power in a single discourse of his, if you give yourself up to the illusion which he throws around himself, and which has become a part of his identity. Nothing is more thrilling than the talk, sometimes, of a hypochondriac, or monomaniac, especially if you fall in, for the moment, with his hallucination. But as soon as you remember what the fact is; as soon as you go out of his close and darkened apartment, and begin to perceive the reality of things, and breathe the free air, and look upon the face of blooming and rejoicing nature,-the spell of such eloquence is broken. So whoever hears our conservative preacher, harping upon his one idea of the progressive degeneracy of this iron age, may be impressed, so long as he forgets the facts, or while he happens to be in a melancholy mood of feeling. But when he goes out into the real world, and sees things as they are; when he sees every interest of society actually advancing-science continually making new discoveries, and art instantly turning each discovery to account for the use of man-knowledge diffused more copiously in all directions, and among all classesthe means of human comfort endlessly multiplied-great reformations of morals, brought to pass by the voluntary efforts of good and patriotic men arguing with their fellow-citizens—the press free, the pulpit free, the churches free from all subjection to the state-the school and the sanctuary, rising in every new settlement that intrudes upon the wilderness-an educated and devoted ministry, coming forward by thousands, to build up the waste places-missionaries going out in companies to preach the doctrine of Christ crucified in every quarter of the world— presses and schools set up on the darkest and remotest shores, and barbarous tongues learning the name and praise of Jesusit is impossible for him to believe that the night of the dark ages is again closing in upon the world. He who is continually crying out that an age like this, an age of freedom, peace, and universal progress, is, of all ages, most disastrous to the Church, ought to know that the people can retain their confidence in the divinity of the Christian religion, only by losing their confidence in him.

Let it not be so with you. Beware how you fall into this morose and green-eyed humor of ultra-conservativism. Never be afraid of improvement. Show that you have in you the spirit of reform and progress. Be co-workers with him who is making all things new. Remember that, in this age, above all others, if ministers of the gospel stand as the guardians of old 6

SECOND SERIES, VOL. I. NO. I.

errors or abuses, if they look upon improvements with a jealous eye, if they always exalt the days of fifty years ago as better than these days, their hold upon the popular mind is gone; their sympathy with the popular heart is gone; and the power of the pulpit is no more.

My young brethren, you are to preach the gospel,—truth into which angels desire to look; truth from God, and worthy to be revealed by the ministry of angels, and by the incarnate brightness of the Father's glory; truth adapted to man's nature, and appealing to every capacity of this spiritual and immortal being; truth, the power of which, if you are not deceivers, you have experienced upon your own hearts. Preach that truth, then. Preach it with all your souls. Preach it, conscious of the grandeur of your commnission. Preach it as it is, in all its variety of awfulness, sweetness, and power. Let it not be mutilated or dishonored in your exhibition of it.

You are to preach to men-created in God's image, but ruined by their own apostasy; to men with the affections and sensibilities of your own nature, the nature which Christ assumed, and in which he taught and suffered; to men who are to be saved from sin, or forever abandoned, according as they receive or reject that gospel which you are commissioned to preach to them. Preach, then, as men to men, pleading with them, in God's behalf, for their salvation.

You are to preach to freemen; - not to slaves trodden into the earth, whom the gospel can only teach to suffer meekly, and to perform their servile toil with cheerfulness, as to the Lord; not to the subjects of a spiritual despotism, who have never learned to use their own intelligent faculties, and never dare to think, save at the bidding, and according to the will, of those who rule them; but to freemen, accustomed to manly inquiry and argument, to manly sentiment, and manly action. He who preaches to such hearers, ought to preach well. Dull, prozy dogmatism, supercilious authority, merely traditionary answers to traditionary questions, will not serve his turn, who has to deal with freemen, accustomed to free thought. He must commend himself to their consciences by the MANIFESTATION of the truth. And how is the truth to be manifested, but by clear statement, vivid illustration, and cogent argument, all accompanied with the demonstration of the Spirit? See, then, that you preach well; so that the gospel, in your ministration,

may triumph over the hearts of freemen, and enlist their manly affections and energies in the service of the reigning Saviour, who still leads his elect to war upon the darkness of this world.

You are to preach in an age of revolution, an age alive with the excitement and progress of changes greater and more rapid than ever before agitated the world. In such an age, he who speaks timidly, feebly, and as not quite knowing what he would say, must expect to find himself unheeded, and his voice drowned in the rushing and clamors of this vast theatre. In such an age, to which all ages past have been tending, and which is itself the crisis of all ages to come, how great the privilege, how great the charge, to be entrusted with the ministry of that truth which is the most powerful of all the instrumentalities that affect the destinies of men.

