Wisdom has inftituted, and Omnipotence is engaged to uphold. Ye fools, who hate knowledge, and do not choose the fear of the Lord; know, that GOD will mock, when your fear cometh; ye have loved darkness in this world, and utter darkness fhall be your portion in the next. There ye will affuredly know, what ye will not now believe, that if our gofpel be hid, it is hid from them that are loft.

any one

But it is not enough that the word be heard, and the terms of it affented to; it must be underfood, in order to make the hearers of it wise unto falvation; for, faith the Lord, when heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not; then cometh the wicked one, and taketh away that which was fown in his heart. Now it is certain that, with regard to divine things, all by nature are equally void of understanding; for the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are fpiritually difcerned. Accordingly those who are acquainted with the truth as it is in Jefus, have learnt (as part of that truth) that all their natural understanding, and all their endeavours in the flesh, profited them nothing; but withal they must have continued, in the blindness of their minds, ignorant of the things which belonged to their peace; had not God faid, "let there be light," and fo they who were once darkness, are now light in the Lord. And be it known unto others, that God is not the author of their blindness; (as those who receive not the word of his grace, think we fay, whilft we prcclaim Him the fole author of that light which his people enjoy): no: it is a that hath blinded their eyes. They love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. Knowing in their con

fciences,

fciences, that the word of God is a meffage fromt him who searcheth the heart, they will not come to the light, left their deeds fhould be reproved. May HE, whofe grace is fo mighty, that the most obdurate can be fubdued; and fo free, that the vileft are not excluded; may HE, JEHOVAH the Saviour, grant unto many fuch, repentance to the acknowledgment of the truth.

Looking to the Father of lights for a bleffing, we present our readers with the above general obfervations on the importance and excellence of the word of GOD. They are prefatory to a more explicit declaration of what that word contains as demanding credit from all that hear, and communicating life to all that believe, which we hope to bring forward in the fequel of this effay, nor fhall we, we truft, difmifs the fubject, without a fuitable practicable application, for the edification. of fuch of our readers as are furnished with motives requifite for practice, in the belief of the truths which shall have been previously stated.

[To be continued.]

D.

いり

REVIEW

OF A

SERMON On the DUTY of CHRISTIAN FORTITUDE, preached in the Chapel of TRINITY COLLEGE, Dublin, on Sunday the 7th of Auguft, 1803, by the Rev. GEORGE MILLER, D.D. F.T. C. D..

WHENEVER public affairs wear an afpect

of unufual importance, the pulpit imbibes a spirit congenial to the crifis, and with the preacher,

as

as well as the politician, THE TIMES become the favorite topic of his difcourfe. Far be it from us to deny the expediency of occafional addreffes, which would be to fet afide the force of apoftolic. example, and in various inftances to queftion the wisdom of our Lord himself. But furely it becomes those who deliver fuch addreffes, to exhibit in them fentiments confiftent with that reverence for the fcriptures, which they doubtless profefs, in referring this their practice to the countenance of the word, and in selecting their motto from the facred volume. Yes, it becomes them to avail themselves of exifting circumftances, only in fubfervience to fuch ends as that word will fanction; elfe all the zeal which the occafion may call forth, will but provoke that queftion, Who hath required this at your hands? These remarks are not fo much founded in the subftance of a fingle discourse, as they are extorted by the general prevalence of a style of preaching difallowed by the Gospel of Christ. They will be found, however, peculiarly applicable to the fermon now before us; and while we make a few obfervations with that freedom which Truth demands, we fhall (in this, and in every fuch inftance which may hereafter occur,) hold ourselves at liberty to wave all those commendations, which, had we a literary object in view, we should not withhold from literary merit.

Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do: but I will forewarn you whom you fhall fear; fear him, who, after he hath killed, hath power to caft into hell; yea, I fay unto you fear him. Luke xii. 4, 5.

The above paffage furnishes, or feems to furnifh the fubject of this difcourfe. It commences with a general view of that fituation of affairs,

which had called forth the friends of order, to the exercise of active courage, from which Dr. M. infers the utility of inculcating CHRISTIAN FORTITUDE. But if" imperious néceffity has "fummoned the citizen from his bufinefs, the "profeffional man from his profeffion," and the academick" from his ftudies," fhall it indeed fummon the minifter of Chrift from the Gospel? or fhall it fummon the Gospel itself from its own effential import? as if the word of the LORD were affected by the revolutions of fublunary things! No, that word abideth for ever-the fame in its truth, its import, its authority. Yet Dr. M. feems to take it for granted, that the portion of fcripture he has chofen for his text, is now an exhortation to what he calls Christian Fortitude; though, when it came from the lips of Chrift, it aimed at nothing lefs! We fay to take it for granted; after he has in the moft direct manner brought it forward in behalf of his fubject, without attempting to prove the application juft. We cannot but fuppofe him acquainted with the context; and if fo, he must acknowledge, that those words of Jefus were not addreffed to a promifcuous furrounding multitude, but to his own chofen difciples; regarded them not as members of an earthly community, but as fubjects of HIS heavenly kingdom; warned them not of evils refulting from civil tumult, but of perfecutions to be endured for the profession of HIS name; directed them not to a path of active oppofition as that which would exalt their character, but to a walk of contented fufferance as that which would pleafe GOD. The former application of thefe words will ever be adopted by the generality of preachers, will ever be grateful to the generality of religious affemblies; for obedience,

"ex

obedience, on this score, prefents them with a picture of "the fublime of human character," and exhibits to them "the most perfect energy "of those benevolent difpofitions which pecu"liarly constitute the moral excellence of their "nature." But let the followers of HIM, who knew what was in man, be fatisfied with hearing and keeping this faying in its genuine acceptation, recognizing therein that which is fuitable to poor, weak, dependant creatures, who have no "cellence" to boaft, no "energy" to put forth: who, proud by nature,' must be taught abafement by habitual fubmiffion; and by nature rebellious, have need through much fuffering, to learn obedience. Let them rejoice too, that they are before ONE who fees not as man fees; for that which is difallowed of men is chofen of God and precious, while that which is highly esteemed among f THEM is abomination in HIS fight.

We do not think it needful to dwell on the defcription by which admiration is folicited for the quality under confideration, as we could fcarcely expect a very fcriptural eulogium upon a "virtue" which the New Teftament paffes over in total filence. But had the Word of God treated ever fo explicitly and at large upon the fubject, there had still been room for this general remark, that while the highest encomium that can be lavished on virtue, whereof the glory is afcribed to the Giver of every good gift, is but well-founded approbation, which it becomes an intellectual being to beftow; every iota of praise, whofe object is to exalt human nature in our eftimation, must take its place amongst "great "fwelling words of vanity." Which of thefe fpecies of commendation we have collected from the apoftolic writings, and which from the performance