ness of God's nature, and the purity of his law we must discern the number, aggravations, and enormity of our offences. We must do homage to infinite holiness, by acknowledging ourselves altogether sinful.

Sorrow is essential to penitence. We cannot have been made partakers of penitence if we do not feel inward grief on the review of our transgressions. We read of "godly sorrow, which worketh repentance unto salvation." If we have injured a fellow-creature, the first indication of a right sense of the aggression is a sincere regret that we should have acted so. How much more necessary is it that we should be unfeignedly sorry for our innumerable offences against God. Sorrow for sin, is not however to be estimated only by violent emotions and copious tears. The passions are much stronger in themselves, and much more exciteable, in some than in others; and therefore, the same degree of inward emotion, or of outward grief, is not to be expected from all. The degrees of sorrow, as well as the outward modes of expressing it, will vary, as belonging more to the sensitive nature than to the rational; and for avoiding all scruple and doubtfulness, on this head, it may be laid down for certain, that the least degree of sorrow is sufficient, if it produce reformation; the greatest insufficient, if it do

not.

The next step in penitence is confession. Real sorrow for sin is always frank and impartial, while false or partial sorrow is prone to concealment, palliation, and apology. There is a wretched proneness in many persons, when convinced of sin, to offer excuses and to endeavour to think

the best of their case. They cannot be brought to admit the charge in all its length and breadth; but they attempt to hide its magnitude from their own eyes. This is a dangerous disposition, and has often come between a man's soul and his salvation. All the great and precious promises of pardon are suspended upon the condition of confession. "If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins." Confession must be in detail, not in generals only; it must be free and impartial.

Abhorrence of sin is also included in penitence. There can be no real grief for an action, which is not accompanied by a dislike of it. We shall unquestionably hate sin, if we partake of godly sorrow. This indeed is the true meaning of the term repentance, which does not signify grief merely, but an entire change of mind towards sin. Abhorrence of sin is as necessary a part of repentance as grief. Our hatred of transgression must be grounded not merely on viewing it as an injury to ourselves, but as an insult to God. For penitence, on account of sin, is altogether a different feeling to that which we experience over a fire, a shipwreck, or a disease which has diminished our comforts. Our tears then are not enough, if not followed by abhorrence. If we are sincere in our grief, we shall detest and fly the viper which has stung us, and not cherish and caress the beast, whilst with false tears we bathe the wound we have received.

Thirdly.-Faith in Jesus Christ is no less

necessary.

Faith is a very important, and most essential part of true religion. Faith in Christ is a firm practical belief of the Gospel testimony concern

ing Christ, a full persuasion of the truth of what is declared, and a confident expectation of what is promised. The testimony is this. "It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners." "God so loved the world as to give his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Hence then, faith is believing that Jesus Christ died as a sacrifice of atonement to divine justice, for human guilt, depending on that atonement firmly and exclusively for acceptance with God, and expecting eternal life according to God's promise.

Faith is most obviously as much a part of a right disposition towards God, as penitence. God having given Jesus Christ for the salvation of sinners, and promised to save those who depend upon the atonement, and commanded all to ask for pardon and eternal life; it is manifest, that not to believe, is to dispute the Divine veracity, as well as to rebel against the Divine authority. To believe the Gospel, and to expect salvation through Christ, is to honour all the attributes of Deity at once, is to praise that mercy which prompted the scheme of redemption, that wisdom which devised it, that power which accomplished it, that justice which is satisfied by it, and that truth which engages to bestow its benefits on all that seek them. Not to believe is an act of contempt, which insults Jehovah in every view of his character at once. Until we are brought therefore, actually to depend on Christ SO as to accept salvation, we have no real religion.

Fourthly.-A willingness in all things to obey God, completes the view, which ought to be given of a right disposition towards him.

There must be a distinct acknowledgement of His right to govern us, and an unreserved surrender of our heart and life to His authority: an habitual desire to do what he has enjoined, to avoid what he has forbidden. Where there is this desire to please, this reluctance to offend God, the individual will read with constancy and attention the sacred volume, which is written for the express purpose of teaching us how to obey and please the Lord. Finding there innumerable injunctions against all kinds of immorality and sin, and as many commands to practise every personal, relative, and social duty, the true Christian will be zealous for all good works. Remembering, that Jesus Christ is proposed there as our example, no less than our atonement, he will strive to be like him in purity, spirituality, submission to the will of God, and devotedness to the divine glory. Nor will he forget to imitate the beautiful meekness, lowliness, and kindness of his deportment: so that the love, which a right view of his atonement never fails to produce, transforms the soul of the believer into his image. Finding in the word of God many commands to cultivate the spirit, and attend on the exercises of devotion; the true Christian will remember the sabbath day to keep it holy, will maintain daily prayer in his closet, and unite himself in the fellowship of some Christian church, to live in communion with believers, and with them to celebrate the sacred supper.

During the trials of life, he will console himself with the promises of grace and the prospects of glory. He will soften his earthly cares by the influence of his heavenly hopes. He will endeavour to keep himself pure from the vices of the world, and shine as a spiritual light amidst surrounding darkness. His great business in this world will be to prepare for a better: and when the time arrives for him to quit the visible for the invisible state, he will bow in meek submission to the will of God, and retire from earth, cheered with the prospect and the expectation of eternal glory.

Such appears to me to be the nature of true

religion. Its possessor, daily conscious of his defects, will habitually humble himself before God; and while he seeks forgiveness for past offences, through the blood of Jesus Christ, will as earnestly implore the gracious aid of the Holy Ghost to sanctify him more perfectly for the future.

CHAPTER V.

On the advantages and responsibility of a pious education.

THE advantages of any system of means, must of course, as to their value, be estimated by the importance of the end to be obtained, which, in the present case, is the possession of real religion in this world, and eternal happiness in that which is to come. The end to be obtained includes not only a profession of piety in our