Parochial and Plain Sermons

IROM these words of the blessed Apostle, written shortly before he suffered mart.vrdom, we learn, that there is such a thing as religious truth, and therefore there is such a thing as re]igious error. We learn that religious truth is ote—and therefore that ail views of religion but one are wrong. And we learn, moreover, that so it was to be (for his words are a propheey) that professed Christians, forgetting this, should turn away their ears fi'om the one Truth, and should be turned, not fo one, but o many fables. All this is fulfilled betbre our eyes; our religious creeds and professions at this day are rnany; but Truth is one: therefore they cannot all be rigbt, or rather almost all of them must be wrong. That is, the multitude of men are wrong, so far as they differ; and as they differ, not about trivial points, but about great matters, it follows that the multitude of men, vhether by their own fimlt or not, are wrong even iu the greater matters of religion. This is a. most solcmn thought, and a perplexing one. IIowevcr, flmre is another which, though it ought hot to be perplcxing, is pcrplexing still, and perhaps has grcater nced tobe cansidercd and explained; I mean that mon of lcarning and ability are so often wrong in rcligious matters also. It is a stumblin-block fo many, whcn they find that those who scem the lcgitimate guides flmished by God's providenee, who are in solne scnse the natural prophets and expoundcrs of the truth, that these too are on many sides, and theretbrc many of tllcln on thc side of error also. There are persons who can despise the opinions of the,,a,ff, and fcel that lhe# are hot right, but that truth, if it be fo bc round, lies with the rem; and since men of ability are among the few, they think that truth lies with men of ability, and when after all they are told that able men are ranged on contrary sidcs in religious questions, they either hastily deny the fact, or they are startled, and stagger in their fidtll. But on the eontrary, let us honestlv eonfess what is certain, that not the ignorant, or weakminded, or dull, or enthusiastie, or extravagant only turn their ears frolll the Truth and are turned nnto fables, bu also men of powerful minds, keen perceptions, extended views, ample a.nd various knowledge. Let us, I say, eonfess it;)'et let us not believe in the Truth the less on aeeount of it.

I sav that in the number of the advers,ries of the Truth, there are many men of highly endowed and highly cultivated minds. Why should we dcny this?:If is unf,'tir to do so; and not only unf,'tir, but very nnneccssary. What is called ability and talent does not make  man a. Christian; nay, often, as nmy be shown without difllculty, if is the occasion of his rqecting Christi,ni{y, or this or that part of it. Not only in ihe highcr ranks of sociciy do wc ste this; cven in lhe humble and seeluded village, if will commonly be found, that those who bave grcatcr gifts of mind than others around them, who bave more natural quickness, shrewdness, a.nd wit, are the very persons who are the most likely to turn out ill—who are least under the influence of relig'ious principles—and neithcr obey nor even revere the Gospel of salvation which Christ lins brought us. Now if we eonsult St. Paul's:Epistles to the Corinthians, we shall final the same st,'tte of things existingeven in the first age of Christianity.:Even the Apost]e speaks of those who were blind, or to whom his Gospel was hid; and he elsewhere describes them, not as the uneducated and dull of understanding, but a.s the wise of this world, the scribe a.nd the disputer. Even then, before the Apostle's prophecy in the text was fulfilled, there were many who crred from the truth even in the midst of light, and in spire of superior intellectual endowments,and ac¢tuirements.

