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kept before the view of the mass of the people-that they are impressed upon the moral sense, and made to exert an influence in the formation of character. It is by the preacher that an element of consolation, contentment, and joy is made to go forth and to diffuse itself over the hearts and the habitations of the children of toil and poverty, of sorrow and misfortune. It is by him that the guilty are called to penitence, the penitent led to pardon, and the pardoned filled "with joy and peace in believing." In short, to see what is actually effected by the preacher, and to be assisted in calculating the amount of good for which society is indebted to him, only imagine that the whole race of the Christian prophets were extinguished—that their places of instruction were closed-that their voices were never heard, and their influence never felt: imagine either that they were not succeeded by any public teachers at all-that the whole people were left without any thing whatever in the form of oral instruction; or imagine that the preacher was universally succeeded by the advocates of the modern coarse and vulgar infidelity; and then fancy what would be the consequence-the consequence of this change to the virtue and happiness of the nation-and say, say if you can, that you could contemplate that result with any feelings but those of melancholy and concern, if not, indeed, with apprehension and terror.

Such is the Christian prophet in his | poor themselves. It is by the preacher furniture, his office, and his aims. If that the purest principles of conduct are time permitted, it would be easy to show that his influence upon society has been always and immensely beneficial-I mean of course when he has continued to be what he was at first, and what he is intended to be by the system to which he belongs-neither degraded to the condition of a political drudge, nor raised and corrupted into that of a prince and a potentate. It was the voice of the preacher that shook the gods of the ancients from the heaven they had usurped-that compelled them to vacate their thrones and their temples, and to relinquish the tyranny they had so long exercised over the heathen world. It was the Christian preacher that introduced a new stream of ideas into the human mind-ideas that gave to morals a higher tone, and to religion a positive existence. It was the efforts of the Christian preacher that changed the character of nations and the complexion of literature. Even in the dark ages, when he had become indolent, vicious, silent, and corrupt, it was by him that the lamp of knowledge was preserved from being totally extinguished; it was by him that it was trimmed and fed, and brought forth to guide and to gladden the nations, when he aroused them from the sleep and the superstition of centuries. It was by the voice of the preacher that religion was reformed; it was by the erudition of the preacher, and by the effect of his agency on the public mind, that the revival of learning was accelerated and encouraged. In our own country it was by the Christian preacher -it was in consequence of the spirit promoted by his religion, and the influence exerted by his office, that civil liberty was saved that the tree was planted and nourished, under whose shade we repose, and whose fruit we gather; and, in the present day, I do not hesitate to affirm that it is the preacher who exerts the greatest influence on the positive virtue and happiness of the nation; it is by him that every society is advocated, and every agent encouraged, that aims at the moral education of the children of the poor, or the religious advantage of the

I now ask the question, but I shall not stay to attempt to answer it; I shall leave that principally to yourselves-I ask the question, Is the prophet a fool? Can you really believe it? Can you pretend to believe it? When you have brought before you all that he professes to be, and all that he attempts to accomplish-when you think of what he has done, and of what he is doing-can you seriously unite either in the depreciation of his pretensions, or in ridicule of his office? Place upon one side all the evidence in support of the divinity of the book which the preacher is to expound, and all the facts illustrative of his immense and beneficial

influence on society and place, upon the other, the incredible propositions which he must of necessity believe who rejects the first, and the state of feeling he must possess who could view the second with coldness and indifference; contrast the character of both minds-that of the preacher and that of his opponent: contrast them as to their intellectual condition and moral properties; and determine for yourselves which of the two is best entitled to the epithet in the text.

national interests and secular professions. The politician, the poet, the painter, the man of science and of literature, or, what is more to the purpose at present, the physician and the surgeon, who give themselves to the science and the philo sophy of their profession-who enlarge its boundaries, unravel its mysteries, and promote its advancement-these men are spoken of with rapture for the extrava gance and eccentricity of zeal which they consume on the promotion of their favourite pursuits; they are thus spoken of by the very men who, when a mere tithe of such zeal appears in the professors of a science in comparison with which every other sinks into insignificance, are ever ready to express their pity, in the language of contempt-the prophet is a fool, or the preacher is mad! Now, conduct like this is just any thing but wisdom. To use a familiar comparison, which, with your professional predilections, you will readily understand, it is like the feeling of a man who, on seeing the successful application of medicine in suddenly raising an individual from the bed of sickness, and bringing him forth into society in vigour and in health, should fix his admiration, not upon the skill of the physician who had restored the patient, but upon the skill of the operatives who se

