written by the finger of God himself 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 107 
 
 in everlasting characters. It is our title known and 
 understood to present peace and future glory. The 
 assurance which it conveys of a bright reversion, 
 will lighten the burdens and alleviate the sorrows 
 of life; and in some happier moments it will impart 
 to us somewhat of that fullness of joy which is at 
 God's right hand, enabling us to join even here in 
 the heavenly hosanna, " Worthy is the Lamb that 
 was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, 
 and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing." 
 " Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto 
 him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb* 
 ^or ever and ever." Rev. 5 : 12, 13. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 ON THE PREVAILING INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS 
 CONCERNING THE NATURE AND THE STRICT- 
 NESS OF PRACTICAL CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 SECTION 1» 
 
 One part of this title may, on the first view, excite 
 surprise in any who may have drawn a hasty in- 
 
108 tNADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS Of 
 
 Terence from the charges conveyed by the two pre- 
 ceding chapters. Such a one might be disposed to 
 expect, that those who have very low conceptions 
 of the corruption of human nature, would be pro* 
 portionably less indulgent to human frailty • and 
 that those who lay little stress on Christ's satisfac- 
 tion for sin, or on the operations of the Holy Spirit, 
 would be more high and rigid in their demands of 
 diligent endeavors after universal holiness ; since 
 their scheme implies that we must depend chiefly 
 on our own exertions and performances for our ac- 
 ceptance with God. 
 
 But any such expectations as these would be 
 greatly disappointed. There is in fact a region of 
 truth, and a region of errors. Those who hold the 
 fundamental doctrines of Scripture in their due 
 force, hold also in its due degree of purity the practi- 
 cal system which Scripture inculcates. But those 
 who explain away the former, soften down the latter 
 also, and reduce it to the level of their own defective 
 scheme. It is not from any confidence in the supe- 
 rior amount of their own performances, or in the 
 greater vigor of their own exertions, that they re- 
 concile themselves to their low views of the satisfac- 
 tion of Christ, and of the influence of the Spirit ; 
 but i* should rather seem their plan so to depress 
 'ihe required standard of practice, that no man need 
 fall^short of it, that no superior aid can be wanted 
 for enabling us to attain to it It happens, however, 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 109 
 
 with respect to tlieir simple method of morality, as 
 in the case of the short ways to knowledge, of 
 which some vain pretenders have vaunted them- 
 selves to be possessed : despising the beaten track in 
 which more sober and humble spirits have been 
 content to tread, they have struck into new and un- 
 tried paths ; but these have failed of conducting them 
 to the right object, and have issued only in igno- 
 rance and conceit. 
 
 It seems in our days to be the commonly received 
 opinion, that provided a man admit in general terms 
 the truth of Christianity, though he know not or 
 consider not much concerning the particulars of the 
 system ; and if he be not habitually guilty of any of 
 the grosser vices against his fellow-creatures, we 
 have no great reason to be dissatisfied with him, or 
 to question the validity of his claim to the name and 
 consequent privileges of a Christian. The title im- 
 plies no more than a sort of formal, general assent 
 to Christianity in the gross, and a degree of morality 
 in practice, but little, if at all, superior to that for 
 which we look in a good Deist, Mussulman, or 
 Hindoo. 
 
 If any one be disposed to deny that this is a fair 
 representation of the religion of the bulk of the 
 Christian world, he might be asked, whether, if it 
 were proved to them beyond dispute that Christian- 
 ity is a mere forgery, would this occasion any great 
 change in their conduct or habits of mind ? Would 
 10 
 
110 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OS 
 
 any alteration be made in consequence of this dia- 
 covery, except in a few of their speculative opinions, 
 which, when distinct from practice, it is a part of 
 their own system, as has been before remarked, to 
 think of little consequence ; and in their attendance 
 on public worship, which, however, knowing the 
 good effects of religion upon the lower orders of the 
 people, they might still think it better to attend oc- 
 casionally for example's sake ? Would not their re- 
 gard for their character, their health, their domestic 
 and social comforts, still continue to restrain them 
 from vicious excesses, and to prompt them to persist 
 in the discharge, according to their present measure, 
 of the various duties of their stations'? Would they 
 find themselves dispossessed of what had been to 
 them hitherto the repository of counsel and instruc- 
 tion, the rule of their conduct, their habitual source 
 of peace, and hope, and consolation ? 
 
 It were needless to put these questions. They are 
 answered in fact already by the lives of many known 
 unbelievers, between whom and these professed 
 Christians, even the familiar associates of both, 
 though men of discernment and observation, would 
 discover little difference either in conduct or temper 
 of mind. How little then does Christianity deserve 
 that title to novelty and superiority which has been 
 almost universally admitted ! that pre-eminence, as 
 a practical code, over all other systems of ethics ! 
 How unmerited are the praises which have been 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. Ill 
 
 lavished upon it by its friends ! praises, in which 
 even its enemies, not in general disposed to make 
 concessions in its favor, have so often been unwarily 
 draAvn in to acquiesce ! 
 
 Was it then for this that the Son of God conde- 
 scended to become our Instructor and our Pattern, 
 leaving us an example, that we might tread in his 
 steps ? Was it for this that the apostles of Christ 
 voluntarily submitted to hunger and nakedness, and 
 pain, and ignominy and death, when forewarned too 
 by their Master that such would be their treatment 1 
 That, after all, their disciples should attain to no 
 higher a strain of virtue than those who, rejecting 
 their divine authority, should still adhere to the old 
 philosophy ? 
 
 But it may perhaps be objected, that we are for- 
 getting an observation which we ourselves have 
 made, that Christianity has raised the general stand- 
 ard of morals : to which therefore infidelity herself 
 now finds it prudent to conform, availing herself of 
 the pure morality of Christianity, and sometimes 
 wishing to usurp to herself the credit of it, while 
 she stigmatizes the authors with the epithets of igno- 
 rant dupes or designing impostors ! 
 
 But let it then be asked, are the motives of Chris- 
 tianity so little necessary to the practice of it, its 
 principles to its conclusions, that the one may be 
 epared and y«t the other remain in undiminished 
 force 7 Still, then, its doctrines are no more than a 
 
112 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 barren and inapplicable, or at least an unnecessary- 
 theory, the place of which, it may perhaps be added, 
 would be well supplied by a more simple and less 
 costly scheme. 
 
 But can it be ? Is Christianity then reduced to a 
 mere creed ? Is its practical influence bounded with- 
 in a few external plausibilities 1 Does its essence 
 consist only in a few speculative opinions, and a few 
 useless and unprofitable tenets? And can this be 
 the ground of that portentous distinction, which is 
 so unequivocally made by the evangelist between 
 those who accept and those Avho reject the Gospel : 
 " He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, 
 and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life ; 
 but the wrath of God abideth on him ?" This were 
 to run into the very error which the bulk of profess- 
 ed Christians would be most forward to condemn, 
 of making an unproductive faith the rule of God's 
 future judgment, and the ground of an eternal sepa- 
 ration. Thus not unlike the rival circumnavigators 
 from Spain and Portugal, who setting out in contra- 
 ry directions, found themselves in company at the 
 very time they thought themselves farthest from 
 each other ; so the bulk of professed Christians ar- 
 rive, though by a different course, almost at the very 
 same point, and occupy nearly the same station as a 
 set of enthusiasts, who also rest upon a barren faith, 
 to whom on the first view they might be thought the 
 most nearly opposite, and whose tenets they with 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 113 
 
 teason profess to hold in peculiar detestation. By 
 what pernicious courtesy of language is it, that this 
 wretched system has been flattered with the name 
 of Christianity ? 
 
 The morality of the Gospel is not so slight a fa- 
 bric. Christianity throughout exhibits proofs of its 
 Divine original, and its practical precepts are no 
 less pure than its doctrines are sublime. Can lan- 
 guage furnish injunctions stricter in their measure, 
 or larger in their comprehension, than those with 
 which the word of God abounds ? " Whatsoever ye 
 do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord 
 Jesus " — "Be ye holy, for God is holy" — ''Be ye per- 
 fect, as your Father which is in heaven is perfect?" 
 We are commanded to ;?e?/£;c/ holiness, to go on un- 
 to perfectio?i. 
 
 Such are the Scripture admonitions ; and surely we 
 may not safely acquiesce in low attainments : a con- 
 clusion to which also we are led by the force of the 
 expressions by which Christians are characterized 
 in Scripture, and by the thorough change represent- 
 ed as taking place in any man on his becoming a 
 real Christian. " Every one," it is said, " that hath 
 this hope, purifieth himself even as God is pure :" 
 true Christians are said to be "partakers of the Di- 
 vine nature;" "to be created anew in the image of 
 God ;" " to be temples of the Holy Ghost." The 
 effects of which must appear "in all goodness an4 
 righteousness and truth." 
 
 10* 
 
114 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 Great as was the progress which the apostle Paul 
 had made in all virtue, he declares of himself that 
 he still presses forward, " forgetting the things which 
 are behind, and reaching forth unto the things which 
 are before." He prays for his beloved disciples, 
 " that they may be tilled with all the fullness of 
 God ;" " that they may be filled with the fruits of 
 righteousness ;" " that they might walk worthy oi 
 the Lord umo all pleasing, being fruitful in every 
 good work." Nor is it a less full and comprehen- 
 sive petition, which, from our blessed Savior's insert- 
 ing it in the prayer he has given as a model for out 
 imitation, we may infer ought to be the habitual 
 sentiment of our hearts ; " Thy will be done on 
 earth as it is in heaven." 
 
 These few extracts from the word of. God abun- 
 dantly vindicate the strictness of the christian moral- 
 ity ; but this point will be still more fully established 
 when we proceed to investigate the nature, essence, 
 and governing principles of the christian character. 
 
 It is the grand, essential, practical characteristic 
 of true Christians, that, relying on the promises 
 to repenting sinners, of acceptance through the Re- 
 deemer, they have renounced and abjured all other 
 masters, and have cordially and unreservedly de- 
 voted themselves to God. Christians have become 
 the sworn enemies of sin ; they will allow it in no 
 shape, they will admit it to no composition ; the war 
 they have denounced against it is universal, irre- 
 concilable. 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 115 
 
 But this is not all : it is now their determined 
 purpose to yield themselves without reserve to the 
 reasonable service of their rightful Sovereign. They 
 are not their own : their bodily and mental facul- 
 ties, their natural and acquired endowments, their 
 substance, their authority, their time, their influence ; 
 all these they consider as belonging to them, not for 
 their own gratification, but as so many instruments 
 to be consecrated to the honor and employed in the 
 service of God. This must be the master principle 
 to which every other must be subordinate. What- 
 ever may have been hitherto their ruling passion, 
 whatever hitherto their leading pursuit, whether sen- 
 sual, or intellectual, of science, of taste, of fancy, or 
 of feeling, it must now possess but a secondary 
 place ; or rather, to speak more correctly, it must 
 exist only at the pleasure, and be put altogether un- 
 der the control and direction of its true and legiti- 
 mate superior. 
 
 Thus it is the prerogative of Christianity " to 
 bring into captivity every thought to the obedience 
 of Christ." They who really feel its power, are re- 
 solved, in the language of Scripture, " to live no 
 longer to themselves, but to him that died for them :'* 
 ♦Jiey know indeed their own infirmities ; they know 
 that the way on which they have entered is strait 
 and difficult, but they know too the encouraging as- 
 surance, " They that wait on the Lord shall renew 
 their strength ;" and, relying on this animating de- 
 
116 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 claration, they deliberately purpose that the govern- 
 ing maxim of their future lives shall be, " to do all 
 to the glory of God." 
 
 Behold here the principle, which contains within 
 it the rudiments of all true virtue ; which, striking 
 deep its roots, though feeble perhaps and lowly in 
 its beginnings, silently progressive and almost insen- 
 sibly maturing, yet will shortly, even in the bleak 
 and churlish temperature of this world, lift up its 
 head and spread abroad its branches, bearing abun- 
 dant fruits, precious fruits of refreshment and consola- 
 tion, of which the boasted products of philosophy 
 are but sickly imitations, void of fragrance and of 
 flavor. But, 
 
 Igneus est ollis vigor et coelestis origo. 
 
 At length it will be transplanted into its native re- 
 gion, and enjoy a more genial climate and a kind- 
 lier soil; and, bursting forth into full luxuriance,, 
 with unfading beauty and unexhausted odors, shall 
 flourish for ever in the paradise of God. 
 
 While the servants of Christ continue in this life, 
 glorious as is the issue of their labors, they receive 
 many humiliating memorials of their remaining im- 
 perfections, and daily find reason to confess that 
 they cannot do the things that they would. Their 
 determination, however, is still unshaken, and it is 
 the fixed desire of their hearts to improve in all 
 holiness ; and this, let it be observed, on many ac 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 117 
 
 counts. They are urged on by the dread of failure ; 
 they trust not, where their all is at stake, to lively 
 emotions, or to internal impressions ; the example of 
 Christ is their pattern, the word of God is their rule ; 
 there they read, that " without holiness no man shall 
 see the Lord." It is the description of real Christians, 
 that they are gradually " changed into the image 
 of their Divine Master;" and they dare not allow 
 themselves to believe their title sure, except so far 
 as they can discern in themselves the growing 
 traces of this blessed resemblance. 
 
 It is not merely however the fear of misery, and 
 the desire of happiness, by which they are actuated 
 in their endeavors to excel in all holiness; they 
 love it for its own sake : nor is it solely by the sense 
 of self-interest (this, though often unreasonably con- 
 demned, is but a principle of an inferior order) that 
 they are influenced in their determination to obey 
 the will, and to cultivate the favor of God. This 
 determination has its foundations indeed in a deep 
 and humiliating sense of his exalted majesty and in- 
 finite power, and of their outi extreme inferiority 
 and littleness, attended with a settled conviction of 
 its being their duty as his creatures, to submit in all 
 things to the will of their great Creator. But these 
 awful impressions are relieved and ennobled by an 
 admiring sense of the infinite perfections and in- 
 finite amiableness of the Divine character ; animated 
 by a confiding though humble hope of his fatherly 
 
118 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OP 
 
 kindness and protection, and quickened by the grate- 
 ful recollection of immense and continually increas- 
 ing obligations. This is the Christian love of God I 
 A love compounded of admiration, of preference, of 
 hope, of trust, of joy ; chastised by reverential awe, 
 and wakeful with continual gratitude. 
 
 The elementary principles which have been above 
 enumerated, however, exist in various degrees and 
 proportions. A difference in natural disposition, in 
 the circumstances of the past life, and in number- 
 less other particulars, may occasion a great difference 
 in the predominant tempers of different Christians. 
 In one the love, in another the fear of God may 
 have the ascendancy ; trust in one, and in another 
 gratitude ; but in greater or less degrees, a cordial 
 complacency in the sovereignty, an exalted sense of 
 the perfections, a grateful impression of the good- 
 ness, and a humble hope of the favor of the Divine 
 Being, are common to them all. Common — the 
 determination to devote themselves without excep- 
 tions, to the service and glory of God. Common 
 — the desire of holiness and of continual progress 
 towards perfection. Common — an abasing con- 
 sciousness of their own unworthiness, and of their 
 many remaining infirmities, which interpose so 
 often to corrupt the simplicity of their intentions, to 
 thwart the execution of their purer purposes, and 
 frustrate the resolutions of their better hours. 
 
 But some perhaps, who will not directly and in 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 119 
 
 the gross oppose the conclusions for which we have 
 been contendin.g-, may endeavor to elude them. It 
 may be urged, that to represent them as of general 
 application, is going much too far ; and however 
 true in the <:ase of some individuals of a higher or- 
 der, it may be asserted they are not applicable to 
 ordinary Christians ; from these so much will not 
 surely be expected ; and here perhaps there may be 
 a secret reference to that supposed mitigation of the 
 requisitions of the Divine law under the Christian 
 dispensation, which was formerly noticed. This is 
 so important a point that it ought not to be passed 
 over : let us call in the authority of Scripture ; at the 
 same time only a few passages shall be cited, and 
 we refer to the word of God itself for those who 
 wish for fuller satisfaction. The difficulty here is 
 not to find proofs, but to select with discretion from 
 the mukitude which pour in upon us. 
 
 In the first place, the precepts are expressed in 
 the broadest and most general terms ; no persons are 
 at liberty to conceive themselves exempted from the 
 obligation of them ; and in any disposed to urge 
 such a plea of exemption, it may well excite the 
 most serious apprehension to consider how the 
 plea would be received by an earthly tribunal. 
 No weak argument this to any who are acquainted 
 with the Scriptures, and who know how often God 
 is there represented as reasoning with mankind on 
 the principles which they have established for their 
 dealing-s with each other. 
 
120 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 In the next place, the precepts in question contain 
 within themselves abundant proofs of their universal 
 application, inasmuch as they are grounded on cir- 
 cumstances and relations common to all Christians, 
 and of the benefits of which, even our objectors 
 themselves, though they would evade the practical 
 deductions from them, would not be willing to re- 
 linquish their share. Christians "are not their 
 own," because " they are bought with a price;" they 
 are not " to live unto themselves, but to Him that 
 died for them ; they are commanded to do the most 
 difficult duties, " that they may be the children of 
 their Father which is in heaven;" and "except a 
 man be born again of the Spirit" (thus again be- 
 coming one of the sons of God) " he cannot enter 
 into the kingdom of heaven." It is " because they 
 are sons," that God has given them what in Scrip- 
 ture language is styled "the spirit of adoption." It 
 is only of '' as many as are led by the Spirit of God " 
 that it is declared " they are the sons of God ;" and 
 we are expressly warned, as it were to prevent anj'' 
 such loose profession of Christianity as that which 
 we are here combating, " If any man have not the 
 Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." In short, Chris- 
 tians in general are every where denominated the 
 servants and the children of God, and are required to 
 serve him with that submissive obedience, and that 
 affectionate promptitude of duty, which belong to 
 ihose endearin? relations. 
 
THE NATL'HE OF CHRISTIANITY. 121 
 
 Estimate next the force of that well known pas- 
 sage — " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all 
 thy heart, and with all thy mind, and with all thy 
 soul, and with all thy strength." The injunction is 
 multiplied on us, to silence the sophistry of the ca- 
 viller, and to fix the most inconsiderate mind. And 
 surely if the words have any meaning at all, the least 
 which can be intended by them is that settled, pre- 
 dominant esteem, and cordial preference, for which 
 we are now contending. The conclusion which this 
 passage forces on us, is strikingly confirmed by 
 other parts of Scripture, wherein the love of God is 
 positively commended to the whole of a Christian 
 church; 2 Cor. 13 : 14; or wherein the want of it, 
 (1 John, 3: 17, Rom. 16: 18. compared with Phil. 
 3 : 19,) or wherein its not being the chief and ruling 
 affection, is charged on persons professing them- 
 selves Christians, as being sufficient to disprove 
 their claim to that appellation, or as being equivalent 
 to denying it; 2 Tim. 3 : 4. Let not, therefore, any 
 deceive themselves by imagining that only an abso- 
 lute unqualified renunciation of the desire of the fa- 
 vor of God is here condemned. God will not accept 
 of a divided affection ; a single heart and a single 
 eye are in express terms declared to be indispensa- 
 bly required of us. We are ordered, under the figure 
 of amassing heavenly treasure, to make the favor 
 and service of God our chief pursuit, for this very 
 reason, because " where our treasure is, there will 
 U 
 
122 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 our hearts be also." It is on this principle that, in 
 speaking- of particular vices, such phrases are often 
 used in Scripture as suggest that their criminality 
 mainly consists in drawing away the heart from 
 Him who is the just object of its preference ; and 
 sins which we might think very different in crimi- 
 nality, are classed together, because they all agree 
 in this grand character. Nor is this preference as- 
 serted only over affections vicious in themselves, and 
 to which therefore Christianity might well be sup- 
 posed hostile ; but over those also which in their 
 just measure are not only lawful, but even most 
 strongly enjoined on us. " He that loveth father and 
 mother more than me," says our blessed Savior, 
 '' is not worthy of me ; and he that loveth son or 
 daughter more than me, is not worthy of me." Matt. 
 10 : 37. The spirit of these injunctions harmonizes 
 with many commendations in Scripture of zeal for 
 the honor of God, as well as with that strong ex- 
 pression of disgust and abhorrence with which the 
 lukewarm, (those neither cold nor hot,) are spoken of 
 as being more loathsome and offensive than even 
 open and avowed enemies. 
 
 Another class of instances tending to the same 
 point, is furnished by those many passages of Scrip- 
 ture, wherein promoting of the glory of God is com- 
 manded as our supreme and universal aim, and 
 wherein the honor due unto him is declared to be 
 tlint in which he will allow no competitor to partici- 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITT. 123 
 
 pate. On this head indeed the holy Scriptures are, 
 if possible, more peremptory than on the former ; 
 and at the same time so full as to render particular 
 citations unnecessary in the case of any one who 
 has ever so little acquaintance with the word of God. 
 To pat the same thing therefore in another light. 
 All who have read the Scriptures must confess that 
 idolatry is the crime against which God's highest 
 resentment is expressed, and his severest punish- 
 ment denounced. But let us not deceive ourselves. 
 It is not in bowing the knee to idols that idolatry 
 consists, so much as in the internal homage of the 
 heart ; as in feeling towards them any of that su- 
 preme love, reverence, or gratitude, which God re- 
 serves to himself as his own exclusive prerogative. 
 On the same principle, whatever else draws off the 
 heart from him engrosses our prime regard, and 
 holds the chief place in our esteem and affections, 
 that, in the estimation of reason, is no less an idol to 
 us than an image of wood or stone would be, before 
 which we should fall down and worship. This is 
 the language and argument of inspiration. The ser- 
 vant of God is commanded not to set up his ido4 in 
 his heart; and sensuality and covetousness are re- 
 peatedly termed idolatry. The same God who de- 
 clares — " My glory will I not give to another, nei- 
 ther my praise to graven images," declares also — 
 *' Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither 
 let the mighty man glory in his might ; let not the 
 
124 TKADEQTTATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 rich man glory in his riches." Jer. 9 : 23. " No 
 flesh may glory in his presence ;" " he that glorieth, 
 let him glory in the Lord." The sudden vengeance 
 by which the vain-glorious ostentation of Herod was 
 punished, when, acquiescing in the servile adulation 
 of an admiring multitude, " he gave not God the 
 glory," is a dreadful comment on these injunctions. 
 
 These awful declarations, it is to be feared, are 
 little regarded. Let the great, and the wise, and the 
 learned, and the successful, lay them seriously to 
 heart, and labor habitually to consider their supe- 
 riority, whether derived from nature, or study, oi 
 fortune, as the unmerited bounty of God. This re- 
 flection will naturally tend to produce a disposition, 
 instead of that proud self-complacency so apt to grow 
 upon the human heart, in all respects opposite to it ; 
 a disposition honorable to God and useful to man ; 
 a temper composed of reverence, humility, and grati- 
 tude, and delighting to be engaged in the praises, 
 and employed in the benevolent service of the uni- 
 versal Benefactor. 
 
 It only remains to be remarked, that here, as in 
 the former instances, the characters of the righteous 
 and of the wicked, as delineated in Scripture, exactly 
 correspond with the representations which have been 
 given of the Scripture injunctions. 
 
 The necessity of this cordial unreserved devoted- 
 ness to the glory and service of God, as indispen- 
 sable to the character of the true Christian, has been 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 125 
 
 insisted on at tlie greater length, not only on ac- 
 count of its own extreme importance, but also be- 
 cause it appears a duty too generally overlooked. 
 Once well established, it will serve as a fundamental 
 principle both for the government of the heart and 
 regulation of the conduct ; and will prove eminently 
 useful in the decision of many practical cases which 
 it might be difficult to bring under the undisputed 
 operation of any subordinate or appropriate rule. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 Having endeavored to establish the strictness, 
 and to ascertain the essential character of true prac- 
 tical Christianity, let us investigate more in detail 
 the practical system of the bulk of professed Chris- 
 tians among ourselves.* 
 
 It was formerly remarked, that the whole subject 
 of religion was often viewed from such a distance 
 as to be seen only in the gross. We now, it is to 
 be feared, shall find too much cause for believing 
 that those who approach nearer, and do discover in 
 
 ♦ It will be remembered by the reader, that it is not the 
 object of this work to animadvert on the vices, defects, and 
 erroneous opinions of the times, except as they are received 
 iri-.o the prevailing religious system, or are tolerated by it, 
 and are not thought sufRcient to prevent a man from being 
 esteemed, on the whole, a very tolerable Christian. 
 11^ 
 
126 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 Christianity somewhat of a distinct form, yet come 
 not close enough to discern her peculiar conforma- 
 tion. 
 
 A very erroneous notion prevails concerning the 
 true nature of religion. Religion, agreeably to 
 vv^hat has been already stated, may be considered as 
 the implantation of a vigorous and active principle ; 
 it is seated in the heart, where its authority is recog- 
 nized as supreme, whence by degrees it expels 
 whatever is opposed to it, and where it gradually 
 brings all the affections and desires under its com- 
 plete control. 
 
 But though the heart be its special residence, eve- 
 ry endeavor and pursuit must acknow^ledge its pre- 
 sence ; and whatever does not, or will not, or cannot 
 receive its sacred stamp, is to be condemned, and is 
 to be at once abstained from or abandoned. It is 
 like the principle of vitality, which communicates its 
 influence to the smallest and remotest fibers of the 
 frame. But the notion of religion entertained by 
 many among us seems altogether different. They 
 begin, indeed, in submission to her clear prohibitions, 
 by fencing off from the field of human action a cer- 
 tain district, which, though it in many parts bear 
 fruits on which they cast a longing eye, they cannot 
 but confess to be forbidden ground. They next as- 
 sign to religion a portion according to their circum- 
 stances and views, in which however she is to pos- 
 sess merely a qualified jurisdiction, and having so 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 127 
 
 done, they conceive that without hinderance they have 
 a right to range at will over the spacious remainder. 
 Religion can claim only a stated proportion of their 
 thoughts, and time, and fortune, and influence ; the 
 rest they think is now their own, to do what they 
 will with ; they have paid their tithes — say rather, 
 their composition ; the demands of the Church are 
 satisfied, and they may surely be permitted to enjoy 
 what she has left without molestation or interference. 
 
 It is scarcely possible to state too strongly the 
 mischief which results from this fundamental error. 
 At the same time its consequences are so natural 
 and obvious, that one would think it scarcely possi- 
 ble not to foresee that they must infallibly follow. 
 The greatest part of human actions is considered as 
 indifferent. If men are not chargeable with gross 
 vices, and are decent in the discharge of their reli- 
 gious duties ; if they do not stray into the forbidden 
 ground, what more can be expected from them ? In- 
 stead of keeping at a distance from all sin, in which 
 alone consists our safety, they will be apt not to care 
 how near they approach what they conceive to be 
 the boundary line ; if they have not actually passed 
 it, there is no harm done, it is no trespass. Thus 
 the free and active spirit of religion is checked. She 
 must keep to her prescribed confines, and every at- 
 tempt to extend them will be resisted. 
 
 This is not all. Since whatever can be gained 
 from her allotment, or whatever can be taken in 
 
128 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 from the forbidden ground, will be so much of addition 
 to that land where men may roam at large, free 
 from restraint or molestation, they will of course be 
 constantly pressing upon the limits of the religious 
 allotment on the one hand, and on the other will 
 be removing back a little farther and farther the 
 fence which abridges them on the side of the for- 
 bidden ground. The space she occupies diminishes 
 till it is scarcely discernible ; whilst, her spirit ex- 
 tinguished and her force destroyed, she is little more 
 than the nominal possessor even of the contracted 
 limits to which she has been avowedly reduced. 
 
 This is but too faithful a representation of the gen- 
 eral state of things among ourselves. The promo- 
 tion of the glory of God, and the possession of his. 
 favor, are no longer recognized as the objects of our 
 highest regard, and most strenuous endeavors ; as 
 furnishing to us a vigorous, habitual, and univer- 
 sal principle of action. We set up for ourselves: 
 we are become our own masters. The sense of 
 continual service is irksome and galling to us ; and 
 we rejoice in being emancipated from it. Thus the 
 very tenure and condition by which life and all its 
 possessions are held, undergo a total change. What- 
 ever we have is regarded rather as a property than 
 as a trust ; or if there still exists the remembrance of 
 some paramount claim, we are satisfied with an 
 occasional acknowledgment, as of a nominal riglit. 
 
 Hence it is that so little sense of responsibility 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 129 
 
 seems attached to the possession of high rank, or 
 splendid abilities, or affluent fortunes, or other means 
 or instruments of usefulness. The instructive admo- 
 nitions, " Give an account of thy stewardship" — 
 " Occupy till I come," are forgotten. Or if it be ac- 
 knowledged by some men of larger views than ordi- 
 nary, that reference is to be had to some principle 
 superior to that of our own gratification, it is, at best, 
 to the good of society, or to the welfare of our fami- 
 lies: and even then the obligations resulting from. 
 these relations are seldom enforced on us by any 
 higher sanctions than those of family comfort, and of 
 worldly interest or estimation. Beside, what multi- 
 tudes of persons are there, people without families, 
 in private stations, or of a retired turn, to Vv-hom they 
 are scarcely held to apply! and what multitudes of 
 cases to which it would be thought unnecessary 
 scrupulosity to extend them ! Accordingly we find, 
 in fact, that the generality of mankind among the 
 higher order, in the formation of their schemes, in 
 the selection of their studies, in the choice of their 
 place of residence, in the employment and distribu- 
 tion of their time, in their thoughts, conversation and 
 amusements, are considered as being at liberty, if 
 there be no actual vice, to consult their own grati- 
 fication. 
 
 Thus the generous and wakeful spirit of Christian 
 benevolence, seeking and finding every where occa- 
 sions for its exercise, is exploded, and a system ofde- 
 
130 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 cent selfishness is avowedly established in its stead ; 
 a system scarcely more to be abjured for its impiety, 
 than to be abhorred for its cold insensibility to the 
 opportunities of diffusing happiness. " Have we no 
 families, or are they provided for 1 Are we wealthy, 
 and bred to no profession ? Are we young and live- 
 ly, and in the gayety and vigor of youth? Surely w^e 
 may be allowed to take our pleasure. We neglect 
 no duty, we live in no vice, we do nobody any harm, 
 and have a right to amuse ourselves. We have no- 
 thing better to do ; we wish we had ; our time hangs 
 heavy on our hands for want of it." 
 
 But no man has a right to be idle. Not to speak 
 of that great work which we all have to accomplish, 
 and surely the whole attention of a short and precari- 
 ous life is not more than an eternal interest may well 
 require ; where is it that, in such a world as this, 
 health, and leisure, and affluence may not find some 
 ignorance to instruct, some wrong to redress, some 
 want to supply, some misery to alleviate? Shall am- 
 bition and avarice never sleep ? Shall they never 
 want objects on which to fasten ? Shall they be so 
 observant to discover, so acute to discern, so eager, 
 so patient to pursue, and shall the benevolence of 
 Christians want employment? 
 
 Yet thus life rolls away with too many of us, in a 
 course of " shapeless idleness." Its recreations con- 
 stitute its chief businsss. Watering-places, the sports 
 of the field, cards ! never-failing cards ! the assem- 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 131 
 
 biy, the theatre, all contribute their aid ; amusements 
 are multiplied, and combined, and varied, " to fill up 
 the void of a listless and languid life ;" and by the 
 regulated use of these different resources, there is 
 often a kind of sober settled plan of domestic dissipa- 
 tion, in which, with all imaginable decency, year 
 after year wears away in unprofitable vacancy. 
 Even old age often finds us pacing in the samo 
 round of amusements which our early youth had 
 tracked out. Meanwhile, beins: conscious that we 
 are not giving in to any flagrant vice, and it may be, 
 that we are not neglecting the offices of religion, we 
 persuade ourselves that we need not be uneasy. In 
 the main, we do not fall below the general standard 
 of morals of the class and station to which we 
 belong; we may therefore allow ourselves to glide 
 down the stream without apprehension of the con- 
 sequences. 
 
 Some, of a character often hardly to be distin- 
 guished from the class we have been just describing, 
 take up with sensual pleasures. The chief happi- 
 ness of their lives consists in one species or another 
 of animal gratification; and these persons perhaps 
 will be found to compose a large proportion. It be- 
 longs not to our purpose to speak of the grossly and 
 scandalously profligate, who renounce all pretensions 
 to the name of Christians; but of those who, main- 
 taining a certain decency of character, and perhaps 
 being tolerably observant of the forms of religion, 
 
132 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 may yet be not improperly termed sober sensualists. 
 These, though less impetuous and more measured, 
 are not less stanch and steady than the professed 
 votaries of licentious pleasure, in the pursuit of their 
 favorite objects. " Mortify the flesh, with its affections 
 and lusts," is the Christian 'precept ; but a soft lux- 
 urious course of habitual indulgence is the practice 
 of the bulk of modern Christians : and that constant 
 moderation, that wholesome discipline of restraint 
 and self-denial, which are requisite to prevent the 
 unperccived encroachments of the inferior appetites, 
 seem altogether as disused as the exploded austeri- 
 ties of monkish superstition. 
 
 Christianity calls her professors to a state of dili- 
 gent watchfulness and active services. But the per- 
 sons of whom we are now speaking, forgetting alike 
 the duties they owe to themselves and to their fellow- 
 creatures, often act as' though their condition were 
 meant to be a state of uniform indulgence, and vacant, 
 unprofitable sloth. To multiply the comforts of afHu- 
 ence, to provide for the gratification of appetite, to be 
 luxurious without diseases, and indolent without 
 lassitude, seems the chief study of their lives. Nor 
 can they be clearly exempted from this class, who, by 
 a common error, substituting the means for the end, 
 make the preservation of health and spirits, not as 
 instruments of usefulness, but as sources of pleasure, 
 their great business and continual care. 
 
 Others aj^ain seem more to attach themselves to 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 133 
 
 what have been well termed the " pomps and vani- 
 ties of this world." Magnificent houses, grand equi- 
 pages, numerous retinues, splendid entertainments, 
 high and fashionable connexions, appear to consti- 
 tute, in their estimation, the supreme happiness of 
 life. This class, too, if we mistake not, will be found 
 numerous in our days; for it must be considered 
 that it is the heart, set on these things, which consti- 
 tutes the essential character. Persons to whose rank 
 and station these indulgences most properly belong, 
 often are the most indifferent to them. Undue soli- 
 citude about them is more visible in persons of in- 
 ferior conditions and smaller fortunes, in whom it is 
 detected by the studious contrivances of a misapplied 
 ingenuity to reconcile parade with economy, and to 
 glitter at a cheap rate. But this temper of display 
 and competition is a direct contrast to the lowly, 
 modest, unassuming carriage of the true Christian : 
 and wherever there is an evident effort and struggle 
 to excel in the particulars here in question, a mani- 
 fest wish thus to rival superiors, to outstrip equals, to 
 dazzle inferiors ; it is manifest the great end of life, 
 and of all its possessions, is too little kept in view, 
 and it is to be feared that the gratification of a vain 
 ostentatious humor is the predominant disposition of 
 the heart. 
 
 As there is a sober sensuality, so is there also a 
 sober avarice, and a sober ambition. The commer- 
 cial and the professional world compose the chief 
 12 
 
134 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 sphere of their influence. They are often recog- 
 nised and openly avowed as just master principles 
 of action. But where this is not the case, they as- 
 sume such plausible shapes, are called by such 
 specious names, and urge such powerful pleas, that 
 they are received with cordiality, and suffered to 
 gather strength without suspicion. The seducing 
 considerations of diligence in our callings, of suc- 
 cess in our profession, of making handsome pro- 
 visions for our children, beguile our better judg- 
 ments. " We rise early, and late take rest, and eat 
 the bread of carefulness." In our few intervals of 
 leisure, our exhausted spirits require refreshment ; 
 the serious concerns of our immortal souls are matters 
 of speculation too grave and gloomy to answer the 
 purpose, and we fly to something that may better 
 deserve the name of relaxation, till we are again 
 summoned to the daily labors of our employment. 
 
 Meanwhile religion scarcely occurs to our 
 thoughts ; and when some secret misgivings begin 
 to be felt on this head, company soon drowns, amuse- 
 ments dissipate, or habitual occupations insensibly 
 displace or smother the rising apprehension. Pro- 
 fessional and commercial men often quiet their 
 consciences by the plea, that their business leaves 
 them no time to think on these serious subjects at 
 present. " Men of leisure they confess should con- 
 sider them ; they themselves will do it hereafter 
 when they retire; meanwhile they are usefully, or at 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 135 
 
 least innocently employed." Thus business and plea- 
 sure fill up our time, and the " one thing needful " is 
 forgotten. Respected by others, and secretly applaud- 
 ing ourselves, perhaps congratulating ourselves that 
 we are not like such a one who is a spendthrift or 
 a mere man of pleasure, or such another who is a 
 notorious miser, the true principle of action is no 
 less wanting in us, and personal advancement or the 
 acquisition of wealth is the object of our supreme 
 desires and predominant pursuit. 
 
 It would be too much to attempt the delineation of 
 the characters of the politician, the metaphysician, 
 the scholar, the poet, the virtuoso, the man of taste, 
 in all their varieties. Of these and many other 
 classes, suffice it to appeal to every man's own expe- 
 rience for the truth of the observation, that they in 
 like manner are often completely engrossed by their 
 several pursuits. In many cases, indeed, a generous 
 spirit surrenders itself wholly up with the less re- 
 serve, and continues absorbed with the fuller con- 
 fidence, from the consciousness of not being led by 
 self-interested motives. Here therefore these men are 
 ardent, active, laborious, persevering, and they think, 
 and speak, and act, as those the whole happiness of 
 whose life turns on the success or failure of their 
 endeavors. Let not the writer be supposed to in- 
 sinuate that religion is an enemy to the pursuits of 
 taste, much less to those of learning and of science. 
 Let these have their due place in the estimation of 
 
136 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 mankind ; but this must not be the highest place. 
 Let them know their just subordination. They de- 
 serve not to be the primary concern, for there is 
 another, to which in importance they bear no more 
 proportion than our span of existence to eternity. 
 
 Thus the supreme desires of the heart are per- 
 mitted without control to take that course, whatever 
 it may be, which best suits our natural temper, or to 
 which they are impelled by our various situations 
 and circumstances. " Know thyself," is in truth an 
 injunction with which the careless and the indolent 
 cannot comply. For this compliance, it is requisite, 
 in obedience to the Scripture precept, " to keep the 
 heart with all diligence." Mankind are in general 
 deplorably ignorant of their true state ; and there are 
 few who have any adequate conception of the real 
 strength of the ties by which they are bound to the 
 several objects of their attachment, or who are aware 
 how small a share of their regard is possessed by 
 those concerns on which it ought to be supremely 
 fixed. 
 
 But God requires to set up his throne in the heart, 
 and to reign in it without a rival : if he be kept out of 
 his right, it matters not by what competitor. The 
 revolt may be more avowed or more secret ; it may 
 be the treason of deliberate preference, or of incon- 
 siderate levity ; we may be the subjects of a more or 
 of a less creditable master ; we may be employed in 
 services more gross or more refined ; but whether 
 
THfi JfATtRE OF CHRISTIANITY. 137 
 
 the slaves of avarice, of sensuality, of dissipation, of 
 sloth, or the votaries of ambition, of taste, or of 
 fashion ; whether supremely governed by vanity and 
 self-love, by the desire of literary fame or of military 
 glory, we are alike estranged from the dominion of 
 our rightful Sovereign. Let not this seem a harsh 
 position ; it can appear so only from not adverting 
 to what was shown to be the essential nature of true 
 religion. He who bowed the knee to the god of 
 medicine or of eloquence, was no less an idolater 
 than the worshiper of the deified patrons of lewdness 
 or of theft. In the several cases which have been 
 specified, the external acts indeed are different, but 
 in principle the disaffection is the same ; and we 
 must prepare to meet the punishment of rebels on 
 that tremendous day, when all false colors shall be 
 done away, and, there being no longer any room for 
 the evasions of worldly sophistry, or the smooth 
 plausibilities of worldly language, " that which is 
 often highly esteemed amongst men, shall appear to 
 have been abomination in the sight of God." 
 
 These fundamental truths seem vanished from the 
 mind, and it follo\vs of course, that every thing is 
 viewed less and less through a religious medium. 
 To speak no longer 'of instances wherein we our- 
 selves are concerned, what are the judgments which 
 men form in the case of others ? Idleness, profusion, 
 thoughtlessness, and dissipation, the misapplication 
 of time or of talents, the trifling away of life in 
 12* 
 
138 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 frivolous occupations or unprofitable studies; all 
 these thing^s we may regret in those around us, in 
 the view of their temporal effects ; but they are not 
 considered in a religious connexion, or lamented as 
 endangering everlasting happiness. Excessive vani- 
 ty and inordinate ambition are spoken of as weak- 
 nesses rather than as sins ; even covetousness itself, 
 though a hateful passion, yet, if not extreme, scarcely 
 presents the face of irreligion. Is some friend, or 
 even some common acquaintance sick, or has some 
 accident befallen him ? How solicitously do we in- 
 quire after him, how tenderly do we visit him, how 
 much perhaps do we regret that he has not better 
 advice, and' how should we reproach ourselves if we 
 were to neglect any means in our power of contri- 
 buting to his recovery ! But " the mind is diseased," 
 is neglected and forgotten — " that is not our affair ; 
 we hope, we do not perhaps really believe, that here 
 it is well with him." The truth is, we have no so- 
 licitude about his spiritual interest. Here he is 
 treated like the unfortunate traveler in the Gospel ; 
 we look upon him ; we see but too well his sad con- 
 dition, but (priest and Levite alike) we pass by on 
 the other side, and leave him to the officious tender- 
 ness of some poor despised Samaritan. 
 
 Nay, take the case of our very children, when our 
 hearts being most interested to promote their happi- 
 ness, we must bo supposed most desirous of deter- 
 mining on right principles, and where therefore the 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 139 
 
 real standard of our deliberate judgments may be 
 indisputably ascertained : in their education and mar- 
 riage, in the choice of their professions, in our com- 
 parative consideration and judgment of the different 
 parts of their several characters, how little do we 
 reflect that they are immortal beings ! Health, learn- 
 ing, credit ; the amiable and agreeable qualities ; 
 above all, fortune and success in life, are taken, and 
 not unjustly taken, into the account; but how small 
 a share in forming our opinions is allowed to the 
 probable effect which may be produced on their 
 eternal interests ! Indeed, the subjects of our mutual 
 inquiries, and congratulations, and condolences, prove 
 but too plainly what considerations are in these cases 
 uppermost in our thoughts. 
 
 Such are the fatal and widely spreading efiects 
 which follow from the admission of the grand funda- 
 mental error before mentioned, that of not consider- 
 ing religion as a principle of universal application 
 and command. Robbed of its best energies, religion 
 now takes the form of a cold compilation of restraints 
 and prohibitions. Considering, moreover, that the 
 matter of them is not in general very palatable, and 
 that the partiality of every man, where his own cause 
 is in question, will be likely to make him construe 
 them liberally in his own favor, we might before- 
 hand have formed a tolerable judgment of the man- 
 ner in which they are actually treated. Sometimes 
 we attend to the words rather than to the spirit of 
 
140 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 Scripture injunctions, overlooking the principle they 
 involve, which a better acquaintance with the word 
 of God would have clearly taught us to infer from 
 them. At others, " the spirit of an injunction is all ;" 
 and this we contrive to collect so dexterously, as 
 thereby to relax or annul the strictness of the terms. 
 They sa3^ "Whatever is not expressly forbidden 
 cannot be very criminal ; whatever is not positively 
 enjoined, cannot be indispensably necessary. If we 
 do not offend against the laws, what more can be 
 expected from us ? — The persons to whom the strict 
 precepts of the Gospel were given, were in very dif- 
 ferent circumstances from those in which we are 
 placed. The injunctions were drawn rather tighter 
 than is quite necessary, in order to allow for a little 
 relaxation in practice. The expressions of the sa- 
 cred writers are figurative ; the eastern style is con- 
 fessedly hyperbolical." 
 
 By these and other such dishonest shifts, by which 
 however we seldom deceive ourselves, except it be 
 in thinking that we deceive others, the pure but 
 strong morality of the word of God is explained 
 away, and its too rigid canons are softened down 
 with as much dexterity as is exhibited by those who 
 practice a logic of the same complexion, in order to 
 escape from the obligations of human statutes. 
 
 But when the law, both in its spirit and its letter, 
 is obstinate and incorrigible, what we cannot bend to 
 our purpose we must break. Hear excuses of this 
 
THB NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 141 
 
 nature : " Our sins, we hope, are of the smaller order; 
 a little harmless gallantry, a little innocent jollity, a 
 few foolish expletives which we use from the mere 
 force of habit, meaning nothing by them ; a little 
 warmth of coloring and license of expression ; a 
 few freedoms of speech in the gayety of our hearts, 
 which, though not perhaps strictly correct, none but 
 the over-rigid would think of treating any otherwise 
 than as venial infirmities, and in which very grave 
 and religious men will often take their share, when 
 they may throw off their state, and relax without im- 
 propriety. We serve an all-merciful Being, who 
 knows the frailty of our nature, the number and 
 strength of our temptations, and will not be extreme 
 to mark what is done amiss. Even the less lenient 
 judicatures of human institution concede somewhat 
 to the weakness of man. It is an established maxim 
 — ' De minimis non curat lex.' We hope we are not 
 worse than the generality. All men are imperfect. 
 We own we have our infirmities ; we confess it is 
 so ; we wish we were better, and trust, as we grow 
 older, we shall become so ; we are ready to acknow- 
 ledge that we must be indebted for our admission 
 into a future state of happiness, not to our own merit, 
 but to the clemency of God, and the mercy of our 
 Redeemer." 
 