1 8 8 Tt"lll]l ]zidden when nol soetghl aller. Does not out Saviour IIimselt" say the saine thing', when IIe thanks IIis Fathêr, Lord of heaven and earth, tha IIe bath hid these thing's ri'oto the wise and prudent, and revealed them unto babes? Now if should no surprioe us whên men of aeute and powerfil understanding's more or less rejeet the Gospel, for this reason, tha the Christian revelation addresses itself to our hearts, fo our love of truth and goodness, onr fcar of sinning, and our desire fo g'ain God's favour; md quiekuess, sg'aeity, depth of thoug'h, strength of miud, power of eomprehension, perception of the beautilui, power of lang'uag, and the like, thoug'h they are exeellen g'ifts, are elearly quite of' a differen kind from these spiritual exeellenees—a man may have the one withou having" the other. 2i«, then, is the plain reason why able, or again why learned men are so often defeetive Christians, beeause there is no neeessary eonnexion beween faith and ability; beeause faith is one thing" and ability is another; beeause ability of mind is a.ql, and faith is a ffraee. Who would ever argue that a mau eould, like Samson, eonquer lions or throw down thc gates of a eity, beeause he was able, or accomplished, or experieneed in the business of lire? Who would ever argue that a man eould see because he eould hear, or run with the swift beeause he had "the tongue of the lcarned  "? These gifts are different in kind. In like manner, powers of mind and reli-  lsa. 1. t.

gious principles and feelings are distinct gifts; and as ail the highest spiritual excellence, humility, firmness, patience, would never enable a man to read an unknown tong'ue, or fo enter into the depths of science, so ail the most brilliant mental endowments, wit, or imagination, or penetration, or depth, will never of themselves make us wise in religion. And as we should fifirly and justly deride the savage who wished fo dccide questions science or literatm'e by the sword, so may we justly look with amazement on the error of those who think that they can toaster the high mysteries of spiritual truth, and find their way fo God, by what is commonly ealled reason, i. e. by the random and blind efforts of mere mental acuteness, and mere experience of the worhl. That Truth, which St. Paul preached, addresses itself fo our spiritual nature: it will be right.ly understood, valued, accepted, by none but loyers of truth, virtue, purity, humility, and peace. Wisdom will be justified of ber children. Those, indeed, who are thus endowed may and will g'o on to use their powers of mind, whatever they are, in the service of religion; none but they can use them aright. Those who reject revealed truth wilfully, are such as do not love moral and relig'ious trut.h. If is bad men, proud men, men of hard hearts, and unhumbled tempers, and immoral lires, these are they who reject the Gospel. These are they of whom St. Paul speaks in another Fpistle—" If our Gospel be x 9 ° Trut/z hiddcz zuhez zot soztoeht aflcr. hid, if is bi'ci fo them tlmt are lost, in whom the g'od of this world bath blinded the minds of/hem which believe hot.'" With this ngree the instances of turning' the ears ri'oto the truth which the New Testament aN»rds us. Who were they who were the euemies of Christ and Ilis Apostles? The infidel Saddueees, the immor:l, hardhearted, yet hypoeritical Pharisees, Herod, who married his brother Philip's wife , and Felix, who trembled when St. Paul reasoned of righteouness, temperance, and judgment fo come . On the other hand, men of holy and consistent lires, as Cornelius the Centurion, and those who were frequenters of relig'ious ordinances, as Simeon md Anna, these became Christians. Soit is now. If men turn unto fables of their own will, thev do if on account of their pride, or their love of indolence and self-indulgence. This should be kept in mind when Christi.qns are alarmed, as they sometimes are, on hearing" instances iufidelity or heresy anaong those who read, refleet, a.nd inquire; whereas, however we may mourn over such instances, we have no reason fo be surprised at them. If is quite enoug'h for Christians fo be able fo show, as they vell tan, that belief in revealed religion is inconsistent with the highest gifts and aequirements mind, that men even of the strong, est and highest intellect have been Christians; but they lmve as little reason fo be perplexed a finding, otler rnen of ability  Matt. xiv. 3.  Aets xxiv. 25.

Trett]z hidtcz when not soztght aftcr.  9 I hot trne believers, as at finding" that certain riel men are hot truc believers, or certain poor men, or sonne in every tank and circumstance of lit'e. A belief in Christianity has hardly more connexion with what is called talent, than it has with riches, station, power, or bodily strength. Now lct,ne explain wlmt I bave said by a further remark. Is it not plain that carnestness is necessary for gaining rcligious truth? On the other lmnd, is it hot a ha.rural eflç.ct of ability to save us trouble, and even fo tempt us fo dispense with if, and fo lead us fo be ind«)lent? Do hot we sec this even in the case of children—the more clcver are the more idle, because they rely on their own q,fickness and power of apprehension? Is indolence the way to gain knowledge ri'oto God? Yet riais surely is continually forgotten in the world. If is forgotten in a measure even by the best of Christians, for no man on earth seeks fo know God's will, and fo do IIis duty with an earnestness suitable fo the importance of the object. But hot to speak thus rigorously, let us consider for an instant how eagerly men in general pursue objects of this world; now with what portion of this eagerness do they exert themselves fo know the truth of God's word? Undeniable, then, as is the doctrine that God does hot reveal Itimself fo those who do hot seek Hiln, it is certain that its truth is hot really felt by us, or we should seck IIim more earnestly than we do.

