What a gulf is here! By what art will reason get over the immense chasm? This cannot be till the Almighty come in to succour, and give you that faith you have hitherto despised. Then upborne as it were upon eagles' wings, you shall soar away into the regions of eternity; and your enlightened reason shall explore even "the deep things of God," God himself "revealing them to you by his Spirit." 36. I expected to have received much light on this head, from a treatise lately published, and earnestly recommended to me, I mean, Christianity not founded on Argument. But on a careful perusal of that piece, notwithstanding my prejudice in its favour, I could not but perceive, that the great design uniformly pursued throughout the work, was to render the whole of the Christian institution both odious and contemptible. In order to this, the author gleans up with great care and diligence, the most plausible of those many objections that have been raised against it by late writers, and proposes them with the utmost strength of which he was capable. To do this with the more effect, he personates a Christian: he makes a show of defending an avowed doctrine of Christianity, namely, the supernatural influence of the Spirit of God; and often, for several sentences together, (indeed in the beginning of almost every paragraph,) speaks so like a Christian, that not a few have received him according to his wish. Meanwhile, with all possible art and show of reason, and in the most laboured language, he pursues his point throughout, which is to prove, "that Christianity is contrary to reason;" or, "that no man acting according to the principles of reason, can possibly be a Christian."

37. It is a wonderful proof of the power that smooth words may have even on serious minds, that so many have mistook such a writer as this for a friend of Christianity: since almost every page of his tract is filled with gross falsehood and broad blasphemy and these supported by such exploded fallacies, and common place sophistry, that a person of two or three years' standing in the university, might give them a sufficient answer, and make the author appear as irrational and contemptible as he labours to make Christ and his Apostles.

38. I have hitherto spoken to those, chiefly, who do not receive the Christian system as of God. I would add a few words to another set of men; (though not so much with regard to our principles or practice, as with regard to their own :) to you who do receive it, who believe the Scripture, but yet do not take upon you the character of religious men. I am therefore obliged to address myself to you, likewise, under the character of men of reason.

39. I would only ask, Are you such indeed? Do you answer the character under which you appear? If so, you are consistent with yourselves. Your principles and practice agree together.

Let us try whether this be so or not. Do you take the name of God in vain? Do you remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy? Do you not speak evil of the ruler of your people? Are you not a drunkard, or a glutton, faring as sumptuously as you can every day! Making a god of your belly? Do you not avenge yourself? Are you not a whoremonger or adulterer? Answer plainly to your own heart, before God the Judge of all.

Why then do you say, you truly believe the Scripture? If the Scripture be true, you are lost. You are in the broad way that leadeth to destruction. Your damnation slumbereth not. You are heaping up to yourself wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. Doubtless, if the Scripture be true, (and you remain thus,) it had been good for you if you had never been born.

40. How is it that you call yourselves men of reason? Is reason inconsistent with itself? You are the farthest of all men under the sun from any pretence to that character. A common swearer, a sabbath-breaker, a whoremonger, a drunkard, who says he believes the Scripture is of God, is a monster upon earth, the greatest contradiction to his own, as well as to the reason of all mankind. In the name of God, (that worthy name whereby you are called, and which you daily cause to be blasphemed,) turn either to the righhand or to the left. Either profess you are an Infidel, or be a Christ tian. Halt no longer thus between two opinions. Either cast off the Bible, or your sins. And in the mean time, if you have any spark of your boasted reason left, do not count us your enemies (as I fear you have done hitherto, and as thousands do wherever we have declared, "they who do such things shall not inherit eternal life,") because we tell you the truth seeing these are not our words, but the words of him that sent us. Yea, though in doing this, we use great plainness of speech, as becomes the ministry we have received. "For we are not as many who corrupt" (cauponize, soften, and thereby adulterate) "the word of God. But as of sincerity, but as

of God, in the sight of God, speak we in Christ."

