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tian, remembering, and always desiring to remember, that not more in relation to the miraculous gifts and endowments, of the Apostles and primitive Christians, than in respect to the ordinary manifestations of religion at the present day, and in the world, there are diversities of gifts, differences of administrations, and diversities of operations, but the same spirit, which worketh all in all.' If there be doubtful characters, concerning whom we may feel it difficult to decide, whether they are truly Christians, we must not forget that this is a point which we are neither qualified to determine, nor one which the word of God authorizes us to decide; it is rightfully and safely left to the final decision of that omniscient Being who sees and knows the heart, and can alone weigh human character in the balance of impartial and righteous judgment. To their own master all must stand or fall. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?' A forwardness to decide on such doubtful characters as we have supposed, with dogmatical assurance and unsparing severity, savors of anything rather than Christian candor, forbearance, humility and meekness. It rather becomes those who stand in need of mercy themselves,-it will be the spontaneous dictate of a deep and habitual consciousness of this need, to incline rather in such cases to the exercise of that charity which hopeth all things.' Else we may expose ourselves to the full weight of those rebukes and admonitions which are inscribed on the pages of Scripture for our warning, it may be, our condemnation: Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of, for the Son of man is not come to condemn, but to save the world;' if any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his.' 'Judge not,' is the injunction of our Lord,' that ye be not judged, for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.' 'Strive,' yourselves, to enter in at the straight gate, for narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

This leads me to remark, finally, that the point in this whole inquiry, into the nature of Christian regeneration, which it is to us personally most important to learn, is, whether we have truly and practically become the subjects of it; for on the determination of this depends a question of infinite moment to the welfare of our souls. And here let it be carefully remembered, the decision turns not upon what we have experienced and felt at some former time, but upon what we now are; upon the fact whether we have now the spirit and principles of religion so abiding and operating in us, that we are conscious of their presence and influence in our own hearts, and others can trace their outward manifestations and effects in our lives and characters. The express and most emphatic declaration of our Lord himself, teaches us with sufficient plainness, that this inward reception of his religion, among all to whom it is promulgated, is a condition of acceptance and peace with God, from which there is no dispensation. On the fulfilment of this then is suspended our destiny as accountable and immortal beings; in this is involved not our title only, but even our capacity to participate in the salvation of the Gospel, in all those present and future benefits which Christ came into the world, suffered and died to confer upon the soul of man. us not then, as we would stand acquitted before God and his Son, and the cloud of witnesses by which we are encompassed,' as we would be alive and faithful to our highest interests, let us not speculate only on the doctrine of regeneration, but let us endeavor to feel its vast, unspeakable importance to us personally. Let us do more; let us act, as though we were persuaded of the divine authority by which it is enforced, and of the momentous truth with which it is fraught. Let it be the object, first in our thoughts and desires, of our most anxious concern, of our deepest solicitude, of our most watchful and untiring diligence, to implant and nurture, and establish within us, in all their power, the principles

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of that divine religion by which alone are conveyed to us 'the words of eternal life,' the promises and hopes most dear to the human soul. Let it subdue within us the dominion of sin, and form us by its renovating and sanctifying influences to every excellence of temper and of character, which it enjoins. Let our hearts be filled with the spirit, which our great Teacher inculcated, in words such as man never uttered, in his Sermon on the Mount, and in all his discourses, and which he displayed yet more perfectly in his own example, in his life and death;--that spirit which breathes in all the instructions of his inspired Apostles, who took up and renewed the theme of their Master, and has been displayed in living characters in "the goodly company' of the followers of Jesus in every age, country, and sect, now gone to their reward; let this spirit be in us and abound,' and then shall we have received the spirit of adoption;' then shall we have been regenerated into 'the divine image in righteousness and true holiness ;' then shall we have been 'born' into that kingdom of God which passeth not away with the kingdom of this world, but shall be 'eternal in the heavens."