Nothing" is more eommon than fo think lhat we shall g, ain religions knowledg'e as a thing" of course, wit.hout express trouble on out part.. OEhougq there is no art or business of this world vhich is learned without rime and exertion, Set i is eommonly eoneeived that the knowledge of God and out duty will corne as if by accident or by a natural proeess, lIen go by their feelings and likings; they take up what is popular, or vhat cornes first to hand. They think if mueh if they now and then have serious thougbts, if they now and then open the Bible; and their minds recur with satisfaction fo sueh seasons, as if tbey had donc some very g'l'eat thing,, never remembering" that fo seek and gain religious truth is a long and systematie work. And others thik that education will do every ghing" l'or them, and that if they learn fo read, and use relig'ious words, they understand religion itself. And ohers again fro so far as fo maintain tha exertion is not necessary for diseovering the truth. They say that relig, ious truth is simple and easily acquired; that Scripturc, beingintended for ail, is ai once open fo all, and tha if if had difficulties, tha very eireumstance would be an objection fo if. And others, ag'ain, maintain tha there are difficulties in religon, and hat this shows ha i is an indifferent marrer whether they seek or not as fo t.hose matters which are difficult.. In these and other ways do men deceive themsel-es into a carelessness abou religions t.ruth. And is no

Truth hiddoz whoz zot so@t af[er. 193 all this varied negligenee suffleient fo aeeount for the variefies of reliious opinion whieh we see all around us? Do no these wo faets jus illustrae each offset; the discordance of out reliious opinions needin some explanation; and out aetual indolence and neligenee in seekin fle truth aeeountin for it? How many seets, all professin Christianity, bu opposed fo eaeh other, dishonour this country  Doubtless if men sought the truth with one tenth part of the zea.l with which they seek fo aequire wealth or secular knowledge, their differences would diminish year by year. Doubtless i they gave  hall or  quarter of the time fo prayer for Divine guidance which they give to amusement or recrcation, or which they give fo dispute and contention, they would ever be approximating to eaeh other. We differ in opinion; therefore we cannot all be right; many must be wrong; many must be turned from the trnth; and wl W is this, but on accourir of tlmt undeniable faet which we see before us, that we do hot pray and seek for the Truth  But this melancholy diversity is sometimes explained, as I just now hinted, in anofler way. Some men will tell us that this differenee of opinion in religious ma.trs which exists, is  proof, not that the Truth is withheld from us on accourir of our neglilence in seekin Iit, but tht religious truth is hot worth seeking at all, or that if is hot given us. The present confused and perplexed state of things, which is rea.lly  proof of God's anger [,] o at our negligence, these men say is a proof that religious truth cannot be obtained; tiret there is no such thing as rèli'ious truth; tbat there is no 1-ight or wrong in religiou; that, provided we lait]" ourselves right, one set of opinions is as good as another; that we shall all corne right in the end if we do but mean well, or rather if we do not mean ill. That is, we create confusion by our negligence aud disobedieuce, and then excuse out neg'lig'ence by the existence of that coufusion. If is no uncommon thing, I say, for men to say, "that in religious matters God has willed that men should differ," and to support their opinion by no better argument thun the thct that they «lo differ; and they go on to conclude that taerefore we need hot perplex oursèlves about matters of.]àil], about which, after all, we cannot be certain. Others, again, in a similur spirit, argue that forms and ordinances are of no accouut; that they are little matters; that itis uncertain what is rig'ht and what is wrong in them, and that to insist on them as important to religion is the mark of a narrow mind. And others, again, it is fo be feared, go so far as to think that indulgence of the passions, or self-will, or selfishness, or avarice, is not wrong, because itis the way of the world and cannot be prevented. To all such arguments against religious truth, itis sufficient to reply, that no one who does not seek the truth with all his heurt and strength, can tell what is

