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no unholy passions or propensities? No; not one. And is sin committed by a regenerate person less odious in the sight of God than if it were committed by one who never enjoyed the light of divine truth? To suppose this would be to reverse all our ideas of propriety, and to disregard the maxims and instructions of our Redeemer.

The truth is, in the human character there is every gradation and degree of virtue and vice, from the most perfect Christian, to the most abandoned wretch who disgraces humanity. These degrees and gradations are very numerous, and consequently minute; and such is the nature of human actions-so various are the springs from which they flow, that it is often difficult to tell

Where ends the virtue or begins the vice.'

As the man who should claim heaven and immortal felicity, for even the most perfect righteousness of which human nature is capable would be altogether more unreasonable in his demands than the laborer, who, for one day's services, should claim a rich estate; so it is equally unreasonable and absurd to suppose that a frail, finite mortal can deserve the pains of an endless hell for the sins of this transitory life int a God of infinite justice and mercy will hose pains on his dependent children. trine of endless, unmerciful punishlike that of the trinity, and some absurdities, one of those doctrines ates contend is above the reach

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of reason. No; we can clearly understand it ; and never, while blest with understanding, can we embrace, as a truth of God, a doctrine so diametrically opposed to all the dictates of enlightened reason. Nor need we indulge the belief that the eternal Father of our spirits, who has so highly distinguished us from the rest of creation, by the gift of reason, has ever required his rational offspring to disregard its clearest ictates, in the investigation of revealed truth; or that he will hold us guilty at his impartial tribunal for rejecting those dogmas which it so clearly condemns.

SERMON II.

THE DOCTRINE OPPOSED TO THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD.

I JOHN IV: 16.-' God is love.'

A belief in the existence of a supreme and intelligent First Cause of all things is common to mankind in all ages of the world. That the material universe, with all its vast, complicated, but perfect machinery, is not the production of blind chance, and that it has not forced itself into existence, are truths so evident to the minds of all intelligent beings, that it is most appropriately said, 'the fool hath said in his heart there is no God.' To borrow the appropriate language of Dr. Paley, 'there cannot be design without a designer; contrivance without a contriver; order without choice; arrangement without any thing capable of arranging:' and when we see, in the stupendous fabric of the universe, and in the economy of nature, such manifest design, such wonderful contrivance, such perfect order, and such just arrangement of all its parts, we can almost as easily disbelieve the existence of all we see, as we can reject the belief that they owe their existence to an infinitely wise and powerful First Cause.

Whilst, therefore, reason teaches us there must be a God-whilst the whole creation proclaims his being, and the infinitude of his perfections→→→ whilst 'the heavens declare' his glory, and the firmament showeth his handy work,' they all continually remind us that none can 'by searching find out God,'-none can find out the Almighty unto perfection." But although it is impossible for frail, short sighted mortals to obtain a perfect knowledge of him whose ways are inscrutable and 'past finding out,' yet he has been pleased to make all those revelations of himself, which are necessary to promote the well being of his intelligent offspring. The immense volume of nature which is spread open before us, is full of useful instruction. In it we behold magnificent displays of the creative energy, the directing wisdom, and preserving goodness of the Almighty,we can here trace with ever new and increasing delight, the evidences of his parental care for all his dependent creatures.

But it is in the volume of divine inspiration, that our Creator has most fully revealed himself to the children of men. It is here he has proclaimed his name, "The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, keeping merey for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty." Here we learn his nature, which is spiritual; and his character, which is that of a Father. Here we learn his essence, which is love; and here also, we are made acquainted with his glorious purpose in the creation of man, and his gracious