narchy, establishing a religion upon the ruin and degradation of the priesthood, and securing the balance of national liberty by the entire omission of the aristocracy. The whole is worthy of those who were so far gone in political dotage as to send to our sapient Jeremy Bentham for a code of laws of the newest fashion, and then to quarrel with the old gentleman for not cutting out the work according to a favourite pattern of their own. To suffer the peace of the Continent to be endangered by mediating between these persons and their legitimate but infatuated king, would be equally useless and wicked. Spaniards of all classes, parties, and sentiments, must be left to learn wisdom in the school of adversity, and the period of the lesson will be prolonged by an injudicious attempt at curtailing it.

Between Turkey and Greece the question is represented as less selfevident, and persons whose opinions. are entitled to considerable weight, have said that the cruelty on one side, and the sufferings on the other, are sufficient to justify the interposition of a third party. And that Russia should be permitted if not recommended to increase her enormous power, and obtain a direct communication with the Mediterranean Sea, by taking the States of Greece, under her immediate protection. In this reasoning, specious as it is, we are unable to acquiesce. In pretending to determine the de. gree of misgovernment which can justify the interposition of a foreign power, the advocates of Grecian liberation undertake what it is impossible to perform; and what might be turned, if it could be performed, into a dangerous precedent. What

person in this country can ascertain the relative merits of the Turkish and Grecian troops? Who can say that the butcheries have been all on one side? What proof has yet been given that the atrocities committed by the Turks were not produced by equal atrocities on the side of Greece? If once we recognise the principle of foreign interference for the redress of domestic wrongs, where is that interference to stop? Every band of discontented subjects will believe that insurrection is a duty; and every ambitious or idle monarch will feel himself called upon to take their part. Let the Greeks make the best of their own interesting cause-let them avail themselves of any private assistance which they may be able to procure, but let not the peace of the world be broken, or even be endangered, from a romantic wish to assist those who may liberate themselves if they are worthy or capable of liberation.

On the whole, nothing can be more honourable than the station to be occupied by this country at the approaching Congress. Speaking individually and selfishly, she has nothing to win or lose, and little to hope or fear. Her concern is for the general welfare of the human race, and she will promote it by the preservation and consolidation of peace: she has no exclusive or preponderating attachments to parti cular courts, or particular courses, but is ready, in every debate, to cast the whole of her weight into the scale of reason, equity, and honour-she possesses a great moral influence in the world, and it behoves her to exert it, in the support, not of Utopian perfection or imaginary rights, but of practicable improvement, of permanent tranquillity.

SERMON FOR THE FIFTH OF NOVEMBER.

Acts xxiii. 12.

"And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat or drink till they had killed Paul."

In this desperate league against the life of the Apostle, the words which our Redeemer had spoken during the season of his ministry, were distinctly brought to pass: "the hour cometh," said the merciful Re. deemer, "when whosoever killeth you, will think that he doeth God service."

It is clear that the conspiracy recorded in the text was set on foot and founded on the grossest mispersuasion of what might be acceptable before God. The design itself was communicated to the Chief Priests and Elders. The same sort of encouragement was thus a second time held forth as the price of blood, by which Judas had before been countenanced in his base design.

In the case of Judas, there was indeed another motive at the bottom. It was not religious zeal which operated in his mind, but sordid avarice. He cast away his soul and forfeited his own high privilege in the Christian household, for the poor bribe of a little silver. The engagement into which Judas entered was also different in this respect, that it was transacted only with the Rulers of the Jewish state, whose malice led them to favour that atroREMEMBRANCER, No. 47.

cious undertaking. But St. Paul's assailants did not scruple to make their covenant and to strike their league with God. They take God to witness to their secret, and bind it with a solemn oath upon their consciences. They called down death upon themselves, if any of the band should draw back before the bitter purpose should be accomplished. Many such patterns and examples of a voluntary league in bad designs have derived their origin from the phrenzy and delusions of a zeal thus raging and mistaken. The world has been filled with bloodshed, and the fair face of Christendom has been sullied by such stains of scandal and disgrace. The Church itself has been haunted with such furies not less hard to be cast out than the wicked spirits which possessed meu heretofore; worse, indeed, if possible, in some respects, for those wicked spirits yielded to the voice of the Redeemer: but the word of the same Lord has borne an ineffectual witness against the fire and steel of persecution. His own name has been called to sanction what his own word forbids.