rul hiararcn whcn hot sought aller.  95 ol' imporCanee and what is hot; that Co aCCemp earelessly o deeide on poinCs ol' l'aith or morals is a m,tCer ol' serious presumption; th,'tt no one knows ,hitker he vill be earried (/" he seeks Cle TruCh perseveringy, and tlerefore, that sinee he eannot see ai first sCartin Che course into whieh his inquiries will be divinel- direeCed, he eanot possibly say bel'orehand whether they mav no lead him on fo eertinty as fo thing's whieh af present he thinks triflin or extravag'ant or irrafional. "Wht I do," said out Lord fo St. Peter, "thon knowest hot now, but Chou shalt know hereal'ter." "8eek, and ye shall find;" this is the Divine rule, "If thou erie«t afr knowledg, and lifte«t «q» thy voiee t'or undersCandin; il" thou seekes her as silver, and searehest for her as for hid treasures; then shal Chou understand he fear of the Lord, and flnd Che knowlede of (od ." This is a subjeet whieh eannot too strongy be insisCed on. Aet up fo your lig'ht, thoug in the mids of diffiettlties, and you will be earried on, you do hot know how far. Abraham obeyed the eall and journeyed, hot knowing, whiCher he went; so we, if we follow the voiee of God, shall be broug on step by step inCo, new world, of whieh belote we had no idea. This is His graeious way with us: He ives, hot all af once, but by measure and season, wisely. To him Chat haCh, more shall be gven. But we must begin aC the beg'in-  Prov. il. 3 ri,

 9 6 Trtth hidden when zo! sorte, h! aller. nin. Eaeh truth has ifs own order; we eannot join the way of life af any point of the course we please; we cannot learn advanced truths before we bave learned wimary ones. "" Call upon Me," says the Divine Vord, "'and I will answer thce, and show thee great and mighty thinffs which thon knowest not'." Religions mon are always learninff; but whcu men refise to profit by ]ight already granted, their light is turned fo darkncss. Observe out Lord's conduct with the Pharisecs. They asked tIim on what authoriy tle acted. lit gave them no direct answer, but refi.rred hem to the mission of John the Baptist—"The b:rptism of John, whence was it? from heaven or from men? '' They refilsed to say. Then He said, "Neither tell I you by what authority I do these thins." That is, they would hot profit by the knowledffe they already had from St. John the ]3:qfist, who spoke of Christ herefore no more was given them. All of us may learn a lesson here, for all of us are in danger of hastily finding fault with others, and condemnin.ff their opinions or practiees; hot considering, that unless we bave fitithfully obeyed our conscience and improved out talents, we are no fit judg, es of them at all. Christ and tIis Saints a«'e alike destitute of form or comeliness in thc eyes of the world, and itis only as we labour to change our nature, through God's help, and fo serve Him truly, that we bein to discern the  Jer. xxxiii. 8. 2 Matt. xxi. 25.

Truth hiddcn when hot souht aftcr. 197 beauty of holiness. 'fhen, af leng'th, we find reason fo suspect out own judg'ments ot" what is truly g'ood, and pereeive out own blindness; for by deg'rees we find that those whose opinions and eonduel we hitherto despised or wondered af as extravaga.nt or nnaeeountable or weak, really know more than ourselves, and are above us—and so, ever as we rise in knowledg'e and g'row in sl,iritual illuminat.ion, they (to out amazement) fise also, while we look af them. 'fhe bettC we are, the more we understand their excellence; till af length we are taug'ht something of their Divine Ma.ster's perfeetions also, whieh belote were hid ri'oto us, and see why ig is that, houg'h the Gospel is set on a hill in the midst of the world, like a eit) whieh eannot be hid, yet fo multitudes if is notwit.hstandin hid, sinee He taketh the wise in their own erafiness, and the pure in heart alone ean see God. How are the sheep of Christ's floek seattered abroad in the waste world! He came fo g'ather them tog'ethe" in one; but hey wander agin and faint by the way, as having lost their Shepherd. What 'eligious opinion ean be named whieh some men or other bave nol af some rime held? All are equally confident in the truth of their own doetrines, ghough the many must be mistaken. In this eonfision let us, my brethren, look fo ourselves, eaeh fo himself. 'fhere must be a rig'ht and a wron, and no matter whether others ag'ree with us or hot., ig is fo us a solemn praeical eoneern no fo turn

