church. Whilft those prejudices and paffions, which the Christian religion was defigned either to regulate or fubdue, maintain their ground in the human mind, the standard of judgment fet up in the Gospel will be rendered in a great degree useless. Men, under these circumstances, will perfuade themselves, either, that it does not apply to them, or by fome fallacy or other will contrive to evade the conclufion, that must otherwife have been drawn from it. Thus felf-deception is industriously put in practice, in order to steer clear of that troublefame thing called self-conviction.

In fact, human pride is, generally speaking, fo much mixed up with human error, that till one can be feparated from the other, there is little hope of effecting an agreement of fentiment upon any difputed fubject; for men will not fee what they are not dif pofed to acknowledge.

But when men become as little children," poffeffed of that meek, lowly, and teachable temper, which alone renders them capable or defirous of information; the Bible, although it cannot speak a plainer language than it does at present, will then be better understood; because men will fit down to it, not with a view to confirm opinions already embraced, but to draw from it, in fimplicity and fincerity,

that knowledge, which by Divine grace it was defigned to convey to all difpofed to receive it.

In that cafe, they will perceive, that one great object which CHRIST had in view in the establishment of his church, was, that the members of it might be joined together in the bond of peace and unity; in the language of ST. PAUL, that "there might be no fchifm in the body:" and consequently, that no gratification of private fancy or opinion, much lefs of prejudice or paffion, ought to be weighed in the scale against this most effential confideration. ST. PAUL has fo fully determined this point in the cafe of fome of his Corinthian converts, by telling them, that even the miraculous gifts of which they were in poffeffion, would prove no juftification for their disturbing the peace and order of the church, as to leave nothing neceffary to be added on that fubject. In the judgment of ST. PAUL, the gift of prophecy, the understanding all myfteries, and all knowledge, and all faith, were as nothing in comparison with that charity, by which it was defigned that the members of the Christian church fhould be joined together.

In the judgment of the world, what was of fuch confequence in the early days of the church, is now,

we are forry to think, become of no confequence at all; and that harmony among Christians, for which our SAVIOUR earnestly prayed, and which the Apoftles and primitive rulers of the church laboured so constantly to promote, is now become a matter of comparative indifference: as we must conclude to be the cafe, when we fee men, not only without those miraculous gifts, upon which the Corinthians prefumed, but oft times without that degree of knowledge neceffary to qualify them to understand the letter of the Gospel, which they undertake to publish, drawing congregations after them, and making the fupport of fome private conceit, or the flightest difference of opinion upon matters not effential to the Christian cause, a fufficient ground for feparation from their appointed teachers.

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But would men confider, that charity and humility are two distinguishing marks of a Chriftian, they would feel themselves difpofed to believe more, and to difpute less. Would the men to whom we now more particularly allude confider, that the fubmiffion of human reafon to the revealed word of God is part of that felf-abasement, which the Christian is called upon to practife; whofe every "thought is to be brought into captivity to the obedience of

CHRIST;" they would ftand with lefs confidence upon ground of their own choofing, than they do at prefent; and would feel themselves more in a dif pofition to be taught, than to teach. For, without being an advocate for blind credulity, the evils of which have been abundantly manifefted, we do not hefitate to fay, that there are in religion many things which, by the generality of mankind, must in fome degree be taken upon truft; because the generality of mankind are not qualified to form a competent judgment of the evidence upon which they stand.

Whilst the best informed will, upon the confideration that now "we know only in part," be most ready to fubfcribe to the idea, that in certain cafes the honour of God is more advanced by the fubmiffion, than by the exertion, of the human understanding.

And if this idea prevail, when applied to fubjects of primary confideration, as revealed articles of faith; it will not furely, when the peace of the church is concerned, be found inapplicable to matters, which revelation may have left more undetermined. “For the spirit of CHRIST, (as Bishop ANDREWS long fince obferved) is the spirit of ingenuity, which will freely submit itself to that which is expedient, even in things of their own nature lawful. The not ob

ferving whereof, with good heed and discretion, hath in old time filled the world with many a fuperftitious imagination; and in our days hath healed the imagination, and fuperftition, and hypocrify, with another of riot and licentious liberty, as bad as the former, and a great deal worse."

The only remedy for this evil, the fruitful fource of all fin and herefy in the world, is to be found in the promotion of that charitable spirit of the Gospel, "which envieth not; which is not puffed up; which behaveth not unfeemly; which beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things;" rather than that brotherly love, the bond of Christian perfectness, fhould be broken. A fpirit, which it is my duty to prefs moft earnestly upon Christians; from the full conviction, that envyings, divifions, and herefies, are those works of the flesh, which most effectually ferve the cause of that grand enemy, whofe conftant employment it is, fo far as in him lies, to render abortive the Christian scheme for the falvation of fallen man.