Germs of Thought.

SUBJECT:-The Speculative Difficulties of an Enquiring Intellect Solved by the Heart of Practical Piety.

"But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living. The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me. It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof," &c.—Job xxviii. 12-28.

Analysis of Homily the Hundred and Ninety-fifth.

THERE are two things very prominently developed in this chapter-Man's POWER and his WEAKNESS; his power to supply the material necessities of his nature, and his weakness to supply his mental cravings. In relation to the former, he is here represented as a miner penetrating the depths of the earth-going into a dark subterranean path which " no fowl knoweth ;" which the "vulture's eye hath not seen;" too terrible for the fierce lion "to pass by it”—in order to bring out the silver, the gold, the iron, the brass. He is also represented, probably for agricultural purposes, as working upon the surface of the earth. "He overturneth the mountains by the roots," &c. The passage, in the general, suggests the fact, that man has power to get from the earth whatever will satisfy his wants, gratify his tastes, and promote his comforts, as a material being. But if man had such power on the earth for this purpose in the days of Job, when material civilization, though evidently considerably advanced, was many stages beneath its present mark, how much greater is his power now! Now he rives the mountains with ease, and brings out the treasures of the

earth at his pleasure; he reverses the courses of rivers, and turns oceans into high roads for nations; he converts forests into meadows, and deserts into gardens; he links his chariot to the fire, and makes the lightning convey his thoughts. Great is man's power over the earth for supplying his material wants. But whilst his power for this purpose is here represented as great, his weakness to supply his mental cravings is also represented as great. His great mental want is wisdom. Some people try to interpret fully the ways of God, but they labor in vain. "Where shall wisdom be found?" &c. This conducts to the chief subject of our text-namely, That the difficulties of an enquiring intellect can only be solved by the feelings of a pious heart. In illustration of this, we shall offer four remarks.

I. THAT EVERY ENQUIRING INTELLECT HAS DIFFICULTIES WHICH IT IS ANXIOUS TO REMOVE. "Where shall wisdom be found?"-i. e., as I understand it, Where shall we get the solvent idea?—the idea which shall make all things clear to the understanding; that shall reconcile apparent discrepancies; that, like a key, shall unlock that door which now shuts us up in the gloom of mystery, and let in a stream of light that shall make all things clear? There are two classes of intellectual difficulties-those connected with the physical realm of being, and those connected with the moral. The former class are ever pressing upon scientific men. The more they penetrate into the arcana of nature, the more their difficulties multiply. Facts appear, both in matter and mind, which they seek in vain to reconcile, and their cry is for "wisdom"-for some solvent principle. The other class of difficulties are felt, more or less, by all who think on moral subjects. The birth of sin, the suffering of innocence, the triumph of wickedness, the depression of virtue, are some of the intellectual difficulties which are felt in the moral department. The difficulties in the moral department press far more heavily and fearfully on the heart of man than those in the physical. How anxiously does the thinker in

the moral domain, when cloud after cloud of doubt and mystery rolls over his heavens, cry, "Where shall wisdom be found?"-where is the interpreting principle ?-where?

II. THAT THE PRINCIPLE WHICH REMOVES THOSE DIFFICULTIES CAN NEITHER BE PURCHASED BY WEALTH, NOR ATTAINED

BY INVESTIGATION. "Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living," &c. First: It cannot be purchased by wealth. "It cannot be gotten for gold." No wealth is equal to its value. "It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir"-" the precious onyx""the sapphire"-"the gold" -"the crystal"-"jewels of fine gold”—“ coral”—-"pearls"-" rubies"- "the topaz of Ethiopia!" The choicest and rarest species of wealth in this world, put together, is not equal to its value, and cannot procure it. All wealth, in comparison with true peace of mind, is worthless. Men under the pressure of mental anxieties have often been ready to barter away every fraction of their property for the reconciling principle ;—but no wealth can purchase it. Secondly: It cannot be attained by investigation. (1.) A search for it in the domain of inanimate matter would be useless; for "The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me." (2.) A search for it in the domain of life would be useless; for "it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air." The ancient Easterns considered the feathered tribes as possessing great knowledge; but the principle to remove intellectual difficulties in man is not to be found in them. "It is hid from all living❞—both man and beast. (3.) A search for it in the domain of departed souls would be as useless; for "destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears." "Death"-Sheol, the realm of departed spirits. Departed spirits have heard thereof, but that is all they cannot give it. The idea of the whole is, You cannot attain it by any amount of intellectual investigation. Intellect cannot solve the difficulties of intellect.

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HEART OF PRACTICAL PIETY

III. THAT THE YIELDS A SATISFACTORY SOLUTION OF ALL PAINFUL INTELLECTUAL DIFFICULTIES. "And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." First: This is asserted by one who understands what wisdom is. "God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof. For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven; to make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure. When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder: then did he see it, and declare it; he prepared it, yea, and searched it out." Every part of the universe is both formed and governed by His eternal plan. The outward elements are not brought together by chance. They are adjusted by His rule ;-their proportions are arranged by Him. Even the fleeting winds are weighed ; and not a zephyr breathes but by His plan. Those waters, too, which, under the sway of storms, roar and rage in apparent lawlessness, are all measured: every spray is known, and every drop has been weighed in the balance of God. All move, too, according to His plan. He has a "decree for the rain;" He has cut out a path for the lightning. Every part of the great universe is both formed and directed according to His eternal plan. Now, it is He who thus "looks under the whole heaven," and knows every part of the creation, that says, "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom," &c. Secondly: This is proved by the nature of the case. Let a man be inspired with that reverent love for God which implies unshaken confidence in His character and operations, and which always induces the man "to depart from evil," and all speculative difficulties will lose their painful pressure on the heart, even where they are not made clear to the understanding. "He that doeth the will

of God, shall know of the doctrine." Practical piety removes the pressure of intellectual difficulties in four ways. (1.) By sustaining in the mind an unshaken and cheerful trust in the

great Disposer of all things. If we have confidence in the wisdom and love of a being, we shall not be greatly distressed at the part of his conduct toward us which, at the moment, we cannot understand. A loving, trustful heart can afford to wait patiently for explanation. (2.) By sustaining the consciousness that what we understand not now, we shall know hereafter. The eye of practical piety looks upon this life in connexion with the future, and regards the future as a state of perfection. (3.) By clearing away from the mind. those feelings which prevent the intellect from understanding spiritual things. The intellect looks at subjects through the medium of the emotions and passions of the heart. These are its atmosphere-an atmosphere which, in the absence of piety, is exceedingly cloudy, so that nothing can be seen clearly. Piety gives a new atmosphere to the heart, and lights it up with love to God, and love to man. (4.) By giving the soul a ruling sentiment kindred to the primary impulse of God. There is a much shorter way of knowing men than that of studying them. If A's ruling sentiment is identical with that of B, A will have an instinctive knowledge of B‚—of the sources and reasons of his conduct. A kindredness of ruling sentiment with a man lets you into the "secrets" of his life. For the want of this, the selfish understand not the benevo lent. "The world knoweth us not," says John. We, if Christians, are ruled by a principle which can only be understood by consciousness. The heart is the source of conduct, and the heart only can read the heart. Piety gives us a fellow-feeling-an identity of sentiment-with the Infinite; and hence the secrets of the Lord are with them that fear Him; and Christ's sheep "know His voice." Love alone can interpret the history of love-love alone receive the revelations of love. Love is the "unction from the Holy One, enabling us to understand all things." "He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."

Piety, then, is the " Wisdom"-the solvent principle. Let it grow, and intellectual difficulties, if they exist, will only be as the light silvery clouds upon the face of day; they will