thinking of God as not willing that any should perish,' I should have to imagine him as eager to condemn. Instead of looking to heaven to see a Father's face, I should cast my eyes on the earth, and walk ever in fear of the black scowl that was over me. But if this is not to be believed, then, according to the common idea of orthodoxy, it had been better for many, who have sat at the feet of Jesus with an earnest wish to learn the right-and amongst them some of the noblest spirits that have walked this world, such as Milton, and Newton, and Locke, and Priestley, and Channing-that they should have remained in all the darkness of heathen ignorance. The great gift of God's grace has proved to them only the gift of perdition. What they took to be a robe of righteousness, from the hand of love, has turned out to be a poisoned garment which has treacherously eaten into the life of their souls.'

The allusion in the last sentence will not escape the classical reader. The author concludes this portion of his argument with the just and well-expressed remark, that "Orthodoxy necessitates Popery. The former without the latter becomes a cruel mockery of man's weakness, and a foul calumny on God's goodness." We cannot refrain from extracting the following description of the true nature of Christian salvation :—

·

"Without any qualification from points of belief, our Lord declares that the pure in heart shall see God,' and that whosoever shall do the will of his Father who is in heaven, the same is his brother, and sister, and mother.' What the apostles, too, evidently sought most of all to produce was the subjection of the soul to the moral power of Christ—a believing with the heart unto righteousness. And wherein lies the mighty magic of an assent to a series of propositions however true? Whence springs its exclusively saving efficacy-its eternal merit ? Not in the mere assent; for without sufficient evidence it would be irrational, and with it it becomes unavoidable. Not in the mere correctness of the propositions; for what, in the sight of Omniscience, must be the highest mental accuracy that can ever pertain to man, save a weak glimmering of light deep buried in clouds of ignorance! But that holy trust in God-that child-like reliance on Him, which is ever ready to hearken to the voice of his love, and to follow the leading of his hand through light and through darkness, through calm and through stormthat life-glorifying and death-conquering faith which Christ displayed— this has nothing mystical in its power to save. It brings man to surrender up his being unreservedly to the guidance of infinite wisdom and infinite goodness to walk with God as with a Father, beneath the shield of his Omnipotence. What truer safety, what higher salvation can be found than this ?"

The following declaration naturally succeeds the contemplation of his subject, and is naturally and simply expressed :

"I cannot tell how other Christian teachers may be affected by the idea which I have been combatting, but I feel that if it were mine I

should never dare to venture an opinion on any of the great controverted points of belief. I should say to myself, How can I know whether the words that I utter, though uttered in deepest sincerity, may not be the means of conveying a totally false impression to the minds of my hearers, and so of setting them on the way to destruction? I will hold my peace.

Mr. Gaskell then points out, in a passage full of eloquence, the evil tendencies of such an idea,-to crush the intellect, bribing and terrifying it to repose (without daring to inquire) in certain conclusions to foster secret doubts to prevent Christianity "from coming freely and fairly into contact with the spirits of men"-to make religion "the worship of some veiled idol of deformity, and not the adoration of a pure spirit, whose essence is truth;" and also, "to give false notions in regard to Christian excellence," "turning away the thoughts from moral goodness to fix them on mental correctness." Naturally connected with this

"Another evil effect of this idea is, that it leads to arrogance and exclusiveness, and poisons the sweet charities of life in that which should be their purest source. The penalty overhanging erroneous belief is so tremendous, that no wonder men dare not imagine that they can be mistaken. It is a thought too fearful. They naturally come, therefore, to assume something of the tone and bearing of infallibility-to lose sight of the fact that they are equally disciples with those who most widely differ from them, and have no better right to decide what the Master teaches than they have, and can arrive at no fuller assurance of the truth.

"It might sometimes make one smile, if it had not something too pitiful in it, to see the manner in which men, under the influence of this idea, will set up their creed, and call on others to bow down their minds before it, and then begin indignantly to charge with pride of reason' such as feel unable conscientiously to obey. They seem to be totally unconscious that the pride of reason' is with themselves; that they are in effect saying, 'We cannot be wrong; what we believe must be God's truth; only agree with us, and you will infallibly be right.' ** We find the Romish church denouncing woe for ever on the souls of those who venture but a few short steps from the pale of her communion, and take refuge in the bosom of the establishment. We find this, again, catching the very echo of the rejected hierarchy, and lifting up its threatenings of undoubted perdition against such as have the boldness to question its decrees. And we find Dissenters too, regardless of the anathemas which have been hurled against them by both, learning the same high tone of rebuke, and issuing forth no less authoritative and fearful condemnations against those who, merely exercising the same liberty which they have exercised, feel constrained to dissent from them. What is to stop the threats, and arrest the curses which are thus sent

flying in every direction? What to hush the angry spirit of contention which is thus awakened, and bring back something like that state of things when, instead of hating, and reviling, and persecuting, it might again be said, See how these Christians love one another? What to hold out the promise of a realization of the Saviour's sublime idea of one universal church, pervaded by one holy and benevolent spirit-the spirit of his own heavenly life? Nothing whatever, as it seems to me, can possibly do this, until the truth be distinctly and thoroughly recognized, that no one can peril his eternal salvation by any opinions to which, in the free exercise of his reason, he is conscientiously led; that he may be ever so much in error, and yet not be guiltily wrong; that 'From every faith,

As every clime, there is a way to heaven.'

In the effects which seem naturally to result from the opposite idea, we have at once an additional evidence against its truth, and a strong appeal to us to do what we are able towards lessening its prevalence. I can scarcely conceive of a view more at variance with the generous spirit of the Gospel; and, if I do not much misread the history of freethinking in this country, it is one which has been the means of turning away from a thorough consideration of the claims of our holy religion many minds that were noble and true, and that would have done honour to the cause of Christ. Placed over the gate of the temple by human hands, they read this superscription, Ye that enter here, leave every reasoning power behind. Believe without doubting what the priests ordain, or everlasting destruction be upon your heads!'"

