And their happiness still increases as they "grow up into the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."

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There can be no doubt but from this love to God and man, a suitable conversation will follow. His " communication," that is, discourse, will be always in grace, seasoned with salt, and meet to minister grace to the hearers." He will always open his mouth with wisdom, and there will be on his tongue the law of kindness." Hence his affectionate words will "distil as the dew, and as the rain upon the tender herb." And men will know. "it is not he only that speaks, but the Spirit of the Father that speaketh in him." His actions will spring from the, same source with his words, even from the abundance of a loving heart. And while all these aim at the glory of God, and tend to this one point, whatever he does he may truly say,

"End of my every action thou,

In all things thee I see :
Accept my hallow'd labour now,

I do it as to thee."

Sermons, vol. ii, pp. 432, 434.

Here then we see, in the clearest, strongest light, what is real religion: A restoration of man, by Him that bruises the serpent's head, to all that the old serpent deprived him of; a restoration, not only to the favour, but likewise to the image of God, implying not barely deliverance from sin, but the being filled with the fulness of God. It is plain, if we attend to the preceding considerations, that nothing short of this is Christian religion. Every thing else, whether negative or external, is utterly wide of the mark. But what a paradox is this! How little is it understood in the Christian world; yea, in this enlightened age, wherein it is taken for granted the world is wiser than ever it was from the beginning! Among all our discoveries, who has discovered this? How few, either among

the learned or unlearned! And yet, if we believe the Bible, who can deny it? Who can doubt of it? It runs through the Bible from the beginning to the end, in one connected chain; and the agreement of every part of it with every other, is, properly, the analogy of faith. Beware of taking any thing else, or any thing less than this, for religion! Not any thing else. Do not imagine an outward form, a round of duties, both in public and private, is religion! Do not suppose that honesty, justice, and whatever is called morality, (though excellent in its place,) is religion! And least of all dream that orthodoxy, right opinion, (vulgarly called faith,) is religion. Of all religious dreams, this is the vainest; which takes hay and stubble for gold tried in the fire.

O do not take any thing less than this for the religion of Jesus Christ! Do not take a part of it for the whole. What God hath joined together put not asunder. Take no less for his religion than the "faith that worketh by love ;" all inward and outward holiness. Be not content with any religion which does not imply the destruction of all the works of the devil; that is, of all sin. We know weakness of understanding, and a thousand infirmities, will remain while this corruptible body remains; but sin need not remain: this is that work of the devil, eminently so called, which the Son of God was manifested to destroy in this present life. He is able, he is willing, to destroy it now in all that believe in him. Only be not straitened in your own bowels. Do not distrust his power, or his love. Put his promise to the proof. He hath spoken, and is he not ready likewise to perform? Only "come boldly to the throne of grace," trusting in his mercy, and you shall find "He saveth to the uttermost all those that come to God through him."-Sermons, vol. ii, pp. 73, 74.

This alone is religion, truly so called: this alone is, in the sight of God, of great price. The apostle sums it all

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up in three particulars, "righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." And, first, righteousness. Wę cannot be at a loss concerning this, if we remember the words of our Lord, describing the two grand branches thereof, on which "hang all the law and the prophets :" "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy mind, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength. This is the first and great commandment," Mark xii, 30, the first and great branch of Christian righteousness. Thou shalt delight thyself in the Lord thy God; thou shalt seek and find all happiness in him. He shall be "thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward," in time and in eternity. All thy bones shall say, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee!" Thou shalt hear, and fulfil His word who saith, "My son, give me thy heart." And having given him thy heart, thy inmost soul, to reign there without a rival, thou mayest well cry out, in the fulness of thy heart "I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my strong rock, and my defence: my saviour, my God, and my might, in whom I will trust; my buckler, the horn also of my salvation, and my refuge."

And the second commandment is like unto this: the second great branch of Christian righteousness is closely and inseparably connected therewith; even "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Thou shalt love,-thou shalt embrace with the most tender good will, the most earnest and cordial affection, the most inflamed desires of preventing or removing all evil, and of procuring for him every possible good,-thy neighbour; that is, not only thy friend, thy kinsman, or thy acquaintance: not only the virtuous, the friendly, him that loves thee, that prevents or returns thy kindness; but every child of man, every human creature, every soul which God hath made; not excepting him whom thou never hast seen in the

flesh, whom thou knowest not, either by face or name; not excepting him whom thou knowest to be evil and unthankful, him that still despitefully uses and persecutes thee him thou shalt love as thyself; with the same invariable thirst after his happiness in every kind; the same unwearied care to screen him from whatever might grieve or hurt either his soul or body.

Now is not this love "the fulfilling of the law?" the sum of all Christian righteousness-of all inward righteousness; for it necessarily implies "bowels of mercy, humbleness of mind," (seeing "love is not puffed up,") "gentleness, meekness, long-suffering," (for love "is not provoked;" but believeth, hopeth, endureth all things :") and of all outward righteousness; for "love worketh no ill to his neighbour," either by word or deed. It cannot willingly either hurt or grieve any one. And it is zealous of good works. Every lover of mankind, as he hath opportunity, "doeth good unto all men," being (without partiality and without hypocrisy) "full of mercy and good fruits."

But true religion, or a heart right toward God and man, implies happiness, as well as holiness: for it is not only righteousness, but also " peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." What peace? The peace of God, which God only can give, and the world cannot take away; the peace which “passeth all understanding," all (barely) rational conception, being a supernatural sensation, a divine taste of "the powers of the world to comé;" such as the natural man knoweth not, how wise soever in the things of this world, nor, indeed, can he know it in its present state, "because it is spiritually discerned." It is a peace that banishes all doubt, all painful uncertainty; the Spirit of God bearing witness with the spirit of a Christian, that he is a child of God. And it banishes fear, all such fear as hath torment; the fear of the wrath of God; the fear of

hell; the fear of the devil; and, in particular, the fear of death: he that hath the peace of God desiring, if it were the will of God, "to depart and to be with Christ."

With this peace of God, wherever it is fixed in the soul, there is also "joy in the Holy Ghost;" joy wrought in the heart by the Holy Ghost, by the ever blessed Spirit of God. He it is that worketh in us that calm, humble rejoicing in God, through Christ Jesus, "by whom we have now received the atonement,” karaλλayny, the reconciliation with God; and that enables us boldly to confirm the truth of the royal psalmist's declaration, "Blessed is the man," (or rather happy,), "whose unrighteousness is forgiven, and whose sin is covered." He it is that inspires the Christian soul with that even, solid joy which arises from the testimony of the Spirit that he is a child of God; and that gives him to "rejoice with joy unspeakable in hope of the glory of God;" hope both of the glorious image of God, which is, in part, and shall be fully "revealed in him," and of that crown of glory which fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for him.-Sermons, vol. i, pp. 62, 63.

By religion I mean the love of God and man, filling the heart and governing the life. The sure effect of this is, the uniform practice of justice, mercy; and truth. This is the very essence of it; the height and depth of religion, detached from this or that opinion, and from all particular modes of worship.-Sermons, vol. ii, p. 360.

What is religion then? It is easy to answer, if we consult the oracles of God. According to these, it lies in one single point: it is neither more nor less than love: it is love which "is the fulfilling of the law, the end of the commandment." Religion is the love of God and our neighbour; that is, every man under heaven. This love ruling the whole life, animating all our tempers and pas