rily connected with a plan of sanctification. The work of the Holy Spirit on the heart of the rebel, reconciling him to God, his character, his law, his government, and his humbling plan of mercy, is one of the chief blessings purchased by the Redeemer; who died, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God; that he might "purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Hence, justification by the imputed righteousness of Christ is invariably accompanied by a radical change in the character as well as the state of the happy individual. "Whom He justifies, them he also sanctifies." The sinner is not only brought into a new relation, the result of which is pardon and peace with God; but he is also a new creature. He is born again;-born of the Spirit-he commences a new and spiritual life. From this hour, he is no more a rebel, but a son; for to "as many as believe, to them is given power to become the sons of God, even to them who believe in his name, who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." From this hour, so far as the spirit of this new life reigns within him, his course is marked by hatred of sin; by a crucifixion of the flesh with the affections and lusts; together with a sincere love of holy obedience, and a cordial desire to please and glorify God. In short, it is his habitual aim and prayer to" die unto sin, and live unto righteousness;" the love of Christ constrains him to live, not unto himself, but unto Him who died for him, and rose again. And, although he continues to sin as long as he is in the body, yet he daily mourns that it has so much influence over him. He strives and prays against it. And his only hope for new pardon, as he commits new offences, is in that atoning sacrifice of his Divine Surety, to whose blood he penitently applied in the first act of believing, and on whose merit he relied, and still relies, for his whole and final justification. Such, as are read the Bible, is the representation which it gives of

real Christianity. It is A SYSTEM OF GRACE THROUGHOUT ; -grace in the original purpose; grace in the execution; grace in the whole plan of acceptance; grace in the application to each individual of the purchased salvation; grace in sustaining and bearing him forward in the spiritual warfare; grace in his final preparation for, and admission to the joy and glory of his Lord;-free grace ;-rich grace ;—sovereign, distinguishing grace.

It is perfectly obvious that this plan of mercy, not only cuts off all pretence of glorying on the part of the sinner; but that there is no principle more directly and irreconciliably hostile to the whole economy of salvation by Christ, than the doctrine of HUMAN MERIT. To rely upon our own righteousness or strength in the matter of salvation, is to attack Christianity, if the expression may be allowed, in its most vital organ. It is to make God, in all the proclamations of his grace, "a liar;" it is to trample on the blood of Him who was "made sin for us," as an unnecessary, and therefore as a wantonly shed-and, of course, “as an unholy thing." If there be any doctrine which contradicts the whole spirit, and every offer of the plan of mercy through a Redeemer, it is, undoubtedly, the doctrine that any thing man has done, or can do, moral or ceremonial, merits the Divine favour, or forms any part of the price of heaven. This, we have no doubt, is the substance of Christianity; which no man ever cordially received but by the Spirit of God; and yet, without receiving which, in its leading features, no man will ever be recognised by a holy God, as a Christian.

Nothing, however, is more certain, than that the plan of acceptance with God which has just been sketched, is, of all others, that which is most distasteful to the natural feelings of man. Pride, which is "the condemnation and snare of the devil," is equally the " condemnation and snare" of man. Guilty and polluted as the sinner is, he has an innate pro

pensity to trust in himself, or in something done, or intended to be done, by himself, to avert the displeasure, and merit the favour of heaven. The hope of being in some way, his own Saviour, is the last which he abandons, when brought to embrace the Gospel in sincerity and truth. The tendency of our nature is to cleave to ANY THING BUT CHRIST. The impenitent sinner is willing to undergo the heaviest drudgery of rites and ceremonies; to submit to the severest penances; to make long journies; to pay large sums of money; in short, to lacerate his body, and tax his purse, as far as he can bear, if by these he can enjoy the prospect of gaining the heavenly paradise. Any, or all these, he is willing to give for such a prospect; but his heart he will not give. To" receive the kingdom of God as a little child;" to submit with penitence and humility to the righteousness of God by faith, he cannot yield.

