I have thus finished the illustration of the Apostle's account of the condition and duty of Christians. It may serve a good purpose, before taking leave of the subject, to present you with a general outline of the statements which have been made. The condition of Christians is, at once, one of perfect liberty and entire subjection. They are "free," and they are "the servants of God." They are free in reference to God, both as being delivered from a condemned state and a slavish character; free in reference to their fellow men; free in reference to the powers and principles of evil. They are the servants of God, bought by the blood of his Son, formed to habits of obedience by his Spirit, voluntarily devoted to and actually engaged in his service. Their duty is generally to act according to their condition; to act as freemen in reference to God, men, and the powers and principles of evil, guarding against abusing their freedom in any of these forms; and to act as the servants of God, cultivating the principles of obedience, habitually keeping in view those perfections of the Divine character, and those relations in which they stand to God, in which the obligation to serve God originates, and the belief of which is the grand means which the Holy Scriptures employ to fit and dispose us to recognise and discharge that obligation; making themselves acquainted with the rule of obedience, carefully studying the word of God, observing the providence of God, and seeking the guidance of the Spirit of God; and exercising this principle, and applying this rule in actual obedience, both inward and outward, both active and passive,-obedience characterised by implicitness, impartiality, cheerfulness, and per manence. More particularly their duty is to "honour all men,” to cherish respect for all who from their station, endowments, or character, deserve respect, though they are not Christians; and to cherish and express in their conduct respect for every human being, as a rational, responsible, immortal being; to "love the brotherhood," to cultivate and manifest an affectionate regard to the Christian society by joining a Christian church; being regular in attending its assemblies, contributing time, labour, substance to its objects, seeking its purity, peace, and increase; and by cherishing, and in every becoming manner expressing, an affectionate regard to the whole household of faith, both in earth and heaven, the one family called by the worthy name; "to fear God," cherishing such an awful sense of his infinite grandeur and excellence, as will make us practically consider his approbation as the highest of blessings, his disapprobation as the greatest of evils; and, finally, "to honour the king," to yield a cheerful conscientious obedience to the laws, an obedience founded on and limited by the command to fear God. All that remains now is the practical application. But this must be attended to, not here, but elsewhere. "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." May our improved character and conduct in all the various relations of life, show that we understand how practically to apply the instructions we have received, and that we have learned," as free, not using our liberty as a cloak of wickedness, but as the servants of God, to honour all men ; to love the brotherhood; to fear God; and to honour the king.” "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, laying apart all filthiness, and superfluity of naughtiness, let us show that we have received with meekness the ingrafted word, which is able to save our souls: but be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves," not God; not your brethren even generally, only your own selves. "For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." NOTE A. : "Man was God's own creature, raised out of nothing by his mighty and most arbitrary hand it was in his and choice, power whether he ever should have a being; any or none; another, or this, of so noble an order and kind. The designation was most apt of so excellent a creature, to be immediately sacred to himself and his own converse, his temple and habitation, the mansion and residence of his presence and indwelling glory. There was nothing whereto he was herein designed, whereof his nature was not capable. His soul was, after the required manner, receptive of a Deity. Its powers were competent to their appointed work and employment. It could entertain God by knowledge and contemplation of his glorious excellencies, by reverence and love, by adoration and praise. This was the highest kind of dignity whereto created nature could be raised, the most honourable state. How high and quick an advance! This moment nothing; the next, a being capable and full of God." "The stately ruins (of human nature) are visible to every eye, that bear in their front, yet extant, this doleful inscription,HERE GOD ONCE DWELT. Enough appears of the admirable frame and structure of the soul of man, to show the Divine presence did some time reside in it; more than enough of vicious deformity, to proclaim that he is now retired and gone. The lamps are extinct; the altar overturned: the light and love are now vanished, which did the one shine with so heavenly brightness, the other burn with such pious fervour. The golden candlestick is displaced, and thrown away as a useless thing, to make way for the throne of the prince of darkness; the sacred incense, which sent rolling up in clouds its rich perfumes, is exchanged for a poisonous hellish vapour. The comely order of this house is turned all into confusion; the beauties of holiness into