It behoves us, then, to consider well in what way such mischievous excesses may be best prevented, and how to make the fittest use of recollections and memorials which will bid fair to partake of the same bad spirit of hostility, if they pass a single foot beyond the bounds of thankiulness for past deliverance, of necessary caution, and of sincere 4 N

regret for any sparks which may remain of persecuting rage. It behoves us to consider then by what test such purposes or such engagements may be tried'; and by what means all approaches to them may be shunned or counteracted. We shail thus be able to form a proper judgment of the case to which the text alludes, and of that event to which it bears so much resemblance, which we are this day required to keep in memory, that the crime may be detested, as it well deserves, and that the rescue, the benefits of which descend to us, may be thankfully acknowledged.

We shall not have far to seek for that universal test or standard without which it would be impossible to try the spirits of men, or to prove with certainty the quality and nature of their actions or their pleas.

We have to bless God for establishing the ties of moral and religious duty upon uniform and solid principles. Thus the rules of truth and righteousness are subject to no change or variation they answer to the known perfections of the Sovereign Lord, and are confirmed to us by such demonstrations as he hath been pleased to furnish of his will.

Thus the boundaries of good and evil are not fluctuating and uncer. tain things, which custom or opinion may be suffered to confound: they are not the fickle or imaginary lines of limitation or prescription which may vary with men's humours, or change with their fanciful conceits: they are not things which human policy or arbitrary notions may new model or controul. We may be convinced of this by one consideration which presents itself most readily, and arises from the case before us for if the force of mispersuasion were enough to sanctify unrighteous deeds and to change their nature, then might this band af wicked men, who sought the life of the Apostle, stand up in the great day of account, and vindicate their whole attempt even at the judgment

seat of Christ, against whose chosen witness and disciple they formed their barbarous league and planned this deliberate attempt.

The first conclusion then to be collected from a settled standard, founded on the laws of truth and righteousness, will be this-that the Sovereign Ruler is not bound to change the measure of his judgment as men vary their opinions; or to relax his laws, because man perverts his reason and pursues deceitful and pernicious courses when prejudice obscures his understanding, and when headlong passions may prevail to warp his way. This one sound conclusion will be sufficient to direct our whole inquiry on the subject now before us, and to fix our judgment on the several instances which we have to consider at this time: for it will convince us of two things-first, that men may err, and be guilty before God, when they break his law, though they do it in the confidence of mispersua sion. Whatever be the shades of difference in such cases, by which they stand distinguished from wanton or malicious trespasses, yet the transgression may be always traced to some faulty dispositions, and are accompanied with some misconduct

and then, that it is a false and most pernicious maxim directly contrary to the fixed standard of things, good or evil, that evil may be done that good may follow.

Let us take the first of these rules into our consideration. The cavils which are often raised against the pattern of unalterable rectitude, are intricate and subtle they have led some men to conclude that there is no other standard of what is right than sincerity alone; and where that is found, or where it is presumed, the sentence of acquittal is supposed to follow at the great tribunal,

They who urge this plea, are apt to overlook the requisite conditions which belong to it, and which alone can operate to give it any weight at all. They forget how many false

steps may be made; how many duties may be violated; how indo lent and careless men may be, where they should be vigilant and cauti ous; how deaf to others, and how hasty in their own inquiries or conclusions, before they come to act on mispersuasions. But their guilt, without all doubt, must be propor tioned to all these previous acts of carelessness or folly; of arrogance or pride; of haste and inconsideration. The case of St. Paul himself, in a former period of his life, supplies a memorable proof of this, his penitent confessions testify that the stains of guilt, whatever be its measure or degree, may cleave to the delusions which subvert men's judgment and inspire them with false confidence, and lead them to mistake atrocious misdeeds for very laudable attempts.

St. Paul had persecuted and assaulted others in the same way in which he was now beset in this confederacy but when he perceived his error, he confessed the guilt by which it was accompanied: he deplored it with the liveliest sorrow, and testified on this account the deepest tokens of contrition.

Impossible it is to think that men can commit gross crimes, and yet claim the praise of good deeds, and applaud themselves, except they have first departed from the fixed rules of righteousness, and the most acknowledged dictates of the will of God. Some false principle must be introduced to transport them beyond the settled boundaries and measures of their ordinary obligations, and the rules of righteous dealings: and the question will be how that misconception was first fostered or admitted.

