have been supporting, is not the necessity of the popular schemes relating to the death of Christ, superseded? But does not this set aside the efficacy of Christ's death? By no means. For we hold, according to the scriptures,that "Christ suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God." The object of his death was to bring us to God -to produce a religious influence upon our minds. This, I say, was one object of it. It is of the highest importance as a pledge of God's willingness to forgive, and as connected with the resurrection. There are those who think it had an efficacy with which we are unacquainted. This it would be presumption to deny. But if it is unknown, I do not see how it can have a specific effect upon our minds. However that may be, we are plainly instructed that it was designed to have a religious influence upon us—an influence to bring us to God ;-and to this point I would for a moment direct your attention.

The view which has been advocated represents our Saviour a sufferer for the benefit of mankind, not for the vindication of the Deity, or the honor of his law-not to appease his anger, or justify his government. How then, it may be objected, does the death of Christ differ from that of the patriot or martyr, or other good men in great causes? It dif fers in its infinitely greater moral, religious effect. The patriot who sacrifices his life for his countrymen, dies to secure to them a civil benefit, and the moral influence of his death is indirect and subordinate. The martyr dies to testify his confidence in the truth for which he is willing to suffer to extremity. Here again the moral influence is indirect and secondary. Not so with the death of Christ. We are told expressly that Christ died for our sins-that we might forsake sin, and as we leave it flee from its punishment. He died that we might know that to be an exceeding evil and bitter thing on account of which he was willing to lay down his life; and his death shows how great an evil he thought sin to be, and how perfect a remedy for it he knew his religion would prove to those who will apply it.

Now the weight of a person's opinion of our danger, is in proportion to the reasons we have to confide in him, our conceptions of his knowledge, sincerity, disinterestedness, the probability that he is not deceived himself, and that he

has no motive to deceive us. Jesus was taught of God. His view of the evil of sin is the divine view of it. We learn then from the death of Christ for our sins, not indeed that every man's sin is infinite, (for there can be nothing infinite in finite beings,) but that in the view of Christ and of God, in sober truth and certainty, there are no conceivable bounds to the evil sin will be to us,-the degree of suffering it will cause us,-if we do not forsake it. This, let me repeat, gives his death a potent and specific agency to bring us to God, to convince us of sin and duty, to enlighten our understanding respecting our danger, and to turn our eyes inward to our real state. We do not act without motives. The strongest are the apprehension of danger, the fear of evil or punishment, and the hope of reward, or expectation of good. We are led to realize our danger, and seek the remedy, because Christ by his death has afforded the strongest possible testimony to the magnitude of the evil of sin in his own estimation and in the sight of God, and at the same time a token that God is willing to forgive. We are led to consider the manner in which sin is spoken of in the bible, where we are told that "the wages of sin is death ;" where we find connected with it every image of misery and terror; where, in short, its evil consequences are represented to be as great as words can express or thought conceive. In the voluntary death of our Saviour to deliver us from them we find a strong argument for conviction and gratitude.

They are the work of men in

2. Your further indulgence is asked, while we hasten to the other class of means, comprehended in the Influences of the Spirit of God. By these are meant all the divine means employed to save us from sin, as distinguished from human faculties and efforts. First of all, the bible, which is a record of God's providence, government, and laws, a history of his dispensations, a revelation of his perfections and will. The scriptures are divine means. spired by the Spirit of God. structions, "The words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are life." To the same class may be referred all the instructions that we receive which are conformable to the scriptures, and truly founded upon them, whether in advice, example, books, sermons, or other instruments of religion. Here too we may comprise the various discipline of divine

Our Lord says of his own in

providence every thing susceptible of a moral, religious improvement. To this may be added, especially, the good influences particularly promised to such as make a right use of other means; influences, which are to be sought and obtained by prayer, and which are multiplied to the devout and spiritual mind.

