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ready to fail, and call me back again. Oh! what power have his well remembered words, now, to restore my faltering resolution!" And though that friend were dead, or were far away from you, yet his influence over you would not cease; and you could still say, "I am strong, through his teaching, his wisdom, his example, his precious memory."

Thus might you speak of a merely human friend. In what fervent language, then, might one speak of his Saviour, and his God-of his Saviour from all sin, and of that Almighty Being, who has given him life, and virtue, and piety, and hope, and forgiveness, and heavenly joy! No language can be too strong to express our dependence on God. No feeling of dependence and native weakness can be too deep and humble. The confirmed Christian is strong, indeed; but he is strong in God and in the power of his might; strong through Christ who strengtheneth him.

I do not say that the case of a human friend, now stated, illustrates all our dependence. But it illustrates enough of it to fill us with humility and gratitude. Yet it is not all. How should any merely human analogy show forth all that we owe to the mercy of God, and to that merciful interposition which he has made through his Son?

On this divine and gracious aid, then, the Christian will rely-not indolently, as if he had nothing to do; but humbly, as if he had everything to be thankful for, and joyfully, as if he had every encouragement to work out his salvation. He may not be able to explain all the ways in which the spirit of God will aid him; nor is it neces sary. He knows not all the ways in which the Infinite

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Spirit may approach his mind: how should he be able to compass this? It is not his business to know in this matter, so much as to trust. And he does trust. And in this trust, he humbly prays and labors. And in this trust, he leans not to his own understanding. He does not set up the presumptions of his reason, against the declarations of the Almighty. He, who should do this, would be guilty not of pride merely, but he would be chargeable with insanity.

I say, then, that the Christian will labor humbly,→ humbly confiding in God, and in Jesus Christ, as his Messenger and the Saviour of sinners; humbly confiding I say, and surely trusting, that if he is himself faithful, all has been done, and all will be done, which is necessary to bring him to reconciliation with God, and holiness, and heaven. And in order to this self-renunciation, and humility, and holy trust, it surely is not necessary that he should believe in the Trinity and the popular ideas of atonement. There is ground, enough and enough, for humility, and trust, and gratitude, without these doctrines; and those who reject them as no part of Christianity, do constantly inculcate the virtues and graces of Christianity. And be it remembered, again and again, that what we reject is not the Scriptures, but certain human interpretations of the Scriptures. We reject not the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, nor the atonement, the propitiation, the sacrifice of Jesus, as we believe the Bible teaches them, but we reject what men say about them. And does it follow-for I must not disdain to notice a charge so unreasonable even as this, since it is so strangely persisted in-does it follow, because we reject the corruptions of Christianity, as we regard them, that, therefore,

we reject Christianity itself?—that, proudly relying upon our own wisdom, we discard and dishonor the wisdom, and counsel, and truth of God, because we labor to present that wisdom, and counsel, and truth, in its just light, its true proportion, and divine beauty? As well might it be said, that he who labors to remove the rubbish from a venerable temple, dishonors the temple! As well might it be averred, that they who endeavor to remove errors from science or philosophy, discard science and philosophy!

I say not these things, merely for the sake of refutation. I have a higher aim. I say them, because I must claim and do claim for the system of religion which I advocate, and on which I rest the hopes of my soul-I must and do claim for this system, the broadest ground for deep humility, and solemn and implicit trust in the help and mercy of God.

But I must claim more: and I now say, further, though I can at present but briefly urge it, that he who labors to build up within him the virtues and hopes of the Christian, must labor earnestly-he must labor with all his might.

If you have energy, fortitude, resolution, perseverance, zeal,-any faculty, any capacity, any wisdom,—it is wanted here. On this issue, "will you be a bad man, or a good man? holy or unholy?" Everything dear and precious to you is at stake,—and it is at stake for eternity! For never-I know not what allotments that endless state has to unfold for you, but this I say fearlessly, never till you are upright and devout in spirit, never till you can deny yourself, rule your passions, forsake your sins, and walk humbly with God,-never till then can you be truly happy!-never till then can you be right with your con

science, and reconciled to your God, and prepared for the beatitude of heaven! Who does not know, in his own mind, in his own heart, in his daily experience, that this is true?

And yet, alas! I am ready to exclaim, who does know it, as he ought! And since so many know it not; since the world is ignorant of it, or proceeds, at least, upon different principles; since temptations are many, and passions are strong, and the mind is perverted, and the soul is sinful, and gratification is near, and judgment seems afar off,-how earnestly must the Christian labor, and watch, and strive, and pray for his salvation!

To bring this matter to a closer application, I maintain that there is nothing in this world, no business, or pleasure, or honor, for which we should labor in any comparison, so earnestly, as we must labor to be Christians. There is a difference, indeed. In the world, we seek a palpable object, and by methods, perhaps, more regular, formal, and exactly defined, than we can expect to use in seeking religion. We are not to seek for religious experience, as we do for property-a thing to be gained and laid up, a thing for which we are to labor a given number of hours in the day. No; but we are to do more. We are to labor for religion every hour; and we are to labor for a thing, that is never possessed but as it is in exercise. That is to say, we are constantly to take care, in every situation and at every instant, that we do not offend God, or do wrong to our fellow-men; for this is religion. We are incessantly to watch, and very often to pray, that we may not yield to temptation-that injury may not anger us, and disappointments and the rough going on of life may not irritate, that the senses may not

seduce, and that the world with all its cares, and competitions, and vanities, may not lead us from virtue and from God. The business of life, the lawful enjoyment of life is not to stop. It is in this business and enjoyment of life, that we are to take heed unto ourselves. Yes, and he that thus ruleth his own spirit, enslaved by no passion, subjected to no vanity, living to truth, to virtue, to God-and tell me, every rational man, if there is any other good and happy life—“ he, I say, that thus ruleth his own spirit, is greater than he that taketh a city!" He that governs this kingdom within, with all its strug gling desires and rebellious propensities, has more to do than he who rules an empire!

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And the man that attains to this blessed distinction of being a Christian indeed-though he be originally a creature of earth, though he is clothed with flesh and senses, and it doth not yet appear what he shall be—yet this man may be denominated, in the beautiful language of the apostle James, a man of God." "But thou, O man of God," says the fervent apostle, "flee these things, pride, and strife, and covetousness; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness." God help us, amidst all uncertainties, disputes, difficulties, to follow these things. May Jesus thus bring us nigh to God. Earth, the weary, troubled earth, has no more to ask than this; and heaven, with all its treasures, has no more to give, than to make us "children of God, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, to an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away!"

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