Now what see we here? Supposing all that is external is decorous, amiable, in the sight of man, is that which is internal, which God sees, of no account? At man's tribunal, possibly, benevolence might carry a verdict; we are aware, however, that at God's bar benevolence itself will have no value, unless in a form which it has not here, "Ye did it unto me."

In any fair estimate of character, must not the divine eye see here much that is hateful? A mind alienated from God by reason of wicked works, was condemned in the examina tion of the immoral; can the same alienation of mind be acceptable, in any shape? Nay, the very circumstance supposed to make it so, the moral actions performed, come in a shape which makes the offence greater. They are done in order to raise a bulwark against grace, and to give a plausible appearance to an act of rebellious refusal. If the mind be alienated, that is the very essence of sinfulness. "The carnal mind is enmity against God, it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Every act of this carnal mind must be enmity, for "who can can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one."

Is it not rebellion, to a very guilty degree,

to refuse him that speaketh from heaven? The Bible bids us "honour the Son, even as we honour the Father." When the heart refuses this homage, is it not rebelling with a high hand? Mercy says, "The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin." There are who say, "His blood is no more to me than the blood of any other man.' Jehovah says, "Behold I bring near my righteousness." 'Surely those who go about to establish a righteousness of their own, and thereby reject this proffer of infinite mercy, cannot be innocent. The grand sin of which the world shall be convinced is unbelief-" because they believe not in me."

Let us conceive a man hearing one of these sentences, or reading it, with a mind revolting from its plain meaning, and from all the grace which that meaning exhibits. He says to himself, "I don't believe it;' perhaps he phrases it, I will never believe it.' He proceeds to enumerate all the Scriptures which speak of the Saviour's human nature, forgetting, or refusing to perceive, how these natures, human and divine, unite in the person of Immanuel, God with us; he not only aims to keep them separate, but begins to play them off one against the other. In this operation, when he has blinded his eyes

sufficiently against one portion of divine truth, he congratulates his own adroitness; calls it superior knowledge, because it sees only one half of the question; and daringly ventures his soul, upon a notion of his own framing.

Is he called to humble himself before infinite purity, as one "born in sin, and shapen in iniquity, and going astray from the womb, seeking lies?" His proud heart revolts against such humiliation. Like the Pharisee of old, he stands praying, if prayer that can be called, which consists in his protesting that he is not as other men. So far from asking in the Saviour's name, and thereby claiming the promise of performance, he omits that part of the regulation entirely; perhaps rises to the insolence which can say, “These things we ask in our own name." This has been done.

Can this mental error be innocent? Not unless resistance to God's word, and way of mercy, is innocent. Rather is not this like running upon the thick bosses of his buckler; shall not such daring neglect and defiance provoke the offended Deity to whet his glittering sword, and make bright his flying arrows?

-Such resistance of mind is accompanied with very dishonourable thoughts of God. Any

thoughts of him which do not take in the whole Deity, and regard his whole work, must be derogatory, because they are partial. Those indeed who discern most of what he has been pleased to reveal concerning himself, are obliged to say, "Who can search out the Alinighty to perfection?" Yet there is a wide difference between that weakness of intellect which cannot, and that hardness of heart which will not, perceive his nature, and his glory.

If such are charged with low thoughts of God the Father, they will repel the charge with disdain, seeing they conceive themselves aiming especially at his exaltation. Forgetting, that he that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father. Not perceiving, that in denying the Deity, and the atonement of Christ, they set aside expressly that great love of the Father, of which these things are the appropriate expressions; which warrants the protestation, that "God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son to die, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Those who reject his plan of redemption reduce him to a mere Creator, by which proceeding he is shorn of the peculiar glory of his beneficence, and has

left to him only that of his power. He who will not give his glory to another, must resent such audacity 15

Low thoughts, and derogatory, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, need not be proved upon them, for they boastingly profess them. Yet the fact had need be stated as part of their indictment now, seeing it will be another day; when not only the fact, but the guilt of it, and its baleful effect upon themselves, will be authoritatively declared. He that blasphemeth the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, neither in this world, nor in that which is, to come, i Surely the mind which acts, thus is neither humble, nor teachable. Indeed pride, that master sin, is: at the bottom of every evil thought, or word, or action. Pride seems to have been the devil's sin. What is sin in him, surely cannot be innocent in us. “Ye are of your father the devil," has the same proof here as in any case of immorality, "for the works of your father ye will do." It is the pride of intellect which raises, and supports, these errors of opinion as the pride of self-gratification urges to all the immoral errors of practice. rajon

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It is pride which will not bow, and selfconceit which says 'I need not.' That the thing