your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly-kindness, and to brotherly-kindness charity. For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.”

Let no student then think that his studying hours are lost because he is not always reading, but sometimes more actively and directly obeying; because he is not always in his library, but sometimes engaged in visiting the poor and in the direct service of God.* For every thing there is a time and season; and if we are wise to discern the seasonable duty, and steadily pursue it, and duly improve it, knowledge and holiness will be progressively advancing as in a divine school; the lessons may vary in different parts of the day, but the general improvement of the scholar is advancing in each lesson, and by these different parts pursued together the full ripeness of the Christian character is attained.

The most edifying works in the Christian's library have not been written by those confined exclusively to their closets. The Cyprians and Augustines, the Luthers and Calvins, the Cranmers and Jewells, the Owens

*Baxter says, in his Reformed Pastor, If you grow not extensively in knowledge, you will by this way of diligent practice obtain the intensive and more excellent growth. If you know not so many things as others, you will know the great things better than they; for this serious dealing with sinners for their salvation will help you to far deeper apprehensions of the saving principles of religion than you can get by any other means.-By serious talking of everlasting things and teaching the creed, or some short catechism, you may grow more in knowledge, (though not in the knowlege of more things,) and prove much wiser men than if you spent that time in studying common, or curious, and less necessary things.-He will be the ablest physician, lawyer, and divine also, that adds practice and experience proportionably to his studies.'

and Baxters, the Halls and Leightons of former days, were men so full of active duty, that one is astonished that they could ever find time for their varied writings. Had they not been so occupied in works of righteousness, they would never have given us those rich experimental and practical treatises which we have received from them.

Let us then be willing to resign our studies for our more practical duties, even when most intensely engaged in them; even though a chain of thought may perhaps be broken which we cannot afterwards recover. These self-denying efforts will not be without an ample recompense in the very studies which we seem to be deserting.

But let us, on the other hand, be diligent to resume (when the opportunity is again returned to us) that close study which ordinarily is essentially requisite to enable us to acquire that enlarged knowledge which leads to extended usefulness. And more especially let us begin our studies with getting our hearts into a right frame, remembering our Christian principles, and sending up our aspirations to the Father of Lights, and the Giver of all Wisdom.

There is another influence of holiness as it affects others. As Christ displayed the glory of the Father, so the glory of the Father and of the Son is to be displayed to the world in the work of the Spirit on the hearts of Christians. Their truth, love, joy, peace, holiness, and happiness are to manifest the invisible God to man, so that he may be glorified. What a book is the Christian life! What a display of God's truth to all his fellow creatures, is the conduct of the Christian! It is the most practical book in the world; it is of all appeals to the understanding and the heart, the most eloquent, and touching, and convincing.

We cannot close this interesting subject, without adverting to that heavenly country to which the Christian is going, where both knowledge and holiness shall

be perfected, and yet increasing through eternity. O blessed region, where his servants shall serve him, and they shall see his face, and his name shall be in their foreheads; knowledge will act upon holiness, and holiness upon knowledge, in an endless advance and progression; and beholding our Saviour when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is!

Christians, with what diligence, then, should we follow that holiness without which no man shall see the Lord!

CHAPTER III.

THE DIVINE TEACHING WHICH GOD HAS PROMISED.

THE happy influence of practical holiness on attaining religious knowledge, is in perfect harmony and consistency with the high hope which God has given us of Divine teaching. Holiness is itself one gracious and principal effect of heavenly instruction; hence David prays, Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God: thy Spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness, (Psalm cxliii. 10.) And hence St. Paul describes Christians as taught of God to love one another.

In Bishop Taylor's valuable sermon, preached to the University of Dublin, showing by what means scholars may become most learned and useful, he observes, In this inquiry I must take one thing for a 'præcognitum,' that every good man is deodidaxros, he is taught of God; and indeed unless he teach us, we

shall make but ill scholars ourselves, and worse guides to others. Nemo potest Deum scire, nisi a Deo doceatur; No one can know God unless he be taught of God, said Irenæus.'

We allow and press, as has been seen, the importance of human studies. In the forcible words of Melancthon, the scripture cannot be understood theologically unless it be first understood grammatically.' But things subordinate are not opposed to that to which they are subordinate.

Human sciences are to be learned from human authors, and by human instruction or research. Astronomy, navigation, geography, anatomy, and the like, except in peculiar circumstances, (Exod. xxxi. 3.) are to be acquired with that general assistance and blessing of God which is common to all; but there is a peculiarity about the study of divinity, answering to its unspeakable magnitude and importance; we need, in addition to all human instruction, divine teaching. Divinity is taught by God himself, both as it regards its principles in his word, and their right reception in the understanding, and their full influence on the heart. It is the more needful to dwell on this subject, as there is nothing that we are naturally more prone to overlook; and yet the whole of a happy result of faithful and diligent study depends entirely on our attaining this aid, and being a partaker of this blessing. No directions can at all ultimately and savingly profit us, but as the Divine Spirit gives them life and efficacy.

The testimony of Scripture is delightfully distinct and decisive on this point. Let any candid mind consider such passages as occur so repeatedly in the 119th Psalm; (for instance, verses 12, 18, 27, 33, 66, 73, 124, 125, 135, 144; or Psalm xxv. 4, 5, 8, 9.); or the promise of the Holy Spirit (Luke xi. 13.); or of wisdom from above (James i. 5, 17, 18.): let him bear in mind that the petitions for divine teaching are offered up by persons in possession of the inspired

word; and the promises made to men of certain dispositions (Psalm xxv.); and we see not how it is possible to avoid the conelusion, that the Scriptures do very decidedly and explicitly lead us to the full hope that, in addition to the inspired word, and to give us a due understanding of it, God is ready to bestow, on those that ask, divine teaching; a teaching without which we cannot truly know and receive sacred truth ; but by the aid of which we shall be taught his statutes so as to become wise unto salvation.

May we ever have that humility of mind which led John the Baptist to say, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven, (John iii. 27.) Thence come all our light and all our honor, all our usefulness and all our happiness.

This divine teaching is peculiarly promised under the gospel dispensation; all thy children shall be taught of the Lord, (Isa. liv. 13.) It is the superior excellence of the new beyond the old covenant, that God has promised that all truly interested in it, from the least to the greatest, shall have divine illumination. They shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. It is true that spiritual blessings come by hearing, but only as God in his sovereign love gives the increase. It is true that there are different degrees of knowledge, and that due means must be used to increase our knowledge (1 John, ii. 21.); yet it is perfectly clear that Christians in general have a teaching beyond and superior to man's teaching; seeing St. John says to all, Ye need not that any man teach you: but, as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him, (1 John, ii. 27.)

Nothing can be more important than such promises. Amidst the countless variety of opinions, formed even by those who study the sacred records, amidst the