pray for a blessing on the word read and preached. The things of the Spirit are spiritually discerned. A measure of the same Spirit, by which the Scriptures were originally dictated, is therefore necessary, to open to our view, and apply to our minds the truths which they contain. And let it never be forgotten, that God has promised to give his Holy Spirit to those who ask for it. If, therefore, you read or hear without prayer, you may expect to find the Bible often unintelligible, sometimes perplexing, and always unprofitable. Without this prerequisite, this preparation of heart, you cannot enter into its spiritual meaning. To the man, who comes to the word or to the house of God, with a proud heart and self-sufficient spirit, "leaning to his own understanding," and trusting to his own righteousness, without seeking divine assistance, or feeling and acknowledging his need of that assistance, the Scriptures will be "a dead letter," a "sealed book," "a savor of death unto death." As the Lord opened the heart of Lydia, to attend to the things which were spoken of Paul; so he must open our hearts, or we shall never receive the truth in the love of it, and yield to it a cheerful and habitual obedience.

Thus necessary is the aid of the Holy Spirit, whether we read the Bible or hear the gospel preached. Paul may plant and Apollos water, but God giveth the increase. And, in order to bring ourselves within the circle of his promises, and be sure of obtaining his blessing, we must ask for it; we must seek it with all our hearts; we must pray. Men are not enlightened, renewed, and sanctified, in an unconscious and inactive state. All who are saved, are indeed saved by grace; but it is by grace received, and not by grace despised and rejected; they are willing in the day of Christ's power. All who walk in the truth, are indeed led by

the Spirit; but they follow, voluntarily and cheerfully follow, this heavenly guide. God, indeed, worketh in them that are created anew unto good works, both to will and to do; but they, nevertheless, are all the while free agents, voluntarily yielding to the kindly influence, and working out their own salvation with diligence and carefulness, "with fear and trembling." We cannot know and obey the truth, without the enlightening and sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit; but for this spiritual assistance, we must pray, and to this purifying influence we must yield; or the Spirit will flee from us, and leave us in darkness and in sin.

In conclusion, let me add, my hearers, this subject is not without interest, deep and momentous interest, to us all. For, if any of us are wandering without a guide in life, we shall continue to wander, till our feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and we perish in our wanderings; unless we take heed to the sure word of prophecy, and make it the man of our counsel and the rule of our faith. Yes, as we have seen, there is no other safe guide for us. Yes, as we have seen, neither instinct, nor conscience, nor reason, nor all these together, are sufficient to lead us into the paths of truth and duty, peace and blessedness. It is by "the incorruptible seed of the word" alone, applied by the Holy Spirit, that men can be born again; and "except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." And if any of us, my brethren, have been begotten again to a lively hope, through the gospel; that hope cannot be maintained in purity and steadfastness, without continual supplies of truth and grace; neither can we grow in grace, without the sincere milk of the word. For it is through the truth, contained in the holy Scriptures, that the redeemed are sanctified, and made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.

Let us not forget, that we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ; and be judged, not as those who lived and died without the light of the gospel; but as those who possessed the Scriptures; when it will be said of us, by way of distinction from the heathen world:

They had the Bible;

whose meaning has no end, no bounds,
Most wondrous book! bright candle of the Lord!
Star of eternity! the only star

By which the bark of man could navigate
The sea of life, and gain the coast of bliss
Securely; only star, which rose on Time,
And on its dark and troubled billows, still,
As generation, drifting swiftly by,

Succeeded generation, threw a ray

Of Heaven's own light, and to the hills of God,
The eternal hills, pointed the sinner's eye.

This book, this holy book, on every line
Marked with the seal of high divinity,
On every leaf bedewed with drops of love
Divine, and with the eternal heraldry
And signature of God Almighty stamped
From first to last, this ray of sacred light,
This lamp, from off the everlasting throne,
Mercy took down; and in the night of Time
Stood, casting on the dark her gracious bow;
And evermore beseeching men, with tears

And earnest sighs, to read, believe, and live!

Let us, my hearers, thus read, thus believe, thus live. Let us take heed unto this sure word of prophecy, till the day dawn, and the day-star arise in our hearts. -AMEN.

LECTURE III.

CHRISTIAN FAITH THE FOUNDATION OF CHRISTIAN CHARACTER.

2 PETER I. 5-7.

GIVING ALL DILIGENCE, ADD TO YOUR FAITH VIRTUE, AND TO VIRTUE KNOWLEDGE, AND TO KNOWLEDGE TEMPERANCE, AND TO TEMPERANCE PATIENCE, AND TO PATIENCE GODLINESS, AND TO GODLINESS BROTHERLY KINDNESS, AND TO BROTHERLY KINDNESS CHARITY.

sciences are united by a

THE Christian character, as exhibited in the Scriptures, is a consistent, a perfect character. It is composed, indeed, of distinct parts; but these parts are fitly joined together, and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part. When the Roman orator said, "all human arts and common chain," he used a figure of speech, which may be applied, with equal propriety, to the Christian graces and virtues. For, although these graces and virtues are objects of distinct contemplation and description; yet they are so closely united, so mutually dependent, so inseparably connected, that they cannot exist, much less flourish, in a state of separation. Springing from a common principle, they live or die together. Where that principle operates, none of them can ordinarily cease to be; and where that principle is wanting, none of them can exist. They are branches of the same stock, fruits of the same vine, streams

from the same fountain, effects of the same cause. A man cannot, for instance, possess the quality of godliness or real piety, without charity; nor that of charity, or true benevolence, without temperance; nor that of temperance, or a due regulation of his passions and appetites, without both piety and benevolence; because the principle, which produces one of these branches of the Christian character, will, wherever it exists and has room for operation, produce them all.

It is true, men may put on the appearance, the external form of one virtue, while they are evidently destitute of another, while they are habitually guilty of the opposite vice. But, in such cases, we may be sure, there is nothing more than appearance, external form, a mere show of virtue. It is true, likewise, that peculiar circumstances and trials of life may call into exercise some of the Christian graces, more frequently than others; and thus render them more vigorous and prominent. Different persons, therefore, may appear to excel in different traits of Christian character. Still every consistent Christian, in ordinary circumstances, must possess, at least in a degree, all these traits of character; and the nearer any man approaches to perfection, the more completely will they all be united in him, and displayed by him. With a view to this perfection, (for the Scriptures never propose a lower standard as the object of our pursuit,) the apostle uttered the exhortation in our text: "And besides this," or "for this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temper ance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity."

It is my intention, by permission of Divine Providence, to make this text the foundation of a series of