41. But it may be, you are none of these. You abstain from all such things. You have an unspotted reputation. You are a man of honour, or a woman of virtue. You scorn to do an unhandsome thing, and are of an unblameable life and conversation. You are harmless (if I understand you right) and useless from morning to night. You do no hurt,—and no good to any one, no more than a straw floating upon the water. Your life glides smoothly on from year to year; and from one season to another, having no occasion to work,

"You waste away

In gentle inactivity the day."

42. I will not now shock the easiness of your temper, by talking about a future state. But suffer me to ask you a question about present things. Are you now happy? I have seen a large company of reasonable creatures called Indians, sitting in a row on the side of a river, looking sometimes at one another, sometimes at the sky, and sometimes at the bubbles on the water. And so they sat (unless in the time of war) for a great part of the year, from morning to night. These were doubtless much at ease. But can you think they were happy? And how little happier are you than they?

43. You eat, and drink, and sleep, and dress, and dance, and sit VOL. 8.-S

down to play. You are carried abroad. You are at the masquerade, the theatre, the opera-house, the park, the levee, the drawingroom. What do you do there? Why sometimes you talk: sometimes you look at one another. And what are you to do to-morrow? The next day? The next week? The next year? You are to eat, and drink, and sleep, and dance, and dress, and play again. And you are to be carried abroad again, that you may look at one another! And is this all? Alas, how little more happiness have you in this, than the Indians in looking at the sky or water! Ah, poor dull round! I do not wonder that Col. M- (or any man of reflection,) should prefer death itself, even in the midst of his years, to such a life as this! and should frankly declare, "that he chose to go out of the world, because he found nothing in it worth living for."

44. Yet it is certain there is business to be done and many we find in all places, (not to speak of the vulgar, the drudges of the earth,) who are continually employed therein. Are you of that number? Are you engaged in trade, or some other reputable employment? I suppose, profitable too; for you would not spend your time, and labour, and thought, for nothing. You are then making your fortune: you are getting money. True but money is not your ultimate end. The treasuring up gold and silver, for its own sake, all men own, is as foolish and absurd, as grossly unreasonable, as the treasuring up spiders, or the wings of butterflies. You consider this but as a means to some further end. And what is that?

Why, the enjoying yourself, the being at ease, the taking your pleasure, the living like a gentleman. That is plainly, either the whole, or some part of the happiness above described. Supposing then your end to be actually attained, suppose you have your wish, before you drop into eternity: go and sit down with Thleeanowhee and his companions on the river side. After you have toiled for fifty years, you are just as happy as they.

45. Are you, can you, or any reasonable man, be satisfied with this? You are not. It is not possible you should. But what else can you do? You would have something better to employ your time; but you know not where to find it upon earth. And indeed it is obvious, that the Earth, as it is now constituted, even with the help of all European arts, does not find sufficient employment, to take up half the waking hours of half its inhabitants! What then can you do? How can you employ the time that lies so heavy upon your hands? This very thing which you seek, declare we unto you. The thing you want is the religion we preach. That alone leaves no time upon our hands. It fills up all the blank spaces of life. It exactly takes up all the time we have to spare, be it more or less: so that "he that hath much, hath nothing over, and he that has little, has no lack."

46. Once more. Can you (or any man of reason,) think, you were made for the life you now lead? You cannot possibly think so; at least, not till you tread the Bible under foot. The oracles of God bear thee witness in every page, (and thine own heart agreeth there

to,) that thou wast made in the image of God, an incorruptible picture of the God of glory. And what art thou even in thy present state? An everlasting spirit, going to God. For what end then did he create thee, but to dwell with him above this perishable world, to know him, to love him, to do his will, to enjoy him for ever and ever! O look more deeply into thyself! and into that Scripture, which thou professest to receive as the word of God, as right concerning all things. There thou wilt find a nobler, happier state described, than it ever yet entered into thy heart to conceive. But God hath now revealed it to all those who "rejoice evermore, and pray without ceasing, and in every thing give thanks," and "do his will on earth as it is done in heaven." For this thou wast made. Hereunto also thou art called. O be not disobedient unto the heavenly calling! At least, be not angry with those who would fain bring thee to be a living witness of that religion, "whose ways are" indeed "ways of pleasantness, and all her paths peace."