 But let not this language be mistaken for that of 
 true Christian humiliation, of which it is the very 
 essence to feel the burden of sin, and to long to be 
 
142 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 released from it : nor let two things be confounded, 
 than which none can be more fundamentally differ- 
 ent — the allowed want of universality in our deter- 
 mination and our endeavor to obey the will of God, 
 and that defective accomplishment of our purposes, 
 which even the best of men will too often find reason 
 to deplore. In the persons of whom we now have been 
 speaking, the unconcern with which they can amuse 
 themselves upon the borders of sin, and the easy 
 familiarity with which they can actually dally with 
 it in its less offensive shapes, show plainly that, dis- 
 tinctly from its consequences, it is by no means the 
 object of their aversion ; that there is no love of ho- 
 liness as such: no endeavor to acquire it, no care to 
 prepare the soul for the reception of this divine 
 principle, and to expel or keep under whatever 
 might be likely to obstruct its entrance, or dispute 
 its sovereignty. 
 
 It is indeed a most lamentable consequence of the 
 practice . of regarding religion as a compilation of 
 statutes, and not as an internal principle, that it soon 
 comes to be considered as being conversant about 
 external actions, rather than about habits of mind. 
 This sentiment sometimes has even the hardiness to 
 insinuate and maintain itself under the guise of ex- 
 traordinary concern for practical religion ; but it 
 soon discovers the falsehood of this pretension, and 
 betrays its real nature. The expedient indeed of 
 attaining to superiority in practice, by not wasting 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 143 
 
 any of the attention on the internal principles from 
 which alone practice can flow, is about as reasonable, 
 and will answer about as well, as the economy of 
 the architect Avho should account it mere prodigality 
 to expend any of his materials in laying foundations, 
 from an idea that they might be more usefully ap- 
 plied to the raising of the superstructure. We know 
 what would be the fate of such an edifice. 
 
 It is indeed true, and a truth never to be forgotten, 
 that all pretensions to internal principles of holiness 
 are vain, when they are contradicted by the conduct ; 
 but it is no less true, that the only effectual way of 
 improving the latter, is by a vigilant attention to the 
 former. It was therefore our blessed Savior's in- 
 junction, "Make the tree good" as the necessary 
 means of obtaining good fruit ; and the holy Scrip- 
 tures abound in admonitions, to let it be our chief 
 business to cultivate our hearts with all diligence, 
 to examine into their state with impartiality, and 
 vratch over them with continual care. Indeed it is 
 the heart which constitutes the man ; and external 
 actions derive their whole character and meaning 
 from the motives and dispositions of which they are 
 the indications. Human judicatures, it is true, are 
 chiefly conversant about the former ; but this is only 
 because, to our limited perceptions, the latter can sel- 
 dom be any otherwise clearly ascertained. The real 
 object of inquiry to human judicatures is the internal 
 disposition ; it is to this that they adapt the nature, 
 and proportion the degree of their punishments. 
 
144 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS Of 
 
 Yet though this be a truth so obvious, so es- 
 tablished, that to have insisted on it may seem al- 
 most needless ; it is a truth of which we are apt to 
 lose sight in the review of our religious character, 
 and with which the habit of considering religion as 
 consisting rather in external actions than internal 
 principles, is at direct and open war. This mode of 
 judging may well be termed habitual ; for though by 
 some persons it is advisedly adopted and openly 
 avowed, yet in many cases, for want of due watch- 
 fulness, it has stolen insensibly upon the mind; it 
 exists unsuspected, and is practiced, like other habits, 
 without consciousness or observation. 
 
 In what degree soever this pernicious principle 
 prevails, in that degree is the mischief it produces. 
 The vicious affections, like noxious weeds, sprout 
 up and increase of themselves out too naturally ; 
 while the graces of the Christian temper, exotics in 
 the soil of the human heart, like the more tender 
 productions of the vegetable world, though the light 
 and breath of heaven must quicken them, require, on 
 our part also, constant and assiduous care. But so 
 far from their being earnestly sought for, or watch- 
 fully reared, with unremitted prayers for that divine 
 grace, without which all our labors must be ineffec- 
 tual ; such is the result of the principle we are here 
 condemning, that no endeavors are used for their at- 
 tainment, or they are suffered to droop and die al- 
 most without an effort to preserve them- Way being 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 145 
 
 thus made for the unobstructed growth of other tem- 
 pers, the qualities of which are very different, and 
 often directly opposite, these naturally overspread 
 and quietly possess the mind ; their contrariety to the 
 Christian spirit not being discerned, and even perhaps 
 their presence being scarcely acknowledged, except 
 when their existence and their nature are manifested 
 in the conduct, by marks too plain to be overlooked 
 or mistaken. 
 
 Some of the most important branches of the 
 Christian temper, wherein the bulk of nominal 
 Christians appear eminently and allowedly defective, 
 have been already noticed in this and in the pre- 
 ceding chapter. Many others still remain to be par- 
 ticularized. 
 
 First, then, it is the comprehensive compendium 
 of the character of true Christians, that " they are 
 walking by faith, and not by sight." By this de- 
 scription is meant, not merely that they so firmly 
 believe in the doctrine of future rewards and punish- 
 ments, as to be influenced by that persuasion to ad- 
 here in the main to the path of duty, though tempted 
 to forsake it by present interest and present gratifi- 
 cation ; but farther, that the great truths revealed in 
 Scripture concerning the unseen world, are the 
 ideas for the most part uppermost in their thoughts, 
 and about which habitually their hearts are most in- 
 terested. This state of mind contributes, if the ex- 
 pression may be allowed, to rectify the illusions of 
 13 
 
146 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 vision, to bring forward into nearer view those eter- 
 nal things which, from their remoteness, are apt to be 
 cither wholly overlooked, or to appear but faintly in 
 the utmost bounds of the horizon ; and to remove 
 backward, and reduce to their true comparative di- 
 mensions, the objects of the present life, which are 
 apt to fill the human eye, assuming a false magni- 
 tude from their vicinity. The true Christian knows 
 from experience, however, that the former are apt 
 to fade from the sight, and the latter again to swell 
 on it. He makes it therefore his continual care to 
 preserve those just and enlightened views which, 
 through divine mercy, he has obtained. Not that 
 he will retire from that station in the world which 
 Providence seems to have appointed him to fill : he 
 will be active in the business of life, and enjoy its 
 comforts with moderation and thankfulness ; but he 
 will not give up his whole soul to them, they will 
 be habitually subordinate in his estimation to objects 
 of .more importance. The awful truth has sunk 
 deep into his mind, "the things which are seen are 
 temporal, but the things which are not seen are 
 eternal ;" and in the tumult and bustle of life, he is 
 sobered by the still small voice which whispers to 
 him, " The fashion of this world passes away." 
 This circumstance alone must, it is obvious, consti- 
 tute a vast difference between the habitual temper of 
 his mind, and that of the generality of nominal 
 Christians, who are almost entirely taken up with 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 147 
 
 the concerns of the present world. They know in 
 deed that they are mortal, but they do not feel it 
 The truth rests in their understandings, and cannot 
 gain admission into their hearts. This speculative 
 persuasion is altogether different from that strong 
 practical impression of the infinite importance of 
 etehial things, which, attended with a proportionate 
 sense of the shortness and uncertainty of all below, 
 while it prompts to activity from a conviction that 
 " the night cometh when no man can work," pro- 
 duces a certain firmness of texture, which hardens 
 us against the buffets of fortune, and prevents our 
 being very deeply penetrated by the cares and in- 
 terests, the goods or evils of this transitory state. 
 Thus this just impression of the relative value of 
 temporal and eternal things maintains in the soul 
 a dignified composure through all the vicissitudes 
 of life. It quickens our diligence, yet moderates our 
 ardor; urges us to just pursuits, yet checks any 
 undue solicitude about the success of them, and 
 thereby enables us, in the language of Scripture, 
 "to use this world as not abusing it," rendering us 
 at once beneficial to others and comfortable to our- 
 selves. 
 
 But this is not all: besides the distinction be- 
 tween the nominal and the real Christian, which 
 results from the impressions produced on them re- 
 spectively by the eternal duration of heavenly things, 
 there is another grounded on their nature, no less 
 
148 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 marked nor less important. They are stated in 
 Scripture, not only as entitling themselves to the no- 
 tice of the true Christian from considerations of in- 
 terest, but as approving themselves to his judgment, 
 from a conviction of their excellence ; and yet farther, 
 as recommending themselves to his feelings by their 
 being suited to the renewed dispositions of his heart. 
 Indeed, v^^ere the case otherwise, did not their quali- 
 ties correspond with his inclinations, hovt'ever he 
 might endure them on principles of duty, and be 
 coldly conscious of their superior worth, he could 
 not lend himself to them with cordial complacency, 
 much less look to them as the surest source of 
 pleasure. But this is the light in which they are 
 habitually regarded by the true Christian. He 
 walks in the ways of religion, not by constraint, but 
 willingly ; they are to him not only safe, but com 
 fortable ; " ways of pleasantness as well as of peace." 
 Not but that here also he is, from experience, aware 
 of the necessity of constant support, and continual 
 watchfulness : without these, his old estimate of 
 things is apt to return on him, and the former ob- 
 jects of his affections to resume their influence. 
 With earnest prayers, therefore, for the Divine help, 
 with jealous circumspection and resolute self-denial 
 he guards against, and abstains from whatever 
 might be likely again to darken his enlightened 
 "udgment or to vitiate his reformed taste ; thus mak- 
 hig it his unwearied endeavor to grow in the know- 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 149 
 
 ledge and love of heavenly things, and to obtain a 
 warmer admiration and a more cordial relish of 
 their excellence. 
 
 That this is a just representation of the habitual 
 judgment, and of the leading disposition of true 
 Christians, will be abundantly evident, if, endeavor- 
 ing to "form ourselves after our proper model, we 
 consult the Sacred Scripture. But in vain are Chris- 
 tians there represented as having set their affections 
 on things above, as cordially rejoicing in the service 
 and delighting in the worship of God. Pleasure and 
 religion are contradictory terms with the buVtc of 
 nominal Christians. They may look back indeed 
 on their religious offices with something of secret 
 satisfaction, and even feel it during the performance 
 of them, from the idea of being engaged in the dis- 
 charge of a duty ; but this is altogether different 
 from the pleasure which attends an employment in 
 itself acceptable and grateful to us. The writer 
 must here again guard against being understood to 
 speak of a deficiency in the warmth and vehemence 
 merely of religious affections. Are the service and 
 worship of God pleasant to these persons ? it is not 
 asked whether they are delightful. Do they diffuse 
 over the soul any thing of that calm complacency, 
 that mild and grateful composure, which bespeaks 
 a mind in good humor with itself and all around, 
 and engaged in a service suited to its taste, and con- 
 genial with its feelings? 
 
 13* 
 
150 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 Let us appeal to the day especially devoted to the 
 offices of religion : Do they joyfully avail them- 
 selves of this blessed opportunity of withdrawing 
 from the business and cares of life ; when, without 
 being disquieted by any doubt whether they are not 
 neglecting the duties of their proper callings, they 
 may be allowed to detach their minds from earthly 
 things, that by a fuller knowledge of heavenly ob- 
 jects, and a more habitual acquaintance with them, 
 their hope may grow more "full of immortality?" 
 Is the day cheerfully devoted to those holy exercises 
 for which it was appointed ? Do they indeed " come 
 into the courts of God with gladness?'' And how 
 are they employed when not engaged in the public 
 services of the day ? Are they busied in studying the 
 word of God, in meditating on his perfection, in 
 tracing his providential dispensations, in admiring 
 his works, in revolving his mercies — above all, the 
 transcendent mercies of redeeming love — in singing 
 his praises, "and speaking good of his name?" Do 
 their secret retirements witness the earnestness of 
 their prayers and the warmth of their thanksgiv- 
 ings, their diligence and impartiality in the necessa- 
 ry work of self-examination, their mindfulness of 
 the benevolent duty of intercession ? Is the kind 
 purpose of the institution of a Sabbath answered by 
 them, in its being made to their servants and de- 
 pendants a season of rest and comfort ? Does the 
 instruction of their families, or of the more poor and 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 151 
 
 ignorant of their neighbors, possess its due share of 
 their time ? If blessed Avith talents or with affluence, 
 are they sedulously employing a part of this inter- 
 val of leisure in relieving the indigent, visiting the 
 sick, and comforting the sorrowful — in forming plans 
 for the good of their fellow-creatures, in considering 
 how they may promote both the temporal and spiri- 
 tual benefit of their friends and acquaintance ; or 
 if theirs is a larger sphere, in devising measures 
 whereby, through the Divine blessing, they may 
 become the honored instruments of the more extend- 
 ed diffusion of religious truth ? In the hours of do- 
 mestic or social intercourse, does their conversation 
 manifest the subject of which their hearts are full 1 
 Do their language and demeanor show them to be 
 more than commonly gentle, and kind, and friendly, 
 free from rough and irritating passions ? 
 
 Surely an entire day should not seem long amidst 
 these various employments. It might well be deem- 
 ed a privilege thus to spend it in the more imme- 
 diate presence of our heavenly Father, in the exer- 
 cises of humble admiration and grateful homage — of 
 the benevolent, and domestic, and social feelings, 
 and of all the best affections of our nature, prompted 
 by their true motives, conversant about their proper 
 objects, and directed to their noblest end ; all sorrows 
 mitigated, all cares suspended, all fears repressed, 
 every angry emotion softened, every envious, or re- 
 vengeful, or malignant passion expelled ; and the 
 
152 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 bosom thus quieted, purified, enlarged, ennobled, par- 
 taking almost of a measure of the heavenly happi 
 ness, and become for a while the seat of love, and 
 joy, and confidence, and harmony. 
 
 The nature and uses, and proper employments of 
 a Christian Sabbath, have been pointed out more 
 particularly, not only because the day will be found, 
 when thus employed, eminently conducive, through 
 the Divine blessing, to the maintenance of the reli- 
 gious principle in activity and vigor ; but also be- 
 cause we must all have had occasion often to re- 
 mark, that many persons, of the graver and more 
 decent sort, seem not seldom to be nearly destitute 
 of religious resources. The Sunday is with them, 
 to say the best of it, a heavy day; and that larger 
 part of it, which is not claimed by the public offices 
 of the church, dully drawls on in comfortless 
 vacuity, or without improvements, is trifled away 
 in vain and unprofitable discourse. Not to speak of 
 those who, by their more daring profanation of this 
 sacred season, openly -^^iolate the laws and insult the 
 religion of their country, how little do many seem 
 to enter into the spirit of the institution who are not 
 wholly inattentive to its exterior decorums ! How 
 glad are they to qualify the rigor of their religious 
 labors ! How hard do they plead against being com- 
 pelled to devote the whole of the day to religion, 
 claiming to themselves no small merit for giving up 
 to it a part, and purchasing therefore, as they hope, 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 153 
 
 a right to spend the remainder more agreeably ! 
 How dextrously do they avail themselves of any 
 plausible plea for introducing some week-day em- 
 ployment into the Sunday, whilst they have not the 
 same propensity to introduce any of the Sunday's 
 peculiar employment into the rest of the week ! How 
 often do they find excuses for taking journeys, wri- 
 ting letters, balancing accounts ; or, in short, doing 
 something which, by a little management, might pro- 
 bably have been anticipated, or which, without any 
 material inconvenience, might be postponed ! Even 
 business itself is recreation, compared with religion, 
 and from the drudgery of this day of sacred rest 
 they fiy for relief to their ordinary occupations. 
 
 Others again, who would consider business as a 
 profanation, and who still hold out against the en- 
 croachments of the card-table, get over much of the 
 day, and gladly seek for an innocent resource in the 
 social circle or in family visits, where it is not even 
 pretended that the conversation turns on such topics 
 as might render it in any way conducive to reli- 
 gious instruction or improvement. Their families, 
 meanwhile, are neglected, their servants robbed of 
 Christian privileges, and their example quoted by 
 others, who cannot see that they are themselves less 
 religiously employed, while playing an innocent 
 game at cards or relaxing in the concert-room. 
 
 But all these several artifices, whatever they may 
 be, to unhallow the Sunday, and to change its cha- 
 
154 INADEQUATE CONCEPTIONS OF 
 
 Tacter, prove too plainly, however we may be glad 
 to take refuge in religion, when driven to it by the 
 loss of every other comfort, and to retain, as it were, 
 a reversionary interest in an asylum which may re- 
 ceive us when we are forced from the transitory en- 
 joyments of our present state ; that in itself it wears 
 to us a gloomy and forbidding aspect, and not a face 
 of consolation and joy ; that the worship of God is 
 with us a constrained, and not a willing service, 
 which we are glad, therefore, to abridge, though we 
 dare not omit it. 
 
 Some indeed there are who, with concern and 
 grief, will confess this to be their uncomfortable 
 and melancholy state ; who humbly pray, and dili- 
 gently endeavor, for an imagination less distracted 
 at devotional seasons, for a heart more capable of 
 relishing the excellence of divine things ; and who 
 carefully guard against whatever has a tendency to 
 chain down their affections to earthly enjoyments. 
 Let not such be discouraged. It is not these whom 
 we are condemning ; but such as know, and even 
 acknowledge this to be their case, yet proceed in a 
 way directly contrary ; who, scarcely seeming to sus- 
 pect that any thing is wrong with them, voluntarily 
 acquiesce in a state of mind directly contrary to the 
 positive commands of God, which forms a perfect con- 
 trast to the representations given us in Scripture of 
 the christian character, and accords but too faithful- 
 ly, in one leading feature, with the character of those 
 
THE NATURE OF CHRISTIANITY. 155 
 
 who are stated to be the objects of Divine displea- 
 sure in this life, ard of Divine punishment in the next. 
 It is not, however, only in these essential constitu- 
 ents of a devotional frame that the bulk of nominal 
 Christians are defective. This they freely declare, 
 secretly feeling perhaps some complacency from the 
 frankness of the avowal, to be a higher strain of pi- 
 ety than that to which they aspire. Their forget- 
 fulness also of some of the leading dispositions of 
 Christianity, is undeniably apparent in their allow- 
 ed want of the spirit of kindness, and meekness, and 
 gentleness, and patience, and long-suffering ; and 
 above all, of that which is the stock on which alone 
 these dispositions can grow and flourish, that hu- 
 mility and lowliness of mind, in which perhaps, 
 more than in any other quality, may be said to con- 
 sist the true essence and vital principle of the chris- 
 tian temper. These dispositions are not only ne- 
 glected, but even disavowed and exploded ; and their 
 opposites, if not rising to any great height, are ac- 
 knowledged and applauded. A just pride, a pro- 
 per and becoming pride, are terms we daily hear. 
 To possess a high spirit, to behave with proper spi- 
 rit when used ill — by which is meant a quick feel- 
 mg of injuries, and a promptness in resenting them, 
 entitles to commendation ; and a meek-spirited dis- 
 position, the highest scripture eulogium, expresses 
 ideas of disapprobation and contempt. Vanity and 
 "ain-glory are suffered without interruption to retain 
 
156 ON THE DESIRE OF HUMAN 
 
 their natural possession of the heart. But here a 
 topic opens upon us of such importance, and on 
 which so many mistakes are to be found, both in the 
 writings of respectable authors and in the commonly 
 prevailing opinions of the world, that we must treat 
 of it in a separate section. 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 071 the desire of human estiination and applause. — The gene- 
 rally prevailing opinions contrasted with those of the true 
 Christian. 
 
 The desire of human estimation, and distinction, 
 and honor, of the admiration and applause of our 
 fellow-creatures, if we take it in all its various modi- 
 fications, from the thirst of glory to the dread of 
 shame, is the passion of which the empire is by far 
 the most general, and perhaps the authority the most 
 commanding. Though its power be most conspicu- 
 ous in the higher classes of society, it seems to 
 spare neither age, nor sex, nor condition ; and taking 
 ten thousand shapes, insinuating itself, under the 
 most specious pretexts, and sheltering itself, when 
 necessary, under the most artful disguises, it winds 
 its way in secret, when it dares not openly avow 
 itself, and mixes in all we think, and speak, and do. 
 It is in some instances the determined and declared 
 pursuit, and confessedly the main practical principle ; 
 
ESTIMATION' AND APPLAUSE. 157 
 
 but where this is not the case, it is not seldom the 
 grand spring of action, and in the beauty and the 
 author, no less than in the soldier, it is often the 
 master passion of the soul. 
 
 This is the principle Avhich parents recognize 
 with joy in their infant offspring, which is diligently 
 instilled and nurtured in advancing years, which, 
 under the names of honorable ambition and of laud- 
 able emulation, it is the professed aim of schools and 
 colleges to excite and cherish. The writer is well 
 aware that it will be thought he is pushing his 
 opinions much too far, when he assails this great 
 principle of human action ; " a principle," its advo- 
 cates might perhaps exclaim, " the extinction of 
 which would be like the annihilation in the material 
 world of the principle of motion ; without it all were 
 torpid, and cold, and comfortless. We grant," they 
 might go on to observe, "that we never ought to 
 deviate from the paths of duty in order to procure 
 the applause or to avoid the reproaches of men, and 
 we allow that this is a rule too little attended to in 
 practice. We grant that the love of praise is in some 
 instances a ridiculous, and in others a mischievous 
 passion ; that to it we owe coquettes and coxcombs, 
 and, a more serious evil, the noxious race of heroes 
 and conquerors. We too are ready, when it appears 
 in the shape of vanity, to smile at it as a foible, or 
 in that of false glory, to condemn it as a crime. But 
 all these are only its perversions ; and on account of 
 14 
 
158 ON THE DESIRE OF HUMAN 
 
 them to contend against it, were to give in to the error 
 of arguing against the use of a salutary principle 
 altogether, on account of its being liable to occasional 
 abuse. When turned into the right direction, and 
 applied to its true purposes, it prompts to every dig- 
 nified and generous enterprise. It forces indolence 
 into activity, and extorts from vice itself the deeds of 
 generosity and virtue. When once the soul is warm- 
 ed by its generous ardor, no difficulties deter, no 
 dangers terrify, no labors tire. It is this which, 
 giving by its stamp to what is virtuous and honora- 
 ble, its just superiority over the gifts of birth and 
 fortune, rescues the rich from base subjection to the 
 pleasures of sense, and makes them prefer a course 
 of toil and hardship to a life of indulgence and ease. 
 It prevents the man of rank from acquiescing in his 
 hereditary greatness, and spurs him forward in pur- 
 suit of personal distinction, and of a nobility which 
 he may justly term his own. It moderates and quali- 
 fies the over-great inequalities of human conditions ; 
 and reaching to those who are above the sphere ol 
 laws, and extending to cases which fall not within 
 their province, it limits and circumscribes the power 
 of the tyrant on his throne, and gives gentleness to 
 war, and to pride, humility. 
 
 " Nor is its influence confined to public life, nor 
 is it known only in the great and the splendid. To 
 It is to be ascribed a large portion of that courtesy 
 and disposition to please,* which naturally producing 
 
ESTIMATION AND APPLAUSE. 159 
 
 a mutual appearance of good will, and a reciproca- 
 tion of good offices, constitute much of the comfort 
 of private life. Nay, from the force of habit, it fol- 
 lows us even into solitude, and in our most secret 
 retirements we often act as if our conduct were sub- 
 ject to human observation, and we derive no small 
 complacency from the imaginary applauses of an 
 ideal spectator." 
 
 So far of the effects of the love of praise and dis- 
 tinction: and if, after enumerating some of these, 
 you should proceed to investigate its nature — " We 
 admit," it might be added, "that a hasty and mis- 
 judging world often misapplies commendations and 
 censures ; and whilst we therefore confess that the 
 praises of the discerning few are alone truly valua- 
 ble ; we acknowledge that it were better if mankind 
 were always to act from the sense of right and the 
 love of virtue, without reference to the opinions of 
 their fellow-creatures. We even allow that, inde- 
 pendently of consequences, this were perhaps in 
 itself a higher strain of virtue ; but it is a degree of 
 purity which it would be vain to expect from the 
 bulk of mankind. When the intrinsic excellence of 
 this principle, however, is called in question, let it be 
 remembered, that in its higher degrees it was styled, 
 by one who meant rather to detract from its merits 
 than to aggravate them, • the infirmity of noble 
 minds ;' and surely, that in such a soil it most na- 
 turally springs up and flourishes, is proof of its ex- 
 alted origin and generous nature. 
 
160 ON THE DESIRE OF HUMAN 
 
 *' But were these more dubious, and were it no 
 more than a splendid error ; yet, considering that it 
 works so often in the right direction, it were enough 
 to urge in its behalf, that it is a principle of real 
 action and approved energy. That it is to be pre- 
 ferred for general use, before those higher principles 
 of morals which, however just and excellent in them- 
 selves, you would in vain attempt to bring home to 
 the ' business and bosoms of mankind/ at large. 
 Reject not then a principle thus universal in its in- 
 fluence, thus valuable in its effects; a principle 
 which, by whatever name you may please to call it, 
 acts by motives and considerations suited to our con- 
 dition ; and which, putting it at the very lowest, must 
 be confessed, in our present infirm state, to be an 
 habitual aid and an ever-present support to the fee- 
 bleness of virtue ! In a selfish world it produces the 
 effects of disinterestedness ; and when public spirit is 
 extinct, it supplies the want of patriotism. Let us 
 therefore with gratitude avail ourselves of its help, 
 and not relinquish the good which it freely offers, 
 from we know not what vain dreams of impractica- 
 ble purity and unattainable perfection." 
 
 All this and much more might be urged by tho 
 advocates of this favorite principle. It would be, 
 however, no difficult task to show that it by no means 
 merits this high eulogium. To say nothing of that 
 larger part of the argument of our opponents, which 
 proceeds upon that mischievous notion of the inno- 
 
ESTIMATION AND APPLAUSE 161 
 
 cence of error, the principle in question is manifestly 
 as inconstant and variable as the innumerably di- 
 versified modes of fashions, habits, and opinions in 
 different periods and societies. What it tolerates in 
 one age, it forbids in another ; what in one country 
 it prescribes and applauds, in another it condemns 
 and stigmatizes ! Obviously and openly it often 
 takes vice into its patronage, and sets itself in direct 
 opposition to virtue. It is calculated to produce rather 
 the a'p'pearance than the reality of excellence ; and, 
 at best, not to check the love, but only the commission 
 of vice. Much of this indeed was seen and acknow- 
 ledged by the philosophers, and even by the poets 
 of the pagan world. They declaimed against it as 
 a mutable and inconsistent principle ; they lamented 
 the fatal effects which, under the name of false glory, 
 it had produced on the peace and happiness of man- 
 kind. They condemned the pursuit of it when it 
 led its followers out of the path of virtue, and taught 
 that the praise of the wise and of the good only was 
 to be desired. 
 
 But it was reserved for the page of Scripture to 
 point out distinctly wherein this is essentially de- 
 fective and vicious, and to discover to us more fully 
 its encroaching nature and dangerous tendencies ; 
 teaching us at the same time, how, being purified 
 from its corrupt qualities, and reduced under just 
 subordination, it may be brought into legitimate 
 exercise, and be directed to its true end. 
 14* 
 
162 ON THE DESIRE OF HUMAN 
 
 In the sacred volume we are throughout reminded 
 that we are originally the creatures of God's forma- 
 tion, and continual dependants on his bounty. There 
 too we learn the painful lesson of man's degradation 
 and unworthiness. We learn that humiliation and 
 contrition are the tempers of mind best suited to our 
 fallen condition, and most acceptable in the sight of 
 our Creator. We learn that these it should be our 
 habitual care to cherish and cultivate, (to the repres- 
 sion and extinction of that spirit of arrogance and 
 self-importance which is so natural to the heart 
 of man,) studiously maintaining a continual sense 
 that, not only for all the natural advantages over 
 others which we may possess, but that for all our 
 moral superiority also, we are altogether indebted to 
 the unmerited goodness of God. It might perhaps 
 be said to be the great end and purpose of all reve- 
 lation, and especially to be the design of the Gospel, 
 to reclaim us from our natural pride and selfishness, 
 and their fatal consequences ; to bring us to a just 
 sense of our weakness and depravity; and to dispose 
 us, with unfeigned humiliation, to abase ourselves, 
 and give glory to God. " No flesh may glory in 
 his presence ; he that glorieth, let him glory in the 
 Lord." — •' The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, 
 and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, 
 and the Lord alone shall be exalted." Isa. 2:11. 
 
 These solemn admonitions are too generally dis- 
 regarded, their mtimate connexion with this subject 
 
ESTIMATION AND APPLAUSE. L63 
 
 has been often entirely overlooked, even by Chris- 
 tian moralists. These authors, without reference to 
 the main -spring-, and internal principle of conduct, 
 are apt to speak of the love of human applause as 
 being meritorious or culpable, as being the desire of 
 true or of false glory, accordingly as the external 
 actions it produces, and the pursuits to which it 
 prompts, are beneficial or mischievous to mankind. 
 But it is undeniably manifest, that in the judgment 
 of the word of God, the love of worldly admiration 
 and applause is in its nature essentially and radically 
 corrupt ; so far as it partakes of a disposition to exalt 
 and aggrandize ourselves, to pride ourselves on our 
 natural or acquired endowments, or to assume to 
 ourselves the merit and credit of our good qualities, 
 instead of ascribing all the honor and glory where 
 only they are due. Its guilt therefore, in these cases, 
 is not to be measured by its effects on the happiness 
 of mankind : nor is it to be denominated true or false 
 glory, accordingly as the ends to which it is directed 
 are beneficial or mischievous, just or unjust objects 
 vi pursuit ; but it is false, because it exalts that which 
 jught to be abased; and criminal, because it en- 
 croaches on the prerogative of God. 
 
 The Scriptures further instruct us, not merely 
 that mankind are liable to error, and therefore that 
 the world's commendations may be sometimes mis- 
 taken : but that their judgment being darkened and 
 heir hearts depraved, its applauses and contempt 
 
164 ON THE DESIRE OF HUMAN 
 
 will for the most part be systematically misplaced ; 
 that though the beneficent and disinterested spirit of 
 Christianity, and her obvious tendency to promote 
 domestic comfort and general happiness, cannot but 
 extort applause ; yet that her aspiring after more 
 than ordinary excellence, by exciting secret mis- 
 givings in others, or a painful sense of inferiority 
 not unmixed with envy, cannot fail often to disgust 
 and offend. The word of God teaches us, that 
 though such of the doctrines and precepts of Chris- 
 tianity as are coincident with worldly interests and 
 pursuits, and with worldly principles and systems, 
 may be professed without offence ; yet, that what is 
 opposite to these, or even different from them, will 
 be deemed needlessly precise and strict, the indul- 
 gence of a morose and gloomy humor, the symptoms 
 of a contracted and superstitious spirit, the marks of 
 a mean, enslaved, or distorted understanding: that 
 for these and other reasons the follower of Christ 
 must not only make up his mind to the occasional 
 relinquishment of worldly favor, but that it should 
 even afford him matter of holy jealousy and sus- 
 picion of himself, when it is very lavishly and very 
 generally bestowed. 
 
 But though the standard of worldly estimation 
 differed less from that of the Gospel ; yet, since our 
 affections ought to be set on heavenly things, and 
 conversant about heavenly objects ; and since, in par. 
 dcular, the love and favor of God ought to be tha 
 
ESTIMATION AND APPLAUSE. 165 
 
 matter of our supreme and habitual desire, to which 
 every other should be subordinated ; it follows that 
 the love of human applause must be manifestly in- 
 jurious, so far as it tends to bound and circumscribe 
 our desires within the narrow limits of this world; 
 particularly that it is impure, so far as it is tinctured 
 with a disposition to estimate too highly, and love 
 too well, the good opinion and commendations of 
 man. 
 
 But though the holy Scripture warns us against 
 the inordinate desire or earnest pursuit of worldly 
 estimation and honor, though it so greatly reduces 
 their value, and prepares us for losing them without 
 surprise, and for relinquishmg them with little re- 
 luctance ; yet it teaches us that Christians in general 
 are not only not called upon absolutely and volun- 
 tarily to renounce or forego them, but that when, 
 without our having solicitously sought them, they 
 are bestowed on us for actions intrinsically good, we 
 are to accept them as being intended by Providence, 
 to be sometimes, even in this disorderly state of 
 things, a present solace, and a reward to virtue. 
 Nay more, we are instructed, that in our general 
 deportment, that in little particulars of conduct other- 
 Avise indifferent, that in the circumstances and man- 
 ner of performing actions in themselves of a deter- 
 mined character and indispensable obligation, guard- 
 ing however against the smallest degree of artifice 
 or deceit ; that by watching for opportunities of doings 
 
166 ON THE DESIRE OF HUMAN 
 
 little kindnesses, that by avoiding singularities, and 
 even humoring prejudices, where it maybe done with- 
 out the slightest infringement on truth or duty, we 
 ought to have a due respect and regard to the ap- 
 probation and favor of men. These, however, we 
 should not value chiefly as they administer to our 
 own gratification, but as furnishing means and in- 
 struments of influence, which we may turn to good 
 account, by making them subservient to the im- 
 provement and happiness of our fellow-creatures, 
 and thus conducive to the glory of God. The re- 
 mark is almost superfluous, that on occasions like 
 these we must even watch our hearts with the most 
 jealous care, lest pride and self-love insensibly infuse 
 themselves, and corrupt the purity of principles so 
 liable to contract a taint. 
 
 Credit and reputation, in the judgment of the true 
 Christian, stand on ground not very difl^erent from 
 riches ; which he is not to prize highly, or to desire 
 and pursue with solicitude ; but which, when they 
 are allotted to him by the hand of Providence, he is 
 to accept with^ thankfulness, and to use with mode- 
 ration ; relinquishing them when it becomes neces- 
 sary, without a murmur ; guarding most circum- 
 spectly, so long as they remain with him, against 
 that sensual and selfish temper, and no less against 
 that pride and wantonness of heart which they are 
 too apt to produce and cherish ; thus considering 
 them as in themselves acceptable, but, from the in- 
 
ESTIMATION AND APPLAUSE. 167 
 
 I 
 
 firmity of his nature, as highly dangerous posses- 
 sions ; and valuing them not as instruments of luxury 
 or splendor, but as affording the means of honoring 
 his heavenly Benefactor, and lessening the miseries 
 of mankind. 
 
 Christianity, however, proposes not to extinguish 
 our natural desires, but to bring them under just 
 control, and direct them to their true objects. Whilst 
 she commands us not to set our hearts on earthly 
 treasures, she reminds us that " we have in heaven 
 a better and more enduring substance" than this 
 world can bestow ; and while she represses our so- 
 licitude respecting earthly credit, and moderates 
 our attachment to it, she holds forth to us, and bids 
 us habitually to aspire after the splendors of that 
 better state, where is true glory, and honor, and im- 
 mortality ; thus exciting in us a just ambition, suited 
 to our high origin, and worthy of our large capaci- 
 ties, which the little, misplaced, and perishable dis- 
 tinctions of this life, would in vain attempt to satisfy. 
 
 It would be mere waste of time to enter into any 
 labored argument to prove at large, that the light in 
 which worldly credit and estimation are regarded, 
 by the bulk of professed Christians, is extremely 
 different from that in which they are placed by the 
 page of Scripture. The inordinate love of worldly 
 glory, indeed, implies a passion which, from the na- 
 ture of things cannot be called into exercise in the 
 generality of mankind ; because, being conversant 
 
168 ON THE DESIRE OF HUMAN 
 
 about great objects, it can but rarely find that field 
 which is requisite for its exertions. But we every 
 where discover the same principle reduced to the 
 dimensions of common life, and modified and directed 
 according to every one's sphere of action. We may 
 discover it in a supreme Jove of distinction, and ad- 
 miration, and praise; in the universal acceptableness 
 of flattery; and above all, in the excessive valuation 
 of our worldly character, in that watchfulness with 
 which it is guarded, in that jealousy when it is ques- 
 tioned, in that solicitude when it is in danger, in 
 that hot resentment when it is attacked, in that bit- 
 terness of suffering when it is impaired or lost. All 
 these emotions, as they are too manifest to be dis- 
 puted, so they are too reputable to be denied. Dis- 
 honor, disgrace, and shame present images of horror 
 too dreadful to be faced; they are evils, which it is 
 thought the mark of a generous spirit to consider as 
 excluding every idea of comfort and enjoyment, and 
 to feel, in short, as too heavy to be borne. 
 
 The consequences of all this are natural and ob- 
 vious. Though it be not openly avowed that we are 
 to follow after worldly estimation, or to escape from 
 disrepute, when they can only be pursued or avoided 
 by declining from the path of duty; nay, though the 
 contrary be recognised as being the just opinion ; 
 yet all the effect of this speculative concession is 
 soon done away in fact. Estimating worldly credit 
 as of the highest intrinsic excellence, and worldly 
 
ESTIMATION AND APPLAUSE. 169 
 
 shame as the greatest of all possible evils, we some- 
 times shape and turn the path of duty itself from its 
 true direction, so as it may favor our acquisition of 
 the one and avoidance of the other ; or when this 
 cannot be done, we boldly and openly turn aside 
 from it, declaring the temptation is too strong to be 
 resisted. 
 
 It were easy to adduce numerous proofs of the 
 truth of these assertions. It is proved, indeed, by 
 that general tendency in religion to conceal herself 
 from the view; for we might hope that in these cases 
 she often is by no means altogether extinct ; by her 
 being apt to vanish from our conversations, and even 
 to give place to a pretended licentiousness of senti- 
 ments and conduct, and a false show of infidelity. 
 It is proved by that complying acquiescence and 
 participation in the habits and manners of this dis- 
 sipated age, which has almost confounded every ex- 
 ternal distinction between the Christian and the in- 
 fidel, and has made it so rare to find any one who 
 dares incur the charge of Christian singularity, or 
 who can say with the apostle that " he is not asham- 
 ed of the Gospel of Christ." It is proved (how can 
 this proof be omitted by one to whose lot it has so 
 often fallen to witness and lament, sometimes, he 
 fears, to afibrd an instance of it?) by that quick re- 
 sentment, those bitter contentions, those angry re- 
 torts, those malicious triumphs, that impatience of 
 inferiority, that wakeful sense of past defeats, and 
 15 
 
170 ON THE DESIRE OF HUMAN 
 
 promptness to revenge them, which too often change 
 the character of a christian deliberative assembly into 
 that of a stage for prize-fighters : violating at once 
 the proprieties of public conduct and the rules of 
 social decorum, and renouncing and chasing away- 
 all the charities of the religion of Jesus ! 
 
 But from all lesser proofs our attention is drawn 
 to one of a still larger size, and more determined 
 character. Surely the reader will here anticipate 
 mention ofthe practice of duelling; a practice which, 
 to the disgrace of a christian society, has long been 
 sufl^ered to exist with little restraint or opposition. 
 
 This practice, whilst it powerfully supports, mainly 
 rests on that excessive over-valuation of character 
 which teaches that worldly credit is to be preserved 
 at any rate, and disgrace at any rate to be avoided. 
 The unreasonableness of duelling has been often 
 proved, and it has often been shown to be criminal, 
 on various principles. But it seems hardly to have 
 been enough noticed in what chiefly consists its es- 
 sential guilt ; that it is a deliberate preference of the 
 favor of man, before the favor and approbation of 
 God, in articulo mortis, in an instant, wherein our 
 own life and that of a fellow-creature are at stake, 
 and wherein we run the risk of rushing into the 
 presence of our Maker in the very act of offending 
 him. It would detain us too long, and it were some- 
 what beside our present purpose, to enumerate the 
 mischievous consequences which result from this 
 
ESTIMATION AND APPLAUSE. 171 
 
 practice. They are many and great ; and if regard 
 be had merely to the temporal interests of men, and 
 to the well-being of society, they are but poorly met 
 by the plea, which must be admitted in its behalf by 
 a candid observer of human nature, of a courtesy and 
 refinement in our modern manners unknown to an- 
 cient times. 
 
 But there is one observation which has been too 
 much overlooked. In the judgment of that religion 
 which requires purity of heart, and of that Being to 
 whom, as was before remarked, "thought is action," 
 he cannot be esteemed innocent of this crime who 
 lives in a settled habitual determination to commit it, 
 when circumstances shall call upon him so to do.* 
 This is a consideration which places the crime of 
 duelling on a different footing from almost any other; 
 indeed there is perhaps no other, which mankind 
 habitually and deliberately resolve to practice when- 
 ever the temptation shall occur. It shows also that 
 the crime of duelling is far more general in the 
 higher classes than is commonly supposed, and that 
 the whole sum of the guilt which the practice pro- 
 duces is great beyond what has perhaps been ever 
 conceived ! It will be the writer's comfort to have 
 solemnly suggested this consideration to the con- 
 sciences of those by whom this impious practice 
 iT_lght be suppressed : if such there be, which he is 
 
 * As, " Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, 
 liath committed adultery with her/' &c. Matt. 5 : 28 
 
172 ON THE DESIRE OF HUMAN 
 
 Strongly inclined to believe, theirs is the crime, and 
 theirs the responsibility of suffering it to continue. 
 
 In the foregoing observations it has not been the 
 writer's intention to discuss completely that copious 
 subject, the love of worldly estimation. Enough 
 however may have been said, to make it evident 
 that this principle is of a character highly question- 
 able ; that it should be brought under subjection, and 
 watched with the most jealous care ; that, notwith- 
 standing its lofty pretensions, it often can by no 
 means justly boast that high origin and exalted na- 
 ture which its superficial admirers are disposed to 
 concede to it. What real, intrinsic, essential value, 
 it might be asked, does there appear to be in a virtue 
 which had wholly changed its nature and character, 
 if public opinion had been different? But it is, in 
 truth, of base extraction and ungenerous qualities, 
 springing from selfishness, and vanity, and low am- 
 bition ; by these it subsists, and thrives, and acts ; and 
 envy, and jealousy, and detraction, and hatred, and 
 variance, are its faithful and natural associates. If 
 it sometimes stimulates to great and generous enter- 
 prises ; if it urges to industry, and sometimes to ex- 
 cellence ; if in the more contracted sphere it produces 
 courtesy and kindness ; yet to its account we must 
 place the ambition which desolates nations, and many 
 of the competitions and resentments which interrupt 
 the harmony of social life. The former indeed has 
 been often laid to its charge, but the latter have not 
 
ESTIMATION AND APPLAUSE, 173 
 
 Deen sufficiently attended to ; and still less has its 
 noxious influence on the vital principle and distin- 
 guishing graces of the christian character been duly 
 pointed out and enforced. 
 
 To read the writings of certain christian moral- 
 ists,* and to observe how little they seem disposed to 
 call it in question, except where it raves in the con- 
 queror, one should be almost tempted to suspect that, 
 considering it as a principle-of such potency and pre- 
 valence, as that they must despair of bringing it into 
 just subjection, they were intent only on compliment- 
 ing it into good humor, like those barbarous nations 
 which worship the evil spirit through fear ; or rather, 
 that they were making a sort of composition with an 
 enemy they could not master, and were willing, on 
 condition of its giving up the trade of war, to suffe: 
 It to rule undisturbed, and range at pleasure. 
 
 But the truth is, that the reasonings of christian 
 moralists too often exhibit but few traces of the genius 
 of christian morality. Of this position, the case be- 
 fore us is an instance. This principle of the desire 
 of worldly distinction and applause is often allowed, 
 and even commended, with too few qualifications, and 
 too little reserve. To covet wealth is base and sordid, 
 but to covet honor is treated as the mark of a ge- 
 nerous and exalted nature. These writers scarcely 
 seem to bear in mind, that though the principle in 
 
 * See in particular a paper in the Guardian, by Addison, 
 on Honor, vol. ii. 
 
 15* 
 
174 ON THE DESIRE OF HUMAN 
 
 question tends to prevent the commission of those 
 grosser acts of vice which would injure us in the 
 general estimation ; yet that it not only stops there, 
 but that it there begins to exert almost an equal force 
 in the opposite direction. They do not consider how 
 apt this principle is, even in the case of those who 
 move in a contracted sphere, to fill us with vain con- 
 ceits and vicious passions ; and above all, how it 
 tends to fix the afTections on earthly things, and to 
 steal away the heart from God. They acknowledge 
 it to be criminal when it produces mischievous ef- 
 fects, but forget how apt it is, by the substitution of 
 a false and corrupt motive, to vitiate the purity of 
 our good actions, depriving them of all which ren- 
 dered them truly and essentially valuable. Thai, 
 not to be too hastily approved, because it takes the 
 side of virtue, it often works her ruin while it as- 
 serts her cause, and like some vile seducer, pretends 
 affection, only the more surely to betray. 
 
