sorrow for friends whom earth can no more restore to them, but who, they trust, are fallen asleep in Jesus. To such Christian mourners, the words of the text are replete with a calmness and a peace which the world cannot give, nor take away. No need for them to sorrow as others which have no hope; no need to linger in the gloom of the sepulchre, as though their best affections were imprisoned there. To do so,

would, they know, be to seek the living among the dead, for those whom they mourn have not perished, they have but changed their dwelling-place, and they have now fully attained to that true and perfect life, after which they had, while tabernacled in the flesh, imperfectly, though not vainly, striven. They are departed, and are with Christ.

Thus do these thoughts support the Christian amid the heaviest trials of life. And when he comes to the last closing scene of this our earthly pilgrimage; when the silver cord of life is loosed, and the spirit is about to return to God who gave it; when the whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint; at that hour how omnipotent over pain and weakness are the glorious images associated with our Redeemer's vacant sepulchre. For Christ has gone before, through the grave and gate of death; yet is He there no longer, for He is risen. "He has ascended up on high; He has led captivity captive; He has received gifts for men;" even the gifts of spiritual assistance in this world, and of sinless purity and immortal happiness in the world to come. Where

108 WHY SEEK YE THE LIVING AMONG THE DEAD.

then the Master is gone before, how can the disciples but rejoice to follow? above all, when that Master is but gone to prepare a place for them that love Him, and declares to each dying follower, "To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise."

But one word of warning need be added, lest any one indulge the folly of flattering himself with such hopes of heavenly blessedness and heavenly reward, who has no reason to think that he would truly enjoy that bliss and those rewards which alone are promised to the Christian. "Beloved," says the favoured apostle, "now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as he is." In these words is the sum and substance of all that has been revealed to us with regard to the happiness of heaven. Now, are we all certain that we should look forward with any pleasure to such a consummation? Is there none among us who would shrink from the thought of being made like in immaculate purity to his perfect and spotless Saviour? Is there no one who would dislike the idea of such a sacrifice of every pleasant vice, every comfortable sin? If any feel that he would turn with distaste from such a prospect, let him not deceive himself; he has no part nor lot in this matter. If he cannot set his affections on things above here, the things above will not be suited to his affections hereafter. In one word, if he will not seek Christ risen on earth, he will never behold Christ risen in heaven.

SERMON IX.

THE HOLY TRINITY.

EPHESIANS II. 18.

FOR THROUGH HIM WE BOTH HAVE ACCESS BY ONE SPIRIT UNTO THE FATHER.

FEW things afford a more remarkable proof of the corrupt perversity of human nature, than the manner in which the great doctrines of Christianity have been misapplied by man. In Scripture, we find these doctrines never introduced except under a practical aspect, as Divine truths calculated most powerfully to awaken the conscience, to call forth the affections, and to influence the conduct. They are not stated as barren theorems, or as metaphysical propositions, but as motives of action or of feeling. In short, religious knowledge is not supplied in the Bible as food for the understanding, but for the heart. And yet how have the great facts revealed to us concerning the nature of God and man, been treated by the Christian world? Instead of being received with

adoring reverence, instead of being suffered to fill the soul with love and holiness, they were from the very earliest period made the subject for curious and subtle disquisition, and for angry contention. Even in the apostolic age, the Gnostic heretics had already perverted the doctrines of Christianity into topics of metaphysical discussion, and treated the saving truths of the gospel as if they were only meant as problems for the exercise of philosophical curiosity. So that St. Paul is obliged to warn his Colossian converts to "beware lest any man should spoil them through philosophy and vain deceit, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind;" and to exhort Timothy against such "profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called." And ever since, the same fatal error has prevailed. decomposed the compound substance of Revelation, and separated the doctrinal element from the practical, with which it is always found in combination. They have left off breathing the vital air of heaven, in order to examine minutely the ultimate components of which it is made up. Having succeeded in their theological analysis, they have exhibited the dogmatical principle in a state of separation, and subjected it to all the concentrated scrutiny of exclusive investigation. But meantime the ethereal spirit of Christianity has too often entirely evaporated, and the residuary particles of doctrine have been allowed, as it were, to crystallize apart, and have assumed a

Men have, as it were,

form, hard though subtle, and cold, however lucid, in the mind of the investigator.

It is but too certain, that a man may be able to state the doctrines of revelation with the most minute orthodoxy, and yet shew by his life that they have exercised no influence on his heart. Nay more, those who are most conversant with the science of theology, and most profoundly acquainted with the minutiae of dogmatical controversy, are sometimes the least affected by the sanctifying truths which have formed the subject of their study. And the reason of this is plain; they have suffered themselves to dwell upon the doctrinal, to the exclusion of the practical element of Christianity; what God hath joined, they have put asunder; they have treated religion as if it were an intellectual instead of a moral revelation; a subject to philosophize about, instead of to feel; and they have reaped in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet.

Doubtless it is necessary to have dogmatical creeds and formularies, as safeguards of our faith; but we must remember that this necessity was forced upon the Church at first, by those who profanely intruded their presumptuous speculations into mysteries which were meant to influence action, not to excite investigation. And we may observe, that the most dogmatical formularies of our Church are chiefly negative, contradictory of certain unscriptural tenets which had been maintained, with regard to the abstrusest points of our religion, by such rash and curious theorists.