"The prophet is a fool." This language might be further illustrated, not as the sentiment of the infidel objector, but as that of the man who professes himself a Christian, but who is offended by the earnestness and enthusiasm with which the preacher exhibits his theme, and urges its acceptance. On this, however, we shall merely remark, that either on the admission of the truth of what the preacher promulgates, or on the supposition of its falsehood, but with the admission that the preacher himself believes it to be true-in either case the charge of imbecility and folly must rest with the man who could make such admissions, and yet be willing to witness, in the advocate of this truth, or this supposed truth, any thing but the most fervid zeal, and impassioned enthusiasm. In the estimation of the preacher, he is in posses-lected the fashion of his coat, or the figure sion of the grand secret by which alone humanity can be permanently benefited that secret which God himself has revealed, for the very purpose of saving an apostate species, and restoring the harmony of the world; he believes that the highest happiness of the present life, and the very possibility of happiness in the next, depends on the reception of the truth which he is concerned to teach; he who considers that this must be the feeling of the Christian prophet, on the supposition of his moral sincerity, instead of wonder- "The spiritual man is mad!" This ing at the warmth with which the duties we take to be the language of the man of of the office are occasionally discharged, mere secular virtue, who indeed may prowill rather wonder at the tameness and fess himself a Christian, and who may apathy by which those who sustain it are be distinguished for much that is amiable too frequently distinguished. Enthusi- in manners, and excellent in character. asm is a term employed in a good sense, This is his language in allusion to the and is used to describe the feeling with methodist; that is, to the consistent disciwhich men often devote themselves to ple of the preacher-one who carries his

of his shoe. Any extravagance, in fact, on the subject of religion is more rational and more dignified than indifference; and any folly is tolerable and innocent but that which admires the enthusiasm often absurdly devoted to present interests and temporary claims, and condemns that which belongs to the eternal, the infinite, and the future.

It is time, however, to advance to the illustration of the second clause, "the spiritual man is mad."

principles into practice, and who becomes | racteristics by which the spiritual man is distinguished by the peculiarities and habits of the religious life.

distinguished, and for which he is ridiculed and stigmatized as deserving the contemptuous application of the epithet in the text.

Observe, then, in the next place, the conduct and the character of the man by whom this epithet is so freely bestowed. This man you may suppose to be as excellent and distinguished, in the moral and intellectual properties of his character, as it is possible for a human being to be. He may possess genius, talents, and sensibility; he may be amiable, honourable, and benevolent; may have acquired the highest rank in his profession; he may be loved for his modesty, and vene

he may be chargeable with such immense deficiencies of character as amount to nothing short of that very madness which he attributes to others. There is another world as well as the present—a world for which, though professing to expect it, this man has made no preparation; there is a God, but he neglects him—perhaps profanes his name, and dishonours his sabbaths. He professes to believe the Bible, but he never opens it-to believe in Christ, but he practically rejects him

