:

account and there is a man who gives no other proof of his liberality than that of boasting of it; yet being of the right party, he is liberal.

Genuine candour and liberality are not to be looked for in parties, but in individuals of various parties. There are men who, while seeking the good of their immediate connexions, consider them not so much as their party, as an integral part of the kingdom of Christ, and who know how to rejoice in the success of truth and true religion wherever it is found: but is it thus with the bulk of any denomination, established or unestablished? I fear not. He that has lived thirty or forty years in religious society, and has not met with things that must needs have shaken his confidence in professions, must either be a very happy man, or very unobservant of what has passed before him. What shall we say then? Shall we sigh, and say, That which is crooked cannot be made straight? Be it so; Let us distinguish between Christianity, and the conduct of its professors? so that while we are grieved at the latter, we may not think worse of the former. Let God be true, and every man a liar! Let us also examine our own hearts, and pray that we may have grace at least to correct the deviations, and supply the defects, that are to be found in ourselves; in which case, whatever may befall others, we shall find rest for our souls.

I shall conclude with a few remarks on misrepresentation. Some men in the course of their lives are exposed to a large portion of this, accompanied, it may be, with much foul abuse, the correction of which often becomes an object of despair. He that is first in his own cause, says the wise man, seemeth just, but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him. But how, if a man should be so deluged with misrepresentations, and his hands so occupied with more important concerns, as to have neither time nor inclination to refute them? There are two ways left him.

First: He may safely treat the foulest and most unworthy of his opponents with neglect. Their calumnies will not do him much injury; and if he attempt to answer them, he may be in danger of imbibing a portion of their spirit. This seems to be the fool that should not be answered according to his folly, lest we be like unto him.

Secondly: He may give a brief statement of the truth, and leave the misrepresentation and abuse to fall of its own accord. When the Jews, after their return from Babylon, began building the temple, it caused a great sensation among their adversaries. They first offered to join them in the work, thinking, no doubt, to come in for a share, and perhaps the chief share, of the glory; and when their offer was refused, they accused them to the Persian government, so that the work for a time was stopped. We may wonder that the Jews did not by a counter-statement correct these vile misrepresentations, and expose the insincerity of their accusers yet they did not; but, as appears from the history, held their peace. When the storm had blown over, encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, they renewed the work; and when interrogated anew by their adversaries, contented themselves with a simple statement of the truth. The substance of it was this: 'We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth.— We are engaged in rebuilding the house that was built many years ago by a great king of Israel.-Our fathers sinned against God, and he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, who destroyed this house, and carried the people away into Babylon.-But in the first year of Cyrus there was a decree to rebuild it, and its furniture was at the same time restored to Sheshbazzar, whom he appointed our governor.-The same Sheshbazzar began this work, which is not yet finished.' This simple statement of truth, which leaves out all reflections on their adversaries, would bear to be repeated even by them, in their letter to Darius, and in that form was repeated, and ultimately prevailed. Ezra iv. v. vi. The crooked things were let alone, and the straight rule exhibited, and thus the end was answered.

INDEX.

Accountability human, queries on and answers, iv. 113-116.

Adam, his state before the fall, i. 79-82.

Aiv, alwvios, remarks on the words, ii. 378-388.

Allegory, abuse of, in preaching, viii. 134.

Alms-giving, viii. 212.

Anderson, Mr. an American writer, i. 23; his sentiments on the subject
of faith examined, i. 23-27.

Antinomianism, iv. 37-40; selfishness its distinguishing feature, iv. 146;
its origin, iv. 148; opposed to the moral government of God, iv. 160;
perverts the doctrine of man's inability, iv. 161; abuses the priviliges
of the gospel, iv. 164; perverts the doctrine of election, iv. 176; of
the atonement, iv. 178.

Apostles the, their views respecting the death of Christ previous to that
event, ii. 147; their language respecting Christ is recorded in the Acts,
ii. 282-284.

Arminians, their coincidence in some points with Antinomians, i. 12;
their notion of free-will, iv. 30.

Aristotle, his remarks on the the word awv, ii. 370.

Arms, use of, lawful under the Christian dispensation, vii. 169, 170.
Atonement of Christ, i. 88; ii. 141; viii. 297; founded on the principles
of moral, not commercial, justice, i. 89; equal to the salvation of the
whole world, i. 89; the life of the gospel system, iv. 177; viewed in
connexion with the divinity of Christ, iv. 264; mistaken views of it,
iv. 268.

