in vain that we cry to them, as the prophets did formerly to the Jews, Enter into the church, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein. They answer like the Jews, We will not walk therein; but we will certainly do according to the thoughts of our own heart, like the nations round about us. Jer. vi. 16. Ezek. xx. 32, &c.

There are three ways of believing; through reason, through custom, and through inspiration. Christianity, which is the only rational religion, admits none as its children, who do not believe through inspiration. Not that it excludes reason or custom: on the contrary, we' ought to open our minds to conviction by arguments; and to confirm ourselves in the belief of them, by habitual custom. But Christianity requires us, with humiliation of mind, to seek that inspiration, which alone can produce this true and salutary end-Lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect, 1 Cor. i. 17.]

We never do evil so cheerfully and effectu ally, as when we do it upon a false principle of conscience.

The Jews, who were called to subdue nations and princes, were themselves the slaves of sin;

and Christians, whose calling it is to serve and be subject, are the true children of liberty.

Is it courage in a dying man, in all his weakness and agony, to dare an omnipotent and eternal God?

I would readily give credit to histories, the witnesses of which seal them with their own blood.

Holy fear proceeds from faith; false fear arises from doubt:-the former leads to hope, because it arises from faith; we hope in that God whom we believe :-the latter leads to despair; for we fear a God in whom we have no faith. Persons of the one character dread to lose God; and those of the other, to find him.

Solomon and Job best knew, and best spake, of human misery; one, the most happy, the other the most unfortunate of men: one knew, by experience, the vanity of pleasure; as the other did, the reality of affliction.

The Pagans spake ill of Israel; and so did the prophet Ezekiel,—but so far from this giv ing the Israelites a right to reply, you speak of us as the heathens do, he lays his greatest

stress on the heathens having talked of them as he did.

God does not expect us to submit our faith to him without reason, or to subdue us to himself by tyranny. But he does not intend to give us a reason for every thing. And to reconcile these contrarieties, he is pleased clearly to show us those divine characters of himself, which may convince us of what he is, and to establish his authority by miracles and evidences that we shall be unable to resist,-in order that we might, afterward, believe without hesitation whatever he teaches us, when we find no other reason to reject it, but because we are unable to know of ourselves, whether it be true or not.

There are but three descriptions of men; those who serve God having found him; those who, not having yet found him, are employed in seeking after him; and lastly, those who live without either having found him, or seeking after him. The first are rational and happy ; the third are irrational and foolish; the second are unhappy, but yet are rational.

Men often mistake their imagination for their heart; and suppose themselves to be really con

verted as soon as ever they think about conversion.

Reason proceeds slowly-upon so many views, and such different maxims, which it ought always to keep in view-that it either becomes stupid or goes astray continually, for want of perceiving them all at once. The case is quite otherwise with Sense; which acts instantaneously, and is always ready to act. We ought, therefore,-when our reason has made us acquainted with the truth,-to endeavour to imprint our faith on the sentiments of our heart, for without this it will always be wavering and

uncertain.

The essential nature of God makes it necessary, that his justice should be infinite as well as his mercy. Yet his justice and severity toward the reprobate is, still, less amazing than his mercy toward the elect.

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XXIX.

MORAL REFLECTIONS.

THE sciences have two extremities, which touch each other. The first is pure natural ignorance, in which every man is born. The other is the perfection attained by great souls, who having gone through every thing that man can know, feel that they know nothing, and find themselves in the same ignorance from which they set out. But it is a wise ignorance that knows itself. Those who are between these extremities, who have got out of their natural ignorance, but have not been able to arrive at the other, have a tincture of science which fills them with vanity, and makes them vaunt of their attainments. These are the men who trouble the world, and judge the most falsely of every thing. The common people, and the learned, usually compose the train of the world: the others despise them, and are despised by them.

The common people pay respect to persons of high birth:-the half-learned despise them; alleging, that birth is not a superiority of parts,