Does any one object that this system gives man capacities of religion, and yet admits the interposition of God? This objection, which is but a cavil, may be readily dismissed. If you mean by a divine interposition the gospel itself, with all its provisions and influences, as means, it is self evident that there cannot be Christians without Christianity. But something more is conveyed in language which speaks of a divine interposition without which there is nothing in our nature which will result in religion, without which our nature is, and continues to be depraved-a special divine interposition without which religion is never found-a peculiar divine agency to change man's nature, or give him powers of which he is naturally destitute. We believe that the divine influences are given to develope the religious capacity which man really possesses; and the necessity of these no more implies the want of a natural ability to become religious, than the necessity of the means of education implies the want of a natural capacity to become learned and refined. The divine influences, or means of religion, are the instructors of the soul, designed to unfold its religious faculties, enlarge its ideas, expand its views, extend its hopes, exalt its affections, and train it up for everlasting life; and like the means of education for usefulness, honor, and happiness in this life, they may be abused and neglected, and the result be unfruitfulness in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and disappointed expectations in the future world. Applying a sentiment, which, where it occurs, especially related to the apostle and his office, we believe with him that " our sufficiency is of God"*—but we believe that this sufficiency consists, not in divine influence alone or human exertion alone, but in the union of human efforts and heavenly aids; and that they who do not improve their natural religious faculties, and are not careful to be found in the ways of duty towards God and towards man, are not encouraged to expect the sanctifying agency of Heaven.

* 2 Cor. in. 5.

We perceive from this mode of viewing the subject of divine influences, that it is the idlest of fears to imagine that we can do nothing to obtain the Spirit of God. It is given to those who ask it, and increased to those who improve it. It may be improperly sought, and, in the figurative language of scripture, it may be resisted and grieved; but it is to be obtained at all times and in all places. It does not confine its visits to a selected portion of the Christian communityit is not wafted like the rain-cloud from one tract of land to another-but, like the air we breathe, it is near to all at all times, always in some degree operating, and always ready particularly to affect any mind that will give it access. Scarcely have we left the cradle before it is given to us, as our opening minds are then able to receive it; nor is it taken from us, unless we voluntarily discard it, till flesh and heart have failed us on the dying bed. Through life we may find it in our pious counsellors, our exemplary companions, our sabbath meetings and our bibles, in the arrangements of providence, and, most of all, in our prayers. We have but to open our eyes to see, and incline our ears to hear, and to stretch forth our hands, in order to receive the Spirit of God -to lay hold on eternal life, the gift of the Father's mercy by his Son.

Our brethren who have erected this edifice for his service, will receive, in closing, our congratulations, good wishes, and prayers. Again we dedicate this house to the only true God, the Father, and to Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent; to the religion of his Son and the influences of his Spirit; to the principles of the protestant reformation-the right of private judgment, and the sufficiency of the scriptures; to the truths, instructions, consolations, hopes, and purposes of the gospel. Here may the truth be spoken in love. Here may it come from the heart and reach the heart. May this roof never echo with the voice of denunciation, and may the spirit of contention never find an entrance within these walls. May this be a temple where true worshippers shall worship, and God's own pastors teach. And when ages shall have rolled on, and the place that knows it shall know it no more, may many souls, the seals of its ministrations, bear record on high, that this was none other than the house of God and the gate of heaven. AMEN.

But he answeERED AND SAID, it is written, Man shall not live

BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDETH OUT OF THE MOUTH of God.

MEN often take very limited and defective views of the means, which God has provided to assist in the formation of the Christian character; and this commonly arises from the limited and defective views which they take of what constitutes that character. Fixing upon some one quality, which, without any authority for so doing, they make the criterion of judging whether a man is a Christian or not, they direct all their efforts to the inculcation of this single quality, and confine themselves to the means likely to produce it, almost to the entire neglect, and sometimes to the manifest injury, of the mind and disposition in other respects. This is wrong. Let it be, that the quality which they would inculcate is a virtue, and a great virtue, still it is wrong for them to confine themselves to this virtue. We must not expect to live by one virtue alone, any more than by bread alone; but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth. of God. The whole character is to be considered; and in looking round for the means of improving it, we should remember, that what we want is, that the character, as a whole, may be improved. It was never intended, it is not right, that any one quality of this character, even though it be a good quality, should be forced to develope itself dispropor