happy, that is, as happy as their natures would allow; perfectly free from pain, and receiving pleasure without alloy; He must have required them to be perfectly holy; in other words, to yield perfect obedience to His holy law. To suppose him to accept less, would be supposing Him to design men for perfect happiness, and imperfect happiness, I may say misery, at one and the same time. But who does not repudiate this, as the grossest and most impious contradiction? We may sooner suppose any absurdity; a kingdom, for instance, divided against itself, and yet that kingdom stand, or Satan to cast out Satan, and yet his kingdom stand, than suppose a perfect God to give a perfect law, and yet require only imperfect obedience to it; or to design his children for perfect happiness, and yet require only that, which, when yielded, necessarily prevents the enjoyment of it.-Now this, though it may seem to be a severe doctrine, is in strict harmony with, even, the requisition of human laws. They too, require perfect obedience. Though we obey them, in numberless instances, yet if we fail in but one point, we become transgressors and obnoxious to punishment.-If we examine,

we shall find this doctrine, to be in strict harmony likewise, with our own individual sentiments. Are we not so constituted, as to find ourselves entitled to expect, in the common relations of life, a species of perfection from our fellow men? Have we not reason to expect a Judge to be perfectly upright; a servant to be perfectly honest; a friend to be perfectly faithful; and a child to be perfectly dutiful; and when any of these characters, respectively, is not perfectly upright, perfectly honest, perfectly faithful, perfectly dutiful; are we not offended with them, and do we not impute, to them, blame?-And why? Because, we naturally feel, that the law, by which we estimate their characters, demands perfection.

Thus our position, that the Divine law, demands perfect obedience, is justified even by the conclusions of reason. What then is the language of Revelation? Is any certain degree of transgression, allowed thee, O man! in the book of God? Does it allow thee to be guilty of impurity, of blas phemy, or perjury, to a certain degree? No. It commands thee, to "crucify the flesh, "with its affections and lusts, and to per

"fect holiness in the fear of the Lord." Does it allow thee to indulge in malice, or anger, or envy, or lying, to a certain degree? No. It commands thee to "put away from

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thee, all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, “and clamour, and evil speaking, with all "malice." And it commands thee to abstain, not only from all evil; but even from the appearance of it; to follow His steps who knew no sin, and who had "no guile "found in his mouth." It commands thee to be "perfect even as thy Father in Hea"ven is perfect.”

And while the law of God requires perfect obedience, it does not, like human laws, extend only to the outward conduct, it extends even to our thoughts and intentions. Outward conduct, however good in itself, cannot be good in regard to him who maintains it, if it do not proceed from a good motive. Nay, though good in itself, it must be considered as actually bad, in regard to the individual, if it arise from unhallowed intention. It is the goodness of the motive only, that can sanctify our actions, the best of which, separate from this, can, properly speaking, have no moral ex

cellence. Unless good conduct be produced by good disposition, we cannot depend on its continuance; and, this perhaps, is the simple reason, why, in our estimate of moral character, we always think it necessary to take the latter in such strict connection with the former.-The law of God, then, must reach, not only outward actions: but, also, the temper of mind, from which they originate, and which characterizes them in relation to the agent, as either good or bad. Human laws, indeed, take cognizance only of outward actions, because human legislators can have no access to the heart; but God knows the heart, and the most secret thought which can ever rise there. The mere external forms of devotion cannot be acceptable to Him. He cannot be deceived by the treacherous smile, the unfelt thanksgiving and the mimic prayer. He pene

trates the inmost recesses of the human breast; He discerns the exact correspondence between the heart and the countenante, the thoughts and the professions; and His displeasure cannot but be excited by the unmeaning oblations of a counterfeited piety. This great God, then, who searcheth the hearts of the children: of men.

must require the heart, to enliven every work which we do, and to make grateful, every offering which we bring." My son,

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(says he,) give me thine heart.—If we "regard iniquity in our heart, the Lord will "not hear us.-Who shall ascend into His "hill, and who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath not only clean "hands, but a pure heart.-God is a Spirit; " and they that worship Him, must worship "Him in spirit and in truth."

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And while the moral law requires perfect obedience, and extends not only to our outward conduct, but even to our thoughts and intentions, it is, also, like its Divine Author, without shadow of change. The transcript of Himself, it is immutable and eternal."It is easer, (declares the Book of God,) "for heaven and earth to pass away, than "for the least title of the law to fail.". "The carnal mind," I know, rises up in enmity against this doctrine: it vainly attempts to persuade itself, that this law, in its full rigour, God will never execute; that its severity is now softened; that since the coming of Christ it is even repealed, and a milder law substituted in its stead,