 It is the distinguishing glory of Christianity not 
 to rest satisfied with superficial appearances, but to 
 rectify the motives and purify the heart. The true 
 Christian, in obedience to the lessons of Scripture, 
 no where keeps over himself a more resolute and 
 jealous guard, than where the desire of human esti- 
 mation and distinction is in question. No where 
 does he more deeply feel the insufficiency of his un- 
 assisted strength, or more diligently and earnestly 
 pray for Divine assistance. He may well indeed 
 
ESTIMATION AND APPLAUSE. 175 
 
 watch and pray against the encroachments of a pas- 
 sion, which, when suffered to transgress its just 
 limits, discovers a peculiar hostility to the distin- 
 guishing graces of the Christian temper ; a passion 
 which must insensibly acquire force, because it is in 
 continual exercise ; to which almost every thing 
 without administers nutriment, and the growth of 
 which within is favored and cherished by such 
 powerful auxiliaries as pride and selfishness, the 
 natural and perhaps inexterminable inhabitants of 
 the human heart ; of which the predominance, if es- 
 tablished, is thus so pernicious, and which possesses 
 so many advantages for effecting its establishment. 
 Strongly impressed therefore with a sense of the 
 indispensable necessity of guarding against the pro- 
 gress of this encroaching principle, in humble reli- 
 ance on superior aid, the true Christian thankfully 
 uses the means, and habitually exercises himself in 
 the considerations and motives suggested to him for 
 that purpose by the word of God. He is much occu- 
 pied in searching out his own infirmities. He endea- 
 vors to acquire and maintain a just conviction of his 
 great unworthiness ; and to keep m-.continual re- 
 membrance, that whatever distinguishes himself from 
 others, is not properly his own, but that he is alto- 
 gether indebted for it to the undeserved bounty of 
 Heaven. He dili^ntly endeavors, also, habitually 
 to preserve a just sense of the real worth of human 
 distinction and applause, knowing that he shall covet 
 
176 ON THE DESIRE OF HUMAN 
 
 them less when he has learned not to overrate their 
 value. He labors to bear in mind how undeservedly 
 they are often bestowed, how precariously they are 
 always possessed. The censures of good men justly 
 render him suspicious of himself, and prompt him 
 carefully and impartially to examine into those parts 
 of his character, or those particulars of his conduct, 
 which have drawn on him their animadversions. 
 The favorable opinion and the praises of good men 
 are justly acceptable to him. But, even in the case 
 of their commendations, he suffers not himself to be 
 beguiled into an over-valuation of them, lest he should 
 be led to substitute them in the place of conscience. 
 He guards against this by reflecting how indistinctly 
 we can discern each other's motives, how little enter 
 into each other's circumstances ; how mistaken there- 
 fore may be the judgments formed of us, or of our ac- 
 tions, even by good men ; and that it is far from im- 
 probable that we may at some time be compelled to 
 forfeit their esteem, by adhering to the dictates of our 
 own consciences. 
 
 But if he endeavors thus to sit loose to the favor 
 and applause even of good men, much more does he 
 to those of the world at large: not but that he is sen- 
 sible of their worth as means and instruments of use- 
 fulness and influence ; and under the limitations and 
 for the ends allowed in Scripture, he is glad to pos- 
 sess, observant to acquire, and careful to retain them. 
 He considers them, however, as desirable, not simply 
 
ESTIMATION AND APPLAUSE. 177 
 
 m their possession, but in their use. In this view, he 
 holds himself to be responsible for that share of them 
 which he enjoys, and as bound not to let them lie 
 unemployed ; not to lavish them ; not imprudently to 
 misapply them ; but as under an obligation to regard 
 them as conferred on him, that they might be brought 
 into action, and as what therefore he may by no means 
 throw away, though ready, if it be required, to re- 
 linquish them with cheerfulness ; and never feeling 
 himself at liberty, in consideration of the use he in- 
 tends to make of them, to acquire or retain them un- 
 lawfully. 
 
 Acting therefore on these principles, he will stu- 
 diously and diligently use any degree of worldly 
 credit he may enjoy, in removing or lessening pre- 
 judices ; in conciliating good will, and thereby mak- 
 ing v/ay for the less obstructed progress of truth ; 
 and in providing for its being entertained by those 
 who would bar all access against it in a rougher or 
 more homely form. He will make it his business 
 to set on foot and forward benevolent and useful 
 schemes ; and where they require united efforts, to 
 obtain and preserve for them this co-operation. He 
 will endeavor to discountenance vice, to bring mo- 
 dest merit into notice ; to lend as it were his light to 
 men of real worth, but of less creditable name, and 
 perhaps of less conciliating qualities and manners. 
 But while he strives to render his reputation, so long 
 as he possesses it, subservient to advancing the cause 
 
178 ON THE DESIRE OF HUMAN 
 
 of religion and virtue, and promoting the happiness 
 and comfort of mankind, he will not transgress the 
 rule of the scripture precepts in order to obtain, to 
 cultivate, or to preserve it, resolutely disclaiming that 
 dangerous sophistry of " doing evil that good may 
 come." Ready to relinquish his reputation when re 
 quired so to do, he will not throw it away ; and so 
 far as he allowably may, he will avoid occasions of 
 diminishing it, instead of studiously seeking, or need- 
 lessly multiplying them, as is sometimes the prac- 
 tice of worthy but imprudent men. There will be no 
 capricious humors, no selfish tempers, no morose- 
 ness, no discourtesy, no affected severity of deport- 
 ment, no peculiarity of language, no indolent neglect, 
 or wanton breach of the ordinary forms or fashions 
 of society. His reputation, if sacrificed at all, shall 
 be sacrificed at the call of duty. The world shall be 
 constrained to allow him to be amiable, as well as 
 respectable ; though, in what regards religion, they 
 may account him unreasonably precise and strict. 
 He will endeavor to reduce the enemies of religion, 
 to adopt the confession of the accusers of the Jewish 
 ruler, "We shall not find any fault or occasion against 
 this Daniel — except concerning the law of his God:" 
 and if he fall into disesteem, it shall not be chargeable 
 to any conduct which is justly dishonorable, but to the 
 false standard of estimation of a misjudgmg world. 
 When his character is thus mistaken, or his conduct 
 thus misconstrued, he will not wrap himself up in a 
 
ESTIMATION AND APPLAUSE. 179 
 
 mysterious sullenness; but will be ready to clear up 
 what has been dubious, to explain what has been im- 
 perfectly known, and " speaking- the truth in love," 
 to correct erroneous impressions. He may sometimes 
 feel it his duty publicly to vindicate his character 
 from unjust reproach, and to repel false charges ; but 
 he will carefully watch against being led away by 
 pride, or being betrayed into some breach of truth or 
 of christian charity, when he is treading in a path so 
 dangerous. At such a time he will also guard against 
 any undue solicitude about his worldly reputation for 
 its own sake ; and when he has done what duty re- 
 quires for its vindication, it will be matter of no very 
 deep concern to him if his endeavors should have 
 been ineffectual. If good men in every age and na- 
 tion have been often unjustly calumniated and dis- 
 graced, and if, in such circumstances, even the dark- 
 ness of paganism has been able contentedly to re- 
 pose itself on the consciousness of innocence, shall 
 one who is cheered by the Christian's hope, who is 
 assured, also, that a day will shortly come, in which 
 whatever is secret shall be made manifest, and the 
 mistaken judgments of men, perhaps even of good 
 men, being corrected, that " he shall then have praise 
 of God ;" shall such a one sink ?" shall he even bend 
 or droop under such a trial ? They might be more 
 excusable in over-valuing human reputation to whom 
 all beyond the grave was dark and cheerless. 
 They also might be more easily pardoned for pursu- 
 
180 ON THE DESIRE OF HUMAN 
 
 ing with eagerness and solicitude that glory which 
 might survive them, thus seeking as it were to ex 
 tend the narrow span of their earthly existence: but 
 far different is our case, to whom these clouds are 
 rolled away, and '* life and immortality brought to 
 light by the Gospel." Not but that worldly favor 
 and distinction are amongst the best things this 
 world has to offer : but the Christian knows it is the 
 very condition of his calling, not to have his portion 
 here ; and as in the case of any other earthly enjoy- 
 ments, so in that also of worldly honor, he dreads, 
 lest his supreme affections being thereby gratified, it 
 should be hereafter said to him, " Remember that 
 thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things." 
 
 He is required by his holy calling to be victorious 
 over the world ; and to this victory, the conquest of the 
 dread of its disesteem and dishonor is essentially and 
 indispensably required. He reflects on those holy men 
 who " had trial of cruel mockings ;" he remembers 
 that our blessed Savior himself "was despised and 
 rejected of men ;" and what is he, that he should be 
 exempted from the common lot, or think it much to 
 bear the scandal of his profession 1 If therefore he is 
 creditable and popular, he considers this, if the phrase 
 may be pardoned, as something beyond his bargain ; 
 and he watches himself with double care, lest he 
 should grow over-fond of what he may be shortly 
 called upon to relinquish. He meditates often on the 
 probability of his being involved in such circum- 
 
ESTIMATION- AND APPLArSE. 181 
 
 Stances as may render it necessary for him to Bub- 
 ject himself to the disgrace and obloquy of the world ; 
 thus familiarizing himself with them betimes, and 
 preparmg himself, that when the trying hour arrives 
 they may not take him unawares. 
 
 But the cultivation of the desire of " that honor 
 which cometh from God," he finds the most effectual 
 means of bringing his mind into a proper temper, in 
 what regards the love of human approbation. Chris- 
 tian ! wouldst thou indeed reduce this affection un- 
 der just control — sursum cor da ! lift up your heart ! 
 rise on the wings of contemplation, until the praises 
 and the censures of men die away upon the ear, and 
 the still small voice of conscience is no longer 
 drowned by the din of this nether world. Here the 
 sight is apt to be occupied with earthly objects, and 
 the hearing to be engrossed with earthly sounds ; 
 but there thou shalt come within the view of that re- 
 splendent and incorruptible crown which is held 
 forth to thy acceptance in the realms of light, and 
 thine ear shall be regaled with heavenly melody ! 
 Here we dwell in a variable atmosphere — the pros- 
 pect is at one time darkened by the gloom of dis- 
 grace, and at another the eye is dazzled by the 
 gleamings of glory: but thou hast now ascended 
 above this inconstant region ; no storms agitate, no 
 clouds obscure the air, and the lightnings play and 
 the thunders roll beneath thee. 
 
 Thus, at chosen seasons, the Christian exercises 
 16 
 
182 ON THE DESIRE OF HUMAN 
 
 iiimself; and when, from this elevated region, he 
 descends into the plain below, and mixes in the bus- 
 tle of life, he still retains the impressions of his more 
 retired hours. By these he realizes to himself the 
 unseen world : he accustoms himself to speak and 
 act as in the presence of *' an innumerable company 
 of angels, and of the spirits of just men made perfect, 
 and of God the Judge of all ;" the consciousness of 
 their approbation cheers and gladdens his soul un- 
 der the scoffs and reproaches of a misjudging world, 
 and to his delighted ear their united praises form a 
 harmony which a few discordant earthly voices can- 
 not interrupt. 
 
 But though the Christian is sometimes enabled 
 thus to triumph over the inordinate love of hu- 
 man applause, he does not therefore deem him- 
 self secure from its encroachments. On the con- 
 trary, he is aware, so strong and active is its princi- 
 ple of vitality, that even where it seems extinct, let 
 but circumstances favor its revival, and it will spring 
 forth again in renewed vigor. And as his watch 
 must thus, during life, know no termination, because 
 the enemy will ever be at hand ; so it must be the 
 more close and vigilant, because he is nowhere free 
 from danger, but is on every side open to attack. 
 *• Sume superbiam qucesitam mentis^ was the maxim 
 of a worldly moralist : but the Christian is aware 
 that he is particularly assailable where he really ex- 
 cels ; there he is in especial danger lest his motives, 
 
ESTIMATION AND APPLAUSE. 183 
 
 originally pure, being insensibly corrupted, he 
 should be betrayed into anxiety about worldly favor, 
 when he is endeavoring to render his virtue amiable 
 and respected in the eyes of others, and in obedience 
 to the Scripture injunction, is willing to let his " light 
 so shine before men, that they may see his good 
 works, and glorify his Father which is in heaven." 
 
 He watches himself also on small as well as on 
 great occasions: the latter indeed, in the case of 
 many persons, can hardly ever be expected to occur, 
 whereas the former are continually presenting them- 
 selves ; and thus, whilst they may be rendered highly 
 useful in forming and strengthening a just habit of 
 mind in the particular in question, so they are the 
 means most at hand for enabling us to discover our 
 own real character. Let not this be slightly passed 
 over. If any one finds himself shrinking from dis- 
 repute or disesteem in little instances, but apt to so- 
 lace himself with the persuasion that his spirits be- 
 ing fully called forth to the encounter, he could boldly 
 stand the brunt of sharper trials ; let him be slow to 
 give entertainment to so beguiling a suggestion; and 
 let him not forget that these little instances, where 
 no credit is to be got, and the vainest can find small 
 room for self-complacency, furnish perhaps the truest 
 tests whether we are ashamed of the Gospel of 
 Christ, and are willing, on principles really pure, to 
 bear reproach for the name of Jesus. 
 
 TJie Christian, too, i$ w^ll a»'are that the exce»« 
 
184 ON THE DESIRE OF HUMAN 
 
 sive desire of human approbation is a passion of so 
 subtile a nature that there is nothing into which it 
 cannot penetrate ; and from much experience, learn- 
 ing to discover it where it would lurk unseen, and 
 to detect it under its most specious disguises, he 
 finds that it is apt to insinuate itself into his very 
 religion. Proud piety and ostentatious charity, and 
 all the more open effects it there produces, have been 
 often condemned, and we may discover the tendencies 
 to them in ourselves, without difficulty. But let not 
 the Christian suffer himself to be deceived by any 
 external dissimilitudes between himself and the 
 world around him, trusting perhaps to the sincerity 
 of the principle to which they originally owed their 
 rise ; but let him beware lest, through the insensible 
 encroachments of the subtile usurper, his religion 
 should at length have "only a name to live;" lest 
 he should be mainly preserved in his religious 
 course by the dread of incurring the charge of levi- 
 ty for quitting a path on which he had deliberately 
 entered. Or where, on a strict and impartial scrutiny 
 of his governing motives, he may fairly conclude 
 this not to be the case, let him beware lest he be in 
 fluenced by this principle in particular parts of his 
 character, and especially where any external singu- 
 larities are in question ; closely scrutinizing his ap- 
 parent motives, lest he should be prompted to his 
 more than ordinary religious observances, and be 
 kept from participating in the licentious pleasures 
 
ESTIMATION AND APPLAUSE. 185 
 
 of a dissipated age, not so much by a vigorous prin- 
 ciple of internal holiness, as by a fear of lessening 
 himself in the good opinion of the stricter circle of 
 his associates, or of suffering even in the estimation 
 of the world at large, by violating the proprieties of 
 his assumed character. 
 
 To those who, in this important particular, wish to 
 conform themselves to the injunctions of the word of 
 God, we must advise a laborious watchfulness, a 
 jealous guard, a close and frequent scrutiny of their 
 own hearts, that they may not too late find them- 
 selves to have been mistaken as to what they had 
 conceived to be their governing motives. Above all, 
 let them labor, with humble prayers for the Divine 
 assistance, to fix in themselves a deep, habitual, and 
 practical sense of the excellence of "that honor 
 which Cometh from God," and of the comparative 
 worthlessness of all earthly estimation and pre-emi- 
 nence. In truth, unless the affections of the soul be 
 thus predominantly engaged on the side of heaven- 
 ly, in preference to that of human honor, though we 
 may have relinquished the pursuit of fame, we shall 
 not have acquired that firm contexture of mind which 
 can bear disgrace and shame. Between these two 
 states there is a wide interval, and he who finds rea- 
 son to believe he has arrived at the one, must not 
 therefore conclude he has reached the other. To 
 the one, a little natural moderation and quietness of 
 temper may be sufficient to conduct us ; but to the 
 1$* 
 
186 ON THE DESIRE OF HUMAN 
 
 Other we can only attain by much discipline and 
 slow advances ; and we shall often find reason to 
 confess, in the hour of trial, that we had greatly, far 
 too greatly, overrated our progress. 
 
 When engaged, too, in the prosecution of this 
 course, we must be aware of the snares which lie in 
 our way, and of the deceits to which we are liable ; 
 and we must be provided against these impositions, 
 by having obtained a full and distinct conception of 
 the temper of mind, with regard to human favor, 
 which is prescribed to us in Scripture ; and by con- 
 tinually examining our hearts and lives, to ascertain 
 how far they correspond with it. This will prevent 
 our substituting contemplation in the place of action, 
 to the neglect of the common duties of life ; this will 
 prevent our mistaking the gratification of an indo- 
 lent temper for the Christian's disregard of fame ; 
 for never let it be forgotten, we must deserve estima- 
 tion, though we may not possess it ; forcing men of 
 the world to acknowledge that we do not want their 
 boasted spring of action ; but that its place is better 
 supplied to us by another, which produces all the 
 good of theirs without its evil ; thus demonstrating 
 the superiority of the principle which animates us, 
 by the superior utility and excellence of its effects. 
 This principle, in order to be pure and genuine, 
 though nerved with more than mortal firmness, must 
 be sweetened by love, and tempered with humility. 
 The former of these qualities will render us kind, 
 
ESTIMATION AND APPLAUSE. 187 
 
 friendly, and beneficent, preventing our being no 
 longer on the watch to promote the happiness or 
 comfort of others, than whilst we are stimulated by 
 the desire of their applause ; the produce of which 
 passion, whatever may be vaunted of its effects on 
 social intercourse, is often nothing better than selfish- 
 ness, ill concealed under a superficial covering of 
 exterior courtesy. 
 
 Humility, again, reducing us in our own value, 
 will moderate our claims on worldly estimation. It 
 will check our tendency to ostentation and display, 
 prompting us rather to avoid than to attract notice. 
 It will dispose us to sit down in quiet obscurity, 
 though, judging ourselves impartiallj% we believe 
 ourselves better entitled to credit than those on 
 whom it is conferred ; closing the entrance against 
 a proud, painful, and malignant passion; from which, 
 under such circumstances, we can otherwise be hard- 
 ly free, the passion of " high disdain from sense of 
 injured merit." 
 
 Love and humility will concur in producing a 
 frame of mind not more distinct from an ardent 
 thirst of glory, than from that frigid disregard, or in- 
 solent contempt, or ostentatious renunciation of hu- 
 man favor and distinction, which we have some- 
 times seen opposed to it. These latter qualities may 
 not unfrequently be traced to a slothful, sensual, and 
 selfish temper ; to the consciousness of being unequal 
 to any great and generous attempts ; to the disap- 
 
188 ON THE DESIRE, &c. 
 
 pointment of schemes of ambition or of glory ; to a 
 little personal experience of the world's capricious 
 and inconstant humor. The renunciation in these 
 cases, however sententious, is often far from sincere ; 
 and it is even made not unfrequently with a view to 
 the attainment of that very distinction which it affects 
 to disclaim. In some other of these instances, the 
 over-valuation and inordinate desire of worldly 
 credit, however disavowed, are abundantly evident, 
 from the merit which is assumed for relinquishing 
 them ; or from that sour and surly humor, which 
 betrays a gloomy and a corroded mind, galled and 
 fretting under the irritating sense of the want of that 
 which it most wishes to possess. 
 
 But the Christian's is a far different temper : not 
 a temper of sordid sensuality, or lazy apathy, or dog- 
 matizing pride, or disappointed ambition : more truly 
 independent of worldly estimation than philosophy 
 with all her boasts, it forms a perfect contrast to epi- 
 curean selfishness, to stoical pride, and to cynical 
 brutality. It is a temper compounded of firmness, and 
 complacency, and peace, and love ; manifesting itself 
 in acts of kindness and of courtesy; a kindness not 
 pretended, but genuine ; a courtesy not false and su- 
 perficial, but cordial and sincere. In the hour of po- 
 pularity it is not intoxicated or insolent ; in the hour 
 of unpopularity it is not desponding or morose ; un- 
 shaken in constancy, unwearied in benevolence, firm 
 without roughness, and assiduous without servility. 
 
AMIABLE TEMPERS, Ac. 189 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 l^he generally prevailing error, of substituting amiable tempers 
 and useful lives in the place of rcligio7i, stated and confuted ; 
 with hints to real Christians. 
 
 There is another practical error very generally 
 prevalent, the effects of which are highly injurious 
 to the cause of religion ; and which in particular is 
 often brought forward, when, upon Christian princi- 
 ples, any advocates for Christianity would press the 
 practice of Christian virtues. 
 
 The error in question is that of exaggerating the 
 merit of certain amiable and useful qualities, and of 
 considering them as sufficient to compensate for the 
 want of the supreme love and fear of God. 
 
 It seems to be an opinion pretty generally preva- 
 lent, that kindness and sweetness of temper ; sym- 
 pathizing, and benevolent, and generous affections ; 
 attention to what, in the world's estimation, are the 
 domestic, relative and social duties ; and, above all, a 
 life of general activity and usefulness, may well be 
 allowed, in our imperfect state, to make up for the 
 defect of what in strict propriety of speech is termed 
 religion. 
 
 Many indeed will unreservedly declare, and more 
 will hint the opinion, that " the difference between 
 the qualities above mentioned and religion, is rather 
 a verbal or logical, than a real and essential differ- 
 ence ; for in truth, what are they but religion in sub- 
 
190 AMIABLE TEMPERS AND 
 
 Stance, if not in name ? Is it not the great end of re- 
 ligion, and in particular the glory of Christianity, to 
 extinguish the malignant passions ; to curb the vio- 
 lence, to control the appetites, and to smooth the as- 
 perities of man ; to make us compassionate, and kind, 
 and forgiving, one to another ; to make us good hus- 
 bands, good fathers, good friends ; and to render us 
 active and useful in the discharge of the relative, so- 
 cial, and civil duties ? We do not deny, that in the 
 general mass of society, and particularly in the low- 
 er orders, such conduct and tempers cannot be dif- 
 fused and maintained by any other medium than 
 that of religion. But if the end be effected, surely it 
 is only unnecessary refinement to dispute about the 
 means. It is even to forget your own principles, 
 and to refuse its just place to solid, practical virtue, 
 while you assign too high a value to speculative 
 opinions." 
 
 Thus a fatal distinction is admitted between mo- 
 rality and religion — a great and desperate error, of 
 which it is the more necessary to take notice, be- 
 cause many who would condemn, as too strong, the 
 language in which this opinion is sometimes openly 
 avowed, are yet more or less tinctured with the no- 
 tion itself; and under the habitual and almost un- 
 perceived influence of this beguiling suggestion, are 
 vainly solacing their imaginations, and repressing 
 their well-grounded fears concerning their own state; 
 and are also quieting their just solicitude concerning 
 
USEFUL LIVES NOT RELIGION. 191 
 
 the spiritual condition of others, and soothing them- 
 selves in the neglect of friendly endeavors for their 
 improvement. 
 
 There can hardly be a stronger proof of the curso- 
 ry and superficial views with which men are apt to 
 satisfy themselves in religious concerns, than the 
 prevalence of the opinion here in question ; the false- 
 hood and sophistry of which must be acknowledged 
 by any one who, admitting the authority of Scripture, 
 will examine it with ever so little seriousness and 
 impartiality of mind. 
 
 Appealing even to a less strict standard, it would 
 not be difficult to show that the moral worth of these 
 sweet and benevolent tempers, and of these useful 
 lives, is greatly overrated. The former involuntarily 
 gain upon our affections, and disarm our severer 
 judgments, by their kindly complying, and apparent- 
 ly disinterested nature ; by their prompting men to 
 flatter instead of mortifying our pride, to sympathize 
 either with our joys or our sorrows, to abound in 
 obliging attentions and offices of courtesy ; by their 
 obvious tendency to produce and maintain harmony 
 and comfort in social and domestic life. It is not 
 however unworthy of remark, that from the commen- 
 dations generally bestowed on these qualities, and 
 their rendering men universally acceptable and po- 
 pular, there is many a false pretender to them, who 
 gains a credit for them which he by no means de- 
 serves • in whom they are no more than the proprie- 
 
192 AMIABLE TEMPERS AND 
 
 ties of his assumed character, or worn in public only 
 the belter to conceal an opposite temper. Would you 
 see this man of courtesy and sweetness stripped of 
 his false covering, follow him unobserved into his fa- 
 mily, and you shall behold, too plain to be mistaken, 
 selfishness and spleen harassing and vexing the 
 wretched subjects of their unmanly tyranny, as if 
 they were making up to themselves for the restraint 
 which had been imposed on them in the world. 
 
 But where the benevolent qualities are genuine, 
 they often deserve the name rather of amiable in- 
 stincts than of moral virtues. In many cases, they 
 imply no mental conflict, no previous discipline : they 
 are apt to evaporate in barren sensibilities, and tran- 
 sitory sympathies, and indolent wishes, and unpro- 
 ductive declarations : they possess not that strength 
 and energy of character which, in contempt of diffi- 
 culties and dangers, produce alacrity in service, vi- 
 gor and perseverance in action. Destitute of proper 
 firmness, they often encourage that vice and folly 
 which it is their especial duty to repress; and it is 
 well if, from their soft complying humor, they are not 
 often drawn in to participate in what is wrong, as well 
 as to connive at it. Thus their possessors are fre 
 quently, in the eye of truth and reason, bad magis- 
 trates, bad parents, bad friends ; defective in thoso 
 very qualities which give to each of those several 
 relations its chief and appropriate value. And this 
 is a defect v/hich might well bring into question that 
 
fSEFtTL LIVES NOT RELIGION. 193 
 
 freedom from selfishness which is so often claimed; 
 inasmuch as there is too great reason to fear that it 
 often arises in us chiefly from indisposition to submit 
 to a painful effort, though real good-will commands 
 the sacrifice, or from the fear of lessening the good 
 opinion -which is entertained of us. 
 
 These qualities also, when they are not grounded 
 and rooted in religion, are of a sickly and short-lived 
 nature, and want that temperament which is requi- 
 site for enabling them to bear the rude shocks and 
 the variable and churlish seasons to which, in such 
 a world as this, they must ever be exposed. It is 
 only a Christian love of which it is the character 
 that "it suffereth long, and yet is kind; that it is not 
 easily provoked ; that it beareth all things, and en- 
 dureth all things." In the spring of youth, indeed, 
 we are flushed with health and confidence ; hope is 
 young and ardent, our desires are unsated, and what- 
 ever we see has the grace of novelty ; we are the 
 more disposed to be good-natured, because we are 
 pleased ; pleased, because universally well received. 
 Wherever we cast our eyes, we see some face of 
 friendship, and love, and gratulation: all nature 
 smiles around us. Now the amiable tempers of 
 which we have been speaking naturally spring up. 
 The soil suits, the climate favors them. They ap- 
 pear to shoot forth vigorously, and blossom in gay 
 luxuriance. To the superficial eye, all is fair and 
 flourishing ; we anticipate the fruits of autumn, and 
 17 
 
194 AMIABLE TEMPERS AND 
 
 promise ourselves an ample produce. But by and 
 by the sun scorches, the frost nips, the winds rise, 
 the rains descend; all our fond expectations are no 
 more. Our youthful efforts, let it be supposed, have 
 been successful ; and we rise to wealth or eminence. 
 A kind flexible temper and popular manners have 
 produced in us, as they are too apt, a youth of easy, 
 social dissipation and unproductive idleness ; and 
 we are overtaken too late by the consciousness of 
 having wasted that time which cannot be recalled, 
 and those opportunities which we cannot now reco- 
 ver. We sink into disregard and obscurity when, 
 there being a call for qualities of more energy, indo- 
 lent good nature must fall back. We ar€ thrust out 
 of notice by accident or misfortunes. We are left 
 behind by those with whom we started on equal 
 terms, and who, originally perhaps having less pre- 
 tensions and fewer advantages, have greatly out- 
 stripped us in the race of honor ; and their having 
 got before us is often the more galling, because it 
 appears to us, and perhaps with reason, to have been 
 chiefly owing to a generous, easy, good-natured hu- 
 mor on our part, which led us to give place, without 
 a struggle, to their more lofty pretensions. Thus we 
 suffered them quietly to occupy a station to which 
 originally we had as fair a claim as they ; but our 
 awkward and vain endeavors to recover it, while 
 they show that we want self knowledge and compo- 
 sure in our riper years, as much as in our younger 
 
USEFUL LIVES NOT RELIGION. 195 
 
 we had been destitute of exertion, serve only to make 
 our inferiority more manifest, and to bring our dis- 
 content into the fuller notice of an ill-natured world, 
 which, however, not unjustly condemns and ridicules 
 our misplaced ambition. 
 
 It may be sufficient to have hinted at a few of the 
 vicissitudes and changes of advancing life. Now the 
 bosom is no longer cheerful and placid ; and if the 
 countenance preserve its exterior character, this is 
 no longer the honest expression of the heart. Pros- 
 perity and luxury, gradually extinguishing sympa- 
 thy and puffing up with pride, harden and debase 
 the soul. In other instances, shame secretly clouds, 
 and remorse begins to sting, and suspicion to corrode, 
 and jealousy and envy to imbitter. Disappointed 
 hopes, unsuccessful competitions, and frustrated pur- 
 suits, sour and irritate the temper. A little personal 
 experience of the selfishness of mankind damps our 
 generous warmth and kind affections ; reproving the 
 prompt sensibility and unsuspecting simplicity of our 
 earlier years. Above all, ingratitude sickens the 
 heart, and chills and thickens the very life's-blood 
 of benevolence ; till at length our youthful Nero, soft 
 and susceptible, becomes a hard and cruel tyrant; 
 and our youthful Timon, the gay, the generous, the 
 beneficent, is changed into a cold, sour, silent mis- 
 anthrope. 
 
 And, as in the case of amiable tempers, so in that 
 also of what are called useful lives, it must be con- 
 
196 AMIABLE TEMPERS AND 
 
 fessed that their intrinsic worth, arguing still merely 
 on principles of reason, is apt to be greatly overrated. 
 They are often the result of a disposition naturally 
 bustling and active, which delights in motion, and 
 finds its labor more than repaid, either by the very 
 pleasure which it takes in its employments, or by the 
 credit which it derives from them. More than this: 
 if it be granted that religion tends in general to pro- 
 duce usefulness ; and therefore that these irreligious 
 men of useful lives are rather exceptions to the gene- 
 ral rule ; it must at least be confessed that they are 
 60 far useless, or even positively mischievous, as they 
 either neglect to encourage, or actually discourage 
 that principle which is the great operative spring of 
 usefulness in the bulk of mankind. 
 
 Thus it might well perhaps be questioned, esti- 
 mating these men by their own standard, whether 
 the particular good in this case, is not more than 
 counterbalanced by the general evil ; still more, if 
 their conduct being brought to a strict account, they 
 should be charged, as they justly ought, with the loss 
 of the good which, if they had manifestly and avow- 
 edly acted from a higher principle, might have been 
 produced, not only directly in themselves, but indi- 
 rectly and remotely in others, from the extended ef- 
 ficacy of a religious example. They may be com- 
 pared to persons whom some peculiarity of constitu- 
 tion enables to set at defiance those established rules 
 of living which must be observed by the world at 
 
USEFUL LIVES NOT RELIGION. 197 
 
 large. These healthy debauchees, however they may 
 plead in their defence that they do themselves no in- 
 jury, would probably, but for their excesses, have 
 both enjoyed their health better, and preserved it 
 longer, as well as have turned it to better account ; 
 and it may at least be urged against them, that they 
 disparage the laws of temperance, and fatally betray 
 others into the breach of them, by affording an in- 
 stance of their being transgressed with impunity. 
 
 But were the merit of the qualities in question 
 greater than it is, and though it were not liable to 
 the exceptions which have been alledged against it, 
 yet could they be in no degree admitted as a com- 
 pensation for the want of the supreme love and fear 
 of God, and of a predominant desire to promote his 
 glory. The observance of one commandment, how- 
 ever clearly and forcibly enjoined, cannot make up for 
 the neglect of another, which is enjoined with equal 
 clearness and equal force. To allow this plea in the 
 present instance, would be to permit men to abrogate 
 the first table of the law, on condition of their obey- 
 ing the second. But religion suffers not any such 
 composition of duties. It is on the very self-same 
 miserable principle that .some have thought to atone 
 for a life of injustice and rapine by the strictness of 
 their religious observances. If the former class of 
 men can plead the diligent discharge of their duties 
 to their fellow-creatures, the latter will urge that of 
 theirs to God. We easily see the falsehood of the 
 17* 
 
198 AMIABLE TEMPERS AND 
 
 plea in the latter case ; and it is only self-deceit and 
 partiality which prevent its being equally visible in 
 the former. Yet so it is ; such is the unequal mea- 
 sure, if I may be allowed the expression, which we 
 deal out to God, and to each other. It Avould justly 
 and universally be thought false confidence in the 
 religious thief, or the religious adulterer, (to admit for 
 the sake of argument such a solecism in terms,) to 
 solace himself with the firm persuasion of the Divine 
 favor ; but it will, to many, appear hard and over- 
 precise, to deny this firm persuasion of Divine ap- 
 probation to the avowedly irreligious man of social 
 and domestic usefulness. 
 
 Will it be urged here that the waiter is not doing 
 justice to his opponent's argument ; which is, not 
 that irreligious men of useful lives may be excused 
 for neglecting their duties towards God, in conside- 
 ration of their exemplary discharge of their duties 
 towards their fellow-creatures ; but that in perform- 
 ing the latter, they perform the former virtually and 
 substantially, if not in name ? 
 
 Can then our opponent deny that the Holy Scrip- 
 tures are in nothing more full, frequent, strong, and 
 unequivocal, than in their injunctions on us supreme- 
 ly to love and fear God, and to worship and serve 
 him continually with humble and grateful hearts ; 
 habitually regarding him as our Benefactor, and So- 
 vereign, and Father, and abounding in sentiments of 
 gratitude, and loyalty, and respectful affection ? Can 
 
USEFUL LIVES NOT RELIGION. 199 
 
 he deny that these positive precepts are rendered, if 
 possible, still more clear, and their authority still 
 more binding, by illustrations and indirect confir- 
 mations almost innumerable? And who then is that 
 bold intruder into the council of Infinite Wisdom, 
 who, in contempt of these precise commands, thus 
 illustrated also and confirmed, will dare to maintain 
 that, knowing the intention with which they were 
 primarily given, and the ends they were ultimately 
 designed to produce, he may innocently neglect or 
 violate their plain obligations, on the plea that he 
 conforms himself, though in a different manner, to 
 this primary intention, and produces, though by dif- 
 ferent means, these real and ultimate ends ? 
 
 This mode of arguing is one with which, to say 
 nothing of its insolent profaneness, the heart of man, 
 prone to deceive himself, and partial in his own cause, 
 is not fit to be trusted. Here, again, more cautious 
 and jealous in the case of our worldly than of our 
 religious interests, we readily discern the fallacy of 
 this reasoning, and protest against it, when it is at- 
 tempted to be introduced into the commerce of life. 
 We see clearly that it would afford the means of 
 refining away by turns every moral obligation. 
 The adulterer might allow himself, with a good 
 conscience, to violate the bed of his unsuspecting 
 friend, whenever he could assure himself that his 
 crime would escape detection ; for then, where would 
 be the evil and misery the prevention of which was 
 
200 AMIABLE TEMPERS AND 
 
 the real ultimate object of the prohibition of adultery? 
 The thief, in like manner, and even the murderer, 
 might find abundant room for the innocent exercise 
 of their respective occupations, arguing from the 
 primary intention and real objects of the commands 
 by which theft and murder were forbidden. There 
 perhaps exists not a crime to which this crooked 
 morality would not furnish some convenient opening. 
 
 But this miserable sophistry deserves not that we 
 should spend so much time in the refutation of it. 
 To discern its fallaciousness requires not acuteness 
 of understanding so much as a little common ho- 
 nesty. " There is indeed no surer mark of a false 
 and hollow heart, than a disposition thus to quibble 
 away the clear injunctions of duty and conscience."* 
 It is the wretched resource of a disingenuous mind, 
 endeavoring to escape from convictions before which 
 it cannot stand, and to evade obligations which it 
 dares not disavow. 
 
 The arguments which have been adduced would 
 surely be sufficient to disprove the extravagant pre- 
 tensions of the qualities under consideration, though 
 those qualities were perfect in their nature. But 
 they are not perfect. On the contrary, they are 
 radically defective and corrupt; they are a body 
 without a soul ; they want the vital actuating prin- 
 ciple, or rather, they are animated and actuated by 
 a false one. Christianity — let me avail myself of 
 
 ♦ Seo Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiments. 
 
USEFUL LIVES NOT RELIGION. 201 
 
 the very words of a friend* in maintaining her ar 
 gument — is " a religion of motives." That only is 
 Christian practice which flows from Christian prin- 
 ciples ; and none else will be admitted as such by 
 Him who will be obeyed as well as worshiped " in 
 spirit and in truth," 
 
 This also is a position of which, in our intercourse 
 with our fellow-creatures, we clearly discern the 
 justice, and universally admit the force. Though we 
 have received a benefit at the hands of any one, we 
 scarcely feel grateful if we do not believe the inten- 
 tion towards us to have been friendly. Have we 
 served any one from motives of kindness, and is a 
 return of service made to us ? We hardly feel our- 
 selves worthily requited, except that return be dic- 
 tated by gratitude. We should think ourselves rather 
 injured than obliged by it, if it were merely prompted 
 by a proud unwillingness to continue in our debt.f 
 What husband, or what father, not absolutely dead 
 to every generous feeling, would be satisfied with a 
 wife or a child, who, though he could not charge 
 them with any actual breach of their respective ob- 
 ligations, should yet confessedly perform them from 
 a cold sense of duty, in place of the quickening 
 energies of conjugal and filial aflJection? What an 
 
 ♦ The writer hopes that the work to which he is referring 
 is so well known, that he needs scarcely name Mrs. H. 
 More. 
 
 t See Smitli's Theory of Moral Sentiments. 
 
202 AMIABLE TEMPERS AND 
 
 insult would it be to such a one, to tell him gravely 
 that he had no reason to complain ! 
 
 The unfairness with which we suffer ourselves 
 to reason in matters of religion, is no where more 
 striking than in the instance before us. It were per- 
 naps not unnatural to suppose that, as we have no 
 sure way of judging any one's internal principles 
 but by his external actions, it would have grown 
 into an established rule, that when the latter were 
 unobjectionable, the former were not to be question- 
 ed ; and on the other hand, that in reference to a Be- 
 ing who searches the heart, our motives, rather than 
 our external actions, would be granted to be the just 
 objects of inquiry. But we exactly reverse these 
 natural principles of reasoning. In the case of our 
 fellow-creatures, the motive is that which we prin- 
 cipally inquire after and regard. But in the case of 
 our Supreme Judge, from whom no secrets are hid, 
 we suffer ourselves to believe that internal principles 
 may be dispensed with, if the external action be 
 performed ! 
 
 Let us not however be supposed ready to concede, 
 in contradiction to what has been formerly contend- 
 ed, that where the true motive is wanting, the ex- 
 ternal actions themselves will not generally betray 
 the defect. Who will not confess in the instance so 
 lately put, of a wife and a child who should dis- 
 charge their respective obligations merely from a 
 cold sense of duty, that the inferiority of their ac- 
 
rSEFUL LIVES NOT RELIGION. 203 
 
 tuating principle would not be confined to its nature, 
 but would be discoverable also in its effects ? Who 
 does not feel that these domestic services, thus robbed 
 of their vital spirit, would be so debased and de- 
 graded in our estimation, as to become not barely 
 lifeless and uninteresting, but even distasteful and 
 loathsome ? Who will deny that these would be per- 
 formed in fuller measure, with more wakeful and 
 unwearied attention, as well as with more heart ; 
 where, with the same sense of duty, the enlivening 
 principle of affection should be also associated? 
 
 The enemies of religion are sometimes apt to 
 compare the irreligious man, of a temper naturally 
 sweet and amiable, with the religious man of natural 
 roughness and severity ; the irreligious man of na- 
 tural activity, with the religious man who is naturally 
 indolent; and thence to draw their inferences. But 
 this mode of reasoning is surely unjust. If they 
 would argue the question fairly, they should make 
 their comparisons between persons of similar natural 
 qualities, not in one or two examples, but in a mass 
 of instances. They would then be compelled to con- 
 fess the efficacy of religion in heightening the bene- 
 volence and increasing the usefulnesss of men ; and 
 to admit that, granting the occasional, but rare exist- 
 ence of genuine and persevering benevolence of dis- 
 position and usefulness of life \vhere the religious 
 principle is wanting, yet that experience gives us 
 reason to believe that true religion, while it would 
 
204 AMIABLE TEMPERS AND 
 
 have implanted these qualities in persons in whom 
 before they had no place, would have rendered the 
 amiable more amiable, the useful more useful, with 
 fewer inconsistencies, with less abatement. 
 
 Let true Christians meanwhile be ever mmdful 
 that they are loudly called upon to make this argu- 
 ment still more clear, these positions still less ques- 
 tionable. You are every where commanded to be 
 tender and sympathetic, diligent and useful ; and it 
 is the character of that '• wisdom from above," in 
 which you are to be proficients, that it " is gentle 
 and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good 
 ftuits," Could the efficacy of Christianity in soften- 
 ing the heart be denied by those who saw, in the 
 instance of the great apostle of the Gentiles, that it 
 was able to transform a bigoted, furious, and cruel 
 persecutor, into an almost unequalled example of 
 candor and gentleness, and universal tenderness and 
 love? Could its spirit of active beneficence be denied 
 by those who saw its Divine Author so diligent and 
 unwearied in his benevolent labors, as to justify the 
 compendious description which was given of him by 
 a personal witness of his exertions, that he " went 
 about doing good ? Imitate these blessed examples ; 
 60 shall you vindicate the honor of your profession, 
 and " put to silence the ignorance of foolish men ;" 
 so shall you obey those divine injunctions of adorn- 
 ing the doctrine of Christ, and of "letting your light 
 shine before men, that they may see your good works 
 
tJSEFUL LIVES NOT RELIOIOK 205 
 
 and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Beat 
 the world at its own best weapons. Let your love 
 be more affectionate, your mildness less open to ir- 
 ritation, your diligence more laborious, your activity 
 more wakeful and persevering. Consider sweetness 
 of temper and activity of mind, if they naturally be- 
 long to you, as talents of special worth and utility, 
 for which you will have to give account. Care- 
 fully watch against whatever might impair them ; 
 cherish them with constant assiduity ; keep them in 
 continual exercise, and direct them to their noblest 
 ends. The latter of these qualities renders it less 
 difficult, and therefore more incumbent on you to be 
 ever abounding in the work of the Lord ; and to be 
 copious in the production of that species of good 
 fruit, of which mankind in general will be most 
 ready to allow the excellence, because they best un- 
 derstand its nature. In your instance, the solid sub- 
 stance of christian practice is easily susceptible ol 
 that high and beautiful polish, which may attract 
 the attention, and extort the admiration of a careless 
 and undiscerning world, so slow to notice, and so 
 backward to acknowledge intrinsic worth when con- 
 cealed under a less sightly exterior. Know, then, 
 and value as you ought, the honorable office which 
 is especially devolved on you. Let it be your ac- 
 ceptable service to recommend the discredited cause, 
 and sustain the fainting interests of religion, to fur- 
 nish to her friends matters of sound and obvious 
 IS 
 
206 AMIABLE TEMPERS AND 
 
 argument, and of honest triumph ; and if your best 
 endeavors cannot conciliate, to refute at least, and 
 confound her enemies. 
 
 If, on the other hand, you are conscious that you 
 are naturally rough and austere, that disappoint- 
 ments have soured, or prosperity has elated you, or 
 that habits of command have rendered you quick in 
 expression, and impatient of contradiction ; or if, from 
 whatever other cause, you have contracted an un- 
 happy peevishness of temper or asperity of manners, 
 or harshness and severity of language, remember 
 that these defects are by no means incompatible with 
 an aptness to perform services of substantial kind- 
 ness. If nature has been confirmed by habit till your 
 soul seems thoroughly tinctured with these evil dis- 
 positions, yet do not despair. Remember that the Di- 
 vine agency is promised "to take away the heart of 
 stone, and give a heart of flesh," of which it is the 
 natural property to be tender and susceptible. Pray 
 then earnestly and perseveringly, that the blessed aid 
 of Divine grace may operate efTectually on your be- 
 half Beware of acquiescing in evil tempers, under 
 the idea that they are the ordinary imperfections of 
 the best of men; that they show themselves only in 
 little instances ; that they are only occasional, hasty, 
 and transient effusions, when you are taken off your 
 guard ; the passing shade of your mind, and not the 
 .settled color. Beware of excusing or allowing them 
 in yourself, under the notion of warm zeal for the 
 
USEFUL LIVES NOT RELIGION. 207 
 
 cause of religion and virtue, which you perhaps own 
 is now and then apt to carry you into somewhat 
 over-great severity of judgment or sharpness of re- 
 proof. Listen not to these, or any other such flatter- 
 ing excuses, which your own heart will be but too 
 ready to suggest to you. Scrutinize yourself rather 
 with rigorous strictness ; and where there is so much 
 room for self-deceit, call in the aid of some faithful 
 friend, and unbosoming yourself to him without con- 
 cealment, ask his impartial and unreserved opinion 
 of your behavior and condition. Our unwillingness 
 to do this often betrays to others, not seldom it first 
 discovers to ourselves, that we entertain a secret dis- 
 trust of our own character and conduct. Instead also of 
 extenuating to yourself the criminality of the vicious 
 tempers under consideration, strive to impress your 
 mind deeply with a sense of it. For this end, often 
 consider seriously that these rough and churlish 
 tempers are a direct contrast to the "meekness and 
 gentleness of Christ ;" and that Christians are strong- 
 ly and repeatedly enjoined to copy after their great 
 Model in these particulars, and to be themselves pat- 
 terns of " mercy and kindness, and humbleness of 
 mind, and meekness, and long-suffering." They are 
 to "put away all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, 
 and clamor, and evil-speaking ;" not only " being 
 ready to every good work, but being gentle unto all 
 men ;" " showing all meekness unto all men ;" " for- 
 bearing, forgiving," tender-hearted. Remember the 
 
208 AMIABLE TEMPERS AND 
 
 apostle's declaration, that " if any man bridleth not 
 his tongue, he only seemeth to be religious, and de- 
 ceiveth his own heart ;" and that it is one of the cha- 
 racters of that love, without which all pretensions 
 to the name of Christian are but vain, that " it doth 
 not behave itself unseemly." Consider how much 
 these acrimonious tempers must break in upon the 
 peace, and destroy the comfort of those around you. 
 Remember also that the honor of your Christian pro- 
 fession is at stake, and be solicitous not to discredit 
 it; justly dreading lest you should disgust those 
 whom you ought to conciliate, and by conveying 
 an unfavorable impression of your principles and 
 character, should incur the guilt of putting an " of- 
 fence in your brother's way ;" thereby " hindering 
 the Gospel of Christ," the advancement of which 
 should be your daily and assiduous care. 
 