In St. Paul's case we know well what those false principles of con duct were. They sprang from Jewish prejudices; from that overweening zeal for which our Lord so often taxed the Pharisees; declaring that they compassed sea and land to make one proselyte, who be came no better for the change, but by treading in the steps and imbib. ing the bad spirit of their guides, became as full of pride and malice as themselves; nay, worse; since the zeal of proselytes is commonly most ardent and excessive. When our Lord's disciples asked for fire from heaven to descend on the Sa maritans, they received that signifi cant and keen rebuke, "Ye know not what spirit ye are of:" they lost sight of the nature of religious homage in general, and of the special tender of the Gospel in particular, with its grants of mercy and salvation, and its strong induce ments, grounded on those proffered blessings, to mutual kindness and good-will. They lost sight for a moment, till recalled by their Lord's admonition, of the great end of his coming; of his doctrines, precepts, and above all of his example and the whole tenor of his life and conduct.

We have touched one false prin. ciple, that of blind and headlong zeal, which is always coupled with the wish to raise a party and to win adherents among men. Another source of misconception and unreasonable zeal arises from reversing the just rules of comparison, and preferring things of less value to things of chief importance. Of this false mode of estimating things, the Pharisee was again the known example. He preferred the temple and its ceremonies, with his own ridiculous inventions and observ. ances of washings and traditionary niceties, self-imposed, and fit only to engender pride and singularity, he preferred such things to peace and holiness, to clemency and justice, nay, to the message of salvation when it sounded in his ears,

and was brought home even to his own door.

The delusion of those zealots who now assailed St. Paul was of this kind and so, to say the truth, were the delusions which too soon crept into the Christian Church. Bitter strifes and persecutions were soon excited for things of far less moment than that peace and that good-will which were so often sacrificed to idle contests.

The first contention of this sort which was raised within the bosom of the Christian Church after some heresies had been suppressed by the word of the apostle and the testimony of the Sacred Scriptures, the first internal feud which took place so early in the Christian era, related to the time of celebrating the solemnities of the paschal feast. The whole Church was embroiled in this dispute for a season. Our own history presents a memorable in. stance of this kind. Thus when a solemn mission at a later period came from the Roman see into this realm of Britain, where the faith of Christ had been long since planted, instead of that affectionate concern to impart the best aids and advices, a claim was instantly set up by the Romish missionaries to dictate on a point of discipline and usage. They insisted that the British Churches should forego their custom in that same point of celebrating Easter. On their refusal to submit to foreign customs, urged thus with an assumed authority which was deemed to be subversive of their Christian liberty and independence, a bitter persecution followed, and much blood was spilt.

Conformable to this pattern has been the conduct of the Romish see, and those by whom its claims have been set forward and supported in succeeding ages. The same spirit was excited until they contrived to force a temporal dominion and a feigned authority by perpetual incroachments, upon states and empires, which owed them no subjec

tion, and no deference but that of mutual love.

The statutes of our own realm in early times, and through whole periods of our history, prove to demonstration the resistance which was made against such claims in this land, and shew us plainly that the rights and privileges of our native Church were not tamely yielded. In fact, they gave way by slow degrees, as large portions of the western world resigned their liberty, and sunk under the porten. tous yoke.

With what joy then may we call to mind that the knowledge of the Gospel was welcomed at an early period in this land, long before the Roman mission could set foot in it

and that the call to reformation was as gladly and as readily received.

It is an ungrateful thing to turn the thoughts to themes of controversy and dispute. They are the thorny paths in which the fruits of bitterness have prevailed in much abundance. It would seem to be a trespass on the rule which was first put forward in this discourse, were I in this place of assembly to prefer disputed topics to those which relate to our common duty and our common hope. In all ordinary cases it would be sufficient for us to rejoice in our own freedom, vindicated and recovered, as it has been, by many an hard fought contest, and confirmed to us by the blood of martyrs in this land. The yoke is broken, and the fetters cast aside. We have to bless God for it, and to guard the privilege from new assaults.

I will add but a few words then on the controverted topics. Let any who would try the merits of the question without entering on a wide and boundless field of disputation, look only for a moment to the last synodical and public acts of that Church, by which the sentence and decrees of a Council called and managed by themselves, were bound upon the necks and consciences of