fect of every one of them to Him, in the sure confidence that God can and will take care of his own truth.

Love to divine truth is a steadfast principle. We see changes in the midst of professors of religion, at the present day; from professed belief of the doctrines of the gospel, to an unsettled state of mind, and scepticism respecting them; and then to positive aversion. This is a dark sign, as respects the true spiritual state of any one. That doctrine of the gospel which a Christian has once loved, he will no more cease from loving, than he will "fall from grace." What is an apparent change, from loving any given doctrine, to distrust of it, and aversion, is only the manifestation of the solemn fact that it never has been loved. Love to the truth is not a thing which will, "like a vapour continue for a little time and then vanish away," leaving the Christian to be "tossed to and fro, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive;" and at the sport of the feelings of uneasiness, prejudice, and aversion. The truths which the Christian begins to love, he will love to all eternity. The very thought of a change of the state of his affections towards any truth of God, would distress him like the undermining of the foundation of his hope.

The true Christian, as loving the doctrines of the Bible, will be willing to have them embraced in his confession of faith; and when he joins himself to the visible church, will be willing to declare to men, before God and all heaven, that he believes them. There is in our churches at the present time a singular sensitiveness respecting creeds and confessions. Now if a Christian has "received the love of the truth;" if the doctrines of the gospel have done his soul good; if he expects to be sanctified and saved through their means; what motive can he possibly have for keeping his belief of them secret. If he believes they have been to him "a savour of life unto life," why should he not tell the world so, with the explicitness of language, and the frankness of feeling, which become one who supposes himself to have "passed from death unto life!" Does the man who has been rescued from the borders of the grave, feel ashamed to tell his fellow men what was the medicine which has ministered to his restoration? And shall the converted man, in whom, through the instrumentality of the holy truths of God, has been laid the foundation of eternal health,-immortal vigour-be ashamed to tell the world from which he separates himself, in a Christian profession, the doctrines of God which have been blessed

to his regeneration? And shall a church of the Lord Jesus Christ, bought with his blood and renewed and sanctified by his Holy Spirit, be unwilling to record in their creed, and show to the world, the doctrines by which they live and grow and thrive; and in which they hope to rejoice eternally in the presence of "the Lord God and the Lamb." No. That Christian who loves the holy truths of God, will take sacred and sweet delight in giving honour to them and their author, by a full and ingenuous showing of it in his confession of faith. And a church which has not travelled down into the darkness and delusion, for which that of Laodicea was so solemnly rebuked, would shrink from the crime of revising any truth of God out of their symbols of faith. Secrets to keep, in matters of faith! Ashamed to tell the world what they believe! If the love of God and of the truth be in them, and in exercise, they would as soon think of making a secret of their hope of eternal life; as soon think of being "ashamed of Jesus." To those whose breasts have been the seats of such unhappy workings, and whose declarations to the world. respecting their faith have become equivocal, we commend the solemn consideration of that word of Christ "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my WORDS, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

Love to the doctrines of the Bible will forbid the substitution of any thing else which professes to be a part of Christian character, instead of a cordial belief of those doctrines. Here is a point of imminent danger with multitudes who are considered converts, and who enter the church at the present day. Much is said, and with propriety, of "coming out on the Lord's side," of "being for God," "working for God," and "coming up to the help of the Lord against the mighty." Along with this however we also have-what surely does not well comport with these things,-much said in depreciation of the importance of doctrines and doctrinal instructions,and of those doctrines especially which prostrate the pride of the human heart, and show the sinner to himself as in the hands of a holy and sovereign God. The popular voice calls loudly for what is termed practical preaching, as invidiously contrasted with doctrinal. The professed fears of many attribute to some of those holy truths of God, at which the human heart most reluctates, tendencies which hinder or check revivals of religion, perplex young Christians and introduce disputes. Do duty, and let alone the truth, is the

substance of too much of the pulpit preaching and private advice which is given to dying men; on whose knowledge and obedience of the truth is solemnly depending the eternal life of the soul. Thus, as it has been well remarked by a sound and discerning minister, "religion is made to condemn the truth." These questions are serious in their bearing on this great practical error. Is it the love of God which thus in effect attempts to set doing at variance with believing? which puts zeal instead of knowledge and "sanctification through the truth?" which professes to bring out the commands of God to bear on the consciences of men, while it shuts up the doctrines of God, by silence concerning them, or by cautious and timid presentations of them, in which their meaning is misunderstood; or caricatures of them, which hold them up to derision and contempt?-Love to the truth will be found allied with a belief in such a thing as integrity of Christian character, of the importance of both doing the commands and believing the doctrines of the sacred word. The true Christian will feel and act on the feeling, that love to all divine truths is one of the chief corner-stones which constitute the basis of Christian character. The conviction will be settled and immutable in his mind and heart, that he can no more preserve the integrity and consistency of his character as a Christian without being a cordial lover and believer of the whole truth, than he can be a Christian without repentance or "faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ."