 Thus having come to the full knowledge of your 
 disease, and to a just impression of its malignity, 
 strive against it with incessant watchfulness. Guard 
 against its breaking forth into act. Force yourself 
 to abound in little offices of courtesy and kindness ; 
 and you shall gradually experience in the perform- 
 ance of these a pleasure hitherto unknown. But 
 take not up with external amendment ; and remem- 
 ber that the Christian is not to be satisfied with the 
 world's superficial courtliness of demeanor, but that 
 his " love is to be without dissimulation." Examine 
 carefully whether the unchristian tempers which 
 
USEFUL LIVES NOT RELIGION. 209 
 
 you would eradicate, are not maintained by selfish- 
 ness and pride; and strive to subdue them effectually. 
 Accustom yourself to endeavor to look attentively up- 
 on a careless and inconsiderate world, which, while it 
 is in such eminent peril, is so ignorant of its danger. 
 Dwell upon this affecting scene, till it has excited 
 your pity ; and this pity, while it melts the mind to 
 Christian love, shall insensibly produce a temper of 
 habitual sympathy and softness. By means like 
 these, perseveringly used in constant dependence on 
 Divine aid, you may confidently hope to make con- 
 tinual progress. Among men of the world, a youth 
 of softness and sweetness will often, as we formerly 
 remarked, harden into insensibility, and sharpen into 
 moroseness. But it is the office of Christianity to 
 reverse this order. It is pleasing to witness this 
 blessed renovation ; to see, as life advances, asperi- 
 ties gradually smoothing down, and roughnesses 
 mellowing away; while the subject of this happy 
 change experiences within, increasing measures of 
 the comfort which he diffuses around him ; and feel- 
 ing the genial influences of that heavenly flame, 
 which can thus give life, and warmth, and action to 
 what had been hitherto rigid and insensible, looks 
 up with gratitude to Him who has shed abroad this 
 principle of love in his heart ; 
 
 Miraturque novas frondes et non sua poma. 
 
 Let it not be thought that in the foregoing discua- 
 18» 
 
210 AMIABLE TEMPERS AND 
 
 sion the amiable and useful qualities, where they 
 are not prompted and governed by a principle of re- 
 ligion, have been spoken of in too disparaging terms. 
 Nor would I be understood as unwilling to concede 
 to those who are living in the exercise of them, their 
 proper tribute of commendation. Of such persons it 
 must be said, in the language of Scripture, " They 
 have their reward." They have it in the inward 
 complacency which a sweet temper seldom fails to 
 inspire ; in the comforts of the domestic or social 
 circle : in the pleasure which, from the constitution 
 of our nature, accompanies pursuit and action. They 
 are always beloved in private, and generally respect- 
 ed in public life. But when devoid of religion, if 
 the word of God be not a fable, •' they cannot enter 
 into the kingdom of heaven." True practical Chris- 
 tianity, never let it be forgotten, consists in devoting 
 the heart and life to God ; in being supremely and 
 habitually governed by a desire to know, and a dis- 
 position to fulfill his will, and in endeavoring, under 
 the influence of these motives, to " live to his glory.'' 
 Where these essential requisites are wanting, how- 
 ever amiable the character may be, however credit- 
 able and respectable among men ; yet, as it possesses 
 not the grand distinguishing essence, it must not be 
 complimented with the name of Christianity. This, 
 however, must commonly be a matter between God 
 and a man's own conscience ; and we ought never 
 to forget how strongly we are enjoined to be liberal 
 
USEFUL LIVES NOT RELIGION. 211 
 
 in judging the motives of others, while we are strict 
 in scrutinizing and severe in questioning our own. 
 And this strict scrutiny is no where more necessary, 
 because there is no where more room for the opera- 
 tion of self-deceit. We are all extremely prone to lend 
 ourselves to the good opinion which, however falsely, 
 is entertained of us by others ; and though we at first 
 suspect, or even indubitably know, that their esteem 
 is unfounded and their praises undeserved, and that 
 they would have thought and spoken of us very dif- 
 ferently if they had discerned our secret motives, or 
 had been accurately acquainted with all the circum- 
 stances of our conduct; we gradually suffer our- 
 selves to adopt their judgment of us, and at length 
 feel that we are in some sort injured or denied our 
 due, when these false commendations are contradict- 
 ed or withheld. Without the most constant watch- 
 fulness, and the most close and impartial self-exami- 
 nation, irreligious people of amiable tempers, and 
 still more those of useful lives, from the general po- 
 pularity of their character, will be particularly liable 
 to become the dupes of this propensity. Men of real 
 religion will also do well to watch against this delu- 
 sion. There is, however, another danger against 
 which it is necessary to warn them. In their en- 
 deavors to fulfill this obligation, let them specially be- 
 ware lest, setting out on right principles, they insen- 
 sibly lose them in the course of their progress — lest, 
 engaging originally in the business and bustle of the 
 
212 AMIABLE TEMPERS AND 
 
 world, from a sincere and earnest desire to promote 
 the glory of God, their minds should become so heat- 
 ed and absorbed in the pursuit of their object, that 
 the true motive of action should either altogether 
 cease to be an habitual principle, or should at least 
 lose much of its life and vigor — lest their thoughts 
 and affections being engrossed by temporal concerns, 
 their sense of the reality of " unseen things" should 
 fade away, and they should lose their relish for the 
 employments and offices of religion. 
 
 The Christian's path is beset with dangers. On 
 the one hand, he justly dreads an inactive and un- 
 profitable life ; on the other, he no less justly trem- 
 bles for the loss of spirrtual-mindedness. Does then 
 the Christian discover in himself (judging not from 
 accidental or occasional feelings, on which little 
 stress is either way to be laid, but from the perma- 
 nent and habitual temper of his mind) a settled, and, 
 still mor,e, a growing coldness and indisposition to- 
 wards the considerations and offices of religion ; and 
 has he reason to apprehend that this coldness and in- 
 disposition are owing to his being engaged too much 
 or too earnestly in worldly business, or to his being 
 too keen in the pursuit of worldly objects ? Let him 
 carefully examine the state of his own heart, and se- 
 riously and impartially survey the circumstances of 
 his situation in life ; humbly praying to the Father 
 of light and mercy, that he may be enabled to seel 
 hi9 way cl«arly in this difficult emergency. If he 
 
USEFUL LIVES NOT RELIGION. 213 
 
 finds himself pursuing wealth, or dignity, or reputa- 
 tion, with earnestness and solicitude ; if these things 
 engage many of his thoughts ; if his mind naturally 
 and inadvertently runs out into contemplations of 
 them ; if success in these respects greatly gladdens, 
 and disappointments dispirit and distress his mind; 
 he has but too plain grounds for self-condemnation. 
 " No man can serve two masters." The world is 
 evidently in possession of his heart, and it is no won- 
 der that he finds himself dull, or rather dead, to the 
 impression and enjoyment of spiritual things. 
 
 But though the marks of predominant estimation 
 and regard for earthly things are much less clear 
 and determinate, yet, if the object he is pursuing be 
 one which, by its attainment, would bring him a con- 
 siderable accession of riches, station and honor, let 
 him soberly and fairly question and examine whe- 
 ther the pursuit be warrantable? here, also, asking 
 the advice of some judicious friend ; his backward- 
 ness to do which, in instances like these, should justly 
 lead him to distrust the reasonableness of the schemes 
 which he is prosecuting. In such a case as this, we 
 have good cause to distrust ourselves. Though the 
 inward hope, that we are chiefly promoted by a de- 
 sire to promote the glory of our Maker and the happi- 
 ness of our fellow-creatures, by increasing our means 
 of usefulness, may suggest itself to allay, yet let it 
 not altogether remove our suspicions. It is not im- 
 probable, that beneath this plausible mask we con- 
 
214 AMIABLE TEMPERS AND 
 
 eeal, more successfully perhaps from ourselves than 
 from others, an inordinate attachment to the pomps 
 and transitory distinctions of this life ; and as this at- 
 tachment gains the ascendency, it will ever be found 
 that our perception and feeling of the supreme excel- 
 lence of heavenly things will proportionably subside. 
 But when the consequences which would follow 
 from the success of our worldly pursuits do not ren- 
 der them so questionable as in the case we have 
 been just considering ; yet, having such good reason 
 to believe that there is somewhere a flaw, let us care- 
 fully scrutinize the whole of our conduct, in order 
 to discover whether we may not be living either in 
 the breach or in the omission of some known duty, 
 and whether it may not therefore have pleased God 
 to withdraw from us the influence of his Holy Spirit ; 
 particularly inquiring whether the duties of self- 
 examination, of secret and public prayer, the reading 
 of the Holy Scriptures, and the other prescribed 
 means of grace, have not been intermitted at their 
 proper seasons, or performed with precipitation or 
 distraction ? And if we find reason to believe that 
 the allotment of time which it would be most for 
 our spiritual improvement to assign to our religious 
 offices is often broken in upon and curtailed, let us 
 be extremely backward to admit excuses for such 
 interruptions and abridgments. It is more than pro- 
 bable, for many obvious reasons, that even our world- 
 ly affairs will ^ot go on the better for encroaching 
 
USEFUL LIVES NOT RELIGION. 215 
 
 Upon those hours which ought to be dedicated to the 
 more immediate service of God, and to the cultivation 
 of the inward principles of religion. Our hearts, at 
 least, and our conduct will soon exhibit proofs of the 
 sad effects of this fatal negligence. 
 
 Let us, when engaged in this important scrutiny, 
 impartially examine ourselves whether the worldly 
 objects which engross us, are all of them such as 
 properly belong to our profession, or station, or cir- 
 cumstances in life, Avhich therefore we could not 
 neglect with a good conscience ? If they are, let us 
 consider whether they do not consume a larger 
 share of our time than they really require; and 
 whether, by not trifling over our work, by deducting 
 somewhat which might be spared from our hours of re- 
 1 axation, or by some other little management, we might 
 not fully satisfy their just claims, and yet have an in- 
 creased leisure to be devoted to the offices of religion. 
 
 But if we deliberately and honestly conclude that 
 we ought not to give these worldly objects less of 
 our time, let us endeavor at least to give them less 
 of our hearts ; striving that the settled frame of our 
 desires and affections may be more spiritual, and 
 that, in the motley intercourses of life, we may con- 
 stantly retain a more lively sense of the divine pre- 
 sence, and a stronger impression of the reality of 
 unseen things ; thus corresponding with the scrip- 
 t jre description of true Christians, "walking by faith 
 and not by sight, and having our conversation in 
 heaven." 
 
216 AMIABLE TEMPERS AND 
 
 Above all, let us guard against the temptation, to 
 which we shall certainly be exposed, of lowering 
 down our views to our state, instead of endeavoring 
 to rise to the level of our views. Let us rather de- 
 termine to know the worst of our case, and strive to 
 be suitably affected with it ; not forward to speak 
 peace to ourselves, but patiently carrying about with 
 us a deep conviction of our backwardness and inap- 
 titude to religious duties, and a just sense of our great 
 'weakness and numerous infirmities. This cannot be 
 an unbecoming temper in those who are command, 
 ed to " work out their salvation with fear and trem- 
 bling." It prompts to constant and earnest prayer. 
 It produces that sobriety, and lowliness, and tender- 
 ness of mind, that meekness of demeanor and cir- 
 cumspection in conduct, which are such eminent 
 characteristics of the true Christian. 
 
 Nor is it a state devoid of consolation : " They 
 that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength •" 
 •' Be strong, and he shall comfort thy heart :" 
 ** Blessed are they that mourn ; for they shall bo 
 comforted." These divine assurances soothe and en- 
 courage the Christian's disturbed and dejected mind, 
 and insensibly diffuse a holy composure. The tint 
 may be solemn, nay, even melancholy, but it is mild 
 and grateful. The tumult of his soul has subsided, 
 and he is possessed by complacency, and hope, and 
 love. If a sense of undeserved kindness fill his eyes 
 with tears, they are tears of reconciliation and joy ; 
 
tSEFUL LIVES NOT RELIGION. 217 
 
 while a generous ardor springing up within him, 
 sends him forth to his worldly labors "fervent in 
 spirit," resolving, through the divine aid, to be hence- 
 forth more diligent and exemplary in living to the 
 glory of God, and longing meanwhile for that bless- 
 ed time, when, "being freed from the bondage of 
 corruption," he shall be enabled to render to his 
 heavenly Benefactor more pure and acceptable ser- 
 vice. 
 
 After having discussed so much the whole ques- 
 tion concerning amiable tempers in general, it may 
 be scarcely necessary to dwell upon that particular 
 class of them which belongs to the head of generous 
 emotions, or of exquisite sensibility. To these al- 
 most all which has been said is strictly applicable ; 
 to which it may be added, that the persons in whom 
 the latter qualities most abound, are often far from 
 conducing to the peace and comfort of their nearest 
 connections. These qualities indeed may be render- 
 ed highly useful instruments, when in the service Oi 
 religion. But we ought to except against them the 
 more strongly, when not under her control ; because 
 there is still greater danger than in the former case, 
 that persons in whom they abound may be flattered 
 into a false opinion of themselves by the excessive 
 commendations often paid to them by others, and by 
 the beguiling complacencies of their own minds, 
 which are apt to be puffed up with a proud though 
 secret consciousness of their own superior acuteness 
 19 
 
218 DEFECTS IN THE PRACTICAL 
 
 and sensibility. But it is the less requisite to eiv 
 large on this topic, because it has been well discussed 
 by many who have shown that these qualities often 
 fail us when most we want their aid ; that their pos- 
 sessors can solace themselves with their imaginary 
 exertions in behalf of ideal misery, and yet shrink 
 from the labors of active benevolence, or retire with 
 disgust from the homely forms of real poverty and 
 wretchedness. In fine, the superiority of Christian 
 charity and of plain practical beneficence has been 
 ably vindicated ; and the school of Rousseau or ot 
 Sterne has been forced to yield to the school ol 
 Christ, when the question has been concerning the 
 best means of promoting the comfort of family life, 
 or the temporal well-being of society. 
 
 SECTION V. 
 
 iiome other grand defects in the practical system of the bulk of 
 nominal Christians. 
 
 In the imperfect sketch which has been drawn of 
 the religion of the bulk of nominal Christians, their 
 fundamental error respecting the nature of Chris- 
 tianity has been traced into some of its many mis- 
 chievous consequences. Several of their particular 
 misconceptions and allowed defects have also been 
 pointed out and illustrated. It may not be improper 
 to close the survey by noticing some others, for the 
 
SYSTEM OF NOMINAL CHRISTIANS. 219 
 
 existence of which we may now appeal to aUnost 
 every part of the precea'ing- delineation. 
 
 In the first place, then, there appears throughout, 
 both in the principles and allowed conduct of the 
 bulk of Tiominal Christians, a most inadequate idea of 
 the guilt and evil of sin. We every where find rea- 
 son to remark, that, as was formerly observed, reli- 
 gion is suffered to dwindle away into a mere matter 
 of police. Hence the guilt of actions is estimated, 
 not by the proportion in which, according to Scrip- 
 ture, they are offensive to God, but by that in which 
 they are injurious to societ}^ Murder, theft, fraud in 
 all its shapes, and some species of lying, are mani- 
 festly, and in an eminent degree, injurious to social 
 happiness. How difTerent, accordingly, in the moral 
 scale, is the place they hold; from that which is as- 
 signed to idolatry, to general irreligion, to swearing, 
 drinking, fornication, lasciviousness, sensuality, exces- 
 sive dissipation ; and, in particular circumstances, to 
 pride, wrath, malice, and revenge ! 
 
 Indeed, several of the abovementioned vices are 
 held to be grossly criminal in the lower ranks, be- 
 cause manifestly ruinous to their temporal interests ; 
 but in the higher, they are represented as " losing 
 half their evil by losing all their grossness," as flow- 
 mg naturally from great prosperity, from the excess 
 of gayety and good humor : and they are accordingly 
 •* regarded with but a small degree of disapproba 
 
220 DEFECTS IN THE PRACTICAL 
 
 tion, and censured very slightly, or not at all."* 
 These are the remarks of authors who have survey- 
 ed the stage of human life with more than ordinary 
 observation ; one of whom, in particular, cannot be 
 suspected of having been misled by religious pre- 
 judices to form a judgment of the superior orders 
 too unfavorable and severe. 
 
 Will these positions however be denied? Will it 
 be maintained that there is not the difference already 
 stated, in the moral estimation of these different 
 classes of vices ? Will it be said that the one class 
 is indeed more generally restrained, and more se- 
 verely punished by human laws, because more pro- 
 perly cognizable by human judicatures, and more 
 directly at war with the well-being of society; but 
 that, when brought before the tribunal of internal 
 opinion, they are condemned with equal rigor ? 
 
 Facts may be denied, but where the general senti- 
 ment and feeling of mankind are in question, our 
 common language is often the clearest and most 
 impartial witness; and the conclusions thus furnish- 
 ed, are not to be parried by wit, or eluded by sophis- 
 try. In the present case, our ordinary modes of 
 speech furnish sufficient matter for the determination 
 of the argument, and abundantly prove our disposi- 
 tion to consider as matters of small account, such 
 sins as are not held to be injurious to the commu- 
 
 • Vide Smith on the Wealth of Nations, vol. iil 
 
ststl:m of nominal cht^istians. 2-2 1 
 
 tiity. Wo invent for them diminutive and qnalifying: 
 terms, which, if not to be admitted as signs of ap- 
 probation and goodwill, must at least be confessed 
 to be proofs of our tendency to regard them with 
 palliation and indulgence. Free-thinking, gallantry, 
 jollity,* and a thousand similar phrases, might be 
 adduced as instances. But it is worthy of remark, 
 that no such soft and qualifying terms are in use for 
 expressing the smaller degrees of theft, or fraud, or 
 forgery, or any other of those offences which are 
 committed by men against their fellow-creatures, and 
 in the suppression of which we are interested by our 
 regard to our temporal concerns. 
 
 The charge which we are urgmg is indeed unde- 
 niable. In the case of any question of honor, or of 
 moral honesty, we are sagacious in discerning and 
 inexorable in judging the offence. No allowance is 
 made for the suddenness of surprise, or the strength 
 of temptations. One single failure is presumed to im- 
 ply the absence of the moral or honorable princi- 
 ple. The memory is retentive on these occasions, 
 and the man's character is blasted for life. Here 
 even mere suspicion of having once offended can 
 scarcely be got over: " There is an awkward story 
 about that man, which must be explained before he 
 
 * Many more might be added, such as, a good fellow, a 
 good companion, a libertine, a little free, a little loose in 
 lalk, wild, gay, jovial, being no man's enemy but his own, 
 &.C. &c. &c. &c. above all, having a good heart. 
 19*^ 
 
222 DEFECTS IN THE PRACTICAL 
 
 and I can become acquainted." But in the case ol 
 sins against God, there is no such watchful jealousy, 
 none of this rigorous logic. A man may go on in 
 the frequent commission of known sins, yet no such 
 inference is drawn respecting the absence of the reli- 
 gious principle. On the contrary, we say of him, that 
 "though his conduct be a little incorrect, his princi- 
 ples are untouched ;" — "that he has a good heart: 
 and such a man may go quietly through life, with the 
 titles of a mighty worthy creature, and a very good 
 Christian." 
 
 But in the word of God, actions are estimated by a 
 far less accommodating standard. There we read of no 
 little sins. Much of our Savior's sermon on the mount, 
 which many of the class we are condemning affect 
 highly to admire, is expressly pointed against so dan- 
 gerous a misconception. There, no such distinction 
 is made between the rich and the poor. No notices 
 are to be traced of one scale of morals for the high- 
 er, and of another for the lower classes of society. 
 Nay, the former are distinctly warned, that their 
 condition in life is the more dangerous, because of the 
 more abundant temptations to which it exposes them. 
 Idolatry, fornication, lasciviousness, drunkenness, 
 revellings, inordinate affection, are, by the apostle, 
 likewise classed with theft and murder, and with 
 what we hold in even still greater abomination ; and 
 concerning them all, it is pronounced alike, that 
 " they which do such things shall not inherit the 
 kingdom of God." Gal. 5 : 19-21. Col. 3 : 5-9. 
 
SYSTEM OF NOMINAL CHRISTIANS. 223 
 
 Tn truth, the instance which we have lately speci- 
 fied, of the loose system of these nominal Christians, 
 betrays a fatal absence of the principle which is the 
 very foundation of all religion. Their slight notions 
 of the guilt and evil of sin discover an utter want of 
 all suitable reverence for the Divine majesty. This 
 principle is justly termed in Scripture, *'the begin- 
 ning of wisdom," and there is perhaps no one quality 
 which it is so much the studious endeavor of the sa- 
 cred writers to impress upon the human heart. Job, 
 28: 28. Psalm 111 : 10. Prov. 1: 7. 9: 10. 
 
 Sin is considered in Scripture as rebellion against 
 the sovereignty of God, and every different act of it 
 equally violates his law, and if persevered in, dis- 
 claims his supremacy. To the inconsiderate and the 
 gay this doctrine may seem harsh, while, vainly 
 fluttering in the sunshine of worldly prosperity, they 
 lull themselves into a fond security. " But the day 
 of the Lord will come as a thief in the night ; in 
 which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, 
 and the elements shall melt with fervent heat ; the 
 earth also and the works that are therein shall be 
 burnt up. Seeing, then, that all these things shall be 
 dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to be 
 in all holy conversation and godliness ?" 2 Peter, 3 : 
 10,11. We are but an atom in the universe. Worlds 
 upon worlds surround us, all probably full of intelli- 
 gent creatures, to whom, now or hereafter, we may 
 be a spectacle, and afford an example of the Divine 
 
224 DEFECTS IN THE PRACTICAL 
 
 procedure. Who then shall take upon him to pro 
 nounce what might be the issue, if sin were sufferea 
 to pass unpunished in one corner of this universal 
 empire ? Who shall say what confusion might be the 
 consequence, what disorder it might spread through 
 the creation of God ? Be this however as it may, the 
 language of Scripture is clear and decisive: " The 
 wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations 
 that forget God." 
 
 It should be carefully observed, too, that these aw- 
 ful denunciations of the future punishment of sin de- 
 rive additional weight from this consideration, that 
 they are represented, not merely as a judicial sen- 
 tence which, without violence to the settled order of 
 things, might be remitted through the mere mercy 
 of our Almighty Governor, but as arising out of the 
 established course of nature: as happening in the 
 way of natural consequence, just as a cause is ne- 
 cessarily connected with its effect ; as resulting from 
 certain connections and relations which rendered 
 them suhable and becoming. It is stated that the king- 
 dom of God and the kingdom of Satan are both set 
 up in the w^orld, and that to the one or the other of 
 these we must belong. " The righteous have pas- 
 sed from death unto life ;" " they are delivered from 
 the power of darkness, and are translated into the 
 kingdom of God's dear Son." Col. 1 : 13. They 
 are become "the children" and *' the subjects of 
 God " While on earth, they love his day, his ser- 
 
SYSTEM OF NOMINAL CHRISTIANS. 225 
 
 vice, his people ; they " speak good of his name ;" 
 they abound in his works. Even here they are in 
 some degree possessed of his image : by and by it 
 shall be perfected; they shall awake up after his 
 " likeness," and being " heirs of eternal life," they 
 shall receive " an inheritance incorruptible and un- 
 defiled, and that fadeth not away." 
 
 Of sinners, on the other hand, it is declared that 
 " they are of their father the devil;" while on earth, 
 they are styled " his children," " his servants ;" they 
 are said " to do his works," to be " subjects of his 
 kingdom :" at length " they shall partake his por- 
 tion," when the merciful Savior shall be changed 
 into an avenging Judge, and shall pronounce that 
 dreadful sentence, " Depart from me, ye cursed, into 
 everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his 
 angels." 
 
 Is it possible that these declarations should not 
 strike terror, or at least excite serious and fearful ap- 
 prehension in the lightest and most inconsiderate 
 mind ? But the imaginations of men are fatally prone 
 to suggest to them fallacious hopes, in the very face 
 of these positive declarations. " We cannot persuade 
 ourselves that God will, in fact, prove so severe." It 
 was the very delusion to which our first parents 
 listened ; " Ye shall not surely die." 
 
 Let me ask these rash men, who are thus disposed 
 to trifle with their immortal interests, had they lived 
 in the antediluvian world, would they have conceiv- 
 
226 DEFECTS IN THE PRACTICAL 
 
 ed it possible that God would then execute his pre- 
 dicted threatening? Yet the event took place at the 
 appointed time: the flood came and swept them all 
 away ; and this awful instance of the anger of God 
 against sin is related in the inspired writings for our 
 instruction. Still more to rouse us to attention, the 
 record is impressed in indelible characters on the 
 solid substance of the very globe we inhabit ; which 
 thus, in every country upon earth, furnishes practi- 
 cal attestations to the truth of the sacred writings, 
 and to the actual accomplishment of their awful pre- 
 dictions. For myself I must declare that I never 
 can read without awe the passage in which our Sa- 
 vior is speaking of the state of the world at the time 
 of this memorable event. The wickedness of men 
 is represented to have been great and prevalent ; yet 
 not, as we are ready to conceive, such as to interrupt 
 the course and shake the very frame of society. The 
 general face of things was, perhaps, not very dif- 
 ferent from that which is exhibited in many of the 
 European nations. It was a selfish, a luxurious, an 
 irreligious, and an inconsiderate world. They were 
 called, but they would not hearken : they were warn- 
 ed, but they would not believe — " They did cat, they 
 drank, they married wives, they were given in mar- 
 riage :" such is the account of one of the evangelists ; 
 in that of another it is stated nearly in the same 
 words; " They were eating and drinking, marrying 
 and giving in marriage, and knew not until the 
 Hood came, and swept them all away." 
 
SYSTEM OF ^0.'MI^AL CHRISTIANS. ^17 
 
 Again, we see throughout, in the system which 
 we have been describing, a most inadequate concep- 
 tion of the difficulty of becoming true Christians; 
 and an utter forgetfulness of its being the great bu- 
 siness of life to secure our admission into heaven, 
 and to prepare our hearts for its service and enjoy- 
 ments. The general notion appears to be, that, if born 
 in a country of which Christianity is the established 
 religion, we are born Christians. We do not there- 
 fore look out for positive evidence of our really being 
 of that number; but putting the onus probandi, if it 
 may be so expressed, on the wrong side, we con- 
 ceive ourselves such of course, except our title be 
 disproved by positive evidence to the contrary. And 
 we are so slow in givins: ear to what conscience 
 urges to us on this side; so dexterous in justifying 
 what is clearly wrong, in palliating what we cannot 
 justify, in magnifying the merit of what is fairly com- 
 mendable, in flattering ourselves that our habits of 
 vice are only occasional acts, and in multiplying our 
 single acts into habits of virtue, that we must be bad 
 indeed, to be compelled to give a verdict against 
 ourselves. Besides, having no suspicion of our state, 
 we do not set ourselves in earnest to the work of 
 self-examination : but only receive in a confused and 
 hasty way some occasional notices of our danger, 
 Avhen sickness, or the loss of a friend, or the recent 
 commission of some act of vice of greater size than 
 ordinary, has awakened in our consciences a more 
 than usual dei^ree of sen-:ibi1i!v. 
 
223 DEFECTS IN THE PRACTICAL 
 
 Thus, by the generality, it is altogether forgotten 
 that the Christian has a great work to execute — that 
 of forming himself after the pattern of his Lord and 
 Master, through the operation of the Holy Spirit of 
 God, which is promised to our fervent prayers and 
 diligent endeavors. Unconscious of the obstacles 
 which impede, and of the enemies which resist their 
 advancement, they are naturally forgetful also of the 
 ample provision which is in store for enabling them 
 to surmount the one, and to conquer the other. The 
 scriptural representations of the state of the Christian 
 on earth, by the images of "a race," and ''a war- 
 fare ;" of its being necessary to rid himself of every 
 encumbrance which might retard him in the one, 
 and to furnish himself with the whole armor of 
 God for being victorious in the other, are, so far as 
 these nominal Christians are concerned, figures of 
 no propriety or meaning. As little, as was formerly 
 shown, have they, in correspondence with the scrip- 
 ture descriptions of the feelings and language of real 
 Christians, any idea of acquiring a relish, while on 
 earth, for the worship and service of heaven. If the 
 truth must be told, their notion is rather a confused 
 idea of future gratification in heaven, in return for 
 having put a force upon their inclinations, and en- 
 dured so much religion while on earth. 
 
 But all this is only nominal Christianit}^ which 
 exhibits an infinitely more inadequate image of her 
 real excellences, than the cold copyings, by some 
 
SYSTEM OF NOMINAL CHRISTIANS. 22? 
 
 insipid pencil, convey of the force and grace of na- 
 ture, or of Raphael. In the language of Scripture, 
 Christianity is not a geographical, but a moral term. 
 It is not the being a native of a Christian country : 
 it is a condition, a state ; the possession of a peculiar 
 nature, with the qualities and properties which be- 
 long to it. 
 
 Farther than this ; it is a state into which we are 
 not born, but into which we must be translated ; a 
 nature which we do not inherit, but into which we 
 are to be created anew. To the undeserved grace of 
 God, which is promised on our use of the appointed 
 means, we must be indebted for the attainment of this 
 nature; and to acquire and make sure of it is that 
 great "work of our salvation" which we are com- 
 manded to " work out with fear and trembling." We 
 are every where reminded, that this is a matter of 
 labor and difficulty, requiring continual Avatchfulness, 
 and unceasing effort, and unwearied patience. Even 
 to the very last, towards the close of a long life con- 
 sumed in active service or in cheerful suffering, we 
 find St. Paul himself declaring that he conceived 
 bodily self-denial and mental discipline to be indis- 
 pensably necessary to his very safety. Christians, 
 who are really worthy of the name, are represented 
 as being "made meet for the inheritance of the saints 
 in light ;" as " waiting for the coming of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ ;" as " looking for and hastening unto 
 the coming of the day of God." It is stated as being 
 20 
 
230 DEFECTS IN THE PRACTICAL 
 
 enough to make them happy, that " Christ should rd« 
 ceive them to himself;" and the songs of the blessed 
 spirits in heaven are described to be the same as 
 those in which the servants of God on earth pour 
 forth their gratitude and adoration. 
 
 Conscious therefore of the indispensable necessity 
 and of the arduous nature of the service in which he 
 is engaged, the true Christian sets himself to the 
 work with vigor, and prosecutes it with diligence ; 
 his motto is that of the painter — " Nullus dies sine 
 linea." Fled as it were from a country in which the 
 plague is raging, he thinks it not enough just to pass 
 the boundary line, but would put out of doubt his es- 
 cape beyond the limits of infection. Prepared to 
 meet with difficulties, he is not discouraged when 
 they occur ; warned of his numerous adversaries, 
 he is not alarmed on their approach, or unprovided 
 for encountering them. He knows that the begin- 
 ning of every new course may be expected to be 
 rough and painful ; but he is assured that the paths 
 on which he is entering will ere long seem smooth- 
 er, and become indeed " paths of pleasantness and 
 peace." 
 
 Now of the state of such an one the expressions 
 of pilgrim and stranger are a lively description ; and 
 all the other figures and images, by which Christians 
 are represented in Scripture, have in his case a de- 
 terminate meaning and a just application. There is 
 indeed none by which the Christian's state on earth 
 
SYSTEM OF NOMINAL CHRISTIANS. 231 
 
 is in the word of God more frequently imaged, or 
 more happily illustrated, than by that of a journey : 
 and it may not be amiss to pause for a while in order 
 to survey it under that resemblance. The Christian 
 is traveling on business through a strange country, 
 in which he is commanded to execute his work with 
 diligence, and pursue his course homeward with 
 alacrity. The fruits which he sees by the way-side 
 he gathers with caution ; he drinks of the streams 
 with moderation ; he is thankful when the sun shines, 
 and his way is pleasant ; but if it be rough and rainy, 
 he cares not much, he is but a traveler. He is pre- 
 pared for vicissitudes ; he knows that he must expect 
 to meet with them in the stormy and uncertain cli- 
 mate of this world. But he is traveling to a " better 
 country," a country of unclouded light and undis- 
 turbed serenity. He finds also, by experience, that 
 when he has had the least of external comforts, he 
 has always been least disposed to loiter ; and if for 
 the time it be a little disagreeable, he can solace him- 
 self with the idea of his being thereby forwarded in 
 his course. In a less unfavorable season, he looks 
 round with an eye of observation ; he admires what 
 is beautiful ; he examines what is curious ; he re- 
 ceives with complacency the refreshments set before 
 him, and enjoys them with thankfulness. Nor 
 does he churlishly refuse to associate with the in- 
 habitants of the country through which he is pass- 
 ing. But he neither suffers pleasure, nor curiosity, 
 
232 DEFECTS IN THE PRACTICAL 
 
 nor society to take up his time; and is still intent 
 on transacting the business he has to execute, and 
 on prosecuting- the journey he is ordered to pursue. 
 He knows that to the very end of life his journey will 
 be through a country in which he has many ene- 
 mies; that his way is beset with snares; that temp- 
 tations throng around him, to seduce him from his 
 course, or check his advancement in it ; that the 
 very air disposes to drowsiness, and that therefore 
 to the very last it will be requisite for him to be cir- 
 cumspect and collected. Often therefore he examines 
 w^hereabouts he is, how he has got forward, and 
 whether or not he is traveling in the right direction. 
 Sometimes he seems to himself to make considera- 
 ble progress; sometimes he advances but slowly; 
 too often he finds reason to fear that he has fallen 
 backward in his course. Now he is cheered w-ith 
 hope, and gladdened by success ; now he is disqui- 
 eted by doubts, and damped by disappointments. 
 Thus, while to nominal Christians religion is a dull 
 uniform thing, and they have no conception of the 
 desires and disappointments, the hopes and fears, the 
 joys and sorrows which it is calculated to bring into 
 exercise ; in the true Christian all is life and motion, 
 and his great work calls forth the various passions 
 of the soul. Let it not therefore be imagined that 
 his is a state of unenlivened toil and hardship. His 
 very labors are " the labors of love ;" if " ho has 
 need of patience," it is "the patience of hope ;" and 
 
SYSTEM OF NOMINAL CHRISTIANS. 233 
 
 he is cheered in his work by the constant assurance 
 of present support and of final victory. Let it not be 
 forgotten, that this is the very idea given us of hap- 
 piness by one of the ablest examiners of the human 
 mind ; " a constant employment for a desired end, 
 with the consciousness of continual progress." So 
 true is the scripture declaration, that " godliness has 
 the promise of the life that now is, as well as of that 
 which is to come." 
 
 Our review of the character of the bulk of nomi- 
 nal Christians has exhibited abundant proofs of 
 their defectiveness in that great constituent of the 
 true Christian character, the love of God. Many in- 
 stances, in proof of this assertion, have been pointed 
 out ; and the charge is in itself so obvious, that it 
 were superfluous to spend much time in endeavoring 
 to establish it. Put the question fairly to the test. 
 Concerning the proper marks and evidences of af- 
 fection there can be little dispute. Let the most can- 
 did investigator examine the character, and conduct, 
 and language of the persons of whom we have been 
 speaking, and he will be compelled to acknowledge 
 that, so far as love towards the Supreme Being is in 
 question, these marks and evidences are no where to 
 be met with. It is in itself a decisive evidence of a 
 contrary feeling in those nominal Christians, that 
 they find no pleasure in the service and worship oi 
 (iod. Their devotional acts resemble less the free- 
 will offerings of a grateful heart, than that constrain- 
 20* 
 
234 DEFECTS IN THE PRACTICAL 
 
 ed and reluctant homage exacted by some hard mas- 
 ter from his oppressed dependents, and paid with 
 cold suUenness and slavish apprehension. It was 
 the very charge brought by God against his ungrate- 
 ful people of old, that, while they called him Sove- 
 reign and Father, they withheld from him the re- 
 gards which severally belong to those respected and 
 endearing appellations. Thus we likewise think it 
 enough to offer to the most excellent and amiable of 
 beings, to our supreme and unwearied Benefactor, 
 a dull, artificial, heartless gratitude, of which we 
 should be ashamed in the case of a fellow-creature 
 who had ever so small a claim on our regard and 
 thankfulness ! 
 
 It may be of infinite use to establish in our minds 
 a strong and habitual sense of that first and great 
 commandment, •' Thou shalt love the Lord thy God 
 with all thy heart, and with all thy mind, and with 
 all thy soul, and with all thy strength." This mo- 
 tive, operative and vigorous in its very nature, like 
 a master spring, would put and maintain in action 
 all the complicated movements of the human soul. 
 Soon also would it terminate many questions con- 
 cerning certain compliances ; questions which, with 
 other similar difficulties, are often only the cold off- 
 spring of a spirit of reluctant submission, and cannot 
 stand the encounter of this trying principle. If, for 
 example, it were disputed whether or not the law of 
 God were so strict as had been stated, in condemn- 
 
SYSTEM OF NOMINAL CHRISTIANS. 235 
 
 ing the slightest infraction of its precepts ; yet when, 
 from the precise demands of justice, the appeal 
 should be made to the more generous principle of 
 love, there would be at once an end of the discus- 
 sion. Fear will deter from acknowledged crimes, and 
 self-interest will bribe to laborious services ; but it 
 is the peculiar glory and the very characteristic of 
 this more generous passion, to show itself in ten 
 thousand little and undefinable acts of sedulous at- 
 tention, Avhich love alone can pay, and of which, 
 when paid, love alone can estimate the value. Love 
 outruns the deductions of reasoning; it scorns the 
 refuge of casuistry; it requires not the slow process 
 of laborious and undeniable proof that an action 
 would be injurious and offensive, or another benefi- 
 cial or gratifying, to the object of affection. The 
 least hint, the slightest surmise is sufficient to make 
 it start from the former, and fly with eagerness to 
 the latter. 
 
 There has been much argument concerning the 
 lawfulness of theatrical amusements.* Let it be 
 sufficient to remark, that the controversy would be 
 short indeed, if the question were to be tried by this 
 criterion of love to the Supreme Being. If there 
 were any thing of that sensibility for the honor of 
 God, and of that zeal in his service which we show 
 
 ♦ It is almost unnecessary to remark, that the word is tc 
 be understood in a large sense as including the opera, &c. 
 
236 DEFECTS IN THE PRACTICAL 
 
 in behalf of our earthly friends, or of our political 
 connections, should we seek our pleasure in that 
 place which the debauchee, inflamed with wine, or 
 bent on the gratification of other licentious appetites, 
 finds most congenial to his state and temper of mind 1 
 In that place, from the neighborhood of which (how 
 justly termed a school of morals might hence alone 
 be inferred) decorum, and modesty, and regularity 
 retire, while riot and lewdness are invited to the spot, 
 and invariably select it for their chosen residence ! 
 where the sacred name of God is often profaned ! 
 where sentiments are often heard with delight, and 
 motions and gestures often applauded, which would 
 not be tolerated in private company, but which may 
 far exceed the utmost license allowed in the social 
 circle, without at all transgressing theatrical deco- 
 rum ! where, when moral principles are inculcated, 
 they are not such as a Christian ought to cherish in 
 his bosom, but such as it must be his daily endeavor 
 to extirpate; not those which Scripture warrants, 
 but those which it condemns as false and spurious, 
 being founded in pride and ambition, and the over- 
 valuation of human favor! where surely, if a Chris- 
 tian should trust himself at all, it would be requisite 
 for him to prepare himself with a double portion of 
 watchfulness and seriousness of mind, instead of se- 
 lecting it as the place in which he may throw off 
 his guard, and unbend without danger ! The just- 
 ness of this last remark, and the general tendency of 
 
SYSTEM OF NOMINAL CHRISTIANS. 237 
 
 theatrical amusements, is attested by the same well- 
 instructed master in the science of human life, to 
 whom we had before occasion to refer. By him 
 they are recommended as the most efficacious expe- 
 dient for relaxing, among any people, that " precise- 
 ness and austerity of morals," to use his own phrase, 
 which, under the name of holiness, it is the business 
 of Scripture to inculcate and enforce. Nor is this 
 position merely theoretical. The experiment was 
 tried, and tried successfully, in a city upon the conti- 
 nent, Geneva, in which it was wished to corrupt the 
 simple morality of purer times. 
 
 Let us try the question by a parallel instance. 
 
 What judgment should we form of the warmth of 
 that man's attachment to his sovereign, who, at sea- 
 sons of recreation, should seek his pleasures in 
 scenes as ill accordant with the principle of loyalty 
 as those of which we have been speaking are with 
 the genius of religion? If for this purpose he were 
 to select the place and frequent the amusements to 
 which rebels should love to resort for entertainment, 
 and in which they should find themselves so much 
 at home as invariably to select the spot for their 
 abiding habitation ; where dialogue, and song, and 
 the intelligible language of gesticulation should be 
 used to convey ideas and sentiments, not perhaps 
 palpably treasonable, or directly falling within the 
 strict precision of any legal limits, but yet palpably 
 contrary to the spirit of the government! What 
 
238 DEFECTS IN THE PRACTICAL 
 
 opinion should we form of the delicacy of that friend- 
 ship, or of the fidelity of that love, which, in relation 
 to their respective objects, should exhibit the same 
 contradictions ? 
 
 In truth, the very different way in which we allow 
 ourselves to act, and speak, and feel, where God is 
 concerned, from that which we require, or even prac- 
 tice in the case of our fellow-creatures, is in itself the 
 most decisive proof that the principle of the love of 
 God, if not altogether extinct in us, is at least in 
 the lowest possible degree of languor. 
 
 From examining the degree in which the bulk of 
 nominal Christians are defective in the love of God, 
 if we proceed to inquire concerning the strength of 
 their love towards their fellow-creatures, the writer 
 is well aware of its being generally held, that here 
 at least they may rather challenge praise than sub- 
 mit to censure. And the many beneficent institu- 
 tions in which this country abounds, probably above 
 every other, whether in ancient or modern times, 
 may be perhaps appealed to in proof of the opinion. 
 Much of what might have been otherwise urged in 
 the discussion of this topic, has been anticipated in 
 the inquiry into the grounds of the extravagant esti- 
 mation assigned to amiable tempers and useful lives, 
 when unconnected with religious principle. What 
 was then stated may serve in many cases to lower, 
 in the present instance, the loftiness of the preten- 
 sions of these nominal.Christians; and we shall here- 
 
SYSTEM OF NOMINAL CHRISTIANS. 239 
 
 after have occasion to mention another consideration, 
 of which the effect must be, still further to reduce 
 their claims. Meanwhile let it suffice to remark, 
 that a vigorous principle of philanthropy must not 
 be at once conceded, on the ground of liberal bene- 
 factions to the poor, in the case of one who, by his 
 liberality in this respect, is curtailed in no necessary, 
 is abridged of no luxury, is put to no trouble either 
 of thought or of action ; who, not to impute a desire 
 of being praised for his benevolence, is injured in 
 no man's estimation ; in whom also familiarity with 
 large sums has produced that freedom in the ex- 
 penditure of money, which, thereby affording a fresh 
 illustration of the justice of the old proverb, " Fa- 
 miliarity breeds contempt," never fails to operate, 
 except in minds under the influence of a strong prin- 
 ciple of avarice. 
 
 Our conclusion, perhaps, would be less favora- 
 ble, but not less fair, if we were to try the characters 
 in question by those surer tests, which are stated 
 by the apostle to be less ambiguous marks of a real 
 spirit of philanthropy. The strength of every pas- 
 sion is to be estimated by its victory over passions of 
 an opposite nature. What judgment then shall we 
 form of the force of the benevolence of the age, when 
 measured by this standard ? How does it stand the 
 shock, when i: comes into encounter with our pride, 
 our vanity, our self-love, our self-interest, our love of 
 ease or of pleasure, with our ambition, with our ds- 
 
240 DEFECTS IN THE PRACTICAL 
 
 sire of worldly estimaijon ? Does it make us self-d6» 
 nying, that we may be liberal in relieving others? 
 Does it make us persevere in doing good in spite of 
 ingratitude; and only pity the ignorance, or preju- 
 dice, or malice which misrepresents our conduct, or 
 misconstrues our motives'? Does it make us forbear 
 from what we conceive may probably prove the occa- 
 sion of harm to a fellow-creature ; though the harm 
 should not seem naturally or even fairly to flow from 
 our conduct, but to be the result only of his own ob- 
 stinacy or weakness ? Are we slow to believe any 
 thing to our neighbor's disadvantage? and when we 
 cannot but credit it, are we disposed to cover, and as 
 iar as we justly can, rather to palliate than to divulge 
 or aggravate it? Suppose an opportunity to occur of 
 performing a kindness to one who, from pride or 
 vanity, should be loth to receive, or to be known to 
 receive a favor from us ; should we honestly endea- 
 vor, so far as we could with truth, to lessen in his 
 own mind and in that of others the merit of our good 
 offices, and by so doing dispose him to receive them 
 with diminished reluctance ? This end, however, 
 must be accomplished, if to be accomplished at all, by 
 a simple and fair explanation of the circumstances, 
 which may render the action in no wise inconveni- 
 ent to ourselves, though highly beneficial to another ; 
 not by speeches of affected disparagement, which we 
 might easily foresee, and in fact do foresee, must pro- 
 duce the contrary effect. Can we, from motives of 
 
SYSTEM OF NOMliNAL CHRISTIANS. 241 
 
 kindness, incur or risk the charge of being defi- 
 cient in spirit, in penetration, or in foresight 1 Do we 
 tell another of his faults, when the communication, 
 though probably beneficial to him, cannot be made 
 without embarrassment or pain to ourselves, and may 
 probably lessen his regard for our person, or his 
 opinion of our judgment? Can we stifle a repartee 
 which would wound another ; though the utterance of 
 it would gratify our vanity, and the suppression of it 
 may disparage our character for wit ? If any one ad- 
 vance a mistaken proposition, in an instance wherein 
 the error may be mischievous to him ; can we, to the 
 prejudice perhaps of our credit for discernment, for- 
 bear to contradict him in public, if it be probable that 
 in so doing, by piquing his pride, we might only 
 harden him in his error ? and can we reserve our 
 counsel for some more favorable season, Avhen it 
 may be communicated without offence? If we have 
 recommended to any one a particular line of conduct, 
 or have pointed out the probable mischiefs of the op- 
 posite course, and if our admonitions have been neg- 
 lected, are we really hurt when our predictions of 
 evil are accomplished? Is our love superior to envy, 
 and jealousy, and emulation ? Are we acute to dis- 
 cern and forward to embrace any fair opportunity of 
 promoting the interest of another ; if it be in a line 
 v/herein we ourselves also are moving, and in which 
 we think our progress has not been proportioned to 
 our desert? Can we take pleasure in bringing his 
 2i 
 
242 DEFECTS IN THE PRACTICAL 
 
 merits into notice, and in obviating the prejudices 
 which may have damped his efforts, or in removing 
 the obstacles which may have retarded his advance- 
 ment 1 If even to this extent we should be able to 
 stand the scrutiny, let it be farther asked how, in the 
 case of our enemies, do we correspond with the scrip- 
 ture representations of love ? Are we meek under 
 provocations, ready to forgive, and apt to forget inju- 
 ries? Can we, with sincerity, " bless them that curse 
 us, do good to them that hate us, and pray for them 
 which despitefully use us, and persecute us ?" Do 
 we prove to the Searcher of hearts a real spirit of for- 
 giveness, by our forbearing not only from avenging 
 an injury when it is in our power, but even from tell- 
 ing to any one how ill we have been used; and that too 
 when we are not kept silent by a consciousness that 
 we should lose credit by divulging the circumstance? 
 And lastly, can we not only be content to return our 
 enemies good for evil, (for this return, as has been 
 remarked by one of the greatest of uninspired au- 
 thorities,* may be prompted by pride and repaid by 
 self-complacency,) but, when they are successful or 
 unsuccessful without our having contributed to their 
 good or ill fortune, can we not only be content, but 
 cordially rejoice in their prosperity, or sympathize 
 with their distresses? 
 