Now, to relieve this impenitent and unyielding mind— which is the mind of all men by nature-the system of Romanism comes in with the most plausible and fascinating allurements. It meets him with a system of most ingenious expedients for removing every difficulty, and satisfying every doubt, without the sacrifice of a single lust. It persuades him that if he be in regular connexion with the Roman Church, he is, of course, in real covenant and communion with Christ-that there is no need of any radical change of heart, provided he will submit to the dictation and discipline of the constituted authorities of that Church:-that by the sacrament of Baptism, a priest can regenerate him, and that no other change than that which baptism includes, need be sought or expected:-that by this baptism, when regularly administered, all his sins are taken away, and he reconciled to God:-that by a regular attendance on the sacrament of Penance, all his sins committed, from time to time, after baptism, may be certainly forgiven :—and that, by a regular confession and absolution during life, and the reception of ex

treme unction, when he comes to die, he may be assured of everlasting happiness :-or that, at the worst, he will only be detained sometime in purgatory; which, however, will be made as short and light as possible, if he bequeath a handsome sum to the Church, or if his surviving friends shall pay liberally for the prayers that may be said, and the masses that may be performed for his soul.

According to this delusive system, then, a man may live and die without any real holiness, either of heart or of life, and yet, in spite of all the Scripture has so solemnly pronounced to the contrary, may be certain of seeing the Lord in peace. He need not trouble himself to read the Scriptures. The Church reads, judges, and engages for him. The Church has a stock of merit to dispose of, which, upon being properly paid for, she can set down to his account, and make available to his acceptance. So that, however multiplied and enormous his sins, and however obstinately and impenitently persisted in, to the last hour of his life; still if he submit to all the rites of the Church, and all the penances imposed by the proper authority, he is certainly safe; certainly secure of salvation. In support of all these statements, testimony of the most unequivocal kind might be adduced from Romish authorities of the highest character. We are aware, indeed, that most of the allegations above stated, have been either denied, or attempted to be explain. ed away by ingenious apologists for Romish claims: but we are very sure that, when the whole system, taken together, is compared with its highest official vouchers, our representation will be completely borne out in every particular.

Now, we ask, is it any wonder that multitudes-and even many of those who might be expected to know better, and to judge more intelligently-are captivated with this system, and fly to it as a refuge from the doubts and anxiety of a worldly course? Is it any wonder that thousands, who have no heart for the self-denial, the self-renunciation, and the

spirituality of the genuine Gospel, find in this delusive scheme a delightful repose, which leaves them at full liberty to pursue the world and all its pleasures as they please, and yet to bear the name, and cherish the hopes of Christians? For our part, we wonder not that millions, in the days of Luther, resisted with so much bitterness his endeavours to destroy the empire of blind superstition. And we wonder not, that some instances are found in Protestant America of persons who are disposed to retreat from the pure but painful light of Gospel truth, which allows no conformity to the world, and admits no compromise with sin; and to take refuge in a system of delusion, which bears an honourable name; puts on a plausible appearance; lulls conscience asleep by a thousand ingenious expedients; flatters pride; and gives a license to men to live as they list, provided they bow respectfully before pictures and images— honour the claims of a tyrannical priesthood-and submit to the requisite number of pecuniary payments. This flattering, but delusive system has precisely that to offer which the carnal mind will ever prefer to the holy salvation which the Gospel reveals; because it is consistent with the love and practice of sin ;-does not require the universal mortification of our carnal nature;-nor the subjection of the heart to the righteousness of God, by faith in a crucified. Redeemer. In truth, we rather wonder that such a system has not a greater number of votaries; that it does not bear away hundreds, where is beguiles and destroys one.

If there be any solid ground for these remarks, then we need, even in America, where there is no sovereign Pontiff to fulminate his anathemas, and impose his tremendous interdicts; where the Inquisition is unknown; where we are all left free to worship whom we choose, and how we choose; and where there are few other inducements to become Papists than those which the Papacy itself presents ;-even here we need manuals to expose the real character of this