Love to divine truth will be an effectual preventive against all uneasiness and dissatisfaction with its doctrines. It is an absurdity in terms, the idea of a Christian being uneasy and dissatisfied with what he professes to love, and love to which is an essential element of Christian character. What does one who professes himself a follower of Christ declare to a sinful world, which is worthy of a declaration, if not that he is attached to the truths of God's word? There are doctrines in relation to which the feelings of the professor of religion will assist him easily to perceive the relevancy and importance of this point. Take, for example, the doctrine of the deity of Christ. If you are a true Christian, this is the truth which you love, and in relation to which you feel no uneasiness or dissatisfaction. So of the atonement of Christ; if there be a doctrine of the Bible which you love, surely it is this. So of the free moral agency and accountableness of man; your mind is in no balancing of uneasiness, has no dissatisfaction with this. Here, now is the doctrine of God's sovereignty, including among other things, "his having mercy

on whom he will have mercy;" the doctrine of the original and total depravity of mankind; the doctrine of regeneration, as declaring man's dependence on the renewing power of the Holy Spirit. These are as clearly doctrines of the Bible, as the first named. They have God for their author; are as holy in their character; as essential in the great system of divine truth, are as important to the production of given effects on the heart and conscience of the sinner. They are also to be loved by the Christian. They are so loved. There is scarce a doctrine in the Bible with which Christians have testified stronger satisfaction, than with the doctrine of divine sovereignty, for example: if you are a Christian, you include these last named among the truths which you approve and love. If you call yourself a Christian, and still are averse to these truths, explain this to yourself, if you can, and still keep hold of your hope. If you do love these truths, how is it possible that uneasiness or dissatisfaction with them can have place in your breast? What kind of a Christian must he be, who unites in his experience these strange contrarieties, love to divine truth, and also uneasiness and dissatisfaction with some of its grand articles. We press this, as a point for consideration, because we see multitudes who are professedly the friends of God and his truth, who sit with a most mysterious uneasiness under the preaching of certain doctrines, and have a very singular sensitiveness respecting their holding a place in their articles of faith.

In this connexion we remark, that love to divine truth will utterly forbid all disposition to be excused from receiving any given doctrine of the Bible, because that difficult questions can be raised respecting it by sceptical men; or because God has not stripped it of mystery, and laid it open to human conceptions. It will also most authoritatively repress all inclination to assent to the cavils of unbelieving men, respecting the doctrines of the Bible. A Christian is the last man on earth from whom to expect such things.

Love to the doctrines of the Bible will constrain the Christian to a faithful and fearless defence of them, whenever he hears them reproached or denied. The true Christian is of

a tender spirit, respecting every thing which touches the honour of God. Of the doctrines of his Father's word, which he has received in love, and in which his soul rejoices, he says, "He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of mine eye.' His soul is hurt, "cast down within him," when he sees them dishonoured by unbelief, held up to ridicule, and contemned; and, above all, when he sees these things in

men professing the religion of Christ; perhaps even in the sacred office of the ministry. Living in a world where God speaks by his word, and writes out upon its pages as with a sun-beam, his glorious" mind and will," he cannot withhold himself from " contending earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints." He hears a voice saying to him, "Speak, and hold not thy peace, for I am with thee." He feels that silence would be to betray the truth. For is not the truth worthy of defence? Is not the God of truth to be feared? Must great doctrines of the gospel, "pertaining to life and godliness," be cast down, and trampled upon, and that too, in the church, and in the pulpit; and not a son of God lift his voice in their defence? Shall the church yield by one inch after another, "the ground of the truth;" or let presumptuous and unholy hands take away the pillars of its temple, and prostrate it in the dust? Have Christians nothing to do, but to believe the truth for their own good; and may they quietly suffer dying men, with whom they are soon to stand before God in judgment, to trifle with it, to treat it with indignity, and to cast out its name as evil? No; the love of Christ in his true friends will constrain them to do their duty. Girding themselves "with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit," and watching for the divine honour, "with all diligence," they will ever be ready. In every conflict respecting the doctrines of the sacred word, they will be seen wielding "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;" moving on, firm, faithful, “valiant for the truth." "The Captain of their salvation," will go before them; lead them, encourage their spirits; and make "the weapons of their warfare mighty, through God, to the pulling down of the strong holds.”

But the Christian is not one who delights in controversy, except called to it for the honour of his Lord. He will, therefore, covet more the delightful employment of propagating the knowledge of the truth among men. If his faith in the doctrines of the gospel is not to be hidden in a corner; neither will he shut up the knowledge of them from others. "To do good, and to communicate, forget not," applies to imparting the knowledge of truth, as well as to almsgiving. In this he will have regard not only to the propagation of the gospel in heathen lands, but the promotion of the pure faith among all around him. The very church sometimes becomes in a measure corrupt in the faith; and there arises occasion for saying to many professing Christians, " For whereas, for the time, ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one

66