noxious impurities; the house of prayer into a den of thieves. The noble powers, which were designed and dedicated to Divine contemplation and delight, are alienated to the service of the most despicable idols, and employed into vilest intuitions and embraces to behold and admire lying vanities; to indulge and cherish lust and wickedness. * ** Look upon the fragments of that curious sculpture, which once adorned this palace of that great King: the relics of common notions; the lively prints of some undefaced truth; the fair ideas of things; the yet legible precepts that relate to practice. Behold with what accuracy the broken pieces show them to have been engraven by the finger of God; and how they now lie torn and scattered, one in this dark corner and another in that, buried in heaps of dust and rubbish! There is not now a system, an entire table of coherent truths to be found, or a frame of holiness; but some shivered parcels. And if any, with great skill and labour, apply themselves to draw out here one piece, and there another, and set them together, they serve rather to show how exquisite the Divine workmanship was in the original composition, than for present use to the excellent purposes for which the whole was first designed. ✶ ✶✶ You come amid all this confusion as into the ruined palace of some great prince; in which you see here the fragments of a noble pillar, there the shattered pieces of some curious imagery, and all lying, neglected and useless, among heaps of dust. * * * The faded glory, the darkness, the disorder, the impurity, the decayed state in all respects of the temple, too plainly show THE GREAT INHABITANT IS GONE."-HOWE. Living Temple, Part ii. ch. iv. "Homo est animal rationale, et ex hoc, cunctis terrenis animantibus excellentius atque præstantius, sed in qualibet minutissima muscula bene consideranti stuporem mentis ingerat, laudemque pariat creatoris. Ipse itaque animæ humanæ mentem dedit, ubi ratio et intelligentia in infante sopita est quodammodo, quasi nulla sit, excitanda scilicet atque exercenda ætatis accessu, qua sit scientiæ capax atque doctrinæ, et habilis perceptioni veritatis et amori boni. Qua capacitate hauriat sapientiam virtutibusque sit prædita, quibus prudenter, fortiter, temperater et juste adversus errores et cætera ingenerata vitia dimicet, eaque nullius rei desiderio nisi boni illius summi atque incommutabilis vincat. Quod etsi non faciat ipsa talium bonorum capacitas in natura rationali divinitus instituta, quantum sit boni, quam mirabile opus omnipotentis, quis competenter effatur, aut cogitat? Præter enim artes bene vivendi, et ad immortalem perveniendi felicitatem quæ virtutes vocantur, et sola Dei gratia quæ in Christo est, filiis promissionis regnique donantur, nonne humano ingenio tot tantæ que artes sunt inventæ et exercitæ partim necessariæ, partim voluntariæ, ut tam excellens vis mentis atque rationis in his etiam rebus, quas superfluas, imo et periculosas perniciosasque appetit quantum bonum habeat in natura, unde ista potuit vel invenire, vel discere, vel exercere testetur? Vestimentorum et ædificiorum ad opera quam mirabilia, quam stupenda industria humana pervenerit, quo in agricultura, quo in navigatione profecerit: quæ in fabricatione quorumque vasorum, vel etiam statuarum et picturarum varietate excogitaverit et impleverit: quæ in theatris mirabilia spectantibus, audientibus incredibilia facienda et exhibenda molita sit: in capiendis, occidendis, domadis irrationalibus animantibus, quæ et quanta repererit: adversus ipsos homines, tot genera venenorum, tot armorum, tot machinamentorum, et pro salute mortali tuenda atque reparanda, quot medicamenta atque adjumenta comprehenderit: pro voluptate faucium, quot condimenta et gulæ incitamenta repererit: ad indicandas et suadendas cogitationes, multitudinem varietatemque signorum, ubi præcipuum locum verba et literæ tenent: ad delectandos animos, quos elocutionis ornatus, quam diversorum carminum copiam: ad mulcendas aures, quot organa musica, quot cantilenæ modos excogitaverit: quantam peritiam dimensionum atque numerorum: meatusque et ordines sideru quanta sagacitate comprehenderit, quam multa rerum mudanarum cognitione se impleverit, quis possit eloqui, maxime si velimus non acervatim cuncta cogerere, sed in singulis immorari? In ipsis postremo erroribus et falsitatibus defendendis, quam magna claruerint ingenia philosophorum atque hæreticorum, quis existimare sufficiat?" * "Apostolus de ipsis in illud regnum prædestinatis loquens : Qui proprio, inquit, filio non pepercit, sed pro nobis omnibus tradidit eum, quomodo non etiam cum illo omnia nobis donavit? Cum hæc promissio complebitur, quid erimus? quales erimus? quæ bona in illo regno accepturi sumus, quandoquidem Christo moriente pro nobis tale iam pignus accepimus? qualis erit spiritus hominis, nullum omnino habens vitium, nec sub quo jaceat: nec cui cedat: nec contra quod saltem laudabiliter dimicet, pacatissima virtute perfectus ? Rerum ibi omnium quanta, quam speciosa, quam certa scientia sine errore aliquo, vel labore, ubi Dei sapientia de ipso suo fonte potabitur, cum summa felicitate, sine ulla difficultate? Quale erit corpus, quod omnimodo spiritui subditum, et eo sufficienter vivificatum nullis alimoniis indigebit? Non enim animale, sed spirituale erit, habens quidem carnis, sed sine ulla carnali corruptione, substantiam.”—AUGUSTINUS. De Civitate Dei, Lib. xxii. cap. xxiv. NOTE B. The sentences which follow formed part of the discourse, when delivered as an address to a joint meeting of the United Secession and Relief Presbyteries of Edinburgh. The union |