faith. Of course this conclusion sends him not to the study of the Bible, but to the investigation of his own feelings, or rather of the laws of his own mind. He leaves that truth which God has revealed and blessed as the medicine of our natures, and bewilders himself in a metaphysical labyrinth.

The Bible is throughout a prcatical book, and never, in all the multitude of cases which it sets before us for our instruction, does it suppose it possible for a man to be ignorant, or in doubt whether he really believes or not. It speaks indeed of faith unfeigned, in opposition to a hypocritical pretence-and it speaks of a dead faith when it denies the existence of faith altogether. We deny the existence of benevolence, argues the apostle, when fair words are given instead of good offices; even so we may deny the existence of faith when it produces no fruit, and merely vents itself in professions,-in such a case faith is departed, it is no more, it is dead-there is a carcass to be sure to be seen, but the spirit is gone. In the place to which I am now referring, viz. in the second chapter of James, the writer gives another account of dead faith, which is very important; it occurs in the 19th verse. This faith he calls dead, because it relates to an object which, when taken alone, can produce nó effect upon our minds: "Thou "believest that there is one God, thou dost well, "the devils also believe and tremble." Now the mere belief of the unity of the Godhead, however important when connected with other

truths, cannot of itself make a man either better or happier. What feeling or act is there which springs directly from a belief of the unity of the Godhead? When connected with other things, it does produce effects; thus the devils connect it with a belief in the avenging justice of God, and hence they tremble, because there is no other God, no other power to appeal to. Christians connect it with a belief in the love of God through the Redeemer, and hence they have good hope, for none can pluck them out of His hands. But the abstract belief that there is one God, leads to nothing. Since the Epistle of St. James has been thus introduced, it may appear proper that explanation should be given of the apparent discrepancy between his doctrine and that of St. Paul. The two Apostles are speaking evidently of two different things-St. Paul is speaking of the way in which a sinner may approach GodSt. James is speaking of the way in which the Christian character is confirmed by the various events and duties of life, and in which it manifests its reality to the conviction of men. When Paul says that " a man is justified by faith without works," he means that a man receives pardon through the channel of faith without any good desert of his own.When James says that "a man is justified by works and not by faith only," he means that the character is perfected, not by a principle which lies inert in the mind, but by a principle which exercises itself in action. The use made of the instance of Abraham seems to favour this interpretation. Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered up Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith " made perfect?" The word δικαιουμαι, I am justified or pardoned, as it generally denotes, may signify, I am made or I become a just or good man; and it does occur in this sense in the version of the Old Testament by the Seventy. I am much disposed to be of opinion that this is the proper meaning of it, in the passage before us. The general text or subject of the two first chapters is contained in the 2d and 3d verses of the first chapter: "Brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse trials, knowing this, that the trial of your faith worketh constancy, or giveth it (your faith) consistency and endurance." The Apostle enlarges upon this text; he teaches them, that faith unexercised grows weaker, and at last dies; and, on the other hand, that every exercise of it adds to its strength. The character thus advances one way or another, and we are ripening either for the harvest of eternal life or of eternal misery continually; because either the principle of faith or the principle of self-will is exercised by every thought, or word, or deed that proceeds from us. This is certainly a very important view of the subject, whether it be the right view of the passage or not; but I think that the context favours it. Thus the reference to Abraham would have this meaning: "Did the character of our father Abraham advance so, that he became the friend of God, by sitting still and allowing his belief of the Divine kindness to him to lie dormant?-No; it advanced by action, it was both proved and exercised by the offering up of Isaac, and by such exercise was the principle of faith carried on to its perfection." The common interpretation of the passage supposes that "to be justified," here signifies to be proved just, and means the same thing as the expression in the 18th verse, " to show faith by works;" and this may be the true meaning, though I prefer the other as being more coherent with the rest of the argument.

But to return from this digression. It is not an easy, because it is not a natural exercise of the mind, to look into itself, and to examine its various susceptibilities, and the mode or law according to which these are excited by external objects; and whilst we are engaged in this manner, we must necessarily remain to a great degree unaffected by those external objects, which we are using merely as parts of the apparatus required for making the experiment on our own faculties. We must endeavour to be in some degree affected by them, in order that we may observe the mode in which they affect us; but that degree will necessarily be very inconsiderable, in consequence of our attention being chiefly directed towards our own feelings. If I am intent on examining and investigating that pleasing emotion, which is produced in the mind by the contemplation of the beauties of nature, it is impossible that I can feel much of that pleasure. I may be surrounded by all that is sublime and all that is lovely in creation-the

rising sun máy invite my enthusiasm, but Memnon's lyre is silent, I remain untouched, for I am contemplating my own mind, and not the scene before me: and that power unseen, which Akenside describes as "throned in his bright descending car," must attract and absorb the attention, before it can diffuse afar any tenderness of mind. The delightful feeling is produced by 'contemplating the external object; not by observing nor by knowing how we enjoy it. The more thoroughly we are occupied by the object, the more thoroughly will our pleasurable susceptibilities be excited; and the more interrupted and distracted our contemplation of the object is, the more inconsiderable will be the gratification arising from it. We cannot excite the pleasing emotion by mere effort, without the real or imagined presence of its natural exciting object, and whilst we attempt to analyse the origin and progress of the emotion, the object fades from our view, and the sensation dies along with it. Our minds are in this respect like mirrors, and the impressions made on them resemble the images reflected by mirrors. No effort of ours can produce an image in the mirror, independent of its proper corresponding object. When that object is placed before it, the image appears, and when it is withdrawn, the image disappears. And if, in the minuteness of our examination of the image, we look too narrowly into the mirror, we may find that we have interposed ourselves between the mirror and the object, and that, instead of the image which we expected,