interpretation. We might produce other declarations of our Blessed Master Himself: as when He thanked His Father for having "hid these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them unto babes:" and when He promised the knowledge of His doctrine as the appropriate reward of conformity to His will: "If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine."

Next, we might look to the prophetic descriptions of the general spirit of the Gospel: among which one may distinguish those of Isaiah as remarkably full and express; so much so, that it would be hard to produce one of his sketches of the Messiah's kingdom, without some such clause as the following: "Thy teachers shall not be removed into a corner any more: but thine eyes shall see thy teachers, and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left." And again, "precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people:" that is, He will condescend to teach them, be they never so simple, as nurses teach children,-by imitating their imperfect utter

ance.

We might further cite what the Prophets have spoken of the class and character of those, who should prove readiest converts to the religion thus

described.

"In that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel." "Whom shall He teach knowledge? and whom shall He make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts." "An highway shall be there, and a way and it shall be called, The way of holiness;' the unclean shall not pass over it-the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein."

Finally, we might verify these anticipations from the Apostolic history: from the remark of St. Paul, that "not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, were called;" and from what St. Mark tells us concerning the preaching of our Saviour, that "the common people heard Him gladly."

These things, taken all together, may seem fully to justify, upon scriptural grounds, the comfortable lesson, which, as we have seen reason to conclude, experience and analogy would have taught us: That we may safely take the judgment of a sincere and single mind, with or without ingenious and original research, for our guide to truth in all matters practical; and most in the most important; the determination of moral conduct and interpretation of God's revealed will.

Whoever shall consider this proposition atten

ཀ

tively, will find it to be of the very highest practical importance, in many various ways. At present, however, it is only possible to advert, very briefly, to its immediate bearings on our own conduct, and particularly on the regulation of our studies.

Would we look upon ourselves, truly, as individuals entrusted with a large portion of literary and intellectual advantages, such as cannot but involve us in a most serious responsibility before Him, Who has so highly favoured us and would we add to this the consideration which the text suggests, that, after all, these advantages alone cannot advance us in genuine wisdom, so far as the keeping of God's commandments will advance the weakest and humblest of our brethren; we should surely delight ourselves less, than I fear we do in general, with the possession, and should take more pains about the use and regulation, of those precious, but dangerous, endowments. We should less easily abandon ourselves to any investigation which may happen to attract us for the moment, without staying to enquire how far it is worth the time and thoughts of a Christian. We should consent to be taught resignation from the disappointments and errors, which will ever beset the operations of fallen spirits in an imperfect world: and when our enquiries are more successful, we should not rest satisfied with their immediate results, but should learn of them to lift up our hearts, with humble and grateful hope, towards

that interminable progress in all knowledge truly worthy of us, which is certain to follow upon admission, through the merits of our Redeemer, to His presence, Who is " the true Light, and in Whom is no darkness at all."

SERMON II.

IMPLICIT FAITH RECOGNISED BY REASON.

PSALM CXix. 99, 100.

I have more understanding than all my teachers; for Thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients; because I keep Thy precepts.

It was endeavoured to ascertain, on a former occasion, what sort of persons would appear most likely, judging by analogy from temporal matters, to understand the truths of the Gospel aright: and so to illustrate the acknowledged fact, that moral rather than intellectual proficiency, is the appropriate qualification for that noblest of all studies. And to confirm this anticipation, scriptural evidence was adduced, regarding the kind of characters, among whom our religion was in fact most worthily received. Appeal was also made to the frame and structure of the religion itself, to the constant tenor of prophecy, and to the statements of the Old Testament concerning analogous cases, under true natural religion, and under the Mosaic dispensation. So far, then, it should seem, that in proportion