doctrine of atonement with hope ; of the adaptation of | its doctrine of divine influence to the moral condition of mankind when rightly understood, and the aft'ect- | ing benevolence and condescension which it implies ; and of its noble and sanctifying revelations of the | blessedness of a future life, much might be said — they are subjects, indeed, on which volumes have been writ- ten, and the}- can never be exhausted. Nowhere ex- cept in the Scriptures have we a jjerfect sj'stem of morals ; and the deficiencies of pagan morality only exalt the purity, the comprehensiveness, the practica- [ bility of ours. The character of the Being acknowl- i edged as supreme must always impress itself upon ' moral feeling and practice, the obligation of which rests upon his will. The God of the Bible is ' holy,' withoutspot; 'just,' without partiality; 'good,' bound- ; lessly benevolent and beneficent ; and his law is the j image of himself, 'holy, just, and good.' These great moral qualities are not made known to us merely in the abstract, so as to be comparatively feeble in their influence, but in the person of Christ, our God incar- nate, they are seen exemplified in action, displaying themselves amidst human relations, and the actual circumstances of human life. With pagans the au- thority of moral rules was either the opinion of the wise, or the tradition of the ancient, confirmed, it is true, in some degree, by observation and experience ; Lut to us they are given as commands immediatelj' issuing from the supreme Governor, and ratified as his by the most solemn and explicit attestations. With them many great moral principles, being indistinctly apprehended, were matters of doulit and debate ; to us, the explicit manner in which they are given ex- cludes both : for it cannot be questioned whether we are commanded to love on- neighbor as ourselves ; to do to others as we would that thej' should do to us, a precept which comprehends almost all relative moral- ity in one plain principle ; to forgive our enemies ; to love all mankind; to live righteously and soberly, as wall as godly ; that magistrates must Ije a terror only to evil-doers, and a praise to them that do well ; that subjects are to render honor to whom honor, and trib- ute to whom tribute, is due; that masters are to be just and merciful, and servants faithful and obedient. These, and many other familiar precepts, are too ex- plicit to be mistaken, and too authoritative to be dis- puted ; two of the most powerful means of rendering law eftectual. Those who never enjoj'ed the benefit of revelation, never conceived justly and comprehen- sively of that moral state of the heart from which right and beneficent conduct alone can flow; and, therefore, when they speak of the same virtues as those enjoined by Christianity, thej' are to be understood as attach- ing to them a lower idea. In this the infinite superi- ority of Christianity displays itself. The principle of obedience is not only a sense of duty to (iod and the fear of his displeasure, but a tender love, excited by his infinite compassions to us in the gift of his Son, which shrinks from ofi^ending. To this influential mo- tive as a reason of obedience is added another, drawn from its end: one not less influential, but which hea- then moralists never knew — the testimony that we please God, manifested in the acceptance of our pray- ers, and in spiritual and felicitous communion with him. B}' Christianity, impurity of thought and desire is restrained in an equal detrree as are their overt acts in the lips and conduct. Humanity, meekness, gen- tleness, placability, disinterestedness, and charity are all as clearly and solemnly enjoined as the grosser vices are prohilfited ; and on the unruly tongue itself is impressed 'the law of kindness.' Nor are the in- junctions feeble ; they are strictly law, and not mere advice and recommendations : ' Without holiness no man shall see the Lord;' and thus our entrance into heaven, and our escape from perdition, are made to depend upon this preparation of mind. To all this is added possibility, nay, certainty of attainment, if we
use the appointed means. A pagan could draw, though not with lines so perfect, a beait ideal of virtue which he never thought attainable ; but the ' full assurance of hope' is given by the religion of Christ to all who are seeking the moral renovation of their nature, be- cause ' it is God that worketh in us to will and to do of his.good pleasure.' When such is the moral nature of Christianity, how obvious is it that its tendcncj', both as to individuals and to society, must be in the highest sense beneficial ! From every passion which wastes, and burns, and frets, and enfeebles the spirit, the individual is set free, and his inward peace renders his obedience cheerful and voluntary ; and we might appeal to infidels themselves whether, if the moral principles of the Gospel were wrought into the hearts and embodied in the conduct of all men, the world would not be happy ; whether if governments ruled, and subjects obeyed, bj' the laws of Christ ; whether if the rules of strict justice which are enjoined upon us regulated all the transactions of men, and all that mercy to the distressed which we are taught to feel and to practise came into operation ; and whether, if the precepts which delineate and enforce the duties of husbands, wives, masters, servants, parents, children, did, in fact, fulh' and generally govern all these rela- tions— whether a better age than that called golden by the poets would not then be realized, and Virgil's