 These are but a few specimens of the characteris- 
 tic marks which might be staled of a true predomi- 
 ♦ Lord Bacon 
 
SYSTEM OF NOMINAL CURISTIANS. 243 
 
 nant benevolence : yet even these may serve to con- 
 vince us how far the bulk of nominal Christians fall 
 short of the requisitions of Scripture, even in that par- 
 ticular which exhibits their character in the most 
 favorable point of view. The truth is, we do not 
 enough call to mind the exalted tone of scripture mo- 
 rality, and are therefore apt to value ourselves on the 
 heights to which we attain, when a better acquaint- 
 ance with our standard would have convinced us of 
 our falling far short of the elevation prescribed to us. 
 It is in the very instance of the most difficult of the 
 duties lately specified, the forgiveness and love of 
 enemies, that our Savior points out to our imitation 
 the example of our Supreme Benefactor. After stat- 
 ing that, by being kind and courteous to those who, 
 even in the world's opinion, had a title to our good of- 
 fices and good will, we should in vain set up a claim 
 to christian benevolence, he emphatically adds, "Be 
 ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is 
 in heaven is perfect." 
 
 We must here again resort to the topic of theatri- 
 cal amusements ; and recommend their advocates to 
 consider them in connection with the duty of which 
 we have now been exhibiting some of the leading 
 characters. 
 
 It is an undeniable fact, for the truth of which we 
 may safely appeal to every age and nation, that the 
 situation of the performers is remarkably unfavora- 
 ble to the maintenance and growth of religious and 
 
244 DEFECTS IN THE PRACTICAL 
 
 moral principle, and of course highly dangerous ta 
 their eternal interests. Might it not then be fairly 
 asked, how far, in all who confess the truth of this 
 position, it is consistent with the sensibility of cTiris- 
 tian benevolence, merely for the entertainment of an 
 idle hour, to encourage the continuance of any of 
 their fellow-creatures in such a way of life, and to 
 take a part in tempting any others to enter into it? 
 how far, considering that, by their own concession, 
 they are employing Avhatever they spend in this way 
 in sustaining and advancing the cause of vice, and 
 consequently in promoting misery, they are herein 
 bestowing this share of their wealth in a manner 
 agreeable to the intentions of their holy and benevo- 
 lent Benefactor ? how far also they are not in this in- 
 stance the rather criminal, from there being so many 
 sources of innocent pleasure open to their enjoyment? 
 how far they are acting conformably to that golden 
 principle of doing to others as we would they should 
 do to us ? how far they harmonize with the spirit of 
 the apostle's declaration, that he would deny himself 
 for his whole life the most innocent indulgence, nay, 
 what might seem almost an absolute necessary, ra- 
 ther than cause his weak fellow-christian to offend? 
 or, lastly, how far they are influenced by the solemn 
 language of our Savior himself; " It needs must b(i 
 that offences come, but wo to that man by whom 
 the offence cometh ; it were better for him that a mill- 
 stone were hanged about his neck, and that he were 
 
SYSTEM OF NOMINAL CHRISTIANS. 245 
 
 cast into the depths of the sea?" The present in- 
 stance is perhaps another example of our taking 
 greater concern in the temporal than in the spiritual 
 interests of our fellow-creatures. That man would be 
 deemed, and justly deemed, of an inhuman temper, 
 who in these days were to seek his amusement in the 
 combat of gladiators and prize-fighters ; yet Chris- 
 tians appear conscious of no inconsistency in finding 
 their pleasure in spectacles maintained at the risk, at 
 least, if not the ruin of the eternal happiness of those 
 who perform in them ! 
 
 SECTION VI. 
 
 Grand defect. — Neglect of the peculiar doctrines of 
 Chrislianity. 
 
 But the grand radical defect in the practical system 
 of these nominal Christians, is their forgetfulness 
 of all the peculiar doctrines of the religion which 
 they profess — the corruption of human nature ; the 
 atonement of the Savior ; and the sanctifying influ- 
 ence of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 Here then we come again to the grand distinction 
 between the religion of Christ and that of the bulk 
 of nominal Christians in the present day. The point 
 is of the utmost practical importance, and we would 
 therefore trace it into its actual effects. 
 
 There are, it is to be apprehended, not a few who 
 having been for some time hurried down the stream 
 21» 
 
246 NEGLECT OF THE PECULIAR 
 
 of dissipation in the indulgence of all their natural 
 appetites, except, perhaps, that they were restrained 
 from very gross vice by a regard to character, or by 
 the yet unsubdued voice of conscience ; and who, 
 having al] the while thought little, or scarcely at all, 
 about religion, " living," to use the emphalical lan- 
 guage of Scripture, " without God in the world," 
 become in some degree impressed with a sense of 
 the infinite importance of religion. A fit of sickness, 
 perhaps, or the loss of some friend or much loved 
 relative, or some other stroke of adverse fortune, 
 damps their spirits, awakens them to a practical con- 
 viction of the precariousness of all human things, and 
 turns them to seek for some more stable foundation 
 of happiness than this world can afford. Looking 
 into themselves ever so little, they become sensible 
 that they must have offended God. They resolve ac- 
 cordingly to set about the work of reformation. Here 
 it is that we shall recognize the fatal effects of the 
 prevailing ignorance of the real nature of Christiani- 
 ty, and the general forgetfulness of its grand pecu- 
 liarities. These men wish to reform, but they know 
 neither the real nature of their distemper nor its 
 true remedy. They are aware, indeed, that they 
 must " cease to do evil, and learn to do well ;" that 
 they must relinquish their habits of vice, and attend 
 more or less to the duties of religion ; but having no 
 conception of the actual malignity of the disease un- 
 der which they labor, or of the perfect cure which 
 
DOCTRINES OF CHRISTIANITY. 247 
 
 the Gospel has provided for it, or of the manner in 
 which that cure is lo be effected, 
 
 " They do but skim and film the ulcerous place, 
 ••' While rank corruption, mining all within, 
 '•Infects unseen." 
 
 It often happens therefore but too naturally in this 
 case, that where they do not soon desist from their 
 attempt at reformation, and relapse into their old 
 habits of sin, they take up with a partial and scanty 
 amendment, and fondly flatter themselves that it is 
 a thorough change. They now conceive that they 
 have a right to take to themselves the comforts of 
 Christianity. Not being able to raise their practice 
 up to their standard of right, they lower their stan- 
 dard to their practice : they sit down for life con- 
 tented with their present attainments, beguiled by the 
 complacencies of their own minds, and by the favor- 
 able testimony of surrounding friends ; and it often 
 happens, particularly where there is any degree of 
 strictness in formal and ceremonial observances, that 
 there are no people more jealous of their character 
 for religion. 
 
 Others, perhaps, go farther than this. The dread 
 of the wrath to come has sunk deeper into their 
 hearts ; and for a while they strive with all their 
 might to resist their evil propensities, and to walk 
 without stumbling in the path of duty. Again and 
 again they resolve again and again they break 
 
248 NEGLECT OF THE PECULIAR 
 
 their resolutions.* All their endeavors are foiled, 
 and they become more and more convinced of their 
 own moral weakness, and of the strength of their in- 
 dwelling corruption. Thus groaning under the en- 
 slaving power of sin, and experiencing the futility 
 of the utmost efforts which they can use for effecting 
 their deliverance, they are tempted to give up all in 
 despair, and to acquiesce under their wretched cap- 
 tivity, conceiving it impossible to break their chains. 
 Sometimes, probably, it even happens that they are 
 driven to seek for refuge from their disquietude in 
 the suggestions of infidelity, and to quiet their trou- 
 blesome consciences by arguments which they them- 
 selves scarcely believe, at the very moment in which 
 they suffer themselves to be lulled asleep by them. 
 In the mean time, while this conflict has been going 
 on, their walk is sad and comfortless, and their couch 
 is nightly watered with tears. These men are pur- 
 suing the right object, but they mistake the way in 
 which it is to be obtained. The path in which they 
 are now treading is not that which the Gospel has 
 provided for conducting them to true holiness, nor 
 will they find in it any solid peace. 
 
 Persons under these circumstances naturally seek 
 for religious instruction. They turn over the works 
 
 * If any one would read a description of this process, en- 
 livened and enforced by the powers of the most exquisite 
 poetry, let him peruse the middle and latter part of the fifth 
 book of Cowper's Task. 
 
DOCTRINES OF CHRISTIANITY. 249 
 
 of our modern religionists, and as well as they can 
 collect the advice addressed to men in their situation, 
 the substance of it is, at the best, of this sort: " Be 
 sorry indeed for your sins, and discontinue the 
 practice of them, but do not make yourselves so un- 
 easy. Christ died for the sins of the whole world. 
 Do your utmost ; discharge with fidelity the duties 
 of your stations, not neglecting your religious offi- 
 ces ; and fear not but that in the end all will go well ; 
 and that having thus performed the conditions re- 
 quired on your part, you will at last obtain forgive- 
 ness of our merciful Creator, through the merits of 
 Jesus Christ, and be aided, where your own strength 
 shall be insufficient, by the assistance of his Holy 
 Spirit. Meanwhile you cannot do better than read 
 carefully such books of practical divinity as will in- 
 struct you in the principles of a Christian life. We 
 are excellently furnished with works of this nature; 
 and it is by the diligent study of them that you will 
 gradually become a proficient in the lessons of the 
 Gospel." 
 
 But the holy Scriptures call upon those who art 
 in the circumstances above stated, to lay afresh the 
 whole foundation of their religion ; gratefully to 
 adore that undeserved goodness which has awaken- 
 ed them from the sleep of death ; to prostrate them- 
 selves before the cross of Christ with humble peni- 
 tence and deep self-abhorrence ; solemnly resolving 
 to forsake all their sins, but relying on the grace of 
 
250 NEGLECT OF THE PECULIAR 
 
 God alone for power to keep their resolution. Thus, 
 and thus only, do they assure them that all their 
 crimes Avill be blotted out, and that they will receive 
 from above a new living principle of holiness. " Be- 
 lieve in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt b« 
 saved." " JAo man," says our blessed Savior, " Com- 
 eth unto '.he Father but by me." " I am the true 
 vine. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself ex- 
 cept it abide in the vine, no more can ye except ye 
 abide in me." " He that abideth in me and I in him, 
 the same bringeth forth much fruit ; for without," 
 or severed from "me, ye can do nothing." " by 
 grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of 
 yourselves, it is the gift of God ; not of works, lest 
 any man should boast : for we are his workmanship, 
 created in Christ Jesus unto good works." 
 
 Let us not be thought tedious, or be accused of 
 running into needless repetitions, in pressing this 
 point with so much earnestness. It is in fact a 
 point which can never be too much insisted on. It 
 is the cardinal point, on which the whole of Chris- 
 tianity turns ; on which it is peculiarly proper in 
 this place to be perfectly distinct. There have been 
 some who have imagined that the wrath of God 
 was to be deprecated, or his favor conciliated by 
 austerities and penances, or even by forms and cere- 
 monies, and external observances. But all men of 
 enlightened understandings, who acknowledge the 
 moral government of God, must also acknowledge 
 
DOCTRINES OF CHRIIfTIANlTY. 151 
 
 that vice must offend and virtue delight him. In 
 short they must, more or less, assent to the scripture 
 declaration, " Without holiness no man shall see the 
 Lord." But the grand distinction which subsists 
 between the true Christian and all other religionists, 
 is concerning the nature of this holiness, and the 
 way in which it is to be obtained. The views en- 
 tertained by the latter of the nature of holiness, 
 are of all degrees of inadequateness : and they con- 
 ceive it is to be obtained by their own natural unas- 
 sisted efforts : or if they admit some vague indistinct 
 notion of the assistance of the Holy Spirit, it is un- 
 questionably obvious, on conversing with them, that 
 this does not constitute the main practical ground of 
 their dependence. But the nature of the holiness to 
 which the desires of the true Christian are directed, 
 is no other than the restoration of the image of God ; 
 and as to the manner of acquiring it, disclaiming 
 with indignation every idea of attaining it by his 
 own strength, all his hopes of possessing it rest al- 
 together on the divine assurances of the operation of 
 the Holy Spirit in those who cordially embrace the 
 Gospel of Christ. lie knows therefore that this 
 holiness is not to precede his reconciliation to God, 
 and be its cause ; but to folloio it, and be its effect. 
 That, in short, it is by faith in Christ only* that 
 he is to be justified in the sight of God ; to be 
 
 ♦ Here again let it be remarked, that faith, where genu- 
 ine at^v'ays supposes repentance, abhorrence of sin, &c, ,^^ 
 
^52 NEGLECf OF THE PECULIAR 
 
 delivered from the condition of a child of wrath and 
 a slave or Satan ; to be adopted into the family of 
 God ; to become an heir of God and a joint heir 
 with Christ, entitled to all the privileges which be- 
 long to this high relation; here, to the Spirit of 
 grace, and a partial renewal after the image of his 
 Creator ; hereafter, to the more perfect possession of 
 the Divine likeness, and an inheritance of eternal 
 glory. 
 
 And as it is in this way that in obedience to the 
 dictates of the Gospel, the true Christian must origi- 
 nally become possessed of the vital spirit and living 
 principle of universal holiness ; so, in order to grow 
 in grace, he must also study in the sanle school ; 
 finding in the consideration of the peculiar doctrines 
 of the Gospel, and in the contemplation of the life, 
 and character, and sufferings of our blessed Savior* 
 the elements of all practical wisdom, and an inex- 
 haustible storehouse of instructions and motives, no 
 otherwise to be so well supplied. From the neglect 
 of these peculiar doctrines arise the main practical 
 errors of the bulk of professed Christians. These 
 gigantic truths, retained in view, would put to shame 
 the littlenes.s of iheir dwarfish morality. It would 
 be impossible for them to make these harmonize 
 with their low conceptions of the wretchedness and 
 danger of their natural state, which is represented 
 in Scripture as having so powerfully called forth the 
 ompassion of God, that he sent his only-begotten 
 
 ^ 
 
DOCTRINES OF CHRISTIANITY. 253 
 
 Son to rescue us. Where now are their low con- 
 ceptions of the worth of the soul, when means like 
 these were taken to redeem it ? Where now their 
 inadequate conceptions of the guilt of sin, for which 
 in the Divine counsels it seemed requisite that an 
 atonement no less costly should be made than that 
 of the blood of the only-begotten Son of God ? How 
 can they reconcile their low standard of christian 
 practice with the representation of our being "tem- 
 ples of the Holy Ghost ?" their cold sense of obli- 
 gation, and scanty grudged returns of service, with 
 the glowing gratitude of those who, having been 
 '* delivered from the power of darkness, and trans- 
 lated into the kingdom of God's dear Son," may 
 well conceive that the labors of a whole life will be 
 but an imperfect expression of their thankfulness ? 
 
 The peculiar doctrines of the Gospel being once 
 admitted, the conclusions which have been now sug- 
 gested are clear and obvious deductions of reason. 
 But our neglect of these important truths is still less 
 pardonable, because they are distinctly and repeat- 
 edly applied in Scripture to the very purposes in 
 question, and the whole superstructure of christian 
 morals is grounded on their deep and ample basis. 
 Sometimes these truths are represented in Scrip- 
 ture, generally, as furnishing Christians Avith a vigo- 
 rous and ever-present principle of universal obedi- 
 ence. And our learning the lessons of heavenly 
 wisdom is still further stimulated, by almost every 
 22 
 
254 NEGLECT OF THE PECULIAR 
 
 particular christian duty being occasionally traced 
 to them as to its proper source. They are every 
 where represented as warming the hearts of the 
 people of God on earth with continual admiration, 
 and thankfulness, and love, and joy; as triumphing 
 over the attack of the last great enemy, and as call- 
 ing forth afresh in heaven the ardent effusions of 
 their unexhausted gratitude. 
 
 If then we would indeed be •' filled with wisdom 
 and spiritual understanding ;" if we would " walk 
 worthy of the Lord unto all well pleasing, being 
 fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the 
 knowledge of God ;" here let us fix our eyes ! " Let 
 us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth 
 so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the 
 race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the 
 Author and Finisher of our faith; who, for the joy 
 that was set before him, endured the cross, des- 
 pising the shame, and is set down at the right hand 
 of the throne of God." Heb. 12 : 1, 2. 
 
 Here best we may learn the infinite importance 
 of Christianity. How little it can deserve to be treat- 
 ed in that slight and superficial way in which it is 
 in these days regarded by the bulk of nominal Chris- 
 tians, who are apt to think it may be enough, and 
 almost pleasing to God, to be religious in any way, 
 and upon any system. What exquishe folly it must 
 be to risk the soul on such a venture, in direct con- 
 tradiction to the dictates of reason and the express 
 
DOCTRINES OF CHRISTIANITY. 255 
 
 declaration of the word of God ! " How shall wf» 
 escape, if we neglect so great salvation ?" 
 
 LOOKING UNTO JESUS 1 
 
 Here we shall best karn the duty and reasonable- 
 ness of an absolute and unconditional surrender of 
 soul and body to the will and service of God. " We 
 are not our own, for we are bought with a price," 
 and must "therefore" make it our grand concern to 
 " glorify God with our bodies and our spirits, which 
 are God's." Should we be base enough, even if we 
 could do it with safety, to make any reserves in our 
 returns of service to that gracious Savior who " gave 
 up himself for us ?" If we have formerly talked of 
 compounding, by the performance of some commands 
 for the breach of others, can we now bear the mention 
 of a composition of duties, or of retaining to ourselves 
 the right of practicing little sins ? The very sugges- 
 tion of such an idea fills us with indignation and 
 shame, if our hearts be not dead to every sense of 
 gratitude. 
 
 LOOKING UNTO JESUS ! 
 
 Here we find displayed, in the most lively colors, 
 the guilt of sin, and how hateful it must be to the per- 
 fect holiness of that Being who is of " purer eyes 
 than to behold iniquity." When we see that, rather 
 
256 NEGLECT OF THE PECULIAR 
 
 than sin should go unpunished, " God spared not his 
 own Son," but " was pleased* to bruise and put him 
 to grief" for our sakes ; how vainly must impeni- 
 tent sinners flatter themselves with the hope of escap- 
 ing the vengeance of heaven, and buoy themselves 
 up with the desperate dreams of the Divine benigityl 
 Here too we may anticipate the dreadful suffer- 
 ings of that state " where shall be weeping and 
 gnashing of teeth ;" when, rather than that we should 
 undergo them, "the Son of God himself, who 
 " thought it not robbery to be equal Avith God," con- 
 sented to take upon him our degraded nature, with 
 all its weaknesses and infirmities ; to be •' a man of 
 sorrows ;" " to hide not his face from shame and spit- 
 ting ;" " to be wounded for our transgressions, and 
 bruised for our iniquities ;" and at length to endure 
 the sharpness of death, " even the death of the cross," 
 that he might '' deliver us from the wrath to come," 
 and open the kingdom of heaven to all believers. 
 
 LOOKING UNTO JESUS. 
 
 Here best we may learn to grow in the love ot 
 God ! The certainty of his pity and love towards 
 
 * It has been well remarked ihat the word used, where it is 
 said that God " was pleased to bruise," and put to grief his 
 only Son for us, is the same word as that wherein it was de- 
 clared by a voice from heaven, " This is my beloved Son, in 
 whom I am well pleased." 
 
DOCTRINES OF CHRISTIANITY, 257 
 
 repentinof sinners, thus irrefragably demonstrated, 
 chases away the sense of tormenting fear, and best 
 lays the ground in us of a reciprocal affection. And 
 while we steadily contemplate this wonderful trans- 
 action, and consider in its several relations the amaz- 
 ing truth, that " God spared not his own, but deliv- 
 ered him up for us all ;" if our minds be not utterly 
 dead to every impulse of sensibility, the emotions of 
 admiration, of preference, of hope, and trust, and joy 
 cannot but spring up within us, chastened with rev- 
 erential fear, and softened and quickened by overflow 
 ing gratitude.* Here we shall become animated by 
 an abiding disposition to endeavor to please our great 
 Benefactor ; and by a humble persuasion, that the 
 weakest endeavors of this nature will not be despised 
 by a Being who has already proved himself so 
 kindly affected towards us. Rom. 5 : 9, 10. Here we 
 cannot fail to imbibe an earnest desire of possessing 
 his favor, and a conviction, founded on his own de- 
 clarations thus unquestionably confirmed, that the 
 desire shall not be disappointed. Whenever we are 
 conscious that we have offended this gracious Be- 
 ing, a single thought of the great work of redemp- 
 tion will be enough to fill us with compunction. 
 We shall feel a deep concern, grief mingled with in- 
 dignant shame, for having conducted ourselves so 
 unworthily towards one who to us has been infinite 
 
 ♦ Vide Chap. 3: where these -were shown to be the ele- 
 mentarv principles of the passion of love. 
 22* 
 
258 NEGLECT OF THE PECULIAR 
 
 in kindness ; we shall not rest till we have reason 
 to hope that he is reconciled to us ; and we shall 
 watch over our hearts and conduct in future with a 
 renewed jealousy, lest we should again offend him. 
 To those who are ever &o little acquainted with the 
 nature of the human mind, it were superfluous to re- 
 mark that the affections and tempers which have 
 been enumerated, are the infallible marks and the 
 constituent properties of love. Let him then, who 
 Avould abound and grow in this Christian principle, 
 be much conversant with the great doctrines of the 
 Gospel. 
 
 It is obvious that the attentive and frequent con- 
 sideration of these great doctrines must have a still 
 more direct tendency to produce and cherish in our 
 minds the principle of the love of Christ. But on 
 this head so much was said in a former chapter, as 
 to render any further observations unnecessary. 
 
 Much also has been already observed concerning- 
 the love of our fellow-creatures, and it has been dis- 
 tinctly stated to be the indispensable, and indeed the 
 characteristic duty of Christians. It remains, how- 
 ever, to be here further remarked, that this grace 
 can no where be cultivated with more advantage 
 than at the foot of the cross. No where can our Sa- 
 vior's dying injunction to the exercise of this virtue 
 be recollected with more effect ; " This is my com- 
 mandment, that ye love one another as I have loved 
 you." No where can the admonition of the apostle 
 
DOCTRINES OF CHRISTIANITY. 259 
 
 more powerfully affect us ; " Be ye kind one to 
 another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even 
 as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you." The 
 view of mankind which is here presented to us, as 
 having been all involved in one common ruin; and 
 the offer of deliverance held out to all, by the Son oi 
 God giving himself up to pay the price of our 
 reconciliation, produce that sympathy towards our fel- 
 low creatures which, by the constitution of our nature, 
 seldom fails to result from the consciousness of an 
 identity of interests and a similarity of fortunes. Pity 
 for an unthinking world assists this impression. Our 
 enmities soften and melt away: we are ashamed of 
 thinking much of the petty injuries which we may 
 have suffered, when we consider what the Son of 
 God, "who did no wrong, neither was guile found 
 in his mouth," patiently underwent. Our hearts be- 
 come tender while we contemplate this signal act ol 
 loving-kindness. We grow desirous of imitating 
 what we cannot but admire. A vigorous principle 
 of enlarged and active charity springs up within us ; 
 and we go forth with alacrity, desirous of treading in 
 the steps of our blessed Master, and of manifesting 
 our gratitude for his unmerited goodness, by bearing 
 each other's burdens, and abounding in the disinte 
 rested labors of benevolence. 
 
 LOOKING UNTO JESUS! 
 
 He was meek and lowly of heart, and from the 
 
260 NEGLECT OF THE PECULIAR 
 
 Study of his character we shall best learn the lessons 
 of humility. Contemplating the Avork of redemption, 
 we become more and more impressed with the sense 
 of our natural darkness, and helplessness, and mi- 
 sery, from which it was requisite to ransom us at 
 such a price ; more and more conscious that we arp 
 "Utterly unworthy of all the amazing condescension 
 and love which have been manifested towards us ; 
 ashamed of the callousness of our tenderest sensi- 
 bility, and of the poor returns of our most active ser- 
 vices. Considerations like these, abating our pride 
 and reducing our opinion of ourselves, naturally mo- 
 derate our pretensions towards others. We become 
 less disposed to exact that respect for our persons, 
 and that deference for our authority, which we na- 
 turally covet ; we less sensibly feel a slight, and less 
 hotly resent it ; we grow less irritable, less prone to 
 be dissatisfied; more soft, and meek, and courteous, 
 and placable, and condescending. We are not lite- 
 rally required to practice the same humiliating sub- 
 missions to which our blessed Savior himself was 
 not ashamed to stoop;* but the spirit of the remark 
 applies to us, " the servant is not greater than his 
 Lord:" and we should especially bear this truth in 
 mind, when the occasion calls upon us to discharge 
 some duty, or patiently to suffer some ill treatment, 
 
 * John, 13 : 13-17. *' If I 'chen, your Lord and Master, have 
 washed vour feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet," 
 &c. 
 
DOCTRINES OF CHRISTIANITY. 261 
 
 whereby our pride will be wounded, and we are 
 likely lo be in some degree degraded from the rank 
 we had possessed in the world's estimation. At the 
 same time the sacred Scriptures assuring us, that to 
 the powerful operations of the Holy Spirit, purchased 
 for us by the death of Christ, we must be indebted 
 for the success of all our endeavors after improve- 
 ment in virtue ; the conviction of this truth tends to 
 render us diffident of our own powers, and to sup- 
 press the first risings of vanity. Thus, while we are 
 conducted to heights of virtue no otherwise attaina- 
 ble, due care is taken to prevent our becoming giddy 
 from our elevation.* It is the Scripture characteris- 
 tic of the Gospel system, that by it all disposition to 
 exalt ourselves is excluded ; and if we really grow 
 in grace, we shall grow also in humility. 
 
 LOOKING UNTO JESUS ! 
 
 •' He endured the cross, despising the shame." 
 While we steadily contemplate this solemn scene, 
 that sober frame of spirit is produced within us 
 which best befits the Christian militant here on earth. 
 We become impressed with a sense of the shortness 
 and uncertainty of time, and that it behoves us to be di- 
 ligent in making provision for eternity. In such a 
 temper of mind, the pomps and vanities of life are cast 
 behind us as the baubles of children. We lose our re- 
 
 * See Pascal's Thoughts on Religion: a book abounding 
 in the deepest views of practical Christianity. 
 
262 NEGLECT OF THE PECULIAR 
 
 lish for the frolics of gayety, the race of ambition, or 
 the grosser gratifications, of voluptuousness. In the 
 case even of those objects which may more justly 
 claim the attention of reasonable and immortal be- 
 ings ; in our family arrangements, in our plans of life, 
 in our schemes of business, we become, without re- 
 linquishing the path of duty, more moderate in pur- 
 suit, and more indifferent about the issue. Here also 
 we learn to correct the world's false estimate of 
 things, and to " look through the shallowness of 
 earthly grandeur;"* to venerate what is truly ex- 
 cellent and noble, though under a despised and de- 
 graded form ; and to cultivate within ourselves that 
 true magnanimity which can make us rise superior 
 to the smiles or frowns of this world ; that dignified 
 composure of soul which no earthly incidents can 
 destroy or ruffle. Instead of repining at any of the 
 little occasional inconveniences we may meet with 
 in our passage through life, we are almost ashamed 
 of the multiplied comforts and enjoyments of our 
 condition, when we think of him, who, though "the 
 Lord of glory," " had not where to lay his head." 
 And if it be our lot to undergo evils of more than or- 
 dinary magnitude, we are animated under them by 
 reflecting that we are hereby more conformed to 
 the example of our blessed Master : though we must 
 ever recollect one important difference, that the suf- 
 fermgs of Christ w^ere voluntarily borne for our be- 
 
 ♦ Pope. 
 
DOCTRINES OF CHRISTIANITY. 263 
 
 nefit, and were probably far more exquisitely agoniz- 
 ing than any which we are called upon to undergo. 
 Besides, it must be a solid support to us amidst all 
 our troubles to know that they do not happen to 
 us by chance ; that they are not even merely the 
 punishment of sin ; but that they are the dispensa- 
 tions of a kind Providence, and sent on messages of 
 meicy. "The cup that our Father hath given us, 
 shall we not drink it ?" " Blessed Savior ! by the 
 bitterness of thy pains we may estimate the force of 
 hy love ; we are sure of thy kmdness and compas- 
 sion ; thou wouldst not willingly call on us to suffer ; 
 thou hast declared unto us, that all things shall final- 
 ly work together for good to them that love thee ; 
 and therefore, if thou so ordainest it, welcome disap- 
 pointment and poverty, welcome sickness and pain, 
 welcome even shame, and contempt, and calumny. 
 If this be a rough and thorny path, it is one in which 
 thou hast gone before us. Where we see thy foot- 
 steps we cannot repine. Meanwhile thou wilt sup- 
 port us with the consolations of thy grace ; and even 
 here thou canst more than compensate to us for any 
 temporal sufferings, by the possession of that peac© 
 which the world can neither give nor take away." 
 
 LOOKING UNTO JESUS ! 
 
 "The Author and Finisher of our faith, who for 
 the joy that was set before him, endured the cros8» 
 
'254 NEGLECT OF THE PECULIAR 
 
 despising the shame, and is set down at the right 
 hand of God." From the scene of our Savior's weak- 
 ness and degradation we follow him, in idea, into the 
 realms of glory, where "he is on the right hand of 
 God; angels, and principalities, and powers being 
 made subject unto him." But though changed in 
 place, j'-et not in nature, he is still full of sympathy 
 and love; and having died " to save his people from 
 their sins," "he ever liveth to make intercession for 
 them." Cheered by this animating view, the Chris- 
 tian's fainting spirits revive. Under the heaviest bur- 
 dens he feels his strength recruited : and when all 
 around him is dark and stormy, he can lift up an 
 eye to heaven, radiant with hope, and glistening with 
 gratitude. At such a season no dangers can alarm, 
 no opposition can move, no provocations can irritate. 
 He may almost adopt, as the language of his sober 
 exultation, what in the philosopher was but idle rant : 
 and, considering that it is only the garment of mor- 
 tality which is subject to the rents of fortune, while 
 his spirit, cheered with the Divine support, keeps 
 its place within, secure and unassailable, he can 
 sometimes almost triumph at the stake. But it is 
 rarely that the Christian is elevated with this "joy 
 unspeakable and full of glory :" he even lends him- 
 self to these views with moderation and reserve. Of- 
 ten, alas ! emotions of another kind fill him with grief 
 and confusion ; and conscious of having acted unwor- 
 thy of his high calling, perhaps of having exposed 
 
DOCTKINES OF CHRISTIANITY. 265 
 
 himself to the just censure of a world ready enough to 
 spy out his infirmities, he seems to himself almost "to 
 have crucified the Son of God afresh, and pat him tG 
 an open shame." But neither his joys intoxicate, nor 
 his sorrows too much depress him. Let him still re- 
 member that his c/u'e/ business while on earth is not 
 to meditate, but to act : that the seeds of moral cor- 
 ruption are apt to spring up within him, and that it 
 is requisite for him to watch over his own heart with 
 incessant care: that he is to discharge with fidelity 
 the duties of his particular station, and to conduct 
 himself, according to his measure, after the example 
 of his blessed Master, whose meat and drink it was 
 to do the work of his heavenly Father ; that he is di- 
 ligently to cultivate the talents with which God has 
 intrusted him, and assiduously to employ them in 
 doing justice and showing mercy, while he guards 
 against the assaults of an internal enemy. In short, 
 he is to demean himself, in all the common affairs 
 of life, like an accountable creature, who, in corres- 
 pondence with the Scripture character of Christians, 
 is " waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.^' 
 Often therefore he questions him.self, " Am I employ- 
 ing my time, my fortune, my bodily and mental pow- 
 ers, so as to be able to ' render up my account with 
 joy, and not with grief?' Am I ' adorning the doctrine 
 of God my Savior in all things ;' and proving that 
 the servants of Christ, animated by a principle of 
 filial affection, which renders their work a service 
 23 
 
266 NEGLECT OF THE PECULIAR 
 
 of perfect freedom, are' capable of as active and as 
 persevering exertions as the votaries of fame, or the 
 slaves of ambition, or the drudges of avarice?" 
 
 Thus, without interruption to his labors, he may 
 interpose occasional thoughts of things unseen: and 
 amidst the many little intervals of business, may 
 calmly look upwards to the heavenly Advocate, who 
 is ever pleading the cause of his people, and obtain- 
 ing for them needful supplies of grace and consola- 
 tion. It is these realizing views which give the 
 Christian a relish for the worship and service of the 
 heavenly world. And if these blessed images, "seen 
 but through a glass darkly," can thus refresh the 
 soul ; what must be its state, when on the morning 
 of the resurrection it shall awake to the unclouded 
 vision of celestial glory ? when " to them that look 
 for him, the Son of God shall appear a second time 
 without sin unto salvation ?" when " sighing and sor- 
 row being fled avv'ay," when doubts and fears no 
 more disquieting, and the painful consciousness of 
 remaining imperfections no longer weighing down 
 the spirit, they shall enter upon the fruition of " those 
 joys which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither 
 hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive ;" 
 and shall bear their part in that blessed anihem — 
 •' Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, 
 and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever ?" 
 
 Thus, never let it be forgotten, the main distinc- 
 ion betu-een real Christianity and the system of the 
 
POCTRINES OF CHRISTIANITY. 267 
 
 bulk of nominal Christians, chiefly consists in the 
 different place which is assigned in the two schemes 
 to the peculiar doctrines of the Gospel. These, in 
 the scheme of nominal Christians, if admitted at all, 
 appear but like the stars of the firmament to the or- 
 dinary eye. Those splendid luminaries draw forth 
 perhaps occasionally a transient expression of admi- 
 ration, when we behold their beauty, or hear their 
 distances, magnitudes, or properties: now and then 
 too we are led, perhaps, to muse upon their possible 
 uses : but however curious as subjects of speculation, 
 after all, it must be confessed they twinkle to the 
 common observer with a vain and "idle" luster ; and 
 except in the dreams of the astrologer, have no in- 
 fluence on human happiness, or any concern with 
 the course and order of the world. But to the real 
 Christian, on the contrary, these peculiar doctrines 
 constitute the center to which he gravitates ! the very 
 sun of his system ! the soul of the world ! the ori- 
 gin of all that is excellent and lovely ! the source of 
 light, and life, and motion, and genial warmth, and 
 plastic energy ! Dim is the light of reason, and cold 
 and comfortless our state, while left to her unassisted 
 guidance. Even the Old Testament itself, though a 
 revelation from heaven, shines but with feeble and 
 scanty rays. But the blessed truths of the Gospel 
 are now unveiled to our eyes, and we are called upon 
 to behold, and to enjoy "the light of the knowledge 
 of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ," in 
 
2G8 EXCELLENCE OF CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 the full radiance of its meridian splendor. The words 
 of inspiration best express our highly favored state: 
 " We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the 
 glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, 
 from glory to glory, even as by the Sph'it of the 
 Lord." 
 
 Thou art the source and centre of all minds, 
 Their only point of rest, Eternal Word ; 
 From thee departing, they are lost, and rove 
 At random, without honor, hope, or peace: 
 From thee is all that soothes the life of man ; 
 His high endeavor, and his glad success; 
 His strength to suffer, and his will to serve. 
 But O ! thou bounteous giver of all good ! 
 Thou art of all thy gifts thyself the crown • 
 Give what thou canst, without thee we are poor, 
 And with thee rich, take what thou wilt away. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ON THE EXCELLENCE OF CHRISTIANITY IN CER- 
 TAIN IMPORTANT PARTICULARS. ARGUMENT 
 
 WHICH RESULTS THENCE IN PROOF OF ITS VI 
 VINE ORIGIN. 
 
 Having now completed a faint delineation of the 
 leading features of real Christianity, we may point 
 
IN IMPORTANT PARTICULARS. 269 
 
 out some excellences which she really possesses; 
 but which, as they are not to be found in that super- 
 ficial system which so unworthily usurps her name, 
 appear scarcely to have attracted sufficient notice; 
 but by which she will appear to exhibit more clearly, 
 than as she is usually drawn, the characters of her 
 divine original. 
 
 It holds true, indeed, in the case of Christianity, 
 as in that of all the works of God, that though a su- 
 perficial and cursory view cannot fail to discover to 
 us somewhat of their beauty; yet when, on a more 
 careful and accurate scrutiny, we become better ac- 
 quainted with their properties, we become also more 
 deeply impressed by a conviction of their excellence. 
 We may begin by referring to the last chapter for 
 an instance of the truth of this assertion. Therein 
 was pointed out that intimate connection, that perfect 
 harmony, between the leading doctrines and the 
 practical precepts of Christianity, which is apt to 
 escape the attention of the ordinary eye. 
 
 It may not be improper also to remark, though 
 the position be so obvious as almost to render the 
 statement of it needless, that there is the same close 
 connection and perfect harmony in the leading doc- 
 trines of Christianity among each other. It is self- 
 evident that the corruption of human nature, that 
 our reconciliation to God by the atonement of Christ, 
 and thai the restoration of our primitive dignity by 
 the sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit, are al 
 23* 
 
270 EXCELLENCE OF CHRISTIANITY 
 
 parts of one whole, united in close dependence and 
 mutual congruity. 
 
 Perhaps, however, it has not been sufficiently no- 
 ticed, that in the chief practical precepts of Christiani- 
 ty, there is the same essential agreement, the same 
 mutual dependency of one upon another. Let us 
 survey this fresh instance of the wisdom of that sys- 
 tem which IS the only solid foundation of our pre- 
 sent or future happiness. 
 
 The virtues most strongly and repeatedly enjoin- 
 ed in Scripture, and by our progress in which we 
 may best measure our advancement in holiness, are 
 the fear and love of God and of Christ : love, kind- 
 ness, and meekness towards our fellow-creatures , 
 indifference to the possessions and events of this life, 
 in comparison with our concern about eternal things; 
 self-denial, and humility. 
 
 It has been already pointed out in many particu- 
 lars, how essentially such of these Christian graces 
 as respect the Divine Being are connected with those 
 which have more directly for their objects our fel- 
 low-creatures and ourselves. But in the case of these 
 two last descriptions of Christian graces, the mors 
 attentively we consider them with reference to the 
 acknowledged principles of human nature and to 
 indisputable facts, the more we shall be convinced 
 that they afford mutual aid towards the acquisition 
 of each other ; and that, when acquired, they all 
 harmonize with each other in perfect and essential 
 
IN IMPORTANT PARTICULARS. 271 
 
 union. This truth may perhaps be sufficiently ap- 
 parent from what has been already remarked ; but 
 it may not be useless to dwell on it a little more in 
 detail. Take then the instances of loving-kindness 
 and meekness towards others, and observe the solid 
 foundation which is laid for them in self-denial, in 
 moderation as to the good things of this life, and in 
 humility. The chief causes of enmity among men, 
 are pride and self-importance, the high opinion Avhich 
 men entertain of themselves, and the consequent de- 
 ference which they exact from other.s ; the over-va- 
 luation of worldly possessions and of worldly honors, 
 and in consequence, a too eager competition for 
 them. The rough edges of one man rub against 
 those of another, if the expression may be allowed; 
 and the friction is often such as to injure the works, 
 and disturb the just arrangements and regular mo- 
 tions of the social machine. But by Christianity all 
 these roughnesses are filed down ; every wheel rolls 
 round smoothly in the performance of its appointed 
 function, and there is nothing to retard the several 
 movements, or break in upon the general order. 
 The religious sj^stem indeed of the bulk of nominal 
 Christians is satisfied with some appearances of vir- 
 tue ; and accordingly, while it recommends love and 
 beneficence, it tolerates, as has been shown, pride 
 and vanity in many cases ; it even countenances and 
 commends the excessive valuation of character, and 
 at least allows a man's whole soul to be absorbed in 
 
272 EXCELLENCE OF CHRISTIANITY 
 
 the pursuit of the object he is following, be it what 
 it may, of personal or professional success. But 
 though these latter qualities may, for the most part, 
 consist with a soft exterior and courtly demeanor, 
 they cannot accord with the genuine internal prin- 
 ciple of love. Some cause of discontent, some ground 
 of jealousy or of envy will arise, some suspicion will 
 corrode, some disappointment will sour, some slight 
 or calumny will irritate, and provoke reprisals. In the 
 higher walks of life, indeed, we learn to disguise our 
 emotions; but such will be the real inward feelings 
 of the soul, and they will frequently betray them- 
 selves when we are off our guard, or when we are 
 not likely to be disparaged by the discovery. This 
 state of the higher orders, in which men are scuf- 
 fling eagerly for the same objects, and wearing all 
 the while such an appearance of sweetness and com- 
 placency, has often appeared to me to be not ill il- 
 lustrated by a gaming-table. There, every man is 
 intent only on his own profit ; the good success of 
 one is the ill success of another, and therefore the 
 general state of mind of the parties engaged may be 
 pretty well conjectured. All this, however, does not 
 prevent, in well-bred societies, an exterior of perfect 
 gentleness and good humor. But let the same em- 
 ployment be carried on among those who are not so 
 well schooled in the art of disguising their feelings; 
 or in places where, by general connivance, people 
 are allowed to give vent to their real emotions j and 
 
IN I3IP0RTANT PARTICULARS. 273 
 
 every passion will display itself, by which the " hu- 
 man face divine" can be distorted and deformed 
 The horrid name,* by which it is familiarly known 
 among its frequenters, sufficiently attests the fidelity 
 of its resemblance. 
 
 But Christianity requires the substantial reality, 
 which may stand the scrutinizing eye of that Being 
 " who searches the heart." Meaning therefore that 
 the Christian should live and breathe in an atmos- 
 phere of benevolence, she forbids whatever can tend 
 to obstruct its diffusion or vitiate its purity. It is on 
 this principle that emulation is forbidden : for, be- 
 sid(;3 that this passion almost insensibly degenerates 
 into envy, and that it derives its origin chiefly from 
 pride and a desire of self-exaltation; how can we 
 easily love our neighbor as ourselves if we consider 
 him at the same time as our rival, and are intent upon 
 surpassing him in the pursuit of whatever is the sub- 
 ject of our competition 1 
 
 Christianity, again, teacher us not to set our 
 hearts on earthl)'- possessions and earthly honors , 
 and thereby provides for our really loving, or even 
 cordially forgiving those who have been more suc- 
 cessful than our3elves in the attainment of them, or 
 who have even designedly thwarted us in the pur- 
 suit. "Let the rich," says the apostle, "rejoice in 
 that he is brought low." How can he who means 
 
 * The Hell, so called, be it observed, not by way of re- 
 proach, but familiarity, by those who frequent it. 
 
274 EXCELLENCE OF CHRISTIANITY 
 
 to attempt, in any degree, to obey this prerept, be ir- 
 reconcilably hostile towards any one who may have 
 been instrumental in his depression? 
 
 Christianity also teaches us not to prize human 
 estimation at a very high rate; and thereby provides 
 for the practice of her injunction, to love from the 
 heart those who, justly or unjustly, may have at- 
 tacked our reputation and wounded our character. 
 She commands not the show, but the reality of meek- 
 ness and gentleness ; and by thus taking away the 
 aliment of anger and the fomenters of discord, she 
 provides for the maintenance of peace, and the resto- 
 ration of good temper among men, when it may 
 have sustained a temporary interruption. 
 
 It is another capital excellence of Christianity, 
 that she values moral attainments at a far higher 
 rate than intellectual acquisitions, and proposes to 
 conduct her followers to the height of virtue rather 
 than of knowledge. On the contrar}'-, most of the 
 false religious systems which have prevailed in the 
 ■world, have proposed to reward the labor of their 
 votary by drawing aside the veil which concealed 
 from the vulgar eye their hidden mysteries, and by 
 introducing him to the knowledge of their deeper 
 and more sacred doctrines. 
 