19 8 Trut/z hhtdcz whcz hot so2tght aller. away out ears from the truth. Let nog the divel'sity of opinion in the xvorld disnm  £ou, or deter you from seekin all your life lon truc visdom. Ig is hot a seareh for flfis day or tha, but ns you should ever grow in grace, so should you ever grow also in the knowlede of out Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Care hot for the perplexing question whieh many will put fo you, " How ean you be sure tha you are riht more than others?" Others are lOt]in to you, if they are not holy and devout in their eonversationand we all know what is lneant by being holy; we know whom we should eall holy; to be holy is fo be like an Apostle. Seek truth in the way of obedience; ri T fo aet up fo your eonseienee, and let your opinions be the result, hot of mere chance reasoning or faney, but of an improved heart. This way, I say, earries with if an evidenee fo ourselves of its being the right way, if any way be right; and that flere is a right and a wrong way conscience also tells us. God surely will listen to none but those who strive fo obey Him. Those who Oms proceed, watching, praying, taking ail means given them of gaining the tmth, studying" the Scriptures, and doing their duty; in short, those who seek religious truth by prineiple and habit,  the main business of their lires, humbly hot arrogantly, peaeeably hot eontentiously, shall hot be "turned unto fables." "The secret of the Lord is with t.hem tiret fear Him;" but in proportion as we are eonseious fo ourselves that we are indolent, and transgress

Trulh hidloz whez zol sozt, çht afh'r.  99 out own sense of riht and wron, in the saine proportion we lmve cause to fear, hot only that we are not in a sfe state, bu, further than this, that we do not knoxv what is  satb state, and what an unsafewhat is light and what is darkness, what is truth and what is error; which way leads to heaven and whieh to hell. "The way of the wieked is in darkness; they know hot at vhat they stmnble ." I know we shall fiud it very hard to rouse ourselves, to break the force of habit, to resolve to serve God, and persevere in doing so. And assurcdly we must expect, even at best, and qth all our eflbrts, perhaps baekslidings, and certaiuly much continual imperfection all throug'h our lives, in all we do. But this shonld ereate in us a horror of disobedience, not a dcspair at overcoming" onrselves. We are not mder the law of nature, but under grace; we are hot bid do a thing above out strength, because, though our lmarts are naturally weak, we are not left to ourselves. According to the comnmnd, so is the g'ift. God's grace is snfficient lbr us. Why, then, should we fear? Rather, wh" should we hot make anv saerifiee, and give up all that is naturally pleasin fo us, rther tban tlmt lig'ht aud truth should have corne into the world, yet we hot find them? Let us be willing to endure toil and trouble; and should rimes of comparative quiet be g'iven fo us, should for a while temptation be withdrawn, or the Spirit of eombrt  Prov. iv. 19.

poured upon us, let us hOt inconsidcrately rest in these accidcntal blcssing-s. While we thank God for them, let us remember that in its turn the rime of labour and fear, and dangr and anxiety, will corne upon us; and that we must act our part well in it. We lire here to strugg'le and o endure: the time of eternal test will corne hereaf ter. "Blessed are the undefiled in {he way, who wa]k in the law of {he Lord. Blcssed are they that keep His testimonics, and that seck ]Iim with the wholc heart ." "Thc path of the just is as lhe shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfcct day .»  Ps. cxix. 1, 2.: Prov. iv. 18.