will burst through the clouds; it is at the hour of Satan's highest triumph, and the Church's deepest distress, when the three spirits have accomplished their work, and are raising the shout of victory, that He appears, who announces his advent in the few, but emphatic words "Behold, I come as a thief." And then what a change! It is a tempting subject to dwell on, but we must forbear; a few years at the most of watchful patience, and we shall know it, no longer by faith, but by sight. Already do we see the gathering hosts assembling themselves together for the battle of the great day of God Almighty. The three spirits are all actively at work around us; it is difficult to say, which most actively. If we turn to Popery, we see her rousing herself from her slumber, filling our land with Jesuit missionaries, disguised and undisguised, corrupting our church, undermining our glorious constitution, and seducing many a deluded victim within the fated walls of Babylon. If we turn to social and political affairs, do we not see exactly what St. Paul described eighteen hundred years ago, when he said, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come; for men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, baving a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." Do we not also see, aye and feel, what Jesus mentioned as the signs of his coming, "Distress of nations with perplexity, men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth And if we turn to Infidelity, do we not see it in all its varied forms, marching onward with rapid strides, not only on the continent, but even in the very fortress of true religion, England itself? Universal scep ticism seems the spirit of the age: every body is asking like Pilate, "What is truth ?" Even those who have not gone the full length of rejecting the truth, seem in doubt about it, some about one part some about another, and some about all. This is just as Jesus said it should be, "When the Son of man cometh shall he find faith on the earth?" No-" Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived."

It would be impossible for us even to glance at the various denominations of Infidelity which the present age teems with. Suffice it to say, the fatal ingredient in them all, the single principle, on which they are all agreed, is rejecting the only way of salvation which God has offered

to perishing sinners-the atoning blood of a crucified Saviour. Any system which does this, whatever else it may believe or not believe, is to all intents and purposes Infidelity. God has offered us pardon and salvation in one particular way: the man who accepts that offer is a believer and is saved; the man who refuses it, whether from indifference, from love of sin, or from fancying that God will accept him in some other way, is an unbeliever and is lost. Our Lord's own words are, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; he that believeth not shall be damned." It is true the nearer that error approaches truth, the less it shocks the mind, and therefore the more dangerous it is. The Unitarian refuses Christ as his Saviour, no less than the Deist; but then he adopts a system which professes to be the gospel of Christ, and in some points bears so close a resemblance to it, that the unwary and unstable are the more easily entangled. Deism or Atheism is palpable poison presented to you openly Unitarianism is poison mixed up in your food; so that while you think you are taking the wholesome nourishment that God has provided for you, you are really receiving what will kill the soul. A vast difference indeed is there between the man who mixes it, and the man who is deceived into swallowing it; but in either case death must follow, for God has said it, and he cannot, will not change.

When speaking however of Unitarianism as a system, it must not be supposed that all who hold that name, are alike in their faith: it is their boast that they have no creeds, that they do not check the spirit of free inquiry, that every one must think for himself; nay, one of their ablest champions, Mr. Martineau, tells us flatly, that we must not expect to find Unitarianism the same for any length of time together; that Unitarians themselves must not pretend that they have got the truth, for that truth is ever advancing, and fresh light being gained; so that the Unitarians of the next generation may be as much in advance of the Unitarians of this generation, as they are now in advance of Trinitarians, You shall hear his own words "But independently of these actual differences, can it be expected, that our present forms of opinion will continue uniform and permanent? Is it consistent with experience to suppose that a church, however wise, and however confident its members, is to be exempt from the laws of intellectual and social change?" What a confession that Unitarianism is a human system! The truth of God is not touched by intellectual and social changes:'Jesus Christ the same, to-day, and for ever.' « Some

preceding speaker has professed his undoubted belief, that our existing Unitarianism is destined to be the world's eternal and universal faith. Happy and complacent belief! held, and dissappointed by every sect in turn with respect to its own creed, yet living and fervent still! needful perhaps to maintain the zeal of successive generations, yet surely maintaining it on delusion! Among ourselves, little has been done since the time of Priestly; yet it cannot be supposed that we are always to live on the discoveries and glories of the past. I too doubt not that our present Unitarianism, or something far better, will be the ultimate faith of men; but I conceive we are obviously in a state of transition; that every mark which history affords of such a state is to be found among us; in one direction a great ferment of new ideas; in another, a determined stand upon old ones, and every where a consciousness of religious defect, exciting earnest, but vague, aspirations after improvement. Why then should we not confess that we are on our way to better things, instead of attempting to consolidate ur present modes of thought? Why drop our anchor here, in seas from which we must be driven, instead of looking out for bright lands ahead, and seeking still a better country, even a heavenly."* So also the celebrated Dr. Priestly tells us, "that he became first a high Arian, next a low Arian, then a Socinian, then the lowest kind of Unitarian," and he ends by saying "that he does not know when his creed will be fixed."

