"Melius est cum veritate diligere, quam cum lenitate decipere," says Augustine. Benevolence compels us to speak the truth; benevolence compels us to try to snatch from destruction our deceived fellow-men. Benevolence compels us to warn Dives of that state of torment into which unbelief and scorn will plunge him; in order that, repenting and believing the gospel, he may be carried at his death by angels into Abraham's bosom.P

This makes the Christian faith so obligatory upon man, that the interests at stake are of such incalculable importance; the unbeliever not only loses heaven, but is plunged into hell; he not only is deprived of the benefit which redemption proffered, but remains under the condemnation which his sins deserve.

And what ETERNITY means, I know not-how much is comprehended in that one word, I know not-whither it stretches, what it involves, what relation it bears to time, what its continually augmenting benefits of joy or depths of misery, I know not-imagination cannot conceive, words cannot express. Remember-WHETHER CHRISTIANITY BE TRUE OR NOT, ETERNITY REMAINS. The immortality of the soul, the future state, the judgment-day and its endless consequences, are truths which natural religion professes to admit: Christianity has only thrown a blaze of light on the obscure traces of these great doctrines. The least probability of the divine origin of Christianity is sufficient, then, to sway an accountable being in seizing the hopes of mercy and availing himself of the means of salvation.— What then should the accumulated evidences of Revelation do? Eternity eludes our comprehension, however we stretch our minds in the pursuit. The longest periods of time will know an end. From the fall of Adam to the present hour, six thousand years have scarcely elapsed-the term to our narrow minds seems long-but what are six thousand years to eternity! When ten thousand times ten thousand years have passed, it will be only begun. If every sand upon the sea shore were to be removed by one single

(p) Luke xvi.

grain at a time, and with an interval of a thousand ages between each, at some period or other that space would be passed-but eternity would still stretch infinitely beyond!

And against this eternity what PROTECTION have you? What assurance that it is not nigh? What have you but the breath in your nostrils as an interposing security? For what is your life, is it not a vapor which appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away? a What a slender interference! What a momentary suspension! Pleasure, vanity, pride, science, ambition, riches, honor, health, all hanging upon a thread! And what then must be the obligation of that religion, which will render this moment of life the means of securing an eternity of bliss!

Yes; I trust I have so far succeeded as to bring your conscience to a stand. I have so far gained the day as to awaken some apprehensions. You resolve to obey the Christian religion; you determine not to violate obligations which correspond with the antecedent relations in which we stand to God; which rest on the obvious excellency of the Revelation of Christ; which are increased by the variety and force of its evidences; which are yet further augmented by the particular advantages of each individual; and are raised to their utmost height by the momentous discoveries and immense interests of eternity.

Let, then, your submission to Christianity be immediate and cordial.

He

I say IMMEDIATE, because delays are in nothing so dangerous as in religion-where the impression of good is so soon effaced, and a relapse into indifference is so instantaneous. TO-DAY, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart." that defers his conversion, will never be converted at all. Men often mistake their imagination for their heart, and believe they are converted from the time they think about conversion." Lose, therefore, no time in deciding the case. Remember the accumulated responsibility which has been gathering, like a cloud, around you from the first dawn of reason to the present hour. Every day has increased the account. Not a moment further is to be lost.

(q) James iv. 14.

(r) Hebrews iv. 7.

(s) Pascal.

Perhaps even now the Holy Spirit is striving for the last time with your heart. And thou, Capernaum, were the solemn words of Jesus to the people amongst whom his works had been chiefly wrought, that art exalted unto heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell; for if the mighty works which have been done in thee, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have continued unto this day. To avert a similar doom, turn at once to your offended Lord. Behold his golden sceptre now extended towards you. Behold the day of grace still shines. Behold all things are ready; approach his footstool and live.