 This is eminently the case in the Hindoo, and in 
 the Mohammedan religion, in that of China, and, for 
 the most part, in the various modifications of ancient 
 paganism. In systems which proceed on this prin- 
 
IN IMPORTANT PARTICULARS, 275 
 
 ciple, it is obvious that the bulk of mankind can 
 never make any great proficiency. There was ac 
 cordingly, among the nations of antiquity, one sys 
 tern, whatever it was, for the learned, and another 
 for the illiterate. Many of the philosophers spoke 
 out, and professed to keep the lower orders in igno- 
 rance for the general good ; plainly suggesting that 
 the bulk of mankind was to be considered as almost 
 of an inferior species. Aristotle himself counte- 
 nanced this opinion. An opposite mode of proceed- 
 ing naturally belongs to Christianity, which, with- 
 out distinction, professes an equal regard for all hu- 
 man beings, and which was characterized by her 
 first Promulgator as the messenger of "glad tidings 
 to the poor." 
 
 But her preference of moral to intellectual excel- 
 lence is not to be praised, only because it is conge- 
 nial with her general character, and suitable to the 
 ends which she professes to have in view. It is the 
 part of true wisdom to endeavor to excel, where we 
 may really attain to excellence. This consideration 
 might be alone sufficient to direct our efl^orts to the 
 acquisition of virtue rather than of knowledge. How 
 limited is the range of the greatest human abilities I 
 how scanty the stores of the richest human know- 
 ledge ! Those who undeniably have held the first 
 rank, both for natural and acquired endowments, in- 
 stead of thinking their pre-eminence a just ground 
 of self-exaltation, have commonly been the most for» 
 
276 EXCELLENCE OF CHRISTIANITY 
 
 ward to confess that their views were bounded and 
 their attainments moderate. Had they indeed been 
 less candid, this is a discovery which we would not 
 have failed to make for ourselves. Experience daily 
 furnishes us with examples of weakness and error, 
 m the wisest and the most learned of men, which 
 might serve to confound the pride of human wisdom. 
 Not so in morals. Made at first in the likeness of 
 God, and still bearing about us some faint traces 
 of our high original, we are offered by our blessed 
 Redeemer the means of purification from our cor- 
 ruptions, and of once more regaining the image of 
 our heavenly Father. Eph. 2. In love, the com- 
 pendious expression for almost every virtue ; in for- 
 titude under all its forms; in justice, in humility, 
 and in all the other graces of the Christian charac- 
 ter, we are made capable of attaining to heights of 
 real elevation : and were we but faithful in the use 
 of the means of grace which we enjoy, the opera- 
 tions of the Holy Spirit, prompting and aiding our 
 diligent endeavors, would infallibly crown our la- 
 bors with success, and make us partakers of a Di- 
 vine nature. Let me not be thought to undervalue 
 any of the gifts of God, or of the fruits of human 
 exertion ; but let not these be prized beyond their 
 proper worth. If one of those little industrious in- 
 sects, to which we have been well sent for a lesson 
 of diligence and foresight, were to pride itself upon 
 Us strength, because it could carry off a larger grain 
 
IN IMPORTANT PARTICULARS. 277 
 
 of wheat than any other of its fellow-ants, should 
 we not laugh at the vanity which could be highly 
 gratified with such a contemptible pre-eminence? 
 And is it far different to the eye of reason, when 
 man, weak, short-sighted man, is vain of surpassing 
 others in knowledge, in which, at best, his progress 
 must be so limited; forgetting the true dignity of his 
 nature, and the path which would conduct him to 
 real excellence? 
 
 The unparalleled value of the precepts of Chris- 
 tianity ought not to be passed over altogether unno- 
 ticed in this place. It is by no means, however, the 
 design of this little work to attempt to trace the va- 
 rious excellences of Christianity; but it may not 
 have been improper to point out a few particulars 
 which have fallen under our notice, and hitherto 
 perhaps may scarcely have been enough regarded. 
 Every such instance, it should always be remem- 
 bered, is a fresh proof of Christianity being a reve- 
 lation from God. 
 
 It is still less, however, the intention of the writer 
 to attempt to vindicate the Divine origin of our holy 
 religion. This task has often been executed by far 
 abler advocates. Anxious, however, in my little 
 measure, to contribute to the support of this great 
 cause, may it be permitted me to istate one argument 
 which impresses my mind with particular force. 
 This is, the great variety of the kinds of evidence 
 Avhich have been adduced in proof of Christianity, 
 24 
 
278 EXCELLENCE OF CHRISTIANITY 
 
 and the confirmation thereby afforded of its truth: 
 the proof from prophecy — from miracles — from the 
 character of Christ — from that of his apostles — from 
 the nature of the doctrines of Christianity — from the 
 nature and excellence of her practical precepts — from 
 the accordance we have lately pointed out between 
 the doctrinal and practical system of Christianity, 
 whether considered each in itself or in their mutual 
 relation to each other — from other species of internal 
 evidence, afforded in the more abundance in propor- 
 tion as the sacred records have been scrutinized with 
 greater care — from the accounts of contemporary or 
 nearly contemporary writers — from the impossibility 
 of accounting, on any other supposition than that of 
 the truth of Christianit)'-, for its promulgation and 
 early prevalence : these and other lines of argument 
 have all been brought forward, and ably urged by 
 different writers, in proportion as they have struck 
 the minds of different observers more or less forcibly , 
 Now, granting that some obscure and illiterate men, 
 residing in a distant province of the Roman empire, 
 had plotted to impose a forgery upon the world; 
 though some foundation for the imposture might, 
 and indeed must have been attempted to be laid ; it 
 seems, at least to my understanding, morally impos- 
 sible that so many different species of proofs, and all 
 so strong, should have lent their concurrent aid, and 
 have united \\ieu joint force in the establishment of 
 the falsehood. ., It may assist the reader in estimating 
 
IN IMPORTANT PARTICULARS. 279 
 
 the value of this argument, to consider upon how 
 different a footing, in this respect, has rested every 
 other religious system, without exception, which 
 was ever proposed to the world; and, indeed, every 
 other historical fact, of which the truth has been at 
 all contested. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 BRIEF INQUIRY INTO THE STATE OF CHRISTIANI- 
 TY IN THIS COUNTRY. ITS IMPORTANCE TO 
 
 US AS A POLITICAL COMMUNITY, AND PRACTI- 
 CAL HINTS FOR WHICH THE FOREGOING CON- 
 SIDERATIONS GIVE OCCASION. 
 
 It may not be altogether improper to remind the 
 reader, that hitherto our discussion has been con- 
 cerning the prevailing religious opinions merely of 
 professed Christians; no longer confining ourselves 
 to persons of this description, let us now extend our 
 inquiry, and briefly investigate the general state of 
 Christianity in this country. 
 
 The tendency of religion to promote the temporal 
 well-being of political communities, is a fact which 
 
280 INdtriRY INTO THE STATE 
 
 depends on such obvious and undeniable principles, 
 and which is so forcibly inculcated by the history of 
 all ages, that there can be no necessity for entering 
 into a formal proof of its truth. It has indeed been 
 maintained, not merely by schoolmen and divines, 
 but by the most celebrated philosophers, and mora- 
 lists, and politicians of every age. 
 
 The peculiar excellence in this respect also of 
 Christianity, considered independently of its truth or 
 falsehood, has been recognized by many writers, 
 who, to say the least, were not disposed to exagge- 
 rate its merits. Either or both of these propositions 
 being admitted, the state of religion in a country at 
 any given period, not to mention its connection with 
 the eternal happiness of the inhabitants, immediately 
 becomes a question of great political importance : 
 and in particular, it must be materia] to ascertain 
 whether religion be in an advancing or in a declining 
 state ; and if the latter be the case, whether there be 
 any practicable means for preventing at least its far- 
 ther declension. 
 
 If the representations contained in the preceding 
 chapters, of the state of Christianity among the bulk 
 of professed Christians, be not very erroneous, they 
 may well excite serious apprehension in the mind of 
 every reader, when considered merely in a political 
 view. 
 
 When it is proposed, however, to inquire into the 
 actual state of religion in any country, and in parti- 
 
CHRISTIANITY IN THIS COUNTRY. 281 
 
 cular to compare that state with its condition at any 
 former period, there is one preliminary observation 
 to be made. There exists, established by tacit consent, 
 in every country, what may be called a general 
 standard or tone of morals, varying in the same com- 
 munity at different periods, and different at the same 
 period in different ranks and situations in societ3\ 
 Whoever falls below this standard, and, not unfre- 
 quently, whoever also rises above it, offending against 
 this general rule, suffers proportionably in the ge- 
 neral estimation. Thus a regard for character, 
 which, as was formerly remarked, is commonly the 
 grand governing principle among men, becomes to 
 a certain degree, though no farther, an incitement to 
 morality and virtue. It follows of course, that where 
 the practice does no more than come up to the re- 
 quired level, it will be no sufficient evidence of the 
 existence, much less will it furnish any just measure 
 of the force of a real internal principle of religion. 
 Christians, Jews, Turks, infidels, and heretics, per- 
 sons of ten thousand different sorts of passions and 
 opinions, being members at the same time of the 
 same community, and all conscious that they will 
 be examined by this same standard, will regulate 
 their conduct accordingly, and, Avith no great differ- 
 ence, w^ill all adjust themselves to the required mea- 
 sure. 
 
 It must also be remarked, that the causes which 
 tend to raise or to depress this standard, commonly 
 24* 
 
282 INQUIRY INTO THE STATE OF 
 
 produce their effects by slow and almost insensible 
 degrees; and that it often continues for some time 
 nearly the same, when the circumstances by which it 
 was fixed have materially altered. 
 
 It is a truth which will hardly be contested, that 
 Christianity, whenever it has at all prevailed, has 
 raised the general standard of morals to a height be- 
 fore unknown. Some actions, which among the an- 
 cients were scarcely held to be blemishes in the most 
 excellent characters, have been justly considered by 
 the laws of every christian community as meriting 
 the severest punishments. In other instances, virtues 
 formerly rare have become common ; and in particu- 
 lar, a merciful and courteous temper has softened the 
 rugged manners, and humanized the brutal ferocity 
 prevalent among the most polished nations of the 
 heathen world. But from what has been recently 
 observed, it is manifest, that, so far as external ap- 
 pearances are concerned, these effects, when once 
 produced by Christianity, are produced alike in those 
 who deny and in those who admit her Divine origi- 
 nal ; I had almost said, in those who reject and those 
 who cordially embrace the doctrines of the Gospel : 
 and these effects might, and probably would remain 
 for a while, without any great apparent alteration, 
 however her spirit might languish, or even her au- 
 thority decline. The form of the temple, as was once 
 beautifully remarked, may continue when the dii 
 iutelares — the tutelary deities — have left it. When 
 
CHRISTIANITY IN THIS COUNTRY. 283 
 
 we iire inquiring therefore into the real state of Chris- 
 tianity at any period, if we would not be deceived 
 in this important investigation, it becomes us to be 
 the more careful not to take up with superficial ap- 
 pearances. 
 
 It may perhaps help us to ascertain the advancing 
 or declining state of Christianity in this nation at 
 the present moment, and still more to discover some 
 of the causes by which that state has been produced, 
 to employ a little time in considering what might 
 naturally be expected to be its actual situation ; what 
 advantages or disadvantages such a religion might 
 be expected to derive from the circumstances in 
 which it has been placed among us, and from those 
 in which it still continues. 
 
 Experience warrants, and reason justifies and ex- 
 plains the assertion, that persecution generally tends 
 to quicken the vigor and extend the prevalence of 
 the opinions which she would eradicate. For the 
 peace of mankind, it has grown at length almost into 
 an axiom, that " her devilish engine recoils back upon 
 herself." Christianity especially has always thriven 
 under persecution. At such a season she has no luke- 
 warm professors; no adherents concerning whom it 
 is doubtful to what party they belong. The Chris- 
 tian is then reminded at every turn, that his Mas- 
 ter's kingdom is not of this world. When all on 
 earth wears a black and threatening aspect, he looks 
 up to hea ren for consolation ; he learns practically 
 
284 INQUIRY INTO THE STATE OF 
 
 to consider himself as a pilgrim and a stranger. He 
 then cleaves to fundamentals, and examines well his 
 foundation., as at the hour i death. When religion 
 is m a state of external quiet and prosperity, the con- 
 trary of all this naturally takes place. The soldiers 
 of the church militant then forget that they are in a 
 state of warfare. Their ardor slackens ; their zeal 
 languishes. Like a colony long settled in a strange 
 country, they are gradually assimilated in features, 
 and demeanor, and language, to the native inhabi- 
 tants, till at length almost every vestige of peculiari- 
 ty dies away. 
 
 If, in general, persecution and prosperity be pro- 
 ductive respectively of these opposite effects, this cir- 
 cumstance alone might teach us what expectations 
 to form concerning the state of Christianity in a 
 country where her institutions have long been amply 
 endowed, and the community long been enjoying 
 great commercial prosperity. Let it also be sup- 
 posed that they have been making no unequal pro- 
 gress in all those arts, and sciences, and literary pro- 
 ductions, which have ever been |;he growth of a 
 polished age, and are the sure marks of a highly 
 finished condition of society. It is not difficult to 
 anticipate the effects likely to be produced on vital 
 religion, both in the clergy and the laity, by such a 
 state of external prosperity. And these effects must 
 be infallibly furthered where the country in question 
 enjoys a free constitution of government. We for 
 
CHRISTIANITY IK THIS COUNTRY. 285 
 
 merly had occasion to quote the remark of an accu- 
 rate observer of the stage of human life, that a much 
 looser system of morals commonly prevails in the 
 higher, than in the middling and lower orders of so- 
 ciety. Now, in every country, of which the middling 
 classes are daily growing in wealth and consequence 
 by the success of their commercial speculations; and, 
 most of all, in a country having such a constitution 
 as our own, where the acquisition of riches is the 
 possession also of rank and power ; with the com- 
 forts and refinements, the vices also of the higher 
 orders are continually descending, and a mischiev- 
 ous uniformity of sentiments, and manners, and mo- 
 rals, gradually diffuses itself throughout the whole 
 community. The multiplication of great cities also, 
 and above all, the habit, ever increasing with the 
 mcreasing wealth of the country, of frequenting a 
 splendid and luxurious metropolis, would power- 
 fully tend to accelerate the discontinuance of the re- 
 ligious habits of a purer age, and to accomplish the 
 substitution of a more relaxed morality. And it must 
 even be confessed, that the commercial spirit, much 
 as we are indebted to it, is not naturally favorable to 
 the maintenance of the religious principle in a vigo- 
 rous and lively state. 
 
 In times like these, therefore, the strict precepts 
 and self-denying habits of Christianity naturally 
 slide into disuse ; and, even among the better sort of 
 Christians, are likely to be softened, so far at least 
 
286 INQUIRY INTO THE STATE OF 
 
 as to be rendered less abhorrent from the general 
 disposition to relaxation and indulgence. In such 
 prosperous circumstances, men, in truth, are apt to 
 think very little about religion. Christianity, there- 
 fore, seldom occupying the attention of the bulk of 
 nominal Christians, and being scarcely at all the ob- 
 ject of their study, we should expect, of course, to 
 find them extremely unacquainted with its tenets. 
 Those doctrines and principles, indeed, which it con- 
 tains in common with the law of the land, or which 
 are sanctioned by the general standard of morals 
 formerly described, being brought into continual no- 
 tice and mention by the common occurrences of life, 
 might continue to be recognized. But whatever she 
 contains peculiar to herself, and which should not be 
 habitually brought into recollection by the incidents 
 of every day, might be expected to be less and less 
 thought of, till at length it should be almost wholly 
 forgotten. Still more might this be naturally expect- 
 ed to become the case, if the peculiarities in question 
 should be, from their very nature, at war with pride, 
 and luxury, and worldly-mindedness, the too general 
 concomitants of rapidly increasing wealth : and this 
 would particularly happen among the laity, if the 
 circumstances of their having been at any time abus- 
 ed to purposes of hypocrisy or fanaticism, should 
 have prompted even some of the better disposed of 
 the clergy, perhaps from well intentioned though 
 erroneous motives, to bring them forward less fre- 
 quently in their discourses on religion. 
 
CHRISTIANITY IN THIS COUNTRY. 287 
 
 When so many should thus have been straying 
 out of the right path, some bold reformer might, 
 from time to time, be likely to arise, who should not 
 unjustly charge them with their deviation : but, 
 though right perhaps in the main, yet deviating 
 himself also in an opposite direction, and creating 
 disgust by his violence, or vulgarity, or absurdities, 
 he might fail, except in a few instances, to produce 
 the effect of recalling them from their wanderings. 
 
 Still, however, the Divine original of Christianity 
 would not be professedl}'- disavowed ; partly from a 
 real, and more commonly from a political deference 
 for the established faith ; but most of all, from the 
 bulk of mankind being not yet prepared, as it were, 
 to throw away the scabbard, and to venture their 
 eternal happiness on the issue of its falsehood. Some 
 bolder spirits, indeed, might be expected to despise 
 the cautious moderation of these timid reasoners, 
 and to pronounce decisively, that the Bible was a 
 forgery : while the generality, professing to believe 
 it genuine, should, less consistently, be satisfied with 
 remaining ignorant of its contents; and when press- 
 ed, should discover themselves by no means to be- 
 lieve many of the most important particulars con- 
 tained in it. 
 
 When, by the operation of causes like these, any 
 country has at length grown into the condition which 
 has been here stated, it is but too obvious, that, in 
 the bulk of the community, religion, already sunk 
 
288 INQUIRY INTO THE STATE 07 
 
 ■very low, must be hastening fast to her entire disso- 
 lution. Causes, energetic and active like these^ 
 though accidental hinderances may occasionally 
 thwart their operation, will not at once become slug- 
 gish and unproductive. Their effect is sure; and 
 the time is fast approaching, when Christianity will 
 be almost as openly disavowed in the language, as 
 in fact it is already supposed to have disappeared 
 from the conduct of men ; when infidelity will be 
 held to be the necessary appendage of a man of fa- 
 shion, and to believe will be deemed the indication 
 of a feeble mind and a contracted understanding. 
 
 Something like what have been here premised are 
 the conjectures which we should naturally be led to 
 form concerning the state of Christianity in this 
 country, and its probable issue, from considering her 
 own nature, and the peculiar circumstances in which 
 she has been placed. That her real condition differs 
 not much from the result of this reasoning from pro- 
 bability, must, with whatever regret, be confessed by 
 all who take a careful and impartial survey of the 
 actual situation of things among us. But our hypo- 
 thetical delineation, if just, will have approved itself 
 to the reader's conviction as we have gone along ; 
 and we may therefore be spared the painful and in- 
 vidious task of pointing out in detail the several 
 particulars wherein our statements are justified by 
 facts. Every where we may actually trace the ef- 
 fects of increasing wealth and luxury, in banishing^ 
 
CHRISTIANITY IN THIS COUNTRY. 289 
 
 one by one the habits, and new-modeling the phra- 
 seology of stricter times ; and in diffusing through- 
 out the middle ranks those relaxed morals and dissi- 
 pated manners which were formerly confined to the 
 higher classes of society. We meet, indeed, with 
 more refinement, and more generally with those 
 amiable courtesies which are its proper fruits : those 
 vices also have become less frequent which natural- 
 ly infest the darkness of a ruder and less polished 
 age, and which recede on the approach of light and 
 civilization: but with these grossnesses, religion, on 
 the other hand, has also declined ; God is forgotten ; 
 his providence is exploded ; his hand is lifted up, but 
 we see it not ; he multiplies our comforts, but we are 
 not grateful ; he visits us with chastisements, but we 
 are not contrite. The portion of the week set apart 
 to the service of religion we give up, without re- 
 luctance, to vanity and dissipation. 
 
 But when there is not this open and shameless 
 disavowal of religion, few traces of it are to be found. 
 Improving in almost every other branch of know- 
 ledge, we have become less and less acquainted with 
 Christianity. The preceding chapters have pointed 
 out, among those who believe themselves to be or- 
 thodox Christians, a deplorable ignorance of the re- 
 ligion they profess, an utter forgetfulness of the pe- 
 culiar doctrines by which it is characterized, a dis 
 position to regard it as a mere system of ethics, and, 
 what might seem an inconsistency, at the same tirao 
 25 
 
590 INQUIRY INTO THE STATE 6t 
 
 II most inadequate idea of the nature and strictness 
 of its practical principles. This declension of Chris- 
 tianity into a mere system of ethics, may partly be 
 accounted for, as has been lately suggested, by con- 
 sideffing the corruption of our nature, what Chris- 
 tianity is, and in what circumstances she has been 
 placed in this country. But it has also been consi- 
 derably promoted by one peculiar cause, on which, 
 for many reasons, it may not be improper to dwell a 
 little more particularly. 
 
 Christianity in its best days (for the credit of our 
 representations let this be remembered by those who 
 object to our statement as austere and contracted) 
 was such as it has been delineated in the present 
 work. This was the religion of the most eminent 
 reformers, of those bright ornaments of our country 
 who suffered martyrdom under queen Mary ; of 
 their successors in the times of Elizabeth ; in short, 
 of all the pillars of our Protestant church ; of many 
 of its highest dignitaries ; of Davenant, of Jewell, of 
 Hall, of Reynolds, of Beveridge, of Hooker, of An- 
 drews, of Smith, of Leighton, of Usher, of Hopkins, 
 of Baxter, and of many others of scarcely inferior 
 note. In their pages the peculiar doctrines of Chris- 
 tianity were every where visible, and on the. deep 
 antl solid basis of these doctrinal truths were laid 
 the foundations of a superstructure of morals propor- 
 tionably broad and exalted. Of this fact their writings^ 
 ■still extant, are a decisive proof; and those who may 
 
CHRISTIANITY IX THIS COUNTRY. 29 J 
 
 want leisure, or opportunity, or inclination, for the 
 perusal of these valuable records, may satisfy them- 
 selves of the truth of the assertion, that, such as we 
 have stated it, was the Christianity of those times, 
 by consulting our articles and homilies, or even by 
 carefully examining our excellent liturgy. But from 
 that tendency to deterioration lately noticed, these 
 great fundamental truths began to be somewhat less 
 prominent in the compositions of many of the lead- 
 ing divines before the time of the civil wars. Dur- 
 ing that period, however, the peculiar doctrines of 
 Christianity were grievously abused by many who 
 were foremost in the commotions of those unhappy 
 ^ays ; who, while they talked copiously of the free 
 grace of Christ, and the operations of the Holy 
 Spirit, were by their lives an open scandal to the 
 name of Christian. 
 
 Towards the close of the eighteenth century the 
 divines of the established church began to run into 
 a different error. They professed to make it their 
 chief object to inculcate the moral and practical pre- 
 cepts of Christianity ; but without sufficiently main- 
 taining, often even without justly laying the grand 
 foundation of a sinner's acceptance with God, or 
 jpointing out how the practical precepts of Christian- 
 ity grow out of her peculiar doctrines, and are in- 
 separably connected with them.* By this fatal er- 
 
 * See chap. iv. sect. vi. where this most important truth is 
 expressly and fully treated. 
 
292 INQUIRY INTO THE STATE OF 
 
 ror the very genius and essential nature of Chris, 
 tianity imperceptibly underwent a change. She no 
 longer retained her peculiar character, or produced 
 that appropriate frame of spirit by which her follow- 
 ers had been characterized. The example thus set 
 was followed during the present century, and its ef- 
 fect was aided by various causes already pointed out. 
 In addition to these, it may be proper to mention as 
 a cause of powerful operation, that for the last fifty 
 years the press has teemed with moral essays, m-any 
 of them published periodically, and most extensively 
 circulated ; which, being considered either as works 
 of mere entertainment, or in which at least enter- 
 tainment was to be blended with instruction, rather 
 than as religious pieces, were kept clear from what- 
 ever might give them the air of sermons, or cause 
 them to wear an appearance of seriousness incon- 
 sistent with the idea of relaxation. But in this way 
 the fatal habit of considering christian morals as dis- 
 distinct from christian doctrines, insensibly gained 
 strength. Thus the peculiar doctrines of Christianity 
 went more and more out of sight ; and, as might na- 
 turally have been expected, the moral system itself 
 also began to wither and decay, being robbed of that 
 which should have supplied it with life and nutri- 
 ment. At length, in our own days, these peculiar 
 doctrines have almost altogether vanished from the 
 view. Even in many sermons scarcely any traces 
 of them are to be found. 
 
CHRISTIANITi' IN THIS COUNTRY. ^93 
 
 'But the degree of neglect into which they are re- 
 ■-aily fallen may perhaps be rendered still more mani- 
 fest by appealing to another criterion. There is a 
 certain class of publications, of which it is the object 
 to give us exact delineations of life and manners; 
 and when these are written by authors of accurate 
 observation and deep knowledge of human nature, 
 and many such there have been in our times, they 
 furnish a more faithful picture than can be obtained 
 in any other way, of the prevalent opinions and feel- 
 ings of mankind. It must be obvious that novels 
 are here alluded to. A careful perusal of the most 
 celebrated of these pieces would furnish a strong con- 
 firmation of the apprehension, suggested from other 
 considerations, concerning the very low state of reli- 
 gion in this country ; but they would still more strik- 
 ingly illustrate the truth of the remark, that the grand 
 peculiarities of Christianity are almost vanished from 
 the view. In a sermon, although throughout the 
 whole of it there may have been no traces of these 
 peculiarities, either directly or indirectly, the preach- 
 er closes with an ordinary form, which, if one were 
 to assert that they were absolutely omitted, would 
 immediately be alledged in contradiction of the as- 
 sertion, and may just serve to protect them from fall- 
 ing into entire oblivion. But in novels, the writer is 
 not so tied down. In these, people of religion, and 
 clergymen too, are placed in all possible situations, 
 and the sentiments and language deemed suitable IQ 
 25* 
 
294 INQUIRY INTO THE STATE OF 
 
 the occasion are assigned to them. They are intro- 
 duced instructing-, reproving, counseling, comfort- 
 ing. It is often the author's intention to represent 
 them in a favorable point of view, and accordingly 
 he makes them as well-informed and as good Chris- 
 tians as he knows how. They are painted amiable, 
 benevolent, and forgiving ; but it is not too much to 
 say, that if all the peculiarities of Christianity had 
 never existed, or had been proved to be false, the cir- 
 cumstance would scarcely create the necessity of al- 
 tering a single syllable in any of the most celebrated 
 of these performances. It is striking to observe the 
 difference which there is in this respect in similar 
 works of Mohammedan authors, wherein the charac- 
 ters, which they mean to represent in a favorable 
 light, are drawn far more observant of the peculiari- 
 ties of their religion. 
 
 If this be the state of things even in the case of 
 sermons, and of the compositions of those whose 
 sphere of information must be supposed larger than 
 that of the bulk of mankind ; it must excite less 
 wonder, that in the world in general, though Chris- 
 tianity be not formally denied, people know little 
 about it ; and that in fact you find, when you come 
 to converse with them, that, admitting in terms the 
 Divine revelation of Scripture, they are far from be- 
 lieving the propositions it contains. 
 
 It has also been a melancholy prognostic of the 
 state to which we are progressive, that many of the 
 
CHRISTIANITY IN THIS COUNTRY. 295 
 
 most eminent literary characters of modern times 
 have been professed unbelievers ; and that others 
 have discovered such lukewarmness in the cause ol 
 Christ, as to treat with especial good will, attention, 
 and respect, those who, by their avowed publica- 
 tions, were openly assailing-, or insidiously under- 
 mining the very foundations of the Christian hope; 
 considering themselves as more closely united to 
 them by literature, than severed from them bj?- the 
 widest religious differences.* Can it then occasion 
 surprise, that, under all these circumstances, one ol 
 the most acute and most forward of the professed 
 unbelieversf should appear to anticipate, as at no 
 great distance, the more complete triumph of his 
 
 * It is with pain that the author finds himself compelled 
 to place so great a writer as Dr. Robertson in this class. But, 
 to say nothing of his phlegmatic account of the Reformation, 
 (a subject which we should have thought likel}'- to excite ih 
 any one, who united the character of a Christiai divine with 
 that of an historian, some warmth of pious gratitude for the 
 good providence of God,) to pass over also other points, his 
 letters to Mr. Gibbon cannot but excite emotions of regret in 
 every sincere Christian. The author must be understood 
 decidedly to condemn a hot, a contentious, much more an 
 abusive manner of opposing or of speaking of the assailants 
 of Christianity. The apostle's direction in this respect can- 
 not be too much attended to. " The servant of the Lord 
 must not strive ; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, pa- 
 tient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves ; 
 if God peradventure will give them repentance to the ac« 
 jmowledging of the truth." 2 Tim. 2 : 24, 25. 
 t Hume. 
 
296 INdrlRY INTO THE STATE OF 
 
 sceptical principles j and that another author of dis- 
 tinguished name,* not so openly professing those 
 infidel opinions, should declare of the writer above 
 alluded to, whose great abilities had been systemati- 
 cally prostituted to the open attack of every principle 
 of religion, both natural and revealed, '• that he 
 had always considered him, both in his life-time and 
 since his death, as approaching as nearly to the idea 
 of a perfectly wise and virtuous man, as perhaps the 
 nature of human frailty will permit ?"t 
 
 Can there then be a doubt whither tends the path 
 in \vhich we are traveling, and whither at length it 
 must conduct us ? If any should hesitate, let them 
 take a lesson from experience. In a neighboring 
 country, several of the same causes have been in ac- 
 tion; and they have at length produced their full ef- 
 fect : manners corrupted, morals depraved, dissipa- 
 tion predominant, above all, religion discredited, and 
 infidelity grown into repute and fashion, J terminated 
 in the public disavowal of every religious principle 
 which had been used to attract the veneration ot 
 
 ♦ Dr. A Smith. 
 
 + See, however, Bishop Home's letter to Dr. A. Smith re- 
 specting Hume, under the signature of " One of the people 
 called Christians." 
 
 t What is here stated must be acknowledged by all, be 
 their political opinions concerning French events what they 
 may ; and it makes no difference in the writer's view of the 
 subject, whether the state of morals was or was not quite, 
 or nearly as bad, before the French revolution. 
 
CHRISTIANITY IN THIS COUNTRY. 297 
 
 mankind: the representatives of a whole nation 
 publicly witnessing, not only without horror, but, to 
 say the least, without disapprobation, an open un- 
 qualified denial of the very existence of God, and at 
 length, as a body, withdrawing their allegiance from 
 the Majesty of Heaven ! 
 
 There are not a few, perhaps, who may have wit- 
 nessed with apprehension, and may be ready to con- 
 fess with pain, the gradual declension, but who at 
 the time may conceive that the writer of this tract is 
 disposed to carry things too far. They may even al- 
 ledge, that the degree of religion for which he con- 
 tends is inconsistent with the ordinary business of 
 life, and with the well-being of society ; that if it 
 were generally to prevail, people would be wholly 
 engrossed by religion, and all their time occupied 
 by prayer and preaching. Agriculture and com- 
 merce would decline, the arts would languish, the 
 very duties of common life would be neglected ; and, 
 m short, the whole machine of civil society would 
 be obstructed, and speedily stopped. 
 
 In reply to this objection it might be urged, that 
 though we should allow it for a moment to be in a 
 considerable degree well founded, yet this admission 
 would not warrant the conclusion intended to be 
 drawn from it. The question would still remain, 
 whether our representation of what Christianity re- 
 quires be agreeable to the word of God? for if it 
 be, surely it must be confessed to be a matter of small 
 
29S INQUIRY INTO THE STATE OF 
 
 account to sacrifice a little worldly comfort and 
 prosperity, during the short span of our existence in 
 this life, in order to secure a crown of eternal glory, 
 and the enjoyment of those pleasures which are at 
 God's right hand for evermore ! It might be added 
 also, that our blessed Savior had fairly declared, that 
 it would often be required of Christians to make 
 such a sacrifice ; and had forewarned us, that, in or- 
 der to be able to do it with cheerfulness whenever 
 the occasion should arrive, we must habitually sit 
 loose to all worldly possessions and enjoyments. 
 And it might further be remarked, that though it 
 were even admitted, that the general prevalence of 
 vital Christianity should somewhat interfere with 
 the views of national wealth and aggrandizement, 
 yet that there is too much reason to believe that this 
 general prevalence, to speak justly, could not be 
 hoped for. But indeed the objection on which wo 
 have now been commenting, is not only groundless, 
 but the very contrary to it is the truth. If Chris- 
 tianity, such as we have represented it, were gene- 
 rally to prevail, the world, from being such as it is, 
 would become a scene of general peace and pros- 
 perity; and abating the chances and calamities 
 •• which flesh is inseparably heir to," would wear 
 one unwearied face of complacency and joy. 
 
 On the first promulgation of Christianity, it is true, 
 some of her early converts seem to have been in 
 danger of so far mistaking the principles of the new 
 
CHRISTIANITY IN THIS COUNTRY. 299 
 
 religion, as to imagine that in future they were to 
 be discharged from an active attendance on their se- 
 cular affairs. But the apostle most pointedly guarded 
 them against so gross an error, and expressly and 
 repeatedly enjoined them to perform the particular 
 duties of their several stations with increased alacrity 
 and fidelity, that they might thereby do credit to 
 their Christian profession. This he did, at the same 
 time that he prescribed to them that predominant 
 love of God and of Christ, that heavenly-mindedness, 
 that comparative indifference to the things of this 
 world, that earnest endeavor after growth in grace 
 and perfection in holiness, which have already been 
 stated as the essential characteristics of real Christiani- 
 ty. It cannot therefore be supposed by any who allow 
 to the apostle even the claim of a consistent instructor, 
 much less by any who admit his Divine authority, 
 that these latter precepts are incompatible with the 
 former. Let it be remembered, that the grand cha- 
 racteristic mark of the trlie Christian which has been 
 insisted on, is his desiring to please God in all his 
 thoughts, and words, and actions; to take the re- 
 vealed word to be the rule of his belief and practice ; 
 to " let his light shine before men ;" and in all things 
 to adorn the doctrine which he professes. No calling 
 is proscribed, no pursuit is forbidden, no science or 
 art, no pleasure is disallowed, which is reconcilable 
 with this prmciple. Christianity indeed will not favor 
 that vehement and inordinate ardor in the pursuit of 
 
200 INQUIRY INTO THE STATE OF 
 
 temporal objects, which tends to the acquisition of 
 immense wealth, or of widely spread renown : nor is 
 it calculated to gratify the extravagant views of those 
 mistaken politicians, the chief object of whose admi- 
 ration, and the main scope of whose endeavors for 
 their country, are extended dominion, and command- 
 ing power, and unrivaled affluence, rather than the 
 more solid advantages of peace, and comfort, and se- 
 curity. These men would barter comfort for great- 
 ness. In their vain reveries they forget that a nation 
 consists of individuals, and that true national pros- 
 perity is no other than the multiplication of particu- 
 lar happiness. 
 
 But in fact, so far is it from being true that the 
 prevalence of real religion would produce a stagna- 
 tion in life ; that a man, whatever might be his em- 
 ployment or pursuit, would be furnished with a new 
 motive to prosecute it with alacrity, a motive far more 
 constant and vigorous than any human prospects can 
 supply : at the same time, his solicitude being not so 
 much to succeed in whatever he might be engaged 
 in, as to act from a pure principle, and leave the 
 eve»nt to God, he would not be liable to the same 
 disappointments as men who are active and labori- 
 ous from a desire of worldly gain or of human esti- 
 mation. Thus he would possess the true secret of 
 a life at the same time useful and happy. Following 
 peace also with all men, and looking upon them as 
 members of the same family, entitled not only to the 
 
CHRISTIANITY IN THIS COUNTRY. 301 
 
 debts of justice, but to the less definite and more libe- 
 ral claims of fraternal kindness, he would naturally 
 be respected and beloved by others, and be in him- 
 self free from the tnnoyance of those bad passions 
 by which those who are actuated by worldly princi- 
 ples are so commonly corroded. If any country 
 were indeed filled with men, each thus diligently 
 discharging the duties of his own station without 
 breaking in upon the rights of others, but on the con- 
 trary endeavoring, so far as he might be able, to 
 forward their views and promote their happiness, all 
 would be active and harmonious in the goodly frame 
 of human society. There would be no jarrings, no 
 discord. The whole machine of civil life would 
 work without obstruction or disorder. 
 
 Such would be the happy state of a truly Chris- 
 tian nation within itself Nor would its condition 
 with regard to foreign countries form a contrast to 
 this its internal comfort. Such a community on 
 the contrary, peaceable at home, would be respected 
 and beloved abroad. General integrity in all its deal- 
 ings would inspire universal confidence: difl^erences 
 between nations commonly arises from mutual inju- 
 ries, and still more from mutual jealousy and dis- 
 trust. Of the former there would be no longer any 
 ground for complaint; the latter would find nothing 
 to attach upon. But if, in spite of all its justice and 
 forbearance, the violence of some neighboring state 
 should force it to resist an unprovoked attack, hosti- 
 26 
 
o02 INQTTIRY INTO THE STATE OF 
 
 lities strictly defensive are those only in whicli it 
 would be engaged, its domestic union would double 
 its national force, while the consciousness of a good 
 cause, and of the general favor of God, Avould invi- 
 gorate its arm. and inspirit its efforts. 
 
 It is indeed the position of an author whose love 
 of paradox has not seldom led him into error, that 
 true Christianity is an enemy to patriotism. If by 
 patriotism be meant that mischievous and domineer- 
 ing quality which renders men ardent to promote, 
 not the happiness, but the aggrandizement of their 
 own country, by the oppression and conquest of every 
 ocher ; to such patriotism, so generally applauded in 
 the heathen world, that religion must be indeed an 
 enemy, whose foundation is justice, and whose com- 
 pendious character is ''peace, and good-will toward 
 men." But if by patriotism be understood that quali- 
 ty which, without shutting up our philanthropy with- 
 in the narrow bounds of a single kingdom, yet at- 
 taches us in particular to the country to which we 
 belong; of this true patriotism, Christianity is the 
 most copious source, and the surest preservative. 
 The contrary opinion can indeed only have arisen 
 from not considering the fullness and universality of 
 our Savior's precepts. Not like the puny produc- 
 tions of human workmanship, which, at the best, can 
 commonly serve but the particular purpose that they 
 are specially designed to answer, the moral as well 
 as the physical principles of the great Author of all 
 
CHRISTIANITY IN THIS COUNTRY. 303 
 
 things are capable of being applied at once to ten 
 thousand different uses ; thus, amidst infinite compli- 
 cation, preserving a grand simplicity, and therein 
 bearing the unambiguous stamp of their divine ori- 
 ginal. Thus, to specify one out of the numberless 
 instances which might be adduced — the principle of 
 gravitation, while it is subservient to all the mecha- 
 nical purposes of common life, keeps at the same 
 time the stars in their courses, and sustains the har- 
 mony of worlds. 
 
 Thus also in the case before us ; society consists 
 of a numberof different circles of various magnitudes 
 and uses ; and that circumstance, wherein the prin- 
 ciple of patriotism chiefly consists, whereby the duty 
 of patriotism is best practiced, and the happiest ef- 
 fects to the general weal produced, is, that it should 
 be the desire and aim of every individual to fill well 
 his own proper circle, as a part and member of the 
 whole, with a view to the production of general hap- 
 piness. This our Savior enjoined when he prescrib- 
 ed the duty of universal love, which is but another 
 term for the most exalted patriotism. Benevolence, in- 
 deed, when not originating from religion, dispenses 
 but from a scanty and precarious fund ; and there- 
 fore if it be liberal in the case of some objects, it is 
 generally found to be contracted towards others. 
 Men who, acting from worldly principles, make the 
 greatest stir about general philanthrophy or zealous 
 patriotism, are often very deficient in their conduct 
 
304 INQUIRY INTO THE STATE OF 
 
 in domestic life ; and very neglectful of the opportu- 
 nities, fully within their reach, of promoting the com- 
 fort of those with whom they are immediately con- 
 nected. But true Christian benevolence is always 
 occupied in producing happiness to the utmost of its 
 power, and according to the extent of its sphere, be 
 it larger or more limited ; it contracts itself to the 
 measure of the smallest; it can expand itself to thj 
 amplitude of the largest. It resembles majestic 
 rivers, which are poured from an unfailing and abun- 
 dant source. Silent and peaceful in their outset, they 
 begin with dispensing beauty and comfort to every 
 cottage by which they pass. In their further pro- 
 gress they fertilize provinces and enrich kingdoms. 
 At length they pour themselves into the ocean, 
 where, changing their names, but not their nature, 
 they visit distant nations and other hemispheres, and 
 spread throughout the world the expansive tide of 
 their beneficence. 
 
 It must be confessed that many of the good effects 
 of which religion is productive to political societies, 
 would be produced even by a false religion, which 
 should prescribe good morals, and should be able 
 to enforce its precepts by sufficient sanctions. Of 
 this nature are those effects which depend on our 
 calling in the aid of a Being who sees the heart, in 
 order to assist the weakness and in various ways to 
 supply the inherent defects of all human jurispru- 
 dence. But the superior excellence of Christianity in 
 
CHRISTIANITY IN THIS COUNTRT. 305 
 
 this respect must be acknowledged, both in the su- 
 periority of her moral code, and in the powerful mo- 
 tives and efficacious means which she furnishes for 
 enabling us to practice it, and in the tendency of 
 her doctrines to provide for the observance of her 
 precepts, by producing tempers of mind which cor- 
 respond with them. 
 
 But, more than all this, it has not perhaps been 
 enough remarked, that true Christianity, from her 
 essential nature, appears peculiarly and powerfully 
 adapted to promote the preservation and healthful- 
 ness of political communities. What is in truth their 
 grand malady? The answer is short, selfishness. 
 This is that young disease received at the moment 
 of their birth, " which grows with their growth, and 
 strengthens with their strength ;" and through which 
 they at length expire, if not cut off prematurely by 
 some external shock or intestine convulsion. 
 
 The disease of selfishness, indeed, assumes differ- 
 ent forms in the different classes of society. In the 
 great and the wealthy it displays itself in luxury, in 
 pomp and parade, and in all the frivolities of a sick- 
 ly and depraved imagination, which seeks in vain 
 its own gratification, and is dead to the generous and 
 energetic pursuits of an enlarged heart. In the lower 
 orders, when not motionless under the weight of a 
 superincumbent despotism, it manifests itself in pride, 
 and its natural offspring, insubordination in all its 
 modes. But though the external effects may vary, 
 26* 
 
S06 INQUIRY INTO THE STATE OF 
 
 the internal principle is the same ; a disposition in 
 each individual to make self the grand centre and 
 end of his desires and enjoyments ; to overrate his 
 own merits and importance, and of course to magni- 
 fy his claims on others, and in return to underrate 
 theirs on him ; a disposition to undervalue the advan- 
 tages, and overstate the disadvantages of his con- 
 dition in life. Thence spring rapacity, and venality, 
 and sensuality. Thence imperious nobles and fac- 
 tious leaders, and an unruly commonalty, bearing 
 with difficulty the inconveniences of a lower station, 
 and imputing to the nature or administration of their 
 government the evils which necessarily flow from 
 the very constitution of our species, or which per- 
 haps are chiefly the result of their own vices and 
 follies. The opposite to selfishness is public spirit ; 
 which may be termed, not unjustly, the grand prin- 
 ciple of political vitality, the very life's-breath of 
 states, which tends to keep them active and vigo- 
 rous, and to carry them to greatness and glory. 
 
 The tendency of public spirit, and the opposite 
 tendency of selfishness, have not escaped the obser- 
 vation of the founders of states, or of the writers on 
 government ; and various expedients have been re- 
 sorted to and extolled for cherishing the one, and for 
 repressing the other. Sometimes a principle of inter- 
 nal agitation and dissension, resulting from the very 
 frame of the government, has been productive of the 
 effect. Sparta flourished for more than seven hundred 
 
CHRISTIANITY IN THIS COUNTRY. 307 
 
 years under the civil institutions of Lycurorus ; which 
 guarded against the selfish principle, by prohibiting 
 commerce, and imposing universal poverty and hard- 
 ship. The Roman commonwealth, in which public 
 spirit was cherished, and selfishness checked, by the 
 principle of the love of glory, was also of long con- 
 tinuance. This passion naturally operates to pro- 
 duce an unbounded spirit of conquest, which, like 
 the ambition of the greatest of its own heroes, was 
 never satiated while any other kingdom was left it 
 to subdue. The principle of political vitality, when 
 kept alive only by means like these, merits the de- 
 scription once given of eloquence: "Sicut fiamma, 
 materia alitur, et motibus excitatur, et urendo clares- 
 cit." But, like eloquence, when no longer called 
 into action by external causes, or fomented by civil 
 broils, it gradually languishes. Wealth and luxu- 
 ry produce stagnation, and stagnation terminates in 
 death. 
 
 To provide, however, for the continuance of a 
 state, by the admission of internal dissensions, or 
 even by the chilling influence of poverty, seems to 
 be in some sort sacrificing the end to the means. 
 Happiness is the end for which men unite in civil 
 society ; but in societies thus constituted, little happi- 
 ness, comparatively speaking, is to be found. The 
 expedient, again, of preserving a state by the spirit 
 of conquest, though even this has not wanted its ad- 
 mirers, is not to be tolerated for a moment, when 
 
303 INQUIRY INTO THE STATE OF 
 
 considered on principles of universal justice. Such 
 a state lives, and grows, and thrives by the misery 
 of others, and becomes professedly the general ene- 
 my of its neighbors, and the scourge of the human 
 race. All these devices are in truth but too much 
 like the fabrications of man, when compared with 
 the works of the Supreme Being; clumsy, yet weak 
 in the execution of their purpose, and full of contra- 
 dictory principles and jarring movements. 
 