47. Do you say in your heart, "I know all this already? I am not barely a man of reason. I am a religious man: for I not only avoid evil and do good, but use all the means of grace. I am constantly at church and at the sacrament too. I say my prayers every day. I read many good books. I fast every Thirtieth of January, and Good Friday." Do you indeed? Do you do all this? This you may do: You may go thus far, and yet have no religion at all; no such religion as avails before God. Nay, much farther than this, than you have ever gone yet, or so much as thought of going. For you may "give all your goods to feed the poor," yea, "your body to be burned, and yet" very possibly, if St. Paul be a judge, "have no charity," no true religion.

48. This religion which alone is of value before God, is the very thing you want. You want (and in wanting this, you want all) the religion of love. You do not love your neighbour as yourself, no more than you love God with all your heart. Ask your own heart now, if it be not so? It is plain you do not love God. If you did, you would be happy in him. But you know you are not happy. Your formal religion no more makes you happy, than your neighbour's gay religion does him. O how much have you suffered for want of plain dealing! Can you now bear to hear the naked truth? You have the form of godliness, but not the power. You are a mere whited wall. Before the Lord your God, I ask you, Are you not? Too sure. For your "inward parts are very wickedness." You love "the creature more than the Creator." You are "a lover of pleasure more than a lover of God." A lover of God! You do not love God at all, no more than you love a stone. You love the world; therefore "the love of the Father is not in you."

49. You are on the brink of the pit, ready to be plunged into everlasting perdition. Indeed you have a zeal for God; but not according to knowledge. O how terribly have you been deceived! Posting to hell, and fancying it was heaven. See at length that outward religion without inward, is nothing; is far worse than nothing, being in

deed no other than a solemn mockery of God. And inward religion you have not. You have not the faith that worketh by love. Your faith (so called) is no living, saving principle. It is not the Apostle's faith, "the substance" (or subsistence) "of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." So far from it, that this faith is the very thing which you call enthusiasm. You are not content with being without it, unless you blaspheme it too. You even revile that life which is hid with Christ in God; all seeing, tasting, hearing, feeling God. These things are foolishness unto you. No marvel; "for they are spiritually discerned."

50. Oh! no longer shut your eyes against the light. Know you have a name that you live, but are dead. Your soul is utterly dead in sin; dead in pride, in vanity, in self-will, in sensuality, in love of the world. You are utterly dead to God. There is no intercourse between your soul and God. "You have neither seen him," (by faith, as our Lord witnessed against them of old time,) "nor heard his voice at any time." You have no spiritual senses exercised to discern spiritual good and evil." You are angry at infidels, and are all the while as mere an infidel before God as they. You have "eyes that see not, and ears that hear not." You have a callous, unfeeling heart.

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51. Bear with me a little longer: my soul is distressed for you. "The god of this world hath blinded your eyes," and you are "seeking death in the error of your life." Because you do not commit gross sin, because you give alms, and go to the Church and Sacrament, you imagine that you are serving God; yet in very deed you are serving the Devil. For you are doing still your own will, not the will of God your Saviour. You are pleasing yourself in all you do. Pride, vanity, and self-will, (the genuine fruits of an earthly, sensual, devilish heart,) pollute all your words and actions. You are in darkness, in the shadow of death. Oh! that God would say to you in thunder, "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."

52. But, blessed be God! He hath not yet left himself without witness!

"All are not lost! There be, who faith prefer,
Though few, and piety to God!"

Who know the power of faith, and are no strangers to that inward, vital religion, the mind that was in Christ, "righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Of you who have "tasted the good word of God, and the power of the world to come," we would be glad to learn, if we have erred from the faith, or walked contrary to the truth as it is in Jesus. "Let the righteous smite me friendly, and reprove me;" if haply that which is amiss may be done away, and what is wanting supplied, till we all come to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

53. Perhaps the first thing that now occurs to your mind, relates to the doctrine which we teach. You have heard, that we say, Men may live without sin." And have you not heard, that the