In order to judge of the justice of the epithet, let us take the lowest form of the men of spiritual attainment, and the highest form of the men of secular virtue, and let us ascertain which of the two deserves most to be admired and approved, upon the principles of enlightened and purified reason. The spiritual or religious man may be one of but little grasp of intellect, with limited abilities, circumscribed knowledge, and even distinguished by some mental weaknesses, which excite, in those who know his worth and respect him most, deep and durable regret; yet, with all this, he is sincerely and consist-rated for his worth: yet, with all this, ently a Christian-that is the point, he is sincerely and consistently a Christian: that is, he is conscious of sin, and he therefore indulges the feelings of contrition and repentance: he desires forgiveness, and he seeks it by humble faith in the propitiatory sacrifice; he is sensible of depravity, and he there fore asks the influence of that Spirit which the Scriptures reveal to purify his affections; he is convinced of the existence of God, and the claims which he has on his veneration and regard, and he to have committed sin, but he never therefore cultivates the habit of devotion, and studies to honour him by conscientious obedience; he is ignorant, and he therefore aims at enlarging his acquaintance with truth, by the daily perusal of the written word: he believes the promises of Scripture, he therefore pleads them in prayer, and confides in them in practice; he considers himself as advancing rapidly to eternity, and hence he lives in diligent preparation for the cir-question, and let him honestly say which cumstance of death; he reads of heaven, and of hell, and he is anxious to be fitted for the one, and to escape the other; he finds himself required to glorify God, by acting under the influence of religious motives, by the exercise of faith, and by benevolent regard to the interests of others and he attempts all this in humble dependence on divine assistance, and yet with watchfulness and vigour in the voluntary employment of his faculties and powers. Such are a few of the cha

repents of it-to expect death, but he lives as if he were immortal. He says that he believes there is a heaven, but to be fitted for its enjoyments excites none of his solicitude-that there is a hell, but he makes no efforts, in humble accordance with the dictates of revelation, to escape the penalty it is intended to inflict. Now, let any person of common sense just reflect for a moment on the characters in

of the two is to be "accounted mad ;"he who, with all his ignorance and weakness, is alive to the sublime relations he sustains to eternity; or he who, whatever may be his abilities, is confining them to the concerns and the advantages of a moment, and losing the distinctions of that endless existence which, all the time, he professes to expect!—The eternal God has determined the matter, by telling us that to the man who cares only to be rich in relation to earth, whether

that consist in wealth or in talent, sepa- | the habits of a pious family still about

rate from religion, that to that man, the epithet of "fool" is applied in the vocabulary of heaven!

you, let nothing shame you out of their continued cultivation; if any of you have begun to feel the pernicious influence of evil communications, break instantly with the criminal seducers; if any of you have proceeded far in the absurd career of scepticism or of vice, be persuaded to return, in spite of the insane ridicule you may receive from your companions; if any of you are scouted as saints, and have to sustain indignity or contempt for your steady attachment to God and to truth, be not discouraged; remember that on your side are the wise and the virtuous of all worlds-the excellent of earth, and the perfect in heaven; if any of you are disposed to think lightly of the Holy Scriptures-to neglect the instructions of the Christian preacher, and to associate religion with weakness and fanaticism— recollect that the probability is that you are very ignorant of the subjects on which you are about to dare to dogmatize—that, by doing so, you will only betray to the intelligent your intellectual poverty, and, which will be more galling perhaps, expose yourselves to the commiseration and pity of the pious. Let me beseech all of you to fortify your minds against the dangers of your position, by studying both the Christian evidences and the Christian record; make it a point of conscience to attend regularly on the ordinances of Christian worship; and ever cultivate a reverential regard to that Being of whose wisdom and benevolence you witness so many proofs in the progress of your studies; forget not that He knows the wants of the mind, and has provided for those wants, just as he knows the wants of the body, and has

The subject might be further illustrated by taking an individual who, after years passed in moral insensibility, or criminal indulgence, should suddenly be affected by religious truth, and should rise into the character of a religious man. We might take such a person, and, considering the scorn, and ridicule, and laughter with which he would be assailed by his former associates, we might contrast his conduct with theirs-his who awakes, as it were, to the voice of reason, and to the suggestions and impulses of his better nature-and theirs who continue imbruted in the bondage of the flesh, degraded and chained by the slavery of the senses. The thing, however, is too absurd to be patiently pursued; for the impure and the profligate to talk of the madness of the man who breaks from their confederacy, and to laugh at him as if he had forsaken a company of philosophers, would only excite one's indignant contempt, if it were not that the poor idiots are entitled to compassion. The ridicule or the hatred of such characters is always to be considered as approbation and praise. To turn from iniquity, and to be accounted mad, is the way to be regarded as rational and wise by the angels in heaven -those sages of eternity, who understand the nature and the province of intellect, and who rejoice over every sinner that repenteth. For those who, thus being led to repentance, become "wise unto salvation," and for those who are honoured to be the instruments of promoting this result-for both are reserved, by the mercy of God, some of the high-provided for them—that, with this view, est honours which eternity can confer :"They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars, for ever and ever."

