ser\'ance of these twofold claims. It is the faculty of con- science, sitting as a viceroy of heaven and a representa- tive of earth within his breast, urging the rights of all outside himself, that constitutes him an accountable be- ing; and though this interior light may become dim through the mists of passion and the clouds of ignorance, it yet shines sufliciently clear to show him his essential duties, or, if utterly eclipsed, the fault will generally be found to be his own— the few cases of congenital paraly- sis being thereby removed from the category of respon- sibility. See Moral Sense. His first obligation, there- fore, and his prime measure of safety, is to cultivate this faculty by information and prompt obedience, that it may the more surely guide him through the labyrinths of life to the portals of endless day. The beginning and the termination of his personal responsibiUty, as well as its boundaries on either hand throughout his mortal pilgrimage, are exactly marked by the develop- ment of this faculty — one peculiar to him of all the oc- cupants of the globe. This accountability is, in the nat- ure of the case, an individual one. each for himself alone, and it is due in the threefold aspect above indicated to the several classes of beings with whom he has here to do in the order and degree named below. This sums up all his duty, even under the perfect code of Christi- anity, and is the staple — the core and substance — of ev- ery ethical system devised for human conduct.
2. Duty to God. — This is obviously paramount. In this the Holy Scriptures do but enforce, by an authori- tative mandate, what all pagan religions have more fee- bly demanded — namely, the unconditional and primary obligation of obedience to the divine behests. These have been pronnilged in different ways — sometimes more expressly, at other times more enigmatically and im- perfectly; but when once fairly understood, the common- sense of mankmd has declared that they must be un- flinchingly and peremptorily obeyed. This claim is uni- versally grounded on an admitted creatorship, support- ed by the avowed dependence of the creature ; the Bible adds a third most touching argument to these of natural religion, namely, redemption, thus forming a triple cord —paternity, providence, and grace. The foremost and generic duty that grows out of this obligation is that of reverence — so all the older dispensations conceive it, but Christianity terms it love, taking a nearer and more priv- ileged position. See Adoption. This reverential re- gard is chiefly expressed in worship, which accordingly occupies the prominent place in all religions, standing at the very head of the Decalogue. The devotion thus due is unique as well as supreme, because no other being can possibly occupy this relation, nor any higher ; wor- ship is therefore due exclusively to our jMaker. Idola- try is consequently reckoned as the most odious and damning of all sins, because it virtually overthrows the throne of heaven itself, and thus destroys the very basis of all moral law. Jehovah brooked every transgression of his chosen people but this ; and when the captivity had burned away its exterior manifestation, the final excision affirmed his detestation of its still cherished spirit, which incited Israel to the culminating apostasy of the Crucifixion. The same crime in essence has re- appeared in the mummeries of Christian churches ; and even Protestants may be guilty of it under another name, for any undue love of earthly objects is tanta- mount to idolatry (Col. iii, 5 ; 1 John ii, 15). Under the Christian economy, again, the worship due to God is to assume a purely spiritual form, in distinction from the typical and ceremonial guise of Mosaism (John iv, 24); but this, of course, does not exclude all exterior observances — it rather requires them, at least for con- gregational concert. See Worship. We mention here but one other specific duty under this head, because it is inclusive of all others— nameh-, regard for God's re- vealed word. The respect we show to any one naturally extends to his communications ; and in the case of an invisible sovereign or an absent friend, our reverence is often measured chiefly by this mark. How much more
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highly should we prize ami cheerfully heed the words ' of our God and Saviour ! Nor is the liible to be fondly ! cherished merely as a memento of dying love, or as a i token of kindlyconcern, nor yet is it to be valued sim- I ply as a useful'guide-book in ancient lore, but still more as a practical directory to regulate our hearts and our lives : it must become our vade-mecum in ever\--day | concerns of the most vital moment, for by it shall we be ; finally adjudged. As i)rayer, therefore, is the central act of divine worship, so is searching the Scriptures the most direct method of ordering our behavior aright in all respects; the two arc the complete coun- terparts, internal and external ; one fortifies and puri- fies the heart, the other moulds and directs the life. The devout IJible- student cannot fail of becoming a strong, earnest, consistent fulfiller of all the claims of God upon him.