they that have not seen, and yet have believed." In the particular case, therefore, of religious belief (the only case which our Saviour had in view), it appears that there is not merely a reasonableness and propriety, but that there is a high degree of moral excellence. This is a point which it is of consequence to explain, as it seems not to be sufficiently understood: though what I can now say upon the subject must necessarily be very imperfect.

First, then, it may be remarked, that religious belief is the noblest principle of the human soul; and is the feeling to which it instinctively returns whenever it is freed from the seductions of present objects. Whenever the mind comes back upon itself, and reflects for a moment whence it came, and whither it is going; when it is freed from the current of the world, it then rises. as by a natural aspiration after some intercourse and com munion with the unseen arbiter of its destiny. There immediately springs up within it a principle of faith; a bond of union, which connects it with the unknown and undiscoverable secrets of futurity, and makes it feel that a time is coming when all the objects with which it is now occupied will be of no value in its eye, and that other and greater objects, with which it is now unacquainted, will then fill up the vast measure of its affections. To cultivate this feeling, to keep alive this high sense of our future destiny, to cling to those facts by which it is supported, to apply ourselves with ardour and eagerness to every appearance in nature, and to every relation in history by which it receives confirmation, is a proof of an elevated mind; and so far from being a weakness which we ought to overcome, it is a

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noble disposition which struggles with the littleness of present pursuits, and strives to lift the soul to a sense of its true dignity. This is one view in which it is blessed to believe; and although our reason certainly could never approve of any unsound or fallacious belief, yet the moral faculty might almost applaud that noble boldness of faith which could cling to religion, even if reason were to oppose it.

But farther, all religious faith that is consistent and sound, evinces a love of virtue; because when we throw our eyes into a future world, we can never rationally do so without believing that this future world will be the reign of perfection. The mind of man rises beyond the present life, chiefly because it perceives here something incomplete, wrong, and irregularly conducted; it looks into another life, because it there expects that every thing will be well-ordered and completed. It can only look into another life with satisfaction, therefore it can only believe willingly, it can only cling to belief, and accept of any reasonable evidence for believing, if itself is good, if it loves goodness, if it triumphs in the thought that all will yet be well, and that there will be nothing left to offend in the kingdom of God. Faith, therefore, argues a blessed disposition, a disposition which aims at the perfection of all creation, and which longs to behold the whole universe of being, freed from defect, from vice, and suffering.

́. I shall only add, my brethren, that there is something peculiarly blessed in Christian faith, in that disposition of mind which, recognizing the blindness and the weak. ness of the human heart, seeks a guide to direct its steps, and strength superior to its own on which it may lean;

which, sacrificing the pride of man, can fix its eye steadily upon the cross, and can discover the perfection! of all that is to be admired and loved in one whose external circumstances were mean, and who had no beauty that we should desire him." There is a purity and an absence of all worldly affections in such faith, that is peculiarly connected with all the best principles of our na

ture.

From these two reflections, from the reflection that sound faith must always rest upon good grounds, and from the reflection that there is a moral beauty and bless. edness in the disposition of mind which leads to reli gious belief, we may gather what is the duty of man: on this important subject: First, it is our duty to seek such a foundation for our faith as reason will approve of; and, secondly, we must be careful not to let the foundation be shaken when we have secured it. We must not consider religious faith as an indifferent matter, or that it resembles opinions on common subjects, to which it is of little importance whether we are steadfast or indifferent. When we have formed reasonable: opinions in religion, we must prize them as the greatest good which we possess, and rather permit the whole: world to crumble about our heads than part with one of them. Like other duties, this, too, may at times be a difficult one. We may be led away from it by the se-' ductions of vanity, by the love of the world, by the love of philosophy, falsely so called, and by many other attractions. But, in the difficulty itself, there is another source of merit ; and the more hard the task may be to keep our faith unshaken, the more blessed are we if we persevere to the end.

In the third place, my brethren, the words of our Saviour suggest a farther reflection. While faith is blessed as a moral quality, it is to be accounted blessed likewise in another view. Our faith is not, in most cases, entirely our own work. We owe much to the care of our parents, to the good principles which they have instilled into us; and often, too, we are indebted to happy incidents in the course of our lives, which may well be denominated interpositions of Providence. Our faith then comes from a higher power than ourselves: it is a good gift bestowed upon us; a blessing which we have received.

From this view, let us first learn with what temper of mind we ought to regard want of faith in other men. There is, probably, in all instances of infidelity, some degree of vice: in many instances there may be very great and glaring vice, something which it is natural for us, to detest. and to abhor. But there may be many other instances, and it is to be hoped they are the most frequent, in which there is much more to be regretted and lamented. The lesson which the words of our Saviour in the text, and which the whole incident that gave occasion to them may afford us here, is very striking and beautiful. St. Thomas was for a time what is commonly called an infidel. He required an evidence for his faith, which no man in the present age of the world can ever obtain, and which it was unreasonable, and, in some respects, unworthy in him to demand. Yet his Master still beheld, with a favourable eye, what was really good in this disciple; and, so far from treating him with any harshness or unpleasing severity on account of his unbelief, he condescended to give him the

evidence which he required. He scarcely, indeed, reproaches him with his infidelity. His words convey a reproach, but it is of the gentlest and most tacit nature imaginable. He does not say, "Thomas, thou art accursed because thou didst not believe;" he says simply, "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed!" If this was the temper, and this the language in which our Saviour himself addressed an unbelieving disciple, with what charity and indulgence ought we, his unworthy servants, to treat a brother who has fallen into doubt and perplexity! instead of driving him from us with anger and impatient revilings, we are here directed to lay before him all the evidence in our possession, and, by gentle and persuasive assurances, to win over to the truth, a heart which can only be hardened by scorn, and alienated by reproach.

But farther, my brethren, from the view of faith as a blessing which we have received, the following most important consideration arises: let it not be received in vain. It is not given us for the purpose of lying dead and dormant in our minds, it is given with the design of inspiring us with the love of every thing that is good. It is given with the view of exciting us to all good works; and, in fact, we cannot be said to possess it unless we permit it to obtain its genuine and natural scope. It is given to raise our minds above this world, and to carry our affections into a higher scene. We believe that the present life is but the school of preparation for an eternal world; that we have no "abiding city" here; and that we are advancing to a celestial city, whose "builder and maker is God." We be