in disobedience to God; yet, over this fearful combination, against which unassisted man might combat in vain, these men of faith triumph. "God hath given them the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." Faith, where its dominion is established in the soul, acts like some superior charm, to quell the inferior nature, and awe the rebellious passions to submission. It brings up to them the image of the glorious Master to whom they are bound; of the holy God, who is watching that he may judge them; of the future world, whose inheritance depends on their purity; and of all the misery and horrors, which follow in the train of unsubjected passion and voluntary sin. These press upon their minds with united and intuitive operation, and with the spontaneous indignation of the patriarch they put the temptation to flight with the cry, "How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"

We perceive, then, the power of faith. It is a practical principle, resting on the basis of a simple truth. It is a moral principle, swaying the affections and will; not barelya conviction of the understanding, but a feeling persuasion, an unwrought sentiment of the heart. It is confidence, trust, reliance, on one who has divine authority, and on whom it is infinitely for our interest to lean. It excludes from the mind the power of inferior principles and motives, and fortifies it against the attacks of external calamity.

We may learn from this, my brethren, how to try and prove our own faith, and when to be satisfied with it. We may learn not to estimate its value by the number of propositions of which it is compounded, but by the spirit with which we embrace it, and the power it exercises over us. The question is not, "Do we lay stress on a multitude of fundamental articles? Are we skilful to discriminate the shades of difference between error and truth upon subjects

of intricacy and controversy? Do we love to be occupied in mysterious musings, and to be involved in contemplation of deep and perplexing inquiries?" These are not the marks of a saving faith. But the question rather is, “Have we acknowledged Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, so heartily, that he is really and habitually our MASTER, and that his authority rules and controls us in all things? so that this faith works by love, purifies our hearts, and overcomes the world? Is it the parent of holy desires, pure dispositions, good living, and earnest aspirations after the excellence and bliss of heaven?" It is for these qualities that faith is valuable. It is by these that it works out our salvation. It is this efficacy in reforming, purifying, elevating, spiritualizing the human character, that constitutes the glory of the gospel. When it has done this, it has accomplished its great work. If it be doing this for us, we may be satisfied that our faith is neither fatally erroneous nor weak. But if it be pure as that of angels, and yet do not display this moral power, it is no better than "sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal."

SERMON IV.

JESUS THE MEDIATOR.

1 TIMOTHY II. 5.

FOR THERE IS ONE GOD, and one meDIATOR BETWEEN God and men, THE MAN CHRIST JESUS.

THERE are few passages of Scripture in which a doctrine is expressed more distinctly and unequivocally than in this. It states, in terms which do not admit of misconstruction, the great fundamental article of all religion, that there is 66 one God; "and the prime truth of revealed religion, that there is " one Mediator between God and men." It speaks of them as separate beings, distinct in nature, diverse in office, and not to be confounded together. It intimates no mysterious union of natures, by which the Mediator is God as well as man, and the supreme Deity is mediator between himself and his creatures; but simply declares the plain, intelligible facts, that "there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

The apostle is thought to be referring, in these words, to the opinions of the Jews, to whose notions and feelings there is frequent tacit allusion in all his writings. They prided themselves in their ancient claim to be God's people; they fancied him to be exclusively their God, and the privi

leges of revelation to be confined to themselves. But the apostle, in the preceding verses, tells them, no-"God will have all to be saved," Gentiles as well as Jews," and come to the knowledge of the truth;" and then adds in our text, that to Gentile, as well as Jew, there is but one and the same God, and to all alike one and the same Mediator. All preference and distinction is now done away, and the chosen descendants of Israel have no longer any privileges above their brethren of other nations.

But we have less concern with this allusion of the apostle than with the great truth which he inculcates. To the whole family of man there is but one God-a truth once strange and heretical, though to our minds so familiar. However separated into tribes, however distinct in history, character, and manners; however cast asunder by the physical boundaries of the globe, or the artificial barriers of society; however divided by interest or policy, or alienated by traditionary enmity; still the bond of nature connects them together; they have one Father, and one God hath created them. "He hath formed of one blood all that dwell upon the face of the earth, and hath appointed the bounds of their habitation." They have not, indeed, recognized this common and universal Sovereign, but have bestowed upon others the honors due to him alone. Superstition and folly have multiplied the objects of adoration, and peopled heaven, and earth, and sea, with peculiar divinities. They have sometimes bowed down to the host of heaven, and sometimes to the monsters of earth, and sometimes to the workmanship of their own hands, and have warily divided their worship between rival gods. But amidst the whole may be heard the invariable testimony of nature, that the true object of all adoration is but Oneone, infinite, independent mind; the origin and cause, the

support and end, of all other beings and all other things. He that fashioned the resplendent heavens, and rolled abroad their glorious and countless worlds of light, — who moulded the beautiful earth, and cast forth the waters of the wonderful sea, and peopled all with their innumerable tribes, infinitely diversified in structure, in powers, and in happiness, is One, and one only. "Though there be that are called gods, whether in earth or in heaven, as there are gods many and lords many, - yet to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him."

This doctrine of the divine unity is essential to true religion. Erring in this, the pagan nations have strayed alike. from truth and from morality in their religion, and been lost in the most debasing corruptions, and the most mischievous superstitions. And it is not strange that it should have been so; for the moral character of the religion and of the worshipers will be conformed to that of the object of worship; and where these are numerous, some of them must be bad. So long as but one infinite object of worship is acknowledged, right reason will teach that he must be all present and all perfect; but where divinities are multiplied, as they cannot all be perfect, nor all exercise the same jurisdiction, their varieties of imperfection will of course give countenance to varieties of vice, and a crowd of gods afford shelter to a crowd of sins. So it has proved in the history of the world; vice and profligacy, irreligion and impiety, have increased with the multiplication of objects of religious homage. Among the chosen people, corruption and immorality crept in with the introduction of subordinate divinities; and all the vices, which in so great measure destroyed their religious character, and made nugatory the power of their religious law, may be traced to the demoralizing influence of idolatry.