Backsliding, its nature, iv. 357; shown by a relinquishment of evangel-
ical doctrine, iv. 359; preceded by a neglect of prayer and
watchfulness, iv. 359; followed by falling into gross immorality, iv.
360; operates by the love of the world, iv. 361; by taking too eager
an interest in political disputes, iv. 365; symptoms of a backsliding
spirit, iv. 371; religious duties attended to from custom or from con-

science, rather than from love, iv. 372; a disposition to palliate sin, iv.
373; continuance in the practice of sin, iv. 374; temporary reforma-
tion, iv. 374; refraining from sin from prudential motives, iv. 376;
taking pleasure in talking of the evil, iv. 377; trifling with temptation,
iv. 378; means of recovery, iv. 389; retirement and reading the scrip-
tures with prayer, iv. 393; reflection on the aggravating circumstances
of our sins, iv. 396; reflection on the goodness of God, iv. 397; on
our former states of mind, iv. 398; setting apart special seasons for
fasting and prayer, iv. 399; watchfulness, iv. 400; approach to the
Saviour as a sinner, iv. 401; striving for a complete recovery, iv. 401;
viii. 39.

Baptism Christian, its uses, viii. 428.

Beatitudes the, remarks on, viii. 186.

Belief, "with the heart," meaning of the phrase, i. 433; simple and
compound, iii. 369.

Belsham Mr. thinks that men most indifferent to the practice of religion
will be the first to embrace a rational system of faith, ii. 46; his just
remarks on the importance of religious sentiments, ii. 150.

Benevolence, distinguished from esteem, ii. 106.

Bigotry, defined, and remarks on its nature, ii. 143.

Bolingbroke Lord, his acknowledgment of the excellency of Christian
morality, iii. 41.

Blood, eating of, unlawful, v. 89.

Bogue and Bennett Messrs. remarks on their History of Dissenters, viii.
405, 406.

Born again, "by the word," meaning of the phrase, iii. 434.

Button Mr. his arguments to prove an essential difference between na-
tural and spiritual holiness, stated and answered, i. 217; his views of
faith, i. 179.

Calvin, remarks on his conduct towards Servetus, ii. 109.

Calvinism, its moral tendency, ii. 67-78; the countries where it pre-
vails are most moral, ii. 81; misrepresentations of it, ii. 65-67.
Campbell Dr. his remarks on John iii. 3. iii. 435.

Candour, its nature, ii. 106.

Charity, its nature, ii. 130.

Christ, in what sense he died for the ungodly, i. 141; extent of the ef-
fects of his death, i. 292, 391; his death, what it presupposes, vii.
368-370; the motives which induced it, vii. 370; the spirit with
which it was endured, vii. 372; its ends, vii. 373; consistency of its
limited efficacy with unlimited invitations, i. 314; his deity a funda-
mental truth, ii. 139. 155. viii. 297; the uniform bearing of the scrip-

tures on his person and work, iv. 297; his reception the turning point
of salvation, vii. 281; what is included in receiving him, vii. 285—288 ;
his life, vii. 377. viii. 90; his authority, vii. 381; his intercession, vii.
388-394; his increasing in knowledge and wisdom, viii. 105; his
washing the disciples' feet, viii. 111; his sonship, viii. 268; his king-
dom, iii. 485.

Christianity, its effects on national character, iii. 86-89; its corruptions,
iii. 124; its spirit, iii. 492.

Christians, address to, iii. 196-199; should attend, not so much to their
feelings, as to the objects fitted to excite right feelings, iii. 349.
Chesterfield Lord, his confession of the vanity of the world, iii. 95; com-
pared with St. Paul, iii. 96.

Church the, its character in a future state, vii. 242; description of it,
vii. 249; connexion between its sanctification and the death of the
Redeemer, vii. 254; its security depends on Christ, vii. 381.
Churches Christian, nature of their obedience to their pastors, vii. 151
--162; their state in the first ages, viii. 440; remarks on their gov-
ernment, iii. 476; iv. 403; viii, 456; on membership, iv. 208.
"Conditions of salvation," remarks on the use of the term, i, 25. 196.
Conscience, its nature, iv. 52.

Controversies, the proper method of reading them, i. 240.

Conversion, one great topic of apostolic preaching, ii. 18.
Covenant of works, i. 91, 92; Abrahamic, v. 152-155.
Covetousness, on, viii 137.

Creeds and subscriptions, viii. 302.

Cross, doctrine of the, centre of the Christian system, iv. 271.

Death of Christian friends, vii. 76; of Christ, conformity to it, vii. 365.
Declension spiritual, viii. 15.

Decrees of God, i. 84-88; include. the present as well as the future
state, i. 85; consistent with the agency of man, i. 85.

Deists, address to, iii. 183-191; their views of the character of God, iii-
18, 19; their discordant views of morality, iii. 39; reject the most
energetic motives to virtue, iii. 43; their immoral lives, iii. 68; their
miserable prospects, iii. 301.

Delay, danger of, in religion, vii. 57.

Depravity, human, iv. 41-45; in what it consists, i. 266; total, iv. 47
-49; its consequences, iv. 67.

Dissent, vindication of, iv. 417; statement of its principles, viii. 383 :
remarks on, viii. 404.