With what earnestness, then, with what self-denying industry, with what carefulness to redeem the time, with what prayer to that Almighty Spirit who can enrich with all knowledge and utterance, ought you to pursue your preparation for so great a ministry. The desire to preach well is indispensable; but, in reference to the end of the ministry, the power to preach well is no less so. A fervent piety, a heart kindling with holy love, a confidence in God which cannot be shaken, a constant sense of the grandeur of those interests which are to be affected by the preaching of the gospel,-all this is to be sought by watchfulness and prayer, and by the constant discipline of the heart, under the means of grace; but, in reference to the end of the ministry, something more than this is equally necessary. The power to wield the sword of the Spirit, which is of God, the skill rightly to divide the word of truth, the faculty of illustration and expression which commands attention, and carries truth into the minds of the hearers, in all its fair proportions,without these, though a man were as fearless as a martyr, as indefatigable as the winds, and blazing like a flame of fire with zeal, what is he worth as a preacher? Cultivate, then, the power to preach well. As you would save the souls of them that hear you, as you would give account to God, of the good thing committed to your trust, and of opportunities of usefulness beyond all value, study to preach well; yes, STUDY TO SHOW YOURSELVES APPROVED, WORKMEN THAT NEED NOT BE ASHAMED.

ARTICLE III.

CHRISTIAN PERFECTION.

By Enoch Pond, D. D. Bangor Theol. Seminary.

THE pretenders to Christian Perfection may be divided into three classes, as they rest their claims on three different grounds. 1. There are the advocates of imputed perfection. These are perfect, not in their own righteousness, but in the imputed righteousness of Christ. By an act of faith, they devolve all their sins upon Christ, and take all his righteousness upon themselves; so that they are as perfect, as righteous, as the Saviour.

Of this theory it must be said, not only that it is unscriptural and anti-scriptural, it is altogether of an antinomian character. The individual who fancies himself in possession of all Christ's righteousness holds usually, not only that he does not, but that he cannot sin. What would be sin in others, is no sin in him. Let him do what he may, he sins not. Of course, all moral restraint is taken off from him, and he becomes as unprincipled as an atheist. Besides; this theory of inputed perfection involves an absolute impossibility. This supposed transfer of moral character, one way and the other-this putting over of our sins to Christ, and taking his righteousness upon ourselves, is, in the nature of things, impossible. It is what never was, and never can be, done. Moral character is not transferable property. It adheres to its possessor, and to him alone, and can never become the character of any other being.

2. The second class of perfectionists are those who claim what they call an evangelical perfection. They do not profess to obey perfectly the divine law, or think that this is at all necessary. The moral law has been superseded by the law of faith. It has been annulled, in whole or in part, and the milder and less rigorous requisitions of the gospel have taken its place. It is these milder requisitions that the evangelical perfectionist (as he chooses to term himself) professes to fulfil, and not the strict demands of the law.

To this theory it is sufficient to reply, that the moral law has not been superseded or annulled, but is in full force now throughout the universe. Our Saviour came to vindicate and

honor the law, not to annul it. The dispensation of mercy is based upon it, but does not supersede or abate one iota of its claims. No person can become interested in the grace of the gospel, till he consents to the entire law that it is good, and condemns himself for all his transgressions of it. We may frame for ourselves a standard of character, if we will, and live up to it, and call this perfection; but the Bible knows nought of such perfection. It is of no value in the sight of God.

3. The third class of perfectionists are those who profess to fulfil perfectly the law of God. They admit that the moral law-the great law of love-stands in unabated force; that it is binding on themselves; and insist that they can and do fulfil it. They love the Lord their God with all their heart, and soul, and mind, and strength. They love their neighbor as themselves. From day to day, and in many instances from year to year, they come short of the requisitions of the divine law in nothing. They are as free from sin, as was the man Christ Jesus. They are perfect, even as their Father who is in heaven is perfect.

This latter scheme of perfection is that which has been most recently promulged, and most plausibly advocated.* It contains more of truth than either of the former theories, and on that account is more likely to prevail. It is to this latter theory-the claim of fulfilling the whole divine law-to which attention will be given at the present time.

The advocates of this theory hold it in connexion with much important truth. They agree, in several points, with other evangelical Christians; and it may be important, in the commencement of this discussion, to notice some of these points of agreement.

We agree, then, in insisting that the moral law, the great law of love, has never been repealed or abated. It is the only standard of character which God has ever fixed, or ever will. It is in full and binding force now, in heaven, on earth, and throughout the intelligent universe.

We agree in insisting, that this law requires a constant, unwavering obedience. It makes no allowance to human infirmi

tians.

Particularly by Rev. Charles G. Finney, in his Sermons to Chris

† At least, we agree in words. It may be questioned whether this class of perfectionists do not, in their conceptions of things, very considerably diminish the high demands of the law.