he is "the head of every man"? that he " gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time"? and that his meat and his drink was to do the will of his Father, and to finish his work? Do I believe," that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of things in heaven, and things in the earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue will confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father"? And does this belief lead me to "rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory"? "? Do I believe in Christ in word only? or do I obey his commandments? Do I consider that he requires my service rather than profession? Do "I live by the faith of the Son of God"? Do I delight to imitate and view the spotless character of Jesus? Do I receive him as my prophet, priest, and king? Do I perceive a moral glory in him above all created intelligences? Do I strive to be benevolent, compassionate, forgiving, meek, and peaceful, as he was when on the earth? Do I behold him as "the resurrection and the life"? as the forerunner, who hath entered into that within the vail, and who will bring all, by the power of God, to share with him the bliss of immortality? Is he all my soul desires? Can I truly say;

4. Is the doctrine of love my guide? Do I truly understand, that "God is love"? and that "whoso dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him"? Is God the highest object of my love? And am I wil

ling to forsake other objects for the sake of enjoying this love? Do I feel its influence within me, prompting me to love others? Do my good desires, kind wishes, and fervent prayers go up for all men; for strangers and acquaintances, enemies and friends; the vile and the vicious? Do I bless those who curse me, and pray for those who despitefully use and persecute me? Do I feel truly charitable towards those who may honestly differ from me in faith; and am I willing to make all due allowance for their prejudices, partialities, or opinions? Do I fully comprehend the meaning of Paul, when he informs me, that "In Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but faith, that worketh by love"? Am I gratified and happy when I meet with brethren of other denominations, and with them converse and expatiate on "the love of God which is in Christ Jesus the Lord"; and as I hold such communion, do I feel the prejudices of party giving way within me, and my whole soul glowing with the fire of brotherly love? When saved from the power of temptation, do I love the more? When in danger and affliction, or when rescued therefrom, do I first of all, remember that God who suffers not a sparrow to fall to the ground without his notice, and with whom the very hairs of our head are all numbered? In short, does all my life, and its enjoyments and afflictions, clouds and sunshine, serve to convince me, that the only true happiness within is love to God, and love to man; and do I pray in spirit for the enjoyment of this love, now, and forever?

We have thus noticed a few general questions in relation to great leading doctrines of the Bible, as these doctrines bear on the moral conduct of man. It is our busi

ness to answer them to our own souls, and before that Being from whose presence we cannot flee, and who will give us moral life, and joy, and peace, in proportion to our fidelity in the cause of his truth. And if these questions are deliberately proposed and answered, we shall thus prepare the way to make further examinations, and bring ourselves nearer up to the great standard of all, the Teacher of Christians himself, the "author and finisher of our faith."

"We

The words of the gifted and excellent Hannah More, on the subject of self-examination, are so much to the point in this place, that I cannot withhold them. have appetites to control, imaginations to restrain, tempers to regulate, passions to subdue, and how can this internal work be effected, how can our thoughts be kept within due bounds, how can a proper bias be given to the affections, how can the little state of man be preserved from continual insurrection, how can this restraining power be maintained, if this capacity of discerning, this faculty of inspecting, be not kept in regular exercise? Without constant discipline, imagination will become outlaw, conscience an attainted rebel.

"This inward eye, this power of introversion is given us for a continual watch upon the soul. On an unremitted vigilance over its interior motions, those faithful seeds of action, those prolific principles of vice and virtue, will depend both the growth and formation of our religious character. A superficial glance is not enough for a thing so deep, an unsteady view will not suffice for a thing so wavering, nor a casual look for a thing so deceitful, as the human heart. A partial inspection on any one side, will not be enough for an object which must be observed un

der a variety of aspects, because it is always shifting its positions, always changing its appearances.

"We should examine not only our conduct, but our opinions; not only our faults, but our prejudices; not only our propensities, but our judgments. Our actions themselves will be obvious enough; it is our intentions which require the scrutiny. These we should follow up to their remotest springs, scrutinize to their deepest recesses, trace through their most perplexing windings. And lest we should in our pursuit wander in uncertainty and blindness, let us make use of that guiding clue, as furnished by his word and by his Spirit, for conducting us through the intricacies of this labyrinth. What I know not, teach me, should be our constant petition in all our researches."*

Without doubt, this work of self-examination will seem unpleasant; because it is extremely disagreeable for us to see our dark side, to bring down our inordinate self-esteem, and realize, that we are weak and frail, and have, in many points, transgressed the laws of righteousness and truth. Yet, disagreeable as the task may seem, it must be performed, or our Christianity will prove to us nothing more than a mere name, a sound without substance.

In this important work certain duties are to be observed, otherwise our self-examination may not be of the profitable kind.

I. We should enter upon the work with a full trust in God. Our help must come from him. If we are weak, he is strength; if we are in darkness, he is light; if we are sinful, he is holiness; if we are ignorant, he is unerring wisdom. And the direction is plain, " If any man lack wisdom

* Practical Piety, Vol. I.

let him ask it of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not." Trusting in our own strength, we shall accomplish but little ; but humbly and confidently looking to God for his aid and direction, we shall be blessed indeed.

II. We must enter upon the work with sincerity. We may deceive men; we may deceive ourselves; but we cannot deceive God. He is not mocked; he looketh on the heart; and if we come before him with the vain pretence of self-examination, while at the same time we are not truly interested in our own case as we should be; while we are dull and stupid, or engrossed in other matters, and only make a formal advance to the labor, without true, deep feeling on the subject, depend on it we shall not find acceptance nor aid.

III. We should be impartial in our examination. I mean by this, that we should have all our faults fairly before us, and pass judgment on them as we would on the faults of others. We are liable to sad mistakes here. Self-love has a powerful influence in our minds; and this often prompts us to look with a certain degree of lenity on our own faults, when if we beheld them in others, we should at once condemn them. The best way to proceed in this case, is for the person to look on himself as he would on another, to mark the follies, and scrutinize the actions, and endeavour to make a just estimate of the whole character. This may be a difficult work to commence, but practice will soon render it tolerable. If we only mark a few of our follies and sins, and overlook the remainder by reason of self-love, our examination will be profitless.

IV. We must enter upon the work with a firm resolu