 I might here enlarge with pleasure on the unri- 
 valled excellence, in this very view, of the constitu- 
 tion under which we live in this happy country ; 
 and point out how, more perhaps than any which 
 ever existed upon earth, it is so framed as to provide 
 at the same time for keeping up a due degree of 
 public spirit, and yet for preserving unimpaired the 
 quietness, and comfort, and charities of private life; 
 how it even extracts from selfishness itself many of 
 the advantages which, under less happily constructed 
 forms of government, public spirit only can supply. 
 But such a political discussion would here be out of 
 place. It is rather our business to remark, how 
 much Christianity in every way sets herself in direct 
 hostility to selfishness, the mortal distemper of poli- 
 tical communities ; and consequently how their wel- 
 fare must be inseparable from her prevalence. It 
 might indeed be almost stated as the main object and 
 chief concern of Christianity, to root out our natural 
 selfishness, and to rectify the false standard which it 
 
CHRISTIANITY IN THIS COUNTRY. 309 
 
 imposes on us ; with views, however, far higher than 
 any which concern merely our temporal and social 
 well-being ; to bring us to a just estimate of ourselves, 
 and of all around us, and to a due impression of the 
 various claims and obligations resuUing from the 
 different relations in which we stand. Benevolence, 
 enlarged, vigorous, operative benevolence, is her 
 master principle. Moderation in temporal pursuits 
 and enjoyments, comparative indifference to the issue 
 of worldly projects, diligence in the discharge of per- 
 sonal and civil duties, resignation to the will of God, 
 and patience under all the dispensations of his pro- 
 vidence, are among her daily lessons. Humility is 
 one of the essential qualities which her precepts 
 most directly and strongly enjoin, and which all her 
 various doctrines tend to call forth and cultivate : and 
 humility, as has been before suggested, lays the 
 deepest and surest grounds for benevolence. In 
 whatever class or order of society Christianity pre- 
 vails, she sets herself to rectify the particular faults, 
 or, if we would speak more distinctly, to counteract 
 khe particular mode of selfishness to which that class 
 IS liable. Affluence she teaches to be liberal and be- 
 aeficent ; authority to bear its facukies with meek- 
 ness, and to consider the various cares and obliga- 
 ions belonging to its elevated station as being con- 
 iitions on which that station is conferred. Thus, 
 >oftening the glare of wealth and moderating the 
 insolence of power, she renders the inequalities of 
 
SIO INQUIRY INTO THE STATE OF 
 
 the social state less galling to those in the humbler 
 walks of life, whom also she instructs, in their turn, 
 to be diligent, humble, patient: reminding them that 
 their more lowly path has been allotted to them by 
 the hand of God ; that it is their part faithfully to 
 discharge its duties, and contentedly to bear its in- 
 conveniences ; that the present state of things is very 
 short ; that the objects about which worldly men 
 conflict so eagerly, are not worth the contest; that 
 the peace of mind which religion offers to all ranks 
 indiscriir.inately, affords more true satisfaction than 
 all the expensive pleasures which are beyond the 
 poor man's reach. Also, that in this view the poor 
 have the advantage, and that if their superiors enjoy 
 more abundant comforts, they are likewise exposed 
 to many temptations from which the inferior classes 
 are happily exempted ; that "having food and rai- 
 ment, they should be therewith content," for that 
 their situation in life, with all its evils, is better than 
 they have deserved at the hand of God ; finally, that 
 all human distinctions will soon be done away, and 
 the true followers of Christ will all, as children of 
 the same Father, be alike admitted to the possession 
 of the same heavenly inheritance. Such are the 
 blessed effects of Christianity on the temporal well- 
 being of political communities. 
 
 The Christianity which can produce effects like 
 these must be real, not nominal ; deep, not superficiah 
 Such then is the religion we should cultivate, if we 
 
CTiniSTIANITY IN THIS COUNTRY. SIl 
 
 would realize these pleasing speculations, and arrest 
 the progress of political deray. But in the present 
 circumstances of this country, it is a farther reason 
 for endeavoring to cultivate this vital Christianit}-, 
 still considering its effects merely in a political vieu-, 
 that, according to all human appearance, we must 
 either have this or none: unless the prevalence of 
 this be in some degree restored, we are likely not 
 only to lose all the advantages which we might 
 have derived from true Christianity, but to incur ail 
 the manifold evils which would result from the ab- 
 sence of all religion. 
 
 In the first place, let it be remarked that a weakly 
 principle of religion, (and even such a one, in a 
 political viev.-, is productive of many advantages,) 
 though its existence may be prolonged if all external 
 circumstances favor its continuance, can hardly be 
 kept alive when the state of things is so unfavorable 
 to vital religion as it is in our condition of society. 
 Nor is it merely the ordinary effects of a state of 
 wealth and prosperity to which we here allude. 
 Much also may justly be apprehended from that 
 change which has taken place in our general habits 
 of thinking and feeling concerning the systems and 
 opinions of former times. At a less advanced period 
 of society, indeed, the religion of the state will be 
 generally accepted, though it be not felt in its vital 
 power. It was the religion of our forefathers: with 
 the bulk it is on that account entitled to reve- 
 
312 lNQ.riRY INTO THE STATE OF " 
 
 rence, and its authority is admitted without question. 
 The establishment in which it subsists pleads the 
 same prescription, and obtains the same respect. 
 But in our days things are very differently cir- 
 cumstanced. Not merely the blind prejudice in fa- 
 vor of former limes, but even the proper respect for 
 them, and the reasonable presumption in their favor, 
 has abated. Still less will the idea be endured of 
 any system beinq- kept up, when the imposture is 
 seen through by the higher orders, for the sake of 
 retaining the common people in subjection. A sys- 
 tem, if not supported by a real persuasion of its 
 truth, will fall to the ground. Thus it not unfre- 
 quently happens that, in a more advanced state of 
 society, a religious establishment must be indebted 
 for its support to that very religion which in earlier 
 limes it fostered and protected, as the Aveakness of 
 some aged mother is sustained, and her existence 
 lengthened, by the tender assiduities of the child 
 whom she had reared in the helplessness of infancy. 
 So in the present instance, unless there be reinfused 
 into the mass of our society something of that prin- 
 ciple which animated our ecclesiastical system in its 
 earlier days, it is vain for us to hope that the es- 
 tablishment will very long continue ; for the anomaly 
 will not much longer be borne, of an establishment, 
 the actual principles of the bulk of whose members, 
 and even teachers, are so extremely different from 
 those which it professes. 
 
CHRISTIANITY IN THIS COUNTRY. Sl3 
 
 If when the reign of prejudice and even of honest 
 prepossession and of grateful veneration is no more, 
 (for by these almost any system may generally be 
 supported, before a state, having passed the period 
 of its maturity, is verging to its decline,) if there 
 are any who think that a dry, unanimated religion, 
 like that which is now professed by nominal Chris- 
 tians, can hold its place, much more, that it can be re- 
 vived among the general mass of mankind, it may be 
 affirmed, that, arguing merely on human principles, 
 Liey know little of human nature. The kind of reli- 
 gion which we have recommended, whatever opinion 
 may be entertained concerning its truth, and to say 
 nothing of the agency of Divine grace, must at least 
 be conceded to be the only one at all suited to make 
 impression upon the mass of the community, by 
 strongly interesting the passions of the human mind. 
 If it be thought that a system of ethics may regulate 
 the conduct of the higher classes, such a one is al- 
 together unsuitable to the lower, who must be work- 
 ed upon by their affections, or they will not be work- 
 ed upon at all. The ancients were wiser than our- 
 selves, and never thought of governing the communi- 
 ty in general by their lessons of philosophy. These 
 lessons were confined to the schools of the learned ; 
 while for the million, a system of religion, such as 
 it was, was kept up as alone adapted to their gross- 
 er natures. If this reasoning fail to convince, we 
 may safely appeal to experience Let the Socinian 
 27 
 
314 INQUir.Y INTO THE STATE OF 
 
 and the moral teacher of Christianity come forth, 
 and tell us what efiects they have produced on the 
 lower orders. They themselves will hardly deny the 
 inefficacy of their instructions. But, blessed be God, 
 the religion which we recommend has proved its 
 correspondence with the character originally given 
 of Christianity, that it was calculated for the poor; 
 by changing the whole condition of the mass of so- 
 ciety in many of the most populous districts in this 
 and other countries, and by bringing them from 
 being scenes of almost unexampled wickedness and 
 barbarism, to be eminent for sobriety, decency, in- 
 dustr}^ and, in short, for whatever can render men 
 useful members of civil society. 
 
 If indeed, through the blessing of Providence, a 
 principle of true religion should in any considera- 
 ble degree gain ground, there is no estimating the 
 effects on public morals, and the consequent influ- 
 ence on our political welfare. These effects are not 
 merely negative: though it would be much, merely 
 to check the farther progress of a gangrene which 
 is eating out the very vital principles of our social 
 and political existence. The general standard of mo- 
 rality formerly described, would be raised: it would 
 at least be sustained and kept for a while from fur- 
 ther depression. The esteem which religious cha- 
 racters would personally attract, would extend to the 
 system which they should hold, and to the church of 
 which they should be members. These are all mere- 
 
CIir.ISTIANITY IN THIS COUNTRY. 215 
 
 ly natural consequences. But to those who believe 
 in a superintending Providence, it may be added, 
 that the blessing of God might be drawn down upon 
 our country, and the strokes of his anger be for a 
 while suspended. 
 
 Let it not be vainly imagined, that our state of 
 civilization must prevent moral degeneracy. A 
 neighboring nation has lately furnished a lamenta- 
 ble proof, that superior polish and refinement may 
 well consist with a very large measure of depravity. 
 But to appeal to a stiil more decisive instance; it 
 maybe seen in the history of the latter years of the 
 most celebrated of the pagan nations, that the high- 
 est degrees of civilization and refinement are by no 
 means inseparable from the most shocking depravity 
 of morals. The fact is certain, and the obvious in- 
 ference with regard to ourselves cannot be denied. 
 The cause of this strange phenomenon (such it 
 really appears to our view, for Avhich the natural 
 corruption of man might hardly seem to account suf 
 ficiently) has been explained by an inspired writer. 
 Speaking of the most polished nations of antiquity, 
 he observes : " Because when they knew God, they 
 glorified him not as God, and were not solicitous* to 
 retain him in their knowledge, he gave them over 
 to a reprobate mind." Let us then beware, and take 
 warning from their example : let us not sufl!er our 
 
 * Such seems to be the just rendering of the word which 
 our Testament translates, " did not like to retain God in their 
 Iniovviedge," 
 
316 INQUIRY INTO THE STATE OF 
 
 self-love to beguile us: let us not vainly persuade 
 ourselves, that although prosperity and wealth may 
 have caused us to relax a little too much in those 
 more serious duties which regard our Maker, yet 
 that we shall stop where we are, or at least that we 
 can never sink into the same state of moral deprava- 
 tion. Doubtless we should sink as low if God were 
 to give us up also to our own imaginations. And 
 what ground have we to think he will not? If we 
 would reason justly, we should not compare our- 
 selves with the state of the heathen world when at 
 its worst, but with its state at that period, when, for 
 its forgetfulness of God, and its ingratitude towards 
 him, it was suffered to fall, till at length it reached 
 that worst, its ultimate point of depression. The 
 heathen had only reason and natural conscience to 
 direct them : we enjoy, superadded to these, the 
 clear light of gospel revelation, and a distinct de- 
 claration of God's dealings with them, to be a lesson 
 for our instruction. How then can we but believe 
 that if we, enjoying advantages so much superior to 
 theirs, are alike forgetful of our kind Benefactor, we 
 also shall be left to ourselves ? and if so left, what 
 reason can be assigned why we should not fall into 
 the same enormities ? 
 
 What then is to be done ? The inquiry is of the 
 first importance, and the general answer to it is not 
 difficult. The causes and nature of the decay of re- 
 ligion an^ morals among us sufficiently indicate the 
 
CHRISTIANITY IN THIS COUNTRY. 317 
 
 course which, on principles of sound policy, it is 
 in the highest degree expedient for us to pursue. 
 The distemper of which, as a community we are 
 sick, should be considered rather as a moral than 
 a political malady. How much has this been 
 forgotten by the disputants of modern times ! and 
 accordingly, how transient may be expected to be 
 the good effects of the best of their publications ! 
 We should endeavor to tread back our steps. Every 
 effort should be used to raise the depressed tone of 
 public morals. This is a duty particularly incum- 
 bent on all who are in the higher walks of life. 
 
 Every person of rank, and fortune, and abilities, 
 should endeavor to exhibit a good example, and to 
 recommend it to the imitation of the circle in which 
 he moves. It has been the opinion of some well- 
 meaning people, that by giving, as far as they pos- 
 sibly could with innocence, into the customs and 
 practices of irreligious men, they might soften the 
 prejudices frequently taken up against religion, of 
 its being an austere, gloomy service ; and thus secure 
 a previous favorable impression against any time 
 when they might have an opportunity of explaining 
 or enforcing their sentiments. This is always a 
 questionable, and, it is to be feared, a dangerous po- 
 licy. Many mischievous consequences necessarily 
 resulting from it might easily be enumerated. But 
 it is a policy particularly unsuitable to our inconsi- 
 derate and dissipated times, and to the lengths at 
 27* 
 
31 S INQUIRY INTO THE STATE OF 
 
 which we are arrived. \n these circumstances, the 
 most likely means of producing the revulsion which 
 is required, must be boldly to proclaim the distinc- 
 tion between the adherents of " God and Baal." The 
 expediency of this conduct in our present situation 
 is confirmed by another consideration. It is this — 
 that when men are aware that something of difficulty 
 is to be effected, their spirits rise to the level of the 
 encounter ; they make up their minds to bear hard- 
 ships and brave dangers, and to persevere in spite of 
 fatigue and opposition : whereas in a matter which 
 is regarded as of easy and ordinary operation, they 
 are apt to slumber over their work, and to fail, in 
 what a small effort might have been sufficient to ac- 
 complish, for want of having called up the requisite 
 degree of energy and spirit. Conformably to the 
 principle hereby suggested, in the circumstances in 
 which we are placed, the line of demarcation be- 
 tween the friends and the enemies of religion should 
 now be made clear ; the separation would be broad 
 and obvious. Let him, then, who wishes well to his 
 country, no longer hesitate what course of conduct to 
 pursue. The question now is not, in what liberties 
 he might warrantably indulge himself in another 
 situation ? but what are the restraints on himself 
 which the exigencies of the present times render it 
 advisable for him to impose ? Circumstanced as we 
 now are, it is more than ever obvious that the best 
 man is the truest patriot. 
 
CHRISTIANITY IN THIS COUNTRY. 319 
 
 Nor is it only by their personal conduct, though 
 this mode will always be the most efficacious, that 
 men of authority and influence may promote the 
 cause of good morals. Let them in their several sta- 
 tions encourage virtue and discountenance vice in 
 others. Let them enforce the laws by which the wis- 
 dom of our forefathers has guarded against the gross- 
 er infractions of morals. Let them favor and take 
 part in any plans which may be formed for the ad- 
 vancement of morality. Above all things, let them 
 endeavor to instruct and improve the rising genera- 
 tion. But fruitless will be all attempts to sustain, 
 much more to revive, the fainting cause of morals, 
 unless you can restore the prevalence of evangelical 
 Christianity. It is in morals as in physic, unless the 
 source of practical principles be elevated, it will be 
 in vain to attempt to make them flow on a high level 
 in their future course. You may force them for a 
 while into some constrained position, but they will 
 soon drop to their natural point of depression. By 
 all, therefore, who are studious of their country's 
 welfare, every effort should be used to revive the 
 Christianity of our better days. The attempt should 
 especially be made in the case of the pastors of the 
 church, whose situation must render the principles 
 which they hold a matter of supereminent impor- 
 tance. Wherever these teachers have steadily and 
 zealously inculcated the true doctrines of the church 
 of England, the happiest effects have commonly re- 
 
320 INQUIRY INTO THE STATE OF 
 
 warded their labors. The diit^r of encouraging vital 
 religion in the church particularly devolves on all 
 who have the disposal of ecclesiastical preferment, 
 and more especially on the dignitaries of the sacred 
 order. Some of these have already sounded the 
 alarm, justly censuring the practice of suffering 
 Christianity to degenerate into a mere system of 
 ethics, and recommending more attention to the pecu- 
 liar doctrines of our religion. In our schools, in 
 our universities, let the study be encouraged of the 
 writings of those venerable divines who flourished 
 in the purer times of Christianity. Let even a con- 
 siderable proficiency in their writings be required of 
 candidates for ordination. Let our churches no long- 
 er witness that unseemljr discordance which has 
 prevailed between the prayers and the sermon which 
 follows. 
 
 To all who have at heart the national welfare, the 
 above suggestions are solemnly submitted. They 
 have not been urged without misgivings lest it should 
 appear, as though the concern of eternity were melt- 
 ed down into a mere matter of temporal advantage 
 or political expediency. But since it has graciously 
 pleased the Supreme Being so to arrange the con- 
 stitution of things as to render the prevalence of true 
 religion and of pure morality conducive to the well- 
 being of states and the preservation of civil order, 
 and since these subordinate inducements are not un- 
 frequently held forth, even by the sacred writers, it 
 
CHRISTIANITY IN THIS COUNTRY. 321 
 
 seemed proper to suggest inferior motives to readers 
 who might be less disposed to listen to considerations 
 of a higher order. 
 
 Would to God that the course of conduct here 
 suggested might be fairly pursued ! Would to God 
 that the happy consequences which would result 
 from the principles we have recommended could be 
 realized; and, above all, that the influence of true 
 religion could be extensively diff'used ! It is the best 
 wish which can be formed for his country, by one 
 who is deeply anxious for its welfare : 
 
 Lucem redde tuam, dax bone, patria) 
 Instar veris enim vultus ubi tuns 
 Afiulsit populo, gratior it dies, 
 Et soles melius nitent. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 PRACTICAL HINTS TO VARIOUS DESCRIPTIONS OP 
 PERSONS. 
 
 Thus have we endeavored to trace the chief de- 
 lects of the religious system of the bulk of professed 
 Christians in this country. We have pointed out 
 
S22 PRACTICAL HINTS TO 
 
 their low idea of tlie importance of Christianity in 
 general, their inadequate conceptions of all its leading 
 doctrines, and the effect hereby naturally produced 
 in relaxing the strictness of its practical system ; 
 more than all, we have remarked their grand funda- 
 mental misconception of its genius and essential na- 
 ture. Let not therefore the difference between them 
 and true believers be considered as a minute differ- 
 ence, as a question of forms or opinions. The ques- 
 tion is of the very substance of religion ; the differ- 
 ence is of the most serious and momentous amount. 
 We must speak out. Their Christianity is not Chris- 
 tianity. It wants the radical principle. It is mainly 
 defective in all the grand constituents. Let them no 
 longer then be deceived by names in a matter of in- 
 finite importance ; but with humble prayer to the 
 Source of all wisdom, that he would enlighten their 
 understandings and clear their hearts from prejudice, 
 let them seriously examine by the Scripture stand- 
 ard their real belief and allowed practice, and they 
 will become sensible of the shallowness of their scanty 
 system. 
 
 If through the blessing of Providence on any thing 
 here written, there should be any whom it has dis- 
 posed, to this important duty of self-inquiry, let me 
 previously warn them to be well aware of our natu- 
 ral proneness to think too favorably of ourselves. 
 Selfishness is one of the principal fruits of the cor- 
 ruDtion of human nature: and it is obvious that sel- 
 
VARIOUS PERSON'S. 
 
 fishness disposes us to overrate our good qualities, 
 and to overlook or extenuate our defects. The cor- 
 ruption of human nature therefore being admitted, it 
 follows undeniably, that in all our reckonings, if we 
 would form a just estimate of our character, we must 
 make allowance for the effects of selfishness. It is also 
 another effect of the corruption of human nature, to 
 cloud our moral sight and blunt our moral sensibility. 
 Something must therefore be allowed for this effect 
 likewise. Doubtles^%the perfect parity of the Supreme 
 Being makes him see in us stains far more in num- 
 ber and deeper in dye than we ourselves can discover. 
 Nor should another awful consideration be forgotten. 
 When we look into ourselves, those sins only into 
 which we have lately fallen are commonly apt to 
 excite any lively impression. Many individual acts 
 of vice, or a continued course of vicious or dissipated 
 conduct, which, v^rhen recent, may have smitten us 
 with deep remorse, after a few months or years leave 
 very faint traces in our recollection. But the strong 
 impressions which they at first excited, not the faded 
 images which they subsequently present to us, fur- 
 nish the true measure of their guilt ; and to the pure 
 eyes of God this guilt must always have appeared 
 far greater than to us. Now to the Supreme Being 
 there is no past or future; as whatever will be, so 
 whatever has been, is retained by him in present and 
 unvarying contemplation, continuing always to ap- 
 pear just the same as at the first moment of its hap- 
 
324 PRACTICAL HINTS TO 
 
 pening. Well may it then humble us in the sight of 
 that Being " who is of purer eyes than to behold 
 iniquity," to call to mind that unless our offences 
 have been blotted out by our obtaining an interest in 
 the satisfaction of Christ, through true repentance 
 and lively faith, we appear before him clothed with 
 the sins of our whole lives, in all their original depth 
 of coloring, and with all the aggravations which we 
 no longer particularly remember, but which, in gen- 
 eral, we perhaps may recollect to have once filled 
 us with shame and confusion of face. The writer is 
 the rather desirous of enforcing this reflection, be- 
 cause he can truly declare that he has found no 
 consideration so efficacious in producing in his own 
 mind the deepest self-abasement. 
 
 In treating of the sources ofthe erroneous estimates 
 which we form of our religious and moral character, 
 it may not, perhaps, be without its uses to take this 
 occasion of pointing out some other common springs 
 of self-deception. Many persons, as was formerly 
 hinted, are misled by the favorable opinions enter* 
 tained of them by others ; many, it is to be feared, 
 mistake a hot zeal for orthodoxy, for a cordial ac- 
 ceptance of the great truths of the Gospel ; and al- 
 most all of us, at one time or other, are more or less 
 misled by confounding the suggestions of the under- 
 standing with the impulses of the will, the assent 
 which our judgment gives to religious and moral 
 truths with a hearty belief and approbation of them. 
 
VARIOUS PERSONS. 325 
 
 There is another frequent source of seU'-deception, 
 productive of so much mischief in life that it would 
 be highly improper to omit the mention of it in this 
 place. That we may be the better understood, it may 
 be proper to premise that certain particular vices, 
 and likewise that certain particular good and amia- 
 ble qualities, seem naturally to belong to certain par- 
 ticular periods and conditions of life. Now, if we 
 would reason fairly in estimating our moral charac- 
 ter, we ought to examine ourselves with reference 
 to that particular " sin which does most easily beset 
 us," not to some other sin to which we are not so 
 much liable. And in like manner, on the other hand, 
 we ought not to account it matter of self-complacen- 
 cy if we find in ourselves that good and amiable 
 quality which naturally belongs to our period or 
 condition ; but rather look for some less ambiguous 
 sign of a real internal principle of virtue. But we 
 are very apt to reverse these lules of judging : we 
 are very apt, on the one hand, both in ourselves and 
 in others, to excuse *' the besetting sin," taking and 
 giving credit for being exempt from others, to which 
 we or they are less liable ; and on the other hand, to 
 value ourselves extremely on our possession of the 
 good or amiable quality which naturally belongs to 
 us, and to require no more satisfactory evidence of 
 the sufficiency at least of our moral character. The 
 bad effects of this partiality are aggravated by the 
 practice, to which we are sadly prone, of being con- 
 28 
 
326 PRACTICAL HINTS TO 
 
 tented, when we take a hasty view of ourselves, with 
 negative evidences of our state ; thinking it very well 
 if we are not shocked by some great actual trans- 
 gression, instead of looking for the positive signs of 
 a true Ch*-istian, as laid down in the holy Scripture. 
 
 But the «;ource of self-deception, which it is more 
 particularly our present object to point out, is a dis- 
 position to consider as a conquest of any particular 
 vice, our merely forsaking it on our quitting the pe- 
 riod or condition of life to which that vice belongs, 
 when perhaps also we substitute for it the vice of 
 the new period or condition on which we are enter- 
 ing. We thus mistake merely outgrowing our vices, 
 or relinquishing them from some change in our 
 worldly circumstances, for a thorough, or at least for 
 a sufficient reformation. 
 
 But this topic deserves to be viewed a little more 
 closely. Young people may, without much offence, 
 be inconsiderate and dissipated ; the youth of one sex 
 may indulge occasionally in licentious excesses; those 
 of the other may be supremely given up to vanity 
 and pleasure : yet, provided that they are sweet tem- 
 pered, and open, and not disobedient to their parents 
 or other superiors, the former are deemed good 
 hearted young men, the latter, innocent young wo- 
 men. Those who love them best have no solicitude 
 about their spiritual interests : ajid it would be deem- 
 ed strangely sirict in themselves, or in others, to 
 aoubt of their becoming more religious as they ad 
 
VARIOUS PERSONS. 327 
 
 vance in life ; to speak of them as being actually un- 
 der the Divine displeasure ; or, if their lives should 
 be in danger, to entertain any apprehensions con- 
 cerning their future destiny. 
 
 They grow older, and marry. The same licen- 
 tiousness which was formerly considered in young 
 men as a venial frailty, is now no longer regarded 
 in the husband and the father as compatible with the 
 character of a decently religious man. The language 
 is of this sort ; " they have sown their wild oats, they 
 must now reform, and be regular." Nor perhaps is 
 the same manifest predominance of vanity and dissi- 
 pation deemed innocent in the matron : but if they 
 are kind respectively in their conjugal and parental 
 relations, and are tolerably regular and decent, they 
 pass for mighty good sort of people ; and it would be 
 altogether unnecessary scrupulosity in them to doubt 
 of their coming up to the requisitions of the Divine 
 law, as far as in the present state of the world can be 
 expected from human frailty. Their hearts, how- 
 ever, are no more than before supremely set on the 
 great work of their salvation, but are chiefly bent on 
 increasing their fortunes or raising their families. 
 Meanwhile they congratulate themselves on having 
 amended from vices they are no longer strongly 
 tempted to commit, or abstaining from which ought 
 not to be assumed as a test of the strength of the re- 
 ligious principle, since the commission of them 
 would prejudice their characters, and perhaps injure 
 their fortune in life. 
 
328 PRACTICAL HINTS TO 
 
 Old age has at length made its advances. Now, 
 if ever, we might expect that it would be deemed 
 high time to make eternal things the main object 
 of attention. No such thing ! There is still an ap- 
 propriate good quality, the presence of which calms 
 the disquietude and satisfies the requisitions both of 
 themselves and of those around them. It is now re- 
 quired of them that they should be good natured and 
 cheerful, indulgent to the frailties and follies of the 
 young ; remembering that when young themselves 
 the)'- gave in to the same practices. How opposite 
 this to that dread of sin which is the sure characte- 
 ristic of the true Christian ! which causes him to look 
 back upon the vices of his own youthful days with 
 shame and sorrow, and which, instead of conceding 
 to young people to he wild and thoughtless, as a pri- 
 vilege belonging to their age and circumstances, 
 prompts him to warn them against what has proved 
 to himself matter of such bitter retrospection ! Thus, 
 throughout the whole of life some means or other 
 are devised for stifling the voice of conscience. " We 
 cry peace, while there is no peace ;" and both to our- 
 selves and others that complacency is furnished 
 which ought only to proceed from a consciousness 
 of being reconciled to God, and a humble hope of 
 our possessing his favor. 
 
 These sentiments will be termed uncharitable; 
 but we must not be deterred by such an imputation. 
 It is time to have done with that senseless cant of 
 
VARIOUS PERSONS. 829 
 
 charity, which insults the understandings and trifles 
 with the feelings of those who are really concerned 
 for the happiness of their fellow-creatures. What 
 matter of keen remorse and of bitter self-reproaches 
 are they storing up for their future torment, who are 
 themselves its miserable dupes ; or who, being charg- 
 ed with the office of watching over the eternal inte- 
 rests of their children or relations, suffer themselves 
 to be lulled asleep, or beguiled by such shallow rea- 
 sonings into sparing themselves the momentary pain 
 of executing their important duty! Charity, indeed, 
 is partial to the object of her regard ; and where ac- 
 tions are of a doubtful quality, this partiality disposes 
 her to refer them to a good, rather than to a bad mo- 
 tive. She is apt also somewhat to exaggerate merits, 
 and to see amiable qualities in a light more favora- 
 ble than that which strictly belongs to them. But 
 true charity is wakeful, fervent, full of solicitude, 
 full of good offices, not so easily satisfied, not so 
 ready to believe that every thing is going on well 
 as a matter of course ; but jealous of mischief, apt to 
 suspect danger, and prompt to extend relief These 
 are the symptoms by which genuine regard will 
 manifest itself in a wife or a mother, in the case of 
 the bodily health of the object of her affections. And 
 where there is any real concern for the spiritual in- 
 terests of others, it is characterized by the same in- 
 fallible marks. That wretched quality, by which the 
 sacred name of charity is now so generally and so 
 28* 
 
330 PRACTICAL HINTS TO 
 
 falsely usurped, is no other than indifference ; which, 
 against the plainest evidence, or at least where there 
 is strong- ground of apprehension, is easily contented 
 to believe that all goes well, because it has no anxie- 
 ties to allay, no fears to repress. It undergoes no al- 
 ternation of passions ; it is not at one time flushed 
 with hope, nor at another chilled by disappointment. 
 To a considerate and feeling mind there is some- 
 thing deeply afflicting in seeing the engaging cheer- 
 fulness and cloudless gayety incident to youth wel- 
 comed as a sufficient indication of internal purity by 
 the delighted parents ; who, knowing the deceitful- 
 ness of these flattering appearances, should eagerly 
 avail themselves of this period, when once wasted 
 never to be regained, of good humored acquiescence 
 and dutiful docility : a period when the soft and duc- 
 tile temper of the mind renders it more easily sus- 
 ceptible of the impressions we desire ; and when, 
 therefore, habits should be formed which may assist 
 our natural weakness to resist the temptations to 
 which we shall be exposed in the commerce of ma- 
 turer life. This is more especially affecting in the 
 female sex, because that sex seems to be more favora- 
 bly disposed than ours to the feelings and offices of 
 religion ; being thus fitted by the bounty of Provi- 
 dence, the better to execute the important task which 
 devolves on it, of the education of cur earliest youth. 
 Doubtless, this more favorable disposition to religion 
 in the female sex, was graciously designed also to 
 
VARIOUS PERSONS. 331 
 
 make women donbly valuable in the wedded state: 
 and it seems to niTord to the married man the means 
 of rendering an active share in the business of life 
 more compatible than it would otherwise be with 
 the liveliest devotional feelings; that when the hus- 
 band should return to his family, worn and harassed 
 by worldly cares or professional labors, the wife, ha- 
 bitually preserving a warmer and more unimpaired 
 spirit of devotion than is perhaps consistent with 
 being immersed in the bustle of life, might revive his 
 languid piety, and that the religious impressions ot 
 both might derive new force and tenderness from the 
 animating sympathies of conjugal affection. Can a 
 more pleasing image be presented to a considerate 
 mind, than that of a couple, happy in each other and 
 in the pledges of their mutual love, uniting in an act 
 of grateful adoration to the Author of all their mer- 
 cies: recommending each other, and the objects of 
 their common care, to the Divine protection ; and 
 repressing the solicitude of conjugal and parental 
 tenderness by a confiding hope, that through all the 
 changes of this uncertain life, the Disposer of all 
 things will assuredly cause all to work together for 
 the good of them that love and put their trust in him ; 
 and that after this uncertain state shall have passed 
 away, they shall be admitted to a joint participation 
 of never-ending happiness. It is surely no mean or 
 ignoble office which we would allot to the female 
 sex, when we would thus commit to them the charge 
 
332 PRACTICAL HINTS TO 
 
 of maintaining m lively exercise whatever emotions 
 most dignify and adorn human nature; when we 
 would make them as it were the medium of our in- 
 tercourse with the heavenly world, the faithful repo- 
 sitories of the religious principle for the benefit both 
 of the present and of the rising generation. Must it 
 not then excite our grief and indignation, when we 
 behold mothers forgetful at once of their own pecu- 
 liar duties, and of the high office which Providence 
 designed their daughters to fulfill ; exciting instead 
 of endeavoring to moderate in them the natural san- 
 guineness and inconsiderateness of youth; hurrying 
 them night after night to the resorts of dissipation : 
 thus teaching them to despise the common comforts 
 of the family circle; and, instead of striving to raise 
 their views, and to direct their afl^ections to their true 
 object, acting as if with the express design studiously 
 to extinguish every spark of a devotional spirit, and 
 to kindle in its stead an excessive love of pleasure, 
 and perhaps a principle of extravagant vanity and 
 ardent emulation ! 
 
 Innocent young women ! Good hearted young 
 men ! Wherein does this goodness of heart and this 
 innocence appear ? Remember that we are fallen 
 creatures, born in sin, and naturally depraved. 
 Christianity recognizes no innocence or goodness of 
 heart but in the remission of sin, and in the effects 
 of the operation of divine grace. Do we find in these 
 young persons the characters which the.holy Scrip- 
 
VARIOUS PERSONS. 333 
 
 tures lay down as the only satisfactory evidences of 
 a safe state ? Do we not, on the other hand, discover 
 the specified marks of a state of alienation from 
 God ? Can the blindest partiality persuade itself that 
 they ?iTQ loving, or striving "to love God with all 
 their hearts, and minds, and souls, and strength ?" 
 Are they " seeking first the kingdom of God, and 
 his righteousness ?" Are they " working out their 
 salvation with fear and trembling?" Are they 
 " clothed with humility ?" Are they not, on the con- 
 trary, supremely given up to self-indulgence ? Are 
 they not at least " lovers of pleasure more than lovers 
 of God ?" Are the offices of religion their solace or 
 their task ? Do they not come to these sacred ser- 
 vices with reluctance, continue in them by constraint, 
 and quit them with gladness ? And of how many of 
 these persons may it not be affirmed in the spirit of 
 the prophet's language : " The harp and the viol, the 
 tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts ; but 
 they regard not the work of the Lord, neither con- 
 sider the operation of his hands ?" Are not the youth 
 of one sex often actually committing, and still more 
 often wishing for the opportunity to commit those 
 sins of which the Scripture says expressly, *' that 
 they which do such things shall not inherit the 
 kingdom of God?" Are not the youth of the other 
 mainly intent on the gratification of vanity ; and 
 looking for their chief happiness to the resorts of 
 gayety and fashion, to all the multiplied pleasures 
 
334 PRACTICAL HINTS TO 
 
 which public places, or the still higher gratifications 
 of more refined circles can supply? 
 
 And then, when the first ebullitions of youthful 
 warmth are over, what is their boasted reformation ? 
 They may be decent, sober, useful, respectable, as 
 members of the community, or amiable in the rela- 
 tions of domestic life. But is this the change of 
 which the Scripture speaks ? Hear the expressions 
 which it uses, and judge for yourselves — " Except a 
 man be born again, he cannot enter into the king- 
 dom of God." " The old man — is corrupt according 
 to the deceitful lusts;" an expression but too de- 
 scriptive of the vain delirium of youthful dissipation, 
 and of the false dreams of pleasure which it in- 
 spires ; but " the new man" is awakened from this 
 fallacious estimate of happiness; "he is renewed in 
 knowledge after the image of Him that created him" 
 — " He is created after God in righteousness and 
 true holiness." The persons of whom we are speak- 
 ing are no longer, indeed, so thoughtless, and wild, 
 and dissipated as formerly ; so negligent in their at- 
 tention to objects of real value ; so eager in the pur- 
 suit of pleasure ; so prone to yield to the impulse of 
 appetite. But this is no more than the change of 
 which a writer of no very strict cast speaks, as na- 
 turally belonging to their riper age: 
 
 Conversis sludiis, aetas, animusque virilis 
 Cluserit opes, et amicitias : inservit honori: 
 Commisisse cavet, quod mox mutare laboret. HoR. 
 
VARIOUS PERSONS. 335 
 
 This is a point of infinite importance ; let it not 
 be thought tedious to spend even yet a few more 
 moments in the discussion of it. Put the question to 
 another issue, and try it by appealing to the princi- 
 ple of life being a state of probation ; a proposition, 
 indeed, true, in a certain sense, though not exactly 
 in that which is sometimes assigned to it ; and you 
 will still be led to no very different conclusion. Pro- 
 bation implies resisting, in obedience to the dictates of 
 religion, appetites which we are naturally prompted to 
 gratify. Young people are not tempted to be churlish, 
 interested, covetous ; but to be inconsiderate and dissi- 
 pated, " lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God." 
 People in middle age are not so strongly tempted to be 
 thoughtless, and idle, and licentious. From excesses of 
 this sort they are sufficiently withheld, particularly 
 when happily settled in domestic life, by a regard to 
 their characters, by the restraints of family connec- 
 tions, and by a sense of what is due to the decencies of 
 the married state. Their probation is of another 
 sort; they are tempted to be supremely engrossed 
 by worldly cares, by family interests, by professional 
 objects, by the pursuit of wealth or of ambition. Thus 
 occupied, they are tempted to " mind earthly rather 
 than heavenly things," forgetting " the one thing 
 needful ;" to " set their affections " on temporal ra- 
 ther than eternal concerns, and to take up with "a 
 form of godliness," instead of seeking to experience 
 the power thereof: the foundations of this nominal 
 
S36 PRACTICAL HINTS TO 
 
 religion being laid, as was formerly explained more 
 at large, in the forgetfulness, if not in the ignorance 
 of the peculiar doctrines of Christianity. These are 
 the ready-made Christians formerly spoken of, who 
 consider Christianity as a geographical term, proper- 
 ly applicable to all those who have been born and 
 educated in a country wherein Christianity is pro- 
 fessed; not as indicating a renewed nature, as ex- 
 pressive of a peculiar character, with its appropriate 
 desires and aversions, and hopes, and fears, and joys, 
 and sorrows. To people of this description, the so- 
 lemn admonition of Christ is addressed : " I know 
 thy works ; that thou hast a name that thou livest, 
 and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things 
 which remain that are ready to die : for I have not 
 found thy works perfect before God." 
 
 If there be any one who is inclined to listen to this 
 solemn warning, who is awakened from his dream 
 of false security, and is disposed to be not only al- 
 most but altogether a Christian — O ! let him not 
 stifle or dissipate these beginnings of seriousness, 
 but sedulously cherish them as the " workings of the 
 Divine Spirit," which would draw him from the 
 •' broad " and crowded " road of destruction, into the 
 narrow " and thinly peopled path " that leadeth to 
 life." Let him retire from the multitude — let him 
 enter into his closet, and on his bended knees im- 
 plore, for Christ's sake, and in reliance on his media- 
 tion, that God would " take away from him the heart 
 
VARIOUS PERSONS. 337 
 
 of Stone, and give him a heart of flesh ; that the 
 Father of light would open his eyes to his true con- 
 dition, and clear his heart from the clouds of preju- 
 dice, and dissipate the deceitful medium of self-love. 
 Then let him carefully examine his past life, and his 
 present course of conduct, comparing himself with 
 God's word, and considering how any one might 
 reasonably have been expected to conduct himself 
 to whom the holy Scriptures had been always open, 
 and who had been used to acknowledge them to be 
 the revelation of the will of his Creator, and Go- 
 vernor, and Supreme Benefactor ; let him there pe- 
 ruse the awful denunciations against impenitent sin- 
 ners ; let him labor to become more and more deeply 
 impressed with a sense of his own radical blindness 
 and corruption ; above all, let him steadily contem- 
 plate, in all its bearings and connections, that stupen- 
 dous truth, the incarnation and crucifixion of the only 
 begotten Son of God, and the message of mercy pro- 
 claimed from the cross to repenting sinners. " Be 
 ye reconciled unto God." " Believe in the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." 
 
 When he fairly estimates the guilt of sin by the 
 costly satisfaction which was required to atone for it, 
 and the worth of his soul by the price which was 
 paid for its redemption, and contrasts both of these 
 with his own sottish inconsiderateness ; when he re- 
 flects on the amazing love and pity of Christ, and on 
 the cold and formal acknowledgments with which he 
 29 
 
338 PRACTICAL HINTS TO 
 
 has hitherto returned this infinite obligation, making 
 light of the precious blood of the Son of God, and 
 trifling with the gracious invitations of his Redeem- 
 er ; surely, if he be not lost to sensibility, mixed emo- 
 tions of guilt, and fear,^nd sharr.e, and remorse, and 
 sorrow nearly overwhelm his soul ; he will smite 
 upon his breast, and cry out in the language of the 
 publican, " God be merciful to me a sinner." But, 
 blessed be God, such an one needs not despair: it 
 is to persons in this very situation, and with these 
 very feelings, that the offers of the Gospel are held 
 forth, and its promises assured ; " to the weary and 
 heavy laden " under the burden of their sins ; to those 
 who thirst for the water of life ; to those who feel 
 themselves "tied and bound by the chain of their 
 sins ;" who abhor their captivity, and long earnestly 
 for deliverance. Happy, happy souls ! whom the 
 grace of God has visited, '' has brought out of dark- 
 ness into his marvellous light," and "from the power 
 of Satan unto God." Cast yourselves then on his un- 
 deserved mercy; he is full of love, and will not 
 spurn you : surrender yourselves into his hands, and 
 solemnly resolve, through his grace, to dedicate 
 henceforth all your faculties and powers to his service. 
 It is yours now " to work out your own salvation 
 with fear and trembling," relying on the fidelity of 
 Him who has promised to "work in you both to 
 will and to do of his good pleasure." Ever look to 
 him for help : your own safety consists in a deep and 
 
VARIOUS PERSONS. 339 
 
 abiding sense of your own weakness, and in a firm 
 reliance on his strength. If you " give all diligence," 
 his power is armed for your protection, his truth is 
 pledged for your security. You are enlisted under 
 the banner of Christ — fear not, though the world, 
 and the flesh, and the devil are set in array against 
 you. " Faithful is he that hath promised ;" " be ye 
 also faithful unto death, and he will give you a crown 
 of life." " He that endureth to the end, the same 
 shall be saved." In such a world as this, in such a 
 state of society as ours, especially if in the higher 
 walks of life, you must be prepared to meet with 
 many difficulties : arm yourselves, therefore, in the 
 first place, with a determined resolution not to rate 
 human estimation beyond its true value ; not to dread 
 the charge of particularity, when it shall be necessa- 
 ry to incur it; but, as was before recommended, let 
 it be your constant endeavor to retain before your 
 mental eye that bright assemblage of invisible spec- 
 tators who are the witnesses of your daily conduct, 
 and " to seek that honor which cometh from God." 
 You cannot advance a single step till you are in 
 some good measure prepossessed of this comparative 
 indifference to the favor of men. We have before 
 explained ourselves too clearly to render it necessa- 
 ry to declare that no one should needlessly affect 
 singularity ; but to aim at incompatible advantages, 
 to seek to please God and the world, where their 
 commands are really at variance, is the way to be 
 
340 PRACTICAL HINTS TO 
 
 neither respectable, nor good, nor happy. Continue 
 to be ever aware of your own radical corruption and 
 habitual weakness. Indeed, if your eyes are really 
 opened, and your heart truly softened, " hungering 
 and thirsting after righteousness," rising in your 
 ideas of true holiness, and proving the genuineness 
 of your hope by desiring " to purify yourself even as 
 God is pure :" you will become daily more and 
 more sensible of your own defects, and wants, and 
 weaknesses; and more and more impressed by a 
 sense of the mercy and long-suffering of that gra- 
 cious Savior, " who forgiveth all your sins, and heal- 
 eth all your infirmities." 
 
 This is the solution of what to a man of the world 
 might seem a strange paradox, that in proportion as 
 the Christian grows in grace, he grows also in humi- 
 lity. Humility is indeed the vital principle of Chris- 
 tianity ; that principle by which from first to last she 
 lives and thrives, and in proportion to the growth or 
 decline of which she must decay or flourish. This 
 first disposes the sinner in deep self-abasement to ac- 
 cept the offers of the Gospel ; this, during his whole 
 progress, is the very ground and basis of his feel- 
 ings and conduct, both in relation to God, his fellow- 
 creatures, and himself; and when at length he shall 
 be translated into the realms of glory, this principle 
 shall still subsist in undiminished force; he shall 
 •' fall down, and cast his crown before the Lamb ; 
 and ascribe blessing, and honor, and glory and 
 
VARIOUS PERSONS. 341 
 
 power to Him that sitteth upon the throne, and to the 
 Lamb, for ever and ever." The practical benefits of 
 this habitual lowliness of spirit are too numerous, 
 and at the same time too obvious, to require enume- 
 ration. It will lead you to dread the beginnings, and 
 fly from the occasions of sin ; as that man would 
 shun some infectious distemper who should know 
 that he was predisposed to take the contagion. It will 
 prevent a thousand difficulties, and decide a thousand 
 questions concerning worldly compliances, by which 
 those persons are apt to be embarrassed who are 
 not duly sensible of their own exceeding frailty, 
 whose views of the christian character are not suffi- 
 ciently elevated, and who are not enough possessed 
 with a continual fear of " grieving the Holy Spirit 
 of God," and of thus provoking him to withdraw his 
 gracious influence. But if you are really such as 
 we have been describing, you need not be urged to 
 set the standard of practice high, and to strive after 
 universal holiness. It is the desire of your hearts to 
 act in all things with a single eye to the favor of 
 God, and thus the most ordinary actions of life are 
 raised into offices of religion. This is the purifying, 
 the transmuting principle, which realizes the fabled 
 touch which changes all to gold. But it belongs to 
 this desire of pleasing God that we should be con- 
 tinually solicitous to discover the path of duty ; that 
 we should not indolently wait, satisfied with not re- 
 fusing occasions of glorifying God when they are 
 29* 
 
342 PRACTICAL HINTS TO 
 
 forced upon us ; but that we should pray to God for 
 wisdom and spiritual understanding, that we may be 
 acute in discerning opportunities of serving him in 
 the world, and judicious in selecting and wise in im- 
 proving them. Guard indeed against the distraction 
 of worldly cares ; and cultivate heavenly mindedness 
 and a spirit of continual prayer, and neglect not to 
 watch incessantly over the workings of your deceit- 
 ful heart ; but be active also, and useful. Let not 
 your precious time be wasted " in shapeless idle- 
 ness :" an admonition which, in our days, is rendered 
 but too necessary by the relaxed habits of persons 
 even of real piety ; but wisely husband and improve 
 this fleeting treasure. Never be satisfied with your 
 present attainments ; but " forgetting the things which 
 are behind," labor still to "press forward" with un- 
 diminished energy, and to run the race that is set 
 before you without flagging in your course. 
 