After remarking that the diffusion of what the preacher believes to be true views of Christianity, and even the exercise of calm, impartial judgment, are greatly impeded by the false idea which he combats, he excellently says

"But turning from every selfish consideration, what nobler office could we ask what higher mission could we desire, than that of bearing among contending sects the olive-branch of peace-than that of striking down the walls of partition which stern creeds have interposed between the hearts of brothers, and convincing them that there is a faith which, despite every difference of belief, can work by love?"

The excellence of this discourse has impelled us to give extracts already, perhaps, too copious (since we trust that none of our readers will fail to peruse the whole in its completenessthey will be well repaid), but we cannot refrain from giving the conclusion, tending as it does to correct what we deem an unhealthy and fallacious indifference to opinions among some of the friends of free inquiry (a natural reaction, carried to an erroneous extreme), and well pointing out the kind of salvation which truth really confers on the believer.

But we need not, therefore, fall into that false liberalism which represents all opinions as pretty much alike, and strives to skin over the wounds produced by differences of faith, instead of trying to pluck out their venomed sting. Surely there may be a holy zeal for truth without any such unholy dogma as that which lies at the heart of orthodoxy, and infuses bitterness into its veins. We cannot believe that the acceptance of our views is essential to acceptance with the great Father of spirits, but we do believe that a purer faith, consistently carried out, will lead to purer practice; we do believe that there is much in prevailing systems which has a tendency to veil the true splendour of the Gospel-much which is false of God and man, and stands in the way of that free and perfect love of both, which is the fulfilling of its law. We cannot maintain that salvation is inseparably bound up with our doc. trines, but we do maintain that there is salvation in them from many idle fears, from many baneful restrictions on freedom of thought, from many exclusive feelings, from many tenets that are calculated to lay a load of doubt on the understanding, and of bitterness on the heart. We do believe and maintain that ours is a system which is peculiarly fitted to give 'not the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.' And our duty, therefore, is clear. We have to adorn that system, and to recommend it to others. Let us endeavour to be true to the position in which Divine Providence has placed us. Let us feel it as a high distinction to be joined to that glorious company who in every age have been called to do battle for the right. And though the ignorant may censure, and bigots may curse, and the corrupt may sneer, let us calmly and resolutely labour on, sustained by the faith that our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord, but one day assuredly appear in the establishment of his kingdom of truth, and peace, and love."

Mr. Gaskell's discourse is one which it does us good to read. There is no laboured effort at novelty and originality. We are presented with a calm and graceful, yet able and earnest advocacy of truths, the vast significance of which, from their very plainness and familiarity, we are too apt to forget and underrate, but which this discourse brings back to the mind in fresh and vivid power. It is not a discourse of merely present application and ephemeral interest. It deserves to be regarded as a standard treatise on a topic, which will ever be of the most vital importance until the day (we fear still distant) when the idea which it combats shall exist only as an obsolete barbarism —an antiquated curiosity, infinitely more astounding and horrible than the torture-chambers of the Inquisition.

2. Mr. Green's sermon is a brief outburst of enthusiasm called forth by the noble debate on the second reading of the Bill in the House of Commons. The event has amply justified his anticipation, though it may have seemed at the time some

what premature to publish a thanksgiving before the blessing was actually secured. After explaining his text (Luke i. 74, 75.) in its original connection, he shows the appropriateness of its spirit to all occasions of deliverance.

"Thus would I have us regard all the instances of blessing granted to us by a gracious Providence. They are calls on us not to glory in wisdom, in strength, or in wealth, but to glory in righteousness and truth, because in these God himself delighteth. We should look on all such instances as voices speaking to us from heaven, reminding us of the great truth,- From those to whom much is given, much will be required;'-voices inviting us to run, with renewed perseverance, the race for an immortal crown that is set before us, and encouraging us to hope that God will again and again bless all sincere endeavours to widen and extend the influence of true and righteous principles."pp. 9, 10.

In the following extract the preacher's enthusiasm has, perhaps, exceeded the occasion, and, in the last clause, has betrayed him into a poetical cadence.

'Surely it was a sublime spectacle to see men who have no sympathy with us on religious grounds, and whom we have neither power to aid nor strength to harm-to see them vying to spread over us the broad shield of British justice, because we were but as a handful in the midst of a nation, the mark at which bigotry delighted to aim, and whom to crush, contending sects united their array."—p. 10.

What follows, breathes an excellent spirit of Christian meekness and temper.

"Not to rejoice at such a manifestation in favour of what we deem the immutable principles of right, would be unnatural: it would show us not deserving of the privilege of being unshackled by the creeds of a bygone age; but why, and in what, do we rejoice? Do we rejoice that those who opposed us,-bitterly, in some instances, unfairly, I believe, in others, that they are frustrated? No: for this reason, merely, we do not rejoice; for among them are men of sincere conviction, of ardent benevolence, aye, of enlarged charity; and, provided they sought a righteous end by righteous means, we ourselves would rather suffer loss than that their enterprise should have been frustrated :—but we rejoice because claims which we honestly believe to be grounded upon justice and equity have been allowed; we rejoice because the interests of truth have been promoted; we rejoice because the principles of religious liberty have been vindicated, and their operation enlarged; but chiefly do we rejoice because so much of a heaven-born charity has been manifested among professors of opposing creeds, and the one essential precept of the Saviour enforced, that men should do unto others as they would have others do unto them."-pp. 10, 11.