And no wonder such men, with all their talent and learning, should not know what they will believe next; for having set up their own reason against the word of God, it is impossible to say where it will lead them. When the vessel has once broken away from her anchor, she will be driven and tossed about by every wind and tide: no one can say which rock or quicksand she will split upon; and the only thing certain about her is, that unless rescued by an almighty hand she will founder. What need is there to repeat the Apostle's exhortation? "Be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." "Take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand in the evil day, and having done all to stand."

"It can scarcely be needful to remark, that Mr. Martineau refers, not to their being driven back into the haven of safety, but to their being driven out still further on the trackless ocean of infidelity.

Another remarkable fact, which the above extract reminds us of, is the wonderful unanimity with which infidels of all kinds and classes are eagerly looking forward to some glorious crash about to take place. Mr. Martineau does not tell us, nor indeed seem to know, the exact nature of the change he is expecting; I can scarcely conceive of any thing "far better" than his opinions, except Atheism or Pantheism; and it is certainly worthy of notice, that in the very same speech he says, "I cordially subscribe to a sentiment of deep, perhaps unsuspected meaning, in the sermon preached before the Association, on Wednesday, viz:-that our Trinitarian brethren, in their devotions, bow, like ourselves, before the mental image of an infinite perfection. If so, and if the real object of every man's worship be the conception of Deity in his own mind," &c. &c When a man has reached that point, it would be a very easy "transition" to pass into the German Pantheism, which asserts, that the Divinity resides in every man, and that man is the only God. This religion, if so it may be called, is spreading most fearfully on the continent; and one of its great champions declares, that "it only wants the signal to explode, and then will be performed in Europe a drama, compared with which, the French Revolution was but an innocent trifle The same tone of triumph, though not combined with the same doctrinal views, pervades the whole of Mr. Joseph Barker's writings. "Who can prove," he asks, "that the fire is not already kindled, which will consume all the rubbish of theology?" It is not the first time that Caiaphas has prophesied right. Positively, these men know what is coming better than many Christians; they see the signs of the times plainly enough; would that the Church might open her eyes and see them too!

And what is the duty of Christian ministers in these days of rebuke and blasphemy? Surely it is, more than ever, to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. Religious controversy is a thing so painful to every rightly constituted mind, that few persons would enter on it, without a stern necessity. Besides the danger of diverting our attention from the spirit to the letter, and of exciting, either in ourselves or others, feelings of anger, rivalry, or strife, it obliges us to study the bible in an argumentative way; which is not by any means the most edifying or profitable. We have to search the scriptures, not for guidance, support, and comfort, but for proofs of this, or disproofs of that; for answers to all sorts of cavils, and disputes, and objections: not that the Chris

tian cannot do both, but he would be glad to avoid the necessity; he would rather feed upon Christ than argue about him. Happy is the man whose heart is established in the truth, and who can keep clear of the dust and din of controversy; who can feed in green pastures, and drink of the fountain of living waters, undisturbed by the wranglings and disputings, which agitate the minds of others; believing in Jesus, and having the witness in himself. Thank God, the time is not far off, when all Christ's people will have this enjoyment to perfection. When Jesus comes, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. We shall see even as we are seen, and know even as we are known. Then all harrassing doubts will vanish, and all perplexing difficulties be removed. Then all arguments will be ended, and all controversies will be hushed; no difference of opinion will interrupt our harmony-no jealousy, distrust, or suspicion damp our mutual love-not a jarring note will be heard in the songs

of the redeemed.

But however animating and refreshing it may be to look forward to such a time, we must remember, and we can't easily forget it, that we are yet in the field of battle; the fight must be fought, ere the victors can sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb. It is a remark of a living writer, that in times like these, truth can only be maintained at the edge of the spiritual bayonet. A strong conviction of the truth of that remark has led me to commence these lectures. And here let me say a word or two as to what I do, and what I do not, hope for from them. In the first place, I do not hope to do away with Unitarianism; being fully convinced that either Unitarianism, or as Mr, Martineau says "something far better," will continue and increase, till the Lord of Glory comes himself to settle the question. Nor do I expect to convince any who are determined not to be convinced; who have already determined what they will believe, and what they will not believe, and are ready to make every thing bend to that determination. Still nothing is impossible with God; his grace can reach any heart, and he may use what instrument he pleases. St. Paul tells us "in meekness to instruct those that oppose themselves, if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are led captive by him at his will." Therefore, though we well know that arguing with those who are resolved not to believe, is humanly speaking like talking to the air, yet looking above human means to the