pose the true guide of life, the authoritative arbiter of human duty, the solemn and efficacious motive for the conduct of a reasonable and accountable being. It adds incomparably to the force of these sanctions, that they are propounded continually by our Lord and his apostles, in the course of those very discoveries of grace, which at first sight might appear to interfere with them. In the midst of the discourses of Christ, and his exposition of the gospel to the Jews, there are interposed those direct assertions of the universal judgment and its invariable decisions, which prevent any abuse of the grace and privileges offered whilst the apostles are perpetually reminding their converts, that 66 God is not mocked," that we must "all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, and that every man shail receive the things done in the body." "21 Nor is it a slight matter, that in the description given by our Saviour of the proceedings of that last day, happiness and misery are adjudged, not on the footing of faith or love, which are hidden principles known only to Almighty God, but on the footing of works, good or evil, manifested before men, and shown to flow from faith in the merits of the Redeemer in the one case, and contempt of him in the other.22 On the whole, then, I must confess, when I review this great subject, that the morals taught in the gospel seem to me to place Revelation as far above the reach of merely human invention, and to carry along with them as clear an impress of a divine hand, as the general adaptation of Christianity to the state of man, or the grand and sublime plan of human salvation developed in its doctrines.23 In fact, the argument from the Christian morals, is, if possible, stronger than that from the preceding topics, because, as I have said, it is more intelligible to every human being. 21 Gal. vi. 7; 2 Cor. v. 10. 22 Matt. XXV. I. The morality of the gospel makes it IMPOSSIBLE, IN THE NATURE OF THINGS, THAT CHRISTIANITY SHOULD BE AN IMPOSTURE. This is my first remark, in concluding this lecture. I do not merely affirm, that the Christian morals strengthen the impression of truth derived from the external evidences, (which is all my argument demands,) but I assert that no wicked men could have invented, or could have wished to propose, or could have succeeded in establishing, such a religion, with such a code of precepts so inseparably united with it and springing from it. From the creation of the world to the present hour, the schemes of impostors have partaken, and from the very constitution of the human mind must partake, of the pride, the ambition, the restlessness, the cunning, the sensuality, the personal interests, the contempt of authority, from which they spring. All the superstitions of Paganism, as well as the imposture of the false prophet, explain themselves on this ground. We see, in the laxity and turpitude of their moral systems, a sufficient agreement with their pretended revelations. I ask, then, with regard to Christianity, what could be the object-the CUI BONO-of an imposture, accompanied with a code of precepts so consistent, pure, elevated, complete, and in harmony with every part of the religion? The case speaks for itself. Such precepts could only have come down from the Father of lights, and have formed part of a Revelation sustained, as Christianity was, by every other species of external and internal testimony. In fact, the fishermen of Galilee, even if they had been ever so pure in heart, (which the supposition of imposture makes impossible,) could never have composed a system of duty so new, so peculiar, so holy, so perfect. See how slowly and laboriously the science of morals, as a philosophical effort, is wrought out, even at the present day, by professed Christians, VOL. II. G and with all the aid of long experience, acute talents, and assiduous study-the defects, the gross defects of these systems are notorious." And yet the morals of the gospel, without any pretensions to scientific arrangement, and composed by men of ordinary talents, amidst persecutions, and exile, and imprisonments, are found to contain the most pure and harmonious system of moral truth. That is, the only perfect code bursts suddenly upon the world complete at once; and the improvement which two thousand years have produced, in those who judge of this subject, and bring the gospel to the trial concerning it, only serves to illustrate the wisdom of divine Revelation by the contrast with human weakness and folly.25 But this consideration is incomparably strengthened, if we turn to the WRETCHED SYSTEMS WHICH MODERN INFIDELS PROPOSE FOR THE DIRECTION OF MANKIND. I should rather say their want of system-nay, their want of any honest intention to promote morality. They talk sometimes of moral duty, they commend the gospel precepts, they vaunt the light of nature and the sufficiency of human reason; but when you watch them in detail, you discover that there is neither foundation nor superstructure; neither principles nor duties; neither rules nor exhortations in their code of morality. As to authority and sanction, the ablest of them 26 doubt of the immortality of the soul, doubt of a last judgment, doubt of eternal happiness and misery. Were their systems, therefore, ever so perfect, they would have far less force to bind the conscience than the very morals of heathenism. But what, after all, are their systems? They agree in excluding the divine Being from their theories; but upon no other point. One resolves all 24 See Reid, Stewart, Brown, &c. 25 Dr. Hey's Lect. in Bp. J. Bird Sumner. 26 Hume, Gibbon, &c. 27 morality into self-love-another into the law of the state-another into motives of interest-another into what is useful in society—whilst another has recourse to feeling, and asserts that whatever he feels to be right, is right. On these quicksands what durable edifice can arise? None. There is no bond of society so sacred which they do not burst asunder-there is no personal duty so universally admitted, which they do not impugn--female modesty itself cannot maintain its ground before their coarse depravity. I do not scruple to say that the tendency, and I believe in most cases the design, of our infidel writings, is to dig up the foundation of morals, to efface the distinctions of good and evil, and resign men to the wretched contest of base interests and civil restraints, without a God, without a providence, without a day of retribution, without a futurity. From such darkness we turn to the soft and healing light of the Christian morality, as the traveller hails the dawn of day after a howling, tempestuous night. I appeal to every heart before me. I ask every ingenuous youth whether he is not horror-struck with the frightful projects of unbelief; whether his whole moral nature is not shocked by their principles; and whether their rejection of Christianity is not an unavoidable consequence of their holding such opinions? Yes. You can no more reject Christianity, if you are candid and sincere in your inquiries after morality, than you can cast off your accountableness or your personal identity. Such pure morals, working by such means, sustained by such motives, and sanctioned by an eternal judgment, carry their own divine original with them, and need no detail of arguments. III. HOLD FAST, then, BY THE CHRISTIAN FAITH. 27 See Leland and Fuller. in the hour of temptation. Call it to mind when the series of external proofs may be less vividly present with you. Say to yourself Even if I were to be unable to answer the objections of unbelievers on every other question, yet the morals of Christianity make it incomparably my SAFER COURSE to obey the gospel. There can, I know, be no comparison, properly speaking, between the safety of receiving and rejecting such a revelation, resting on such accumulated evidences. But even if an adversary should perplex me in the historical argument, if he should bewilder my mind, and persuade me that the proofs are not sufficiently clear and satisfactory, let me remember that it must ever be my safer course to persevere in my adherence to the gospel. For where a code of morals so pure, so benevolent, so spiritual, so entirely agreeing with the light of reason and the moral sense of man, so directly tending to my present peace of conscience as well as my future happiness; when such a code is set before me, it is infinitely safer for me to obey it, than to take a contrary course; because, in obeying it I lose nothing, I venture nothing, I incur no possible risk. I am following nature; but nature corrected and illuminated-I am following the law of conscience; but elevated and purified-I am acting on the eternal distinctions of right and wrong; but cleared up and defined-I am following the dictates of utility and social peace and general happiness; but resting on the authority and will of God. I lose nothing, therefore, here: nay, I gain in every point of the enumeration. But then, in addition to this, Christianity gives me motives for obedience, springs of inward affection and delight, the power of the Holy Spirit to aid me in the performance of duty, the mercy of God to pardon my failings, the death and passion of Jesus Christ to supply my want of desert and merit. That is, I have every aid and succour in the performance of this course of obe |