 Above all, measure your progress by your im- 
 provement in love to God and man. '' God is love." 
 This is the sacred principle which warms and en- 
 lightens the heavenly world, that blessed seat of 
 God's visible presence. There it shmes with un- 
 clouded radiance. Some scattered beams are gra- 
 ciously lent to us on earth, or we had been benighted 
 and lost in darkness and misery ; but a larger por- 
 tion of it is infused into the hearts of the servants of 
 God, who thus " are renewed in the Divine like- 
 ness " and even here exhibit some faint traces of the 
 
VARIOUS PERSONS. 343 
 
 image of their heavenly Father. It is the principle 
 of love which disposes them to yield themselves up 
 without reserve to the service of him " who has 
 bought them with the price of his own blood." 
 
 Servile, and base, and mercenary is the notion of 
 Christian practice among the bulk of nominal Chris- 
 tians. They give no more than they dare not with- 
 hold ; they abstain from nothing but what they must 
 not practice. In short, they know Christianity only 
 as a system of restraints. She is despoiled of every 
 liberal and generous principle : she is rendered al- 
 most unfit for the social intercourses of life. But 
 true Christians consider themselves not as satisfying 
 some rigorous creditor, but as discharging a debt of 
 gratitude. Theirs is accordingly not the stinted re- 
 turn of a constrained obedience, but the large and 
 liberal measure of a voluntary service. This prin 
 ciple, therefore, as was formerly remarked, and as 
 has been recently observed of true Christian hu- 
 mility, prevents a thousand practical embarrass- 
 ments by which they are continually harassed who 
 act from a less generous motive, and who require it 
 to be clearly ascertained to them that any gratification 
 or worldly compliance which may be in question, is 
 beyond the allowed boundary line of Christian prac- 
 tice.* This principle regulates the true Christian's 
 
 * Neither will I offer burnt-offerings unto the Lord my 
 God," says David, "of that which doth cost me nothing." 
 2 Sam. 24 : 24. 
 
344 PRACTICAL HINTS TO 
 
 choice of companions and friends, where he is at li- 
 berty to make an option ; this fills him with the de- 
 sire of promoting the temporal well-being of all 
 around him, and still more, with pity, and love, and 
 anxious solicitude for their spiritual welfare. Indif- 
 ference indeed in this respect is one of the surest 
 signs of a low or declining state in religion. This 
 animating principle it is, which in the true Chris- 
 tian's happier hour inspirits his devotions, and 
 causes him to delight in the worship of God ; which 
 fills him with consolation, and peace, and gladness, 
 and sometimes even enables him "to rejoice with 
 joy unspeakable and full of glory." 
 
 But this world is not his resting-place: here, to 
 the very last, he must be a pilgrim and a stranger : 
 a soldier whose warfare ends only with life, ever 
 struggling and combating with the powers of 
 
 *' They " (the apostles) "departed from the presence of the 
 council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suflfer 
 shame for the name of Jesus." Acts, 5 : 41. See also 1 Thess. 
 1 : 6. Heb. 10 : 34. James, 1 : 2. 1 Peter, 4 .13, 14. 
 
 Such are the marks exhibited in Scripture of a true love 
 to God : and though our regard for our common Lord is not 
 put to the same severe test as that of the apostles and first 
 Christians was, yet, if the same principle existed in us also, 
 it would surely dispose us to act in the spirit of that con- 
 duct, and prompt us rather to be willing to exceed in self- 
 denials and labors for Christ's sake, than to be so forward as 
 we are to complain, whenever we are called upon to per- 
 form or to abstain from any thing, though in an instance ever 
 so little contrarv to our inclinations. 
 
VARIOUS PERSONS. 345 
 
 darkness, and with the temptations of the world 
 around him, and the still more dangerous hostilities 
 of internal depravity. The perpetual vicissitudes 
 of this uncertain state; the peculiar trials and dif- 
 ficulties with w^hich the life of a Christian is che- 
 quered; and still more, the painful and humiliating 
 remembrance of his own infirmities teach him to 
 look forward, almost with outstretched neck, to 
 that promised day, when he shall be completely de- 
 livered from the bondage of corruption, and sorrow 
 and sighing shall flee away. In the anticipation of 
 that blessed period, and comparing this churlish and 
 turbulent world, where competition, and envy, and 
 ange>r, and revenge, so vex and agitate the sons of 
 men, with that blissful region where love shall reign 
 without disturbance, and where all being knit to- 
 gether in bonds of indissoluble friendship, shall 
 unite in one harmonious song of praise to the 
 Author of their common happiness, the true Chris- 
 tian triumphs over the fear of death: he longs to 
 realize these cheering images, and to obtain admis- 
 sion into that blessed company. With far more 
 justice than it was originally used, he may adopt the 
 beautiful exclamation — " O prseclarum ilium diem, 
 cum ad illud divinum animorum concilium cc&tum- 
 que proficiscar, atque ex hae turb^ et colluvione 
 discedam!" 
 
 What has been now as well as formerly remarked 
 concerning- the habitual feeling's of the real believer, 
 
346 PRACTICAL HINTS TO 
 
 may suggest a reply to an objection common in the 
 mouths of the nominal Christians, that we would 
 deny men the innocent amusements and gratifica- 
 tions of life; thus causing our religion to wear a 
 gloomy, forbidding aspect, instead of her true and na- 
 tural face of cheerfulness and joy. This is a charge 
 of so serious a nature, that although it lead into a di- 
 gression, it may not be improper to take some notice 
 of it. 
 
 In the first place, religion prohibits no amusement 
 or gratification which is really innocent. The ques- 
 tion, however, of its innocence, must not be tried by 
 the loose maxims of worldly morality, but by the 
 spirit of the injunctions of the word of God, and 
 by the indulgence being conformable or not conform- 
 able to the genius of Christianity, and to the tempers 
 and dispositions of mind enjoined on its professors. 
 There can be no dispute concerning the true end of 
 recreations. They are intended to refresh our ex- 
 hausted bodily or mental powers, and to restore us, 
 with renewed vigor, to the more serious occupations 
 of life. Whatever, therefore, fatigues either body or 
 mind, instead of refreshing them, is not fitted to 
 answer the designed purpose. Whatever consumes 
 more time, or money, or thought, than it is expe- 
 dient, or rather necessary, to allot to mere amuse- 
 ment, can hardly be approved by any one who con- 
 siders these talents as precious deposits, for the 
 expenditure of which he will have to give account. 
 
VARIOUS PERSONS. 347 
 
 Whatever directly or indirectly must be likely to 
 injure the welfare of a fellow creature, can scarcely 
 be a suitable recreation for a Christian, who is " to 
 love his neighbor as himself;" or a very consistent 
 diversion for any one, the business of whose life is 
 to diffuse happiness. 
 
 But does a Christian never relax? Let us not so 
 wrong and vilify the bounty of Providence, as to al- 
 low for a moment that the sources of innocent amuse- 
 ment are so rare that men must be driven, almost by 
 constraint, to such as are of a doubtful quality. On the 
 contrary, such has been the Creator's goodness, that 
 almost every one, both of our physical, and intellec- 
 tual, and moral faculties, and the same may be said 
 of the whole creation which we see around us, is not 
 only calculated to answer the proper end of its being, 
 by its subserviency to some purpose of solid use- 
 fulness, but to be the instrument of administering 
 pleasure. 
 
 Not content 
 With every food of life to nourish man, 
 Thou makest all nature beauty to his eye 
 And music to his ear. 
 
 Our Maker also, in his kindness, has so constructed 
 us that even mere vicissitude is grateful and refresh- 
 ing — a consideration which should prompt us often 
 to seek, from a prudent variation of useful pursuits, 
 that recreation for which we are apt to resort to 
 what is altogether unproductive and unfruitful. 
 
348 PRACTICAL HINTS TO 
 
 Yet rich and multiplied are the springs of inno- 
 cent relaxation. The Christian relaxes in the tem- 
 perate use of all the gifts of Providence. Imagina- 
 tion, and taste, and genius, and the beauties of cre- 
 ation, and the works of art, lie open to him. He re- 
 laxes in the feast of reason, in the intercourses of so- 
 ciety, in the sweets of friendship, in the endearments 
 of love, in the exercise of hope, of confidence, of joy, 
 of gratitude, of universal good will, of all the bene- 
 volent and generous affections : which, by the gra- 
 cious ordination of our Creator, while they disin- 
 terestedly intend only happiness to others, are most 
 surely productive to ourselves of complacency and 
 peace. O ! little do they know of the true measure 
 of enjoyment, who can compare these delightful 
 complacencies with the frivolous pleasures of dissipa- 
 tion, or the coarse gratifications of sensuality. It is 
 no wonder, however, that the nominal Christian 
 should reluctantly give up, one by one, the pleasures 
 of the world ; and look back upon them, when relin- 
 quished, with eyes of wistfulness and regret ; because 
 he knows not the sweetness of the delights with which 
 true Christianity repays those trifling sacrifices, and 
 is greatly unacquainted with the nature of that plea- 
 santness which is to be found in the ways of religion. 
 It is indeed true, that when any one who has long 
 been going on in the gross and unrestrained practice 
 of vice is checked in his career, and enters at first 
 on a religious course, he has much to undergo. 
 
VARIOUS PERSONS. 849 
 
 Fear, guilt, remorse, shame, and various other pas- 
 sions, struggle and conflict within him. His appetites 
 are clamorous for their accustomed gratification, and 
 inveterate habits are scarcely to be denied. He is 
 weighed down by a load of guilt, and almost over- 
 whelmed by the sense of his un worthiness. But all 
 this ought in fairness to be charged to the account of 
 his past sins, and not to that of his present repen ■ 
 tance. It rarely happens, however, that this state of 
 suffering continues very long. When the mental 
 gloom IS the blackest, a ray of heavenly light occa- 
 sionally breaks in, and suggests the hope of better 
 days. Even in this life it commonly holds true, 
 " They that sow in tears shall reap in joy." 
 
 Neither, when we maintain that the ways of re- 
 ligion are ways of pleasantness, do we mean to deny 
 that the Christian's internal state is, through the 
 whole of his life, a state of discipline and warfare. 
 Several of the causes which contribute to render it 
 such have been already pointed out, together with 
 the workings of his mind in relation to them: but if 
 he has solicitudes and griefs peculiar to himself, he 
 has "joys also with which a stranger intermeddles 
 not." 
 
 A little religion is, it must be confessed, apt to 
 make men gloomy, as a little knowledge to render 
 them vain : hence the unjust imputation often brought 
 upon religion by those whose degree of religion is 
 just sufficient, by condemning their course of con- 
 30 
 
350 PRACTICAL HINTS TO 
 
 duct, to render them uneasy; enough merely to 
 impair the sweetness of the pleasures of sin, and not 
 enough to compensate for the relinquishment of 
 them by its own peculiar comforts. Thus these men 
 bring up an ill report of that land of promise which 
 in truth abounds with whatever, in our journey 
 through life, can best refresh and strengthen us. 
 
 We have enumerated some sources of pleasure 
 which men of the world may understand, and must 
 acknowledge to belong to the true Christian ; but 
 there are others, and those of a still higher class, 
 to which they must confess themselves strangers. 
 To say nothing of a degree of exemption from 
 those distracting passions and corroding cares, by 
 which he must naturally be harassed whose trea- 
 sure is within the reach of mortal accidents ; there 
 is the humble,quiet-giving hope of being reconciled 
 to God, and of enjoying his favor; with that solid 
 peace of mind which the world can neither give nor 
 take away, which results from a firm confidence in 
 the infinite wisdom and goodness of God, and in 
 the unceasing care and kindness of a gracious Sa- 
 vior : and there is the persuasion of the truth of 
 the Divine assurance, that all things shall work to- 
 gether for good. 
 
 When flushed with youth, and health, and vigor ; 
 when all goes on prosperously, and success seems 
 almost to anticipate our wishes; then we feel not 
 the want of the consolations of religion : but when 
 
VARIOUS PERSONS. 351 
 
 fortune frowns, or friends forsake us, when sorrow, 
 or sickness, or old age comes upon us, then it is 
 that the superiority of the pleasures of religion is 
 established over those of dissipation and vanity, 
 which are ever apt to fly from us when we are most 
 in want of their aid. There is scarcely a more 
 melancholy sight to a considerate mind, than that of 
 an old man who is a stranger to those only true 
 sources of satisfaction. How afTecting, and at the 
 same time how disgusting is it to see such a one 
 awkwardly catching at the pleasures of his younger 
 years, which are now beyond his reach ; or feebly 
 attempting to retain them, while they mock his endea- 
 vors and elude his grasp ! To such a one, gloomily 
 indeed does the evening of life set in. All is sour and 
 cheerless. He can neither look backward with com- 
 placency, nor forward with hope: while the aged 
 Christian, relying on the assured mercy of his Re- 
 deemer, can calmly reflect that his dismission is at 
 hand ; that his redemption draweth nigh : while his 
 strength declines and his faculties decay, he can 
 quietly repose himself on the fidelity of God : and 
 at the very entrance of the valley of the shadow 
 of death he can lift up an eye, dim, perhaps, and 
 feeble, yet occasionally sparkling with hope, and 
 confidently looking forward to the near possession of 
 his heavenly inheritance, "to those joys which eye 
 hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered 
 into the heart of man to conceive." 
 
3$2 ADVICE TO PROFESSORS 
 
 Never were there times which inculcated more 
 forcibly, than those in which we live, the wisdom of 
 seeking happiness beyond the reach of human vicis- 
 situdes. What striking lessons have we had of the 
 precarious tenure of all sublunary possessions! 
 Wealth, and power, and prosperity, how peculiarly 
 transitory and uncertain ! But religion dispenses her 
 choicest cordials in the seasons of exigence, in po- 
 verty, in exile, in sickness, and in death. The essen- 
 tial superiority of that support which is derived from 
 religion is less felt, at least it is less apparent, when 
 the Christian is in full possession of riches, and 
 splendor, and rank, and all the gifts of nature and 
 fortune. But when all these are swept away by the 
 rude hand of time, or the rough blasts of adversity, 
 the true Christian stands, like the glory of the forest, 
 erect and vigorous ; stripped indeed of his summer 
 foliage, but more than ever discovering to the observ- 
 ing eye the solid strength of his substantial texture : 
 
 Pondere fixa suo est, nudosque per aera ramos 
 Attollens, trunco non frondibus efficit umbram. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 Advice to some who profess full assent to the fimdamental doe- 
 triTicsofthe Gospel. 
 
 In a former chapter wo largely insisted on what 
 may be termed the fundamental practical error of 
 
OF THE GOSPEL, 358 
 
 the bulk of professed Christians in our days; their 
 either overlooking or misconceiving the peculiar 
 method which the Gospel has provided for the reno- 
 vation of our corrupted nature, and for the attainment 
 of every Christian grace. 
 
 But there are mistakes on the right hand and on 
 the left; and our general proneness, when flying 
 from one extreme to run into an opposite error, ren- 
 ders it necessary to superadd another admonition. 
 The generally prevailing error of the present day, 
 indeed, is that fundamental one which was formerly 
 pointed out. But while we attend, in the first place, 
 to this ; and, on the warrant both of Scripture and 
 experience, prescribe hearty repentance and lively 
 faith as the only root and foundation of all true ho- 
 liness ; we must at the same time guard against a 
 practical mistake of another kind. Those who, with 
 penitent hearts, have humbled themselves before the 
 cross of Christ; and who, pleading his merits as their 
 only ground of pardon and acceptance, have resolv- 
 ed henceforth, through the influences of the Holy 
 Spirit, to bring forth the fruits of righteousness, are 
 sometimes apt to conduct themselves as if they con- 
 sidered their work as done ; or at least as if this were 
 the whole they had to do, as often as, by falling afresh 
 into sin, another act of repentance and faith may seenri 
 to have become necessary. There are not a few in 
 our relaxed age, who thus satisfy themselves with 
 what may be termed general Christianity ; who feel 
 30* 
 
354 ADVICE TO PROFESSORS 
 
 general penitence and humiliation from a sense of 
 their sinfulness in general, and general desires of 
 universal holiness ; but who neglect that vigilant and 
 jealous care with which they s-hould labor to extir- 
 pate every particular corruption, by studying its na- 
 ture, its root, its ramifications, and thus becoming 
 acquainted with its secret movements, with the means 
 whereby it gains strength, and with the most effectual 
 methods of resisting it. In like manner, they are far 
 from striving with persevering alacrity for the ac- 
 quisition and improvement of every Christian grace. 
 Nor is it unusual for ministers, who preach the truths 
 of the Gospel with fidelity, ability, and success, to be 
 themselves also liable to the charge of dwelling al- 
 together in their instructions on this general reli- 
 gion : instead of tracing and laying open the secret 
 motions of inward corruption, and instructing their 
 hearers how best to conduct themselves in every dis- 
 tinct part of the Christian warfare ; how best to strive 
 against each particular vice, and to cultivate each 
 grace of the Christian character. In too many per- 
 sons, concerning the sincerity of whose general pro- 
 fessions of religion we should be sorry to entertain 
 a doubt, we see little progress made in the regulation 
 of their tempers, in the improvement of their time, 
 in the reform of their plan of life, or in ability to re- 
 sist the temptation to which they are particularly 
 exposed. They will confess themselves, in general 
 terms, to be "miserable sinners:" this is a tenet of 
 
OF THE GOSPEL. 355 
 
 their creeJ, and they feel even proud in avowing it» 
 They will occasionally also lament particular fail- 
 ings : but this confession is sometimes obviously 
 made in order to draw forth a compliment for the 
 very opposite virtue: and where this is not the case, 
 it is often not difficult to detect, under this false guise 
 of contrition, a secret self-complacency, arising from 
 the manifestations they have afforded of their acute- 
 ness or candor in discovering the ihnrmity in ques- 
 tion, or of their frankness or humility in acknowledg- 
 ing it. This will scarcely seem an illiberal suspicion 
 to any one who either watches the workings of his 
 own heart, or who observes that the faults confessed 
 in these instances are very seldom those with which 
 the person is most clearly and strongly chargeable. 
 We must plainly warn these men, and the consi- 
 deration is seriously pressed on their instructors also, 
 that they are in danger of deceiving themselves Let 
 them beware lest they be nominal Christians of 
 another sort. These persons require to be reminded 
 that there is no short compendious method of holi- 
 ness; but that it must be the business of their whole 
 lives to grow in grace, and continually adding one 
 virtue to another, as far as may be, "to go on towards 
 perfection." He only "that doeth righteousness is 
 righteous." Unless "they bring forth the fruits of 
 the Spirit," they can have no sufficient evidence that 
 they have received that Spirit of Christ, without 
 which thev are none of his. But where, on th« 
 
356 ADVICE TO PROFESSORS 
 
 whole, our unwillingness to pass an unfavorable 
 judgment may lead us to indulge a hope that " the 
 root of the matter is found in them," yet we must de- 
 clare to them, that instead of adorning the doctrine 
 of Christ, they disparage and discredit it. The world 
 sees not their secret humiliation, nor the exercises of 
 their closets, but it is acute in discerning practical 
 weaknesses; and if it observe that they have the 
 same eagerness in the pursuit of weahh or ambition, 
 the same vain taste for ostentation and display, the 
 same ungoverned tempers which are found in the 
 generality of mankind, it will treat with contempt 
 their pretences to superior sanctity and indifference 
 to worldly things, and will be hardened in its preju- 
 dices against the only mode which God has provided 
 for our escaping the wrath to come, and obtaining 
 eternal happiness. 
 
 Let him, then, who would be indeed a Christian, 
 watch over his ways and over his heart with unceas- 
 ing circumspection. Let him endeavor to learn, both 
 from men and books, particularly from the lives of 
 eminent Christians, what methods have been actual- 
 ly found most effectual for the conquest of every par- 
 ticular vice, and for improvement in every branch of 
 holiness. Thus studying his own character, and ob- 
 serving the most secret workings of his own mind, 
 and of our common nature ; the knowledge which 
 he will acquire of the human heart in general, and 
 especially of his own, will be of the highest utility 
 
OF THE GOSPEL. 857 
 
 in enabling him to avoid or to guard against the oc- 
 casions of evil ; and it will also tend, above all things, 
 to the growth of humility, and to the maintenance 
 of that sobriety of spirit and tenderness of conscience 
 which are eminently characteristic of the true Chris- 
 tian. It is by this unceasing diligence, as the apostle 
 declares, that the servants of Christ must make their 
 calling sure. Their labor will not be thrown away; 
 for *' an entrance shall" at length "be ministered 
 unto them abundantly, into the everlasting kingdom 
 of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 Brief observations addressed to Sceptics and Unitarians. 
 
 There is another class of men, an increasing class 
 it is to be feared, in this country, that of absolute un- 
 believers, with which this little work has properly no 
 concern : but may the writer, sincerely pitying their 
 melancholy state, be permitted to ask them one plain 
 question ? If Christianity be not in their estimation 
 true, yet is there not at least a presumption in its fa- 
 vor sufficient to entitle it to a serious examination ; 
 from its having been embraced, and that not blindly 
 and implicitly, but upon full inquiry and deep con- 
 sideration, by Bacon, and Milton, and Locke, and 
 Newton, and much the greater part of those, who, 
 by the reach of their understandings, or the extent 
 
358 BRIEF OBSERVATIONS TO 
 
 of their knowledge, and by the freedom of their 
 minds, and their daring to combat existing preju- 
 dices, have called forth the respect and admiration 
 of mankind ? It might be deemed scarcely fair to in- 
 stance clergymen, though some of them are among 
 the greatest names this country has ever known. 
 Can the sceptic in general say with truth that he has 
 either prosecuted an examination into the evidences 
 of revelation at all, or at least with a seriousness and 
 diligence in any degree proportioned to the impor- 
 tance of the subject? The fact is, and it is a fact 
 which redounds to the honor of Christianity, that 
 infidelity is not the result of sober inquiry and deli- 
 berate preference. It is rather the slow production 
 of a careless and irreligious life, operating together 
 with prejudices and erroneous conceptions concern- 
 ing the nature of the leading doctrines and funda- 
 mental tenets of Christianity. 
 
 Take the case of young men of condition, bred up 
 by what we have termed nominal Christians. When 
 children, they are carried to church, and there they 
 become acquainted with such parts of Scripture as 
 are contained in our public service. If their parents 
 preserve still more of the customs of better times, 
 they are taught their catechism, and furnished with 
 a little further religious knowledge. After a while 
 they go from under the eyes of their parents ; they 
 enter into the world, and move forward in the path 
 of life, whstever it may be, which has been assigned 
 
SCEPTICS AND UNITARIANS. 359 
 
 to them. They yield to the temptations which assail 
 them, and become more or less dissipated and licen- 
 tious. At least they neglect to look into their Bible ; 
 they do not enlarge the sphere of their religious ac- 
 quisitions ; they do not even endeavor, by reflection 
 and study, to turn into what may deserve the name 
 of knowledge and rational conviction, the opinions 
 which, in their childhood, they had taken on trust. 
 
 They travel, perhaps, into foreign countries ; a 
 proceeding w^hich naturally tends to weaken their 
 nursery prejudice in favor of the religion in which 
 they were bred, and by removing them from all 
 means of public worship, to relax their practical 
 habits of religion. They return home, and common- 
 ly are either hurried round in the vortex of dissipa- 
 tion, or engage with the ardor of youthful minds in 
 some public or professional pursuit. If they read or 
 hear any thing about Christianity, it is commonly 
 only about those tenets which are subjects of con- 
 troversy ; and what reaches their ears from the Bible, 
 in their occasional attendance at church, though it 
 may sometimes impress them with an idea of the 
 purity of christian morality, contains much which, 
 coming thus detached, perplexes and offends them, 
 and suggests various doubts and startling objections 
 which a further acquaintance with the Scripture 
 would remove. Thus growing more and m.ore to 
 know Christianity only by the difficulties it contains ; 
 sometimes tempted by an ambition of showing them- 
 
360 BRIEF OBSERVATIONS TO 
 
 selves superior to what they think vulgar prejudice, 
 and always prompted by the natural pride of the 
 human heart to cast off subjection to dogmas imposed 
 on them ; disgusted, perhaps, by the immoral lives 
 of some professed Christians, by the weaknesses and 
 absurdities of others, and by what they observe to be 
 the implicit belief of numbers whom they see and 
 know to be equally ignorant with themselves ; many 
 doubts and suspicions of greater or less extent spring 
 up within them. These doubts enter into the mind at 
 first almost imperceptibly : they exist only as vague 
 indistinct surmises, and by no means take the precise 
 shape or the substance of a formed opinion. At first, 
 probably, they even offend and startle by their intru- 
 sion ; but by degrees the unpleasant sensations they 
 once excited wear off; the mind grows more familiar 
 with them. A confused sense, for such it is, rather 
 than a formed idea of its being desirable that their 
 doubts should prove well founded, lends them much 
 secret aid. The impression becomes deeper ; not in 
 consequence of being reinforced by fresh arguments, 
 but merely by dint of having longer rested in the 
 mind ; and as they increase in force, they creep on 
 and extend themselves. At length they diffuse them- 
 selves over the whole of religion, and possess the 
 mind in undisturbed occupancy. 
 
 It is by no means meant that this is universally 
 the process. But speaking generally, this might be 
 termed, perhaps not unjustly, the natural history of 
 
SCEPTICS AND UNITARIANS. 361 
 
 scepticism. It approves itself to the experience of 
 those who have with any care watched the progress 
 of infidelity in persons around them ; and it is con- 
 firmed by the written lives of some of the most eminent 
 unbelievers. It is curious to read their own accounts 
 of themselves, the rather as they accord so exactly 
 with the result of our own observation. We find 
 that they once perhaps gave a sort of implicit heredi- 
 tary assent to the truth of Christianity, and were what 
 by a mischievous perversion of language the world 
 denominates believers. How were they then awa- 
 kened from their sleep of ignorance ? At what mo- 
 ment did the light of truth beam in upon them, and 
 dissipate the darkness in which they had been involv- 
 ed t The period of their infidelity is marked by no 
 such determinate boundary. Reason, and thought, 
 and inquiry had little or nothing to do with it. Ha- 
 ving for many years lived careless and irreligious 
 lives, and associated with companions equally care- 
 less and irreligious ; not by force of study and re- 
 flection, but rather by the lapse of time, they at 
 length attained to their infidel maturity. It is 
 worthy of remark, that where any are reclaimed 
 from infidelity, it is generally by a process much 
 more rational than that which has been here de- 
 scribed. Something awakens them to reflection. 
 They examine, they consider, and at length yield 
 their assent to Christianity on what they deem suffi- 
 cient grounds. 
 
 31 
 
362. BRIEF OBSERVATIONS TO 
 
 From the account here given, it appears plainly 
 that infidelity is generally the offspring of prejudice, 
 and that its success is mainly to be ascribed to the 
 depravity of the moral character. This fact is con- 
 firmed by the undeniable truth, that in societies, 
 which consist of individuals, infidelity is the natural 
 fruit, not so much of a studious and disputatious, as 
 of a dissipated and vicious age. It diffuses itself in 
 proportion as the general morals decline ; and it is 
 embraced with less apprehension, when every infi- 
 del is kept in spirits by seeing many around him 
 who are sharing fortunes with himself. 
 
 To anjr fair mind this consideration alone might be 
 offered, as suggesting a strong argument against in- 
 fidelity, and in favor of revelation. And the friends 
 of Christianity might justly retort the charge which 
 their opponents often urge with no little affectation 
 of superior wisdom, that we implicitly surrender 
 ourselves to the influence of prejudice, instead of 
 examining dispassionately the ground of our faith,, 
 and yielding our assent only according to the degree 
 of evidence. 
 
 In our own days, when it is but too clear that in- 
 fidelity increases, it is not in consequence of the rea- 
 sonings of the infidel writers having been much stu- 
 died, but from the progress of luxury and the decay 
 of morals ; and, so far as this increase may be traced 
 at all to the works of sceptical writers, it has been 
 produced, not by argument and discussion, but by 
 
SCEPTICS AND UNITARIANS. 363 
 
 f?arcasms and points of wit, which have operated on 
 weak minds, or on nominal Christians, by bringing 
 gradually into contempt opinions which, in their 
 case, had only rested on the basis of blind respect 
 and the prejudices of education. It may therefore be 
 laid down as an axiom, that infidelity is in general a 
 disease of the heart more than of the understanding. 
 If revelation were assailed only by reason and argu- 
 ment, it would have little to fear. The literary op- 
 posers of Christianity, from Herbert to Hume, have 
 been seldom read. They made some stir in their 
 day; during their brief span of existence they were 
 noisy and noxious ; but, like the locusts of the east, 
 which for a w^hile obscure the air and destroy the 
 verdure, they were soon swept away and forgotten. 
 Their very names would be scarcely found if Leland 
 had not preserved them from oblivion. 
 
 The account which has been given of the secret 
 but grand source of infidelity, may perhaps justly be 
 extended, as being not seldom true in the case of 
 those who deny the fundamental doctrines of the 
 Gospel. 
 
 In the course which we lately traced from nomi- 
 nal orthodoxy to absolute infidelity, Unitarianism* is, 
 
 * The author is aware that he may perhaps be censured 
 for conceding this term to the class of persons now in ques- 
 tion, since orthodox Christians equally contend for the uni- 
 ty of the Divine nature ; and it perhaps may hardly be a 
 sufficient excuse, that, it not being- his object particularly 
 
S64 BRIEF OBSERVATIONS TO 
 
 indeed, a sort of half-way house, if the expression 
 may be pardoned ; a stage on the journey, where 
 sometimes a person indeed finally stops, but where, 
 not unfrequently, he only pauses for a while, and 
 then pursues his progress. 
 
 The unitarian teachers by no means profess to ab- 
 solve their followers from the unbending strictness 
 of Christian morality. They prescribe the predomi- 
 nant love of God, and an habitual spirit of devotion : 
 but it is an unquestionable fact, a fact which they 
 themselves almost admit, that this class of religion- 
 ist is not in general distinguished for superior purity 
 of life; and still less for that frame of mind which, 
 by the injunction '* to be spiritually, not carnally 
 minded," the word of God prescribes to us, as one of 
 the surest tests of our experiencing the vital power of 
 Christianity. On the contrary, in point of fact, Uni- 
 tarianism seems to be resorted to, not merely by 
 those who are disgusted with the peculiar doctrines 
 of Christianity, but by those also who are seeking 
 a refuge from the strictness of her practical precepts, 
 and who more particularly would escape from the 
 obligation which she imposes on her adherents ra- 
 ther to incur the dreaded charge of singularity, than 
 fall in with the declining manners of a dissipated age. 
 
 to refute the errors of Unitarianism, he uses the term in its 
 popular sense rather than give needless offence. He thus 
 guards, however, against any false construction being drawti 
 from his use of it. 
 
SCEPTICS AND UNITARIANS. 365 
 
 Unitarianism, where it may be supposed to pro- 
 ceed from the understanding- rather than from the 
 heart, is not unfrequently produced by a confused 
 idea of the difficulties, or, as they are termed, the 
 impossibilities which orthodox Christianity is sup- 
 posed to involve. It is notour intention to enter into 
 the controversy :* but it may not be improper to 
 make one remark, as a guard to persons in whose 
 way the arguments of the Unitarians maybe likely 
 to fall: namely, that one great advantage possessed 
 by deists, and perhaps in a still greater degree by 
 Unitarians, in their warfare with the Christian sys- 
 tem, results from the very circumstances of their 
 being the assailants. They urge what they state to 
 be powerful arguments against the truth of the fun- 
 damental doctrines of Christianity, and then call 
 upon men to abandon them as posts no longer ten- 
 able. But those who are disposed to yield to this 
 assault, should call to mind, that it has pleased God 
 so to establish the constitution of all things, that per- 
 plexing difficulties and plausible objections may be 
 
 * The author of this treatise has, since its completion, pe- 
 rused a work, entitled, Calvinism and Socinianisra com- 
 pared, by A. Fuller ; and, without reference to the pecu- 
 liarities of calvanism, he is happy to embrace this opportu- 
 nity of Calvanism, the high obligation which, in common 
 with all the friends of true religion, he owes to the author 
 of that highly valuable publication for his masterly defence 
 of the doctrines of Christianity, and his acute refutation of 
 the opposite errors. 
 
 31* 
 
366 BRIEF OBSERVATIONS TO 
 
 adduced against the most established truths; such, 
 for instance, as the being of a God, and many others 
 both physical and moral. In all cases, therefore, 
 it becomes us, not on a partial view to reject any 
 proposition, because it is attended with difficulties; 
 but to compare the difficulties which it involves, with 
 those that attend the alternative proposition which 
 must be embraced on its rejection. We should put 
 to the proof the alternative proposition in its turn, 
 and see whether it be not still less tenable than that 
 which we are summoned to abandon. In short, we 
 should examine circumspectly on all sides ; and 
 abide by that opinion which, on carefully balancing 
 all considerations, appears fairly entitled to our pre- 
 ference. Experience, however, will have convinced 
 the attentive observer of those around him, that it 
 has been for want of adverting to this just and ob- 
 vious principle, that the Unitarians in particular have 
 gained most of their proselytes from the church, so 
 far as argument has contributed to their success. 
 If the Unitarians, or even the deists, were considered 
 in their turn as masters of the field, and were in 
 their turn attacked, both by arguments tending to 
 disprove their system directly, and to disprove it indi- 
 rectly, by showing the high probability of the truth 
 of Christianity, and of its leading and peculiar doc- 
 trines, it is most likely that they would soon ap- 
 pear wholly unable to keep their ground. In short, 
 reasoning fairly, there is no medium between abso- 
 
SCEPTICS AND UNITARIANS. 367 
 
 lute Pyrrhonism and Christianity ; and if we reject 
 the latter on account of its difficulties, we shall be 
 still more loudly called upon to reject every other 
 system which has been offered to the acceptance of 
 mankind. This consideration might, perhaps, with 
 advantage be more attended to than it has been, 
 by those who take upon them to vindicate the truth 
 of our holy religion: as many, who, from inconside- 
 ration, or any other cause, are disposed to give up 
 the great fundamentals of Christianity, would be 
 startled by the idea, that on the same principle on 
 which they did this, they must give up the hope of 
 finding any rest for the sole of their foot on any 
 ground of religion, and not stop short of unqualified 
 atheism. 
 
 Besides the class of those who professedly reject 
 revelation, there is another, and that also, it is to be 
 feared, an increasing one, which may be called the 
 class of half-unbelievers, who are to be found in va- 
 rious degrees of approximation to a state of absolute 
 infidelity. The system, if it deserve the name, of 
 these men, is grossly irrational. Hearing many who 
 assert, and many who deny the truth of Christianity, 
 and not reflecting seriously enough to consider that 
 it must be either true or false, they take up a strange 
 sort of middle opinion of its qualified truth. They 
 conceive that there must be something in it, though 
 by no means to the extent to which it is pushed by or- 
 thodox Christians. They grant the reality of future 
 
368 BRIEF OBSERVATIONS TO 
 
 punishment, and even that they themselves cannot 
 akogether expect to escape it ; yet " they trust it 
 will not go so hard with them as the churchmen 
 state ;" and, as was formerly hinted, though disbe- 
 lieving almost every material doctrine which Chris- 
 tianity contains ; yet, even in their own minds, they 
 by no means conceive themselves to be enlisted under 
 the banners of infidelity, or to have much cause 
 for any great apprehension lest Christianity phould 
 prove true. 
 
 But let these men be reminded that there is no 
 middle way. If they can be prevailed on to look 
 into their Bible, and do not make up their minds 
 absolutely to reject its authority, they must admit 
 that there is no ground whatever for this vain hope 
 of escaping with a slight measure of punishment. 
 Nor let them think their guilt inconsiderable. Is 
 it not grossly criminal to trifle with the long-suf- 
 fering of God, to despise alike his invitations and 
 his threatenings, and the offer of his Spirit of grace, 
 and the precious blood of the Redeemer ? Far dif- 
 ferent is the scripture estimate ; "how shall we escape 
 if we neglect so great salvation ? " It shall be more 
 tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah, in the day of 
 judgment," than for those who voluntarily shut their 
 eyes against that full light which the bounty of 
 Heaven has poured out upon them. These half-un- 
 believers are even more reprehensible than down- 
 right sceptics, for remaining in this state of careless 
 
8CEPTICS AND UNITARIANS. S69 
 
 uncertainty, without endeavoring to ascertain the 
 truth or falsehood of revelation. The probability 
 which they admit, that it may be true, imposes on 
 them an additional and undeniable obligation to in- 
 quiry. But both to them and to decided sceptics it 
 must be plainly declared that they are in these days 
 less excusable than ever, for not looking into the 
 grounds and proofs on which is rested the truth ot 
 Christianity; for never before were these proofs so 
 plainly, and at so easy a rate offered to the conside- 
 ration of mankind. Through the bounty of Provi- 
 dence the more widely spread poison of infidelity 
 has in our days been met with more numerous and 
 more powerful antidotes. 
 
 The infatuation of these unbelievers upon trust 
 would be less striking, if they were able altogether 
 to decline Christianity; and were at liberty to re- 
 linquish their pretensions to its rewards, on condition 
 of being exempted from its punishments. But that 
 is not the case ; they must stand the risk of the en- 
 counter, and their eternal happiness or misery is 
 suspended upon the issue.* What must be the emo- 
 tions of these men, on first opening their eyes in the 
 world of spirits, and being convinced, too late, of the 
 awful reality of their impending ruin ? May the 
 
 * This argument is pressed with uncommon force in Pas- 
 cal's Thoughts on Religion, a work highly valuable, though 
 not in every part to be approved ; abounding in particular 
 with those deep views of religion which the name of its 
 author prepares us to expecL 
 
370 ADVICE TO TRUE CHRISTIANS. 
 
 mercy and the power of God awaken them from 
 their desperate slumber, while life is yet spared, and 
 there is yet space for repentance ! 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 Advice suggested by the state of the times to true Christians. 
 
 To those who really deserve the appellation of 
 true Christians, much has been said incidentally in 
 the course of the present work. It has been main 
 tained, and the proposition will not be disputed by 
 any sound or experienced politician, that they are 
 always most important members of the community. 
 But we may boldly assert, that there never was a 
 period wherein, more justly than in the present, this 
 could be affirmed of them ; whether the situation, in 
 all its circumstances, of our own country be atten 
 lively considered, or the general state of society in 
 Europe. Let them, on their part, seriously weigh 
 the important station which they fill, and the various 
 duties it now peculiarly enforces on them. If we 
 consult the most intelligent accounts of foreign coun- 
 tries which have been recently published, and com- 
 pare them with the reports of former travelers, we 
 must be convinced that religion and the standard of 
 morals are every where declining, abroad even more 
 rapidly than in our own country. But still the pro- 
 gress of irreligion and the decay of morals at home 
 are such as to alarm every considerate mind, and to 
 
ADVICE TO TRUE CHRISTIANS. 371 
 
 forebode the worst consequences, unless some remedy- 
 can be applied to the growing evil. We can depend 
 only upon true Christians for effecting, in any de- 
 gree, this important service. Zeal is required in 
 the cause of religion; they only can feel it. The 
 charge of singularity must be incurred ; they only 
 will dare to encounter it. Uniformity of conduct 
 and perseverance in exertion will be requisite; 
 among no others can we look for those qualities. 
 
 Let true Christians then, with becoming earnest- 
 ness, strive in all things to recommend their profes- 
 sion, and to put to silence the vain scoffs of ignorant 
 objectors. Let them boldly assert the cause of Christ 
 in an age when so many who bear the name of 
 Christians are ashamed of him : and let them con- 
 sider as devolved on them the important duty of sus- 
 pending for a while the fall of their country, and, 
 perhaps, of performing a still more extensive service 
 to society at large ; not by busy interference in poli- 
 tics, in which it cannot but be confessed there is 
 much uncertainty, but rather by that sure and radi- 
 cal benefit of restoring the influence of religion, and 
 of raising the standard of morality. 
 
 Let them be active, useful, generous towards 
 others ; manifestly moderate and self-denying in 
 themselves. Let them be ashamed of idleness, as 
 they would be of the most acknowledged sin. When 
 Providence blesses them with affluence, let them 
 withdraw from the competition of vanity ; and, with- 
 
372 ADVICE TO TRUE CHRISTIANS. 
 
 out sordidness or absurdity, show, by their modest 
 demeanor and by their retiring from display, that, 
 without affecting singularity, they are not slaves to 
 fashion ; that they consider it as their duty to set an 
 example of moderation and sobriety, and to reserve 
 for nobler and more disinterested purposes that mo- 
 ney Avhich others selfishly waste in parade, and 
 dress, and equipage. Let them evince, in short, a 
 manifest moderation in all temporal things ; as be- 
 comes those whose affections are set on higher ob- 
 jects than any which this world afibrds, and who 
 possess, within their own bosoms, a fund of satisfac- 
 tion and comfort which the world seeks in vanity 
 and dissipation. Let them cultivate a catholic spirit 
 of universal good will, and of amicable fellowship 
 towards all those, of whatever sect or denomination, 
 Avho, differing from them in non-essentials, agree 
 with them in the grand fundamentals of religion. 
 Let them countenance men of real piety wherever 
 they are found, and encourage in others every at- 
 tempt to repress the progress of vice, and to revive 
 and diffijse the influence of religion and virtue. Let 
 their earnest prayers be constantly offered that such 
 endeavors may be successful, and that the abused 
 long-suffering of God may still continue to us the 
 invaluable privilege of vital Christianity. 
 
 Let them pray continually for their countjy. Who 
 can say but that the Governor of the universe, who 
 declares himself to be a God who hears the prayers 
 
ADVICE TO TRUE CHRISTIANS. 373 
 
 of his servants, may, in answer to their intercessions, 
 for a while avert our ruin, and continue to us the 
 fullness of those temporal blessings which in such 
 abundant measure we have hitherto enjoyed?* Men 
 of the world, indeed, however they may admit the 
 natural operation of natural causes, and may therefore 
 confess the effects of religion and morality in promot- 
 ing the well-being of the community; may yet, accord- 
 ing to their humor, with a smile of complacent pity, 
 or a sneer of supercilious contempt, read of the ser- 
 vice which real Christians may render to their coun- 
 try, by conciliating the favor and calling down the 
 blessing of Providence. It may appear in their eyes 
 an instance of the same superstitious weakness as 
 that which prompts the terrified inhabitant of Sicily 
 to bring forth the image of his tutelar saint, in order 
 to stop the destructive ravages of ^tna. We are, 
 however, sure, if we believe the Scripture, that God 
 will be disposed to favor the nation to which his ser- 
 vants belong ; and that, in fact, such as they have 
 often been the unknown and unhonored instruments 
 of drawing down on their country the blessings of 
 safety and prosperity. 
 
 It would be an instance in myself of that very false 
 shame which I have condemned in others, if I were 
 not boldly to avow my firm persuasion, that to the 
 decline of religion and morality our national difii- 
 
 ♦ See some exquisitely beautiful lines in the last book of 
 Cowper's Task, wherein this sentiment is introduced. 
 32 
 
374 ADVICE TO TRUE CHRISTIANS. 
 
 culties must both directly and indirectly be chiefly 
 ascribed ; and that the only solid hopes for the well- 
 being of our country depend not so much on her 
 fleets and armies, not so much on the wisdom of her 
 rulers or the spirit of her people, as on the persua- 
 sion that she still contains many, who, in a degene- 
 rate age, love and obey the Gospel of Christ ; on the 
 humble trust that the intercession of these may still 
 be prevalent, that for the sake of these God may still 
 look upon us with an eye of favor. 
 
 Let the prayers of the Christian reader be also of 
 fered up for the success of this feeble endeavor in the 
 service of true religion. God can give effect to the 
 weakest effort ; and the writer will feel himself too 
 much honored, if by that which he has now been 
 making, but a single fellow-creature should be 
 awakened from a false security, or a single Chris- 
 tian, who deserves the name, be animated to more 
 extensive usefulness. And if the office in which he 
 has been engaged were less intimately connected 
 Avith the duties of his particular station, the candid 
 and the liberal mind would not be indisposed to par- 
 don him. Let him be allowed to ofl^er in his "ex- 
 cuse a desire not only to discharge a duty to his 
 country, but to acquit himself of what he deems a 
 solemn and indispensable obligation to his- acquaint- 
 ance and his friends. Let him alledge the unafl^ected 
 solicitude which he feels for the welfare of his fel- 
 
ADVICE TO TRUE CHRISTIANS. 375 
 
 low-creatures. Let him urge the fond wish he glad- 
 ly would encourage — that while, in so large a part 
 of Europe, a false philosophy having been preferred 
 before the lessons of revelation, infidelity has lifted 
 up her head without shame, and walked abroad 
 boldly and in the face of day; while the practical 
 consequences are such as might be expected, and 
 licentiousness and vice prevail without restraint — 
 here at least there might be a sanctuary, a land of 
 religion and piety, where the blessings of Christia- 
 nity might be still enjoyed, where the name of the 
 Redeemer might still be honored ; where mankind 
 might be able to see what is, in truth, the religion of 
 Jesus, and what are its blessed effects ; and whence, 
 if the mercy of God should so ordain it, the means 
 of religious instruction and consolation might be 
 again extended to surrounding countries, and to the 
 world at large 
 
 THE END.