In conclusion, I would urge upon those whom I have the privilege to address, the important lessons which the present subject involves, and which they will readily detect. If any of you have just left the parental roof, and have arrived here with

he has addressed to you the gospel of his Son, and commanded you to receive it, because he knows that you have need both of the pardon of sin, and the renovation of your nature; by repentance and faith seek the enjoyment of these incomparable blessings-blessings without which you may certainly be successf in the world, but can never be properly prepared for leaving it; and leave it you must, whether prepared for the tremen

dous transition or not. And now, one Tracing, at a glance, the margin of this word in relation to a subject on which simple lake, on the opposite or eastern one word will be sufficient, and then I side, the eye rests on the inhospitable have done. I beseech you, then, by all country of the Gadarenes-inhospitable the feelings you possess as sons and as to this day. But that which awakens brothers-by the recollections you retain the tenderest emotions in viewing a scene of your father's house-by a mother's like this, is the remembrance of ONE intense and irrepressible anxiety, and by who, formerly, so often passed this way; a sister's pure and angelic affection-as and never passed without leaving, by his you desire to be respected, and ought to words and actions, some memorial of his desire to be worthy of respect-as you divine wisdom and love. Here, or in would wish to possess, in future years, this neighbourhood, most of his mighty internal serenity in looking back to the works were done: and in our daily relihabits of the present period-in the name gious services we have read, with the of God-by the reality of judgment, of most intense interest, those passages of heaven, and of hell-by all that is author- the gospel which refer to these regions. itative in truth, and all that is tender in However uncertain other traditional geofriendship, I beseech you "to flee youth-graphical notices may be, here no doubt ful lusts that war against the soul!"-to interrupts our enjoyment in tracing the study, in this respect, to maintain a conscience and a character void of offence! to erect yourselves above yourselves, and to exercise, by reason and religion, an abiding control over the appetites and passions!let the man govern the animal, and let God govern the man! Supplicate gracious aid to assist and to strengthen; and, as humble and consistent disciples of his Son, aim at the attainment of elevated excellence, and seek for glory, honour, immortality, and eternal life!

REFLECTIONS AT TIBERIAS.

THE Composure which came over my feverish spirits at this hour was inexpressibly refreshing: I laid myself down upon the ground, and, resting my head upon a stone near me, drew a little coolness from the soil: while the simple train of reflections which naturally sprung up from the scene around me added much to my enjoyment. At a great distance to the north was the mountainous horizon, on the summit of which stands Safet, glistening with its noble castle: it is not improbably supposed that our Saviour had this spot in his eye, and directed the attention of his disciples to it, when he said, "A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid;" for it is in full view from the Mount of Beatitudes, as well as from this place; and, indeed, seems to command all the country round to a great extent. VOL. I.-41

Redeemer's footsteps. This, and no other, is the sea of Galilee-in its dimensions, as I should judge, resembling exactly the size of the isle of Malta, about twenty miles in length, twelve in breadth, and sixty in circumference. Here Jesus called the sons of Zebedee, from mending their nets, to become "fishers of men." Here he preached to the multitudes crowding to the water's edge, himself putting off a little from the shore in Simon Peter's boat. But there is not now a single boat upon the lake to remind us of its former use. Yonder, on the right, must have been the very spot where, in the middle of their passage from this side toward Bethsaida and Capernaum, the disciples were affrighted at seeing Jesus upon the water-when he gently upbraided the sinking faith of Peter-when he said to the winds and waves, "Be still!"-and the sweet serenity which now rests upon the surface is the very same stillness which then succeeded. Here, finally, it was that Jesus appeared, the third time after his resurrection, to his disciples, (John xxi.) and put that question to the zealous, backslidden, but repentant Peter, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?"-one question thrice repeated; plainly denoting what the Saviour requires of all who profess to be his; and followed up by that solemn charge, "Feed my lambsfeed my sheep."-Jowett's Res. in Syria.

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