But let your submission be cordial. Yield really to the call of Revelation. Give your heart to your God. Enter upon Christianity with affection, with earnestness, with a persuasion of its infinite importance. Stop not short in formal acquiescence, external profession, a worldly and reputable piety, a tame faith, an outward attendance on the sacraments, occasional acts of duty. All this is mockery and insult, when put in the place of a real reception of Christianity. God demands a contrite spirit-God demands grief and prostration of soul on account of sin-God demands a faith which bows cordially and with delight to the testimony of his word-God demands a reliance upon the merits and sacrifice of his Son-God demands a penetrating sense of the need of his grace and Holy SpiritGod demands the renunciation of every sin and the performance of a willing and filial obedience. Yield, then, this heartfelt subjection. The great God deserves it all; the eternal Saviour has merited it all; the divine Sanctifier will produce it all. Only begin with full purpose of soul. Read, pray, meditate; separate from acknowledged sin; perform known duties. Especially, implore those prevenient aids and operations of grace, which are essential to all further progress. God puts religion into the understanding by reasons, but into the heart by grace. Seek the influence of the Holy Ghost in the first entrance on your course. His influence, like dew on the face of nature, softens, penetrates, refreshes, and fructifies. To put religion into the heart by menace, by force, is not to put religion there, but terror.

(t) Matthew.

GRACE makes all possible, spontaneous, delightful, effective-it is itself a foretaste and integral part of salvation.

Thus, will your submission to Christianity be a matter of choice. Thus it will be, not a fit of devotion, but the fixed purpose of the soul touched by a divine hand, aware of what it is about, sensible of the dangers and temptations before it, and yet resolved in the strength of God to abide by its determination. He that putteth his hand to the plough and looketh back, is not fit for the kingdom of God. The obligations of the Christian faith will never terminate till the struggle of life is over. The snares and seductions of the world will never cease to solicit. The malice and powers of Satan will constantly embarrass and annoy. You must be well resolved then. If you have seen the majestic truths of the Christian doctrine, and the crumbling ruins in which the infidel ramparts lie, do not tempt God by hesitation and tampering with conscience; but boldly and determinately take your stand. Enter the sacred building; abide under the shadow of the Almighty; dwell in the glory of his temple; persevere in your worship and obedience there, till you are summoned from this lower and preparatory scene of duty to that upper and more glorious place, where the Lord God and the Lamb shall be the light thereof AND YOU SHALL REMAIN YOUR GOD, AND GO OUT

AS A PILLAR IN THE TEMPLE OF
NO MORE."

RECAPITULATION

OF INTERNAL

EVIDENCES.

We have now completed that rapid and popular view of the evidences of Christianity, which we proposed.

After having led our youthful inquirer around the bulwarks of the heavenly city, and shown him that the number and strength of the fortifications were not only impregnable to the forces of the enemy, but were such as to give füll repose and sense of security to the inhabitants; we have taken him and brought him within the sacred defences, we

(u) Rev. iii. 12.

have led him into the heart of the citadel, and pointed out the strength of the inward walls, and the proportion and design of the several buildings. We have shown him that the internal constitution of the place is equally excellent with the external bulwarks. We have made him go through the divisions and mark the uses of the various edifices, compare their parts, observe their suitableness for the especial purposes for which they were projected; and have thus aimed at filling his mind with high conceptions of the wisdom of the divine Architect.

We have led him, above all, to the sanctuary, which adorns and protects the city, which is the joy of the whole earth-the palace of the great and eternal King.

We were sure, indeed, beforehand, that a fortress framed by the hand of the Almighty, would concur in its outward and inward character. And though we did not, and could not, allow our young inquirer to sit in judgment with presumptuous confidence on what he might think ought to be the arrangement of the parts, nor to suspend his loyal obedience on their agreement with his preconceived notions; yet we assured him that if, in a simple reliance on the skill which devised the exterior fortifications, he would examine the internal arrangements, with the view of confirming his faith and elevating his idea of the glory of his King, he would be astonished at the proofs of contrivance and foresight in every part.

This, then, he has done. The result has surpassed his expectations-the harmony and strength of the interior itself, the divisions of the city, the beauty of the chief places of concourse, the glory and sanctity of the temple, have filled him with admiration. Some things, indeed, have exceeded his comprehension-for no human mind can have the furniture or experience requisite for judging of such extensive and complicated details-but he has understood enough to allay his fears, to raise his gratitude, and to induce him to rely with confidence on the successful issue of the combat.

In other words, the internal evidences of Christianity have appeared as admirable as the external.