It is, in two words, gratitude and benevolence; gratitude to our Creator and supreme Benefactor, and benevolence to our fellow-creatures. In other words, it is the loving God with all our heart, and our neighbour as ourselves.

17. It is in consequence of our knowing God loves us, that we love him, and love our neighbour as ourselves. Gratitude towards our Creator cannot but produce beņevolence to our fellow-creatures. The love of Christ constrains us, not only to be harmless, to do no ill to our neighbour, but to be useful, to be "zealous of good works," "as we have time to do good unto all men," and to be patterns to all, of true genuine morality, of justice, mercy, and truth. This is religion, and this is happiness: the happiness for which we were made. This begins when we begin to know God, by the teaching of his own Spirit. As soon as the Father of spirits reveals his Son in our hearts, and the Son reveals his Father, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts: then, and not till then, we are happy. We are happy first, in the consciousness of his favour, which indeed is better than life itself: next, in the constant communion with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ: then in all the heavenly tempers, which he hath wrought in us by his Spirit: Again, in the testimony of his Spirit, that all our works please him; and, lastly, in the testimony of our own spirits, that" in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the world." Standing fast in this liberty from sin and sorrow, wherewith Christ hath made them free, real Christians "rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, and in every thing give thanks." And their happiness still increases, as they "grow up into the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."

18. But how little is this religion experienced, or even thought on, in the Christian world! On the contrary, what reason have we to take up the lamentation of a dying saint, (Mr. Haliburton, of St. Andrews, in Scotland,) “O Sirs, I am afraid a kind of rational religion is more and more prevailing amongst us; a religion that has nothing of Christ belonging to it: nay, that has not only nothing of Christ,

but nothing of God in it !" And indeed how generally does this prevail, not only among professed infidels, but also among those who call themselves Christians, who profess to believe the Bible to be the Word of God? Thus our own countryman, Mr. Wollaston, in that elaborate work, "The Religion of Nature Delineated," presents us with a complete system of religion, without any thing of God about it; without being beholden, in any degree, to either the Jewish or Christian revelation. Thus Monsieur Burlomachi, of Geneva, in his curious treatise on "The Law of Nature," does not make any more use of the Bible than if he had never seen it. And thus the late Professor Hutcheson, of Glasgow, (a stranger writer than either of the other,) is so far from grounding virtue on either the fear or the love of God, that he quite shuts God out of the question; not scrupling to declare in express terms, That "a regard to God is inconsistent with virtue: inasmuch that if in doing a beneficent action, you expect God to reward it, the virtue of the action is lost it is then not a virtuous, but a selfish action!"

19. Perhaps, indeed, there are not many who carry the matter to so great a length. But how great is the number of those who, allowing religion to consist of two branches, our duty to God, and our duty to our neighbour, entirely forget the first part, and put the second part for the whole, for the entire duty of man. Thus, almost all men of letters, both in England, France, Germany, yea, and all the civilized countries of Europe, extol humanity to the skies, as the very essence of religion. To this the great triumvirate, Rousseau, Voltaire, and David Hume, have contributed all their labours, sparing no pains to establish a religion, which should stand on its own foundation, independent on any revelation whatever, yea, not supposing even the Being of a God. So leaving him, if he have any Being, to himself, they have found out both a religion and a happiness, which have no relation at all to God, nor any dependence upon him.

20. It is no wonder that this religion should grow

fashionable, and spread far and wide in the world. But call it humanity, virtue, morality, or what you please, it is neither better nor worse than Atheism. Men hereby wilfully and designedly put asunder what God has joined, the duties of the first and the second table. It is separating the love of our neighbour from the love of God. It is a plausible way of thrusting God out of the world he has made. They can do the business without him, and so either drop him entirely, not considering him at all: or suppose, that since "He gave things their beginning

And set this whirlegig a spinning,"

he has not concerned himself with these trifles, but let every thing take its own course.

21. On the contrary, we have the fullest evidence that the Eternal, Omnipresent, Almighty, All-wise Spirit, as he created all things, so he continually superintends whatever he has created. He governs all, not only to the bounds of creation, but through the utmost extent of space: and not only through the short time that is measured by the earth and sun, but from everlasting to everlasting. We know, that as all nature, so all religion, and all happiness, depend on him and we know that whoever teaches to seek happiness without him, are monsters, and the pests of society.

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22. But after all the vain attempts of learned or unlearned men, it will be found, as there is but one God, so there is but one happiness, and one religion. And both of these centre in God, Both by Scripture and by experience we know, that an unholy, and, therefore, an unhappy man, seeking rest but finding none, is sooner or later convinced, that sin is the ground of his misery, and cries out of the deep to him that is able to save, "God, be merciful to me a sinner." It is not long before he finds "redemption in the blood of Jesus, even the forgiveness of sins." Then "the Father reveals his Son" in his heart, and he " calls Jesus, Lord, by the Holy Ghost." And then the love of God is "shed abroad in his heart, by the Holy Spirit which is given unto him." From this principle springs real, disinterested benevolence to all mankind, making him humble, meek, gentle

to all men, easy to be intreated, to be convinced of what is right, and persuaded to what is good; inviolably patient, with a thankful acquiescence in every step of his adorable Providence. This is religion, even the whole mind, which was also in Christ Jesus. And has any man the insolence or the stupidity to deny, that this is happiness? Yea, that it "Yields more of happiness below,

Than victors in a triumph know?"

23. 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 in his tongue the law of kindness." Hence his affectionate words will "distill 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!"

24. He to whom this character belongs, and he alone, is a Christian. To him the one, eternal, omnipresent, all perfect Spirit, is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. Not his Creator only, but his Sustainer, his Preserver, his Governor: yea, his Father, his Saviour, Sanctifier, and Comforter. This God is his God, and his All, in time and in eternity.

is the benevolence springing from this root, which is pure and undefiled religion. But if it be built on any other foundation, as it is of no avail in the sight of God, so it brings no real, solid, permanent happiness to man, but leaves him still a poor, dry, indigent, and dissatisfied creature.

25. Let all, therefore, that desire to please God, condescend to be taught of God, and take care to walk in that

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path, which God himself hath appointed. Beware of taking half of this religion for the whole, but take both parts of it together. And see that you begin where God himself begins: "Thou shalt have no other God before me." Is not this the first, our Lord himself being the judge, as well as the great Commandment? First, therefore, see that ye love God; next, your neighbour, every child of man. From this fountain let every temper, every affection, every passion flow. So shall that "mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." Let all your thoughts, words, and actions, spring from this. So shall you "inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world."

DUBLIN, April 9, 1789.