of the pattern as the crowning gold about the Mercyseat. But who can say that the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy-seat within the vail were not more vitally important than the whole frame-work around them? So, in the doctrine of the gospel, there is a proportion of importance; some parts more prominent, more necessary, while none can say to any, "I have no need of thee;" all "compacted together by that which every joint supplieth;" all nourished by the same central fountain, animated by one pulse, depending on one head, even Jesus Christ, "from whom all the body, by joints and bands, having nourishment, ministered and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God." To preach the truth, in this, its right shape and proportion, is a great duty. All we say may be scriptural; we may keep back no single feature of the whole body of revealed truth; and yet our representations "may be so confused, disjointed, and shaken; the greater points so hid in the undue prominence of the less, means so confounded with ends, the stream of life with its channels, the symptoms of health with its properties, outward motion with inward life, the mode of possessing, with the mode of obtaining grace; no separate statement untrue, but each in its relative bearing so confused, as to leave an impression scarcely better than that of positive error.”*

* Charge of the Bishop of Ohio.

An eminent Divine and Dignitary of our Church incidentally alludes to the same subject, with reference to which he observes

"One who thus studies the whole Sacred Volume, patiently and reverently, has this important advantage as a teacher-to note but one out of very many-that he will be able, and disposed too, to present the whole body of truth in juster proportions, than one who reads it by fits and starts, in such parts as passing curiosity, or a passing exigency offers to him. Such patient study of the whole of Revelation is, in many cases, necessary to correct the tendency to distort and exaggerate, which is so often the result of the study of human systems of theology, even of those who are in all main points sound. They are in all, in this at least, marked with the imperfection of their source, even when they shew no clearer indications of it; that they present some portions of the Divine scheme, not in entire neglect of the remaining parts, but in undue prominence with respect to them."*

In the writings of many other eminent divines, while we find the fact that all Scriptural truths are prominent, in proportion to their importance, is admitted, or incidentally alluded to, we do not find any direct attempt made to establish, or apply the principle.

The following quotation will shew the justness of this remark, for the Author observes that, in the work from the Preface to which this quotation is taken, no attempt has been made to illustrate and enforce the principle for which we now argue; and the value of which this Writer so forcibly describes:

* Charge of the Bishop of Ossory.

"My endeavour," he says, "has ever been to declare unto you, with great plainness of speech, the whole counsel of God; not to keep back anything that was profitable for you; not only to set forth the things which are good and true, but to set them forth in the proportions in which they are found in the Scriptures. I am aware of the mischief which results from disproportionate views and statements of truth: from allowing certain doctrines to become our favourite topics. To have respect of doctrines, as well as respect of persons, gives a hurtful bias to the judgment, both of the preacher and his hearers. In compounding a medicine for the sick, care must be taken to observe the exact quantities of the ingredients prescribed, an excess or defect in any will be injurious. The only wise God has prepared in His Word a specific for all the diseases of fallen man. There we have all truths harmoniously blended together; and it is not only the directory as to what truths are to be set forth, but as to the degree of prominence which each truth is to obtain in our teaching. It should be the constant aim of each minister to exhibit truth in its just proportions. May he not hope that the result of this will be, that the people committed to him, who receive the truth in the love of it, will grow up in all the comely proportions of the new man, and will not exhibit that spiritual deformity which is to be observed in those who have overgrown notions in some departments of Divine knowledge." "*

The remainder of this passage contains some very valuable remarks on the application of the principle that every subject is prominent in proportion to its importance; but these remarks we reserve until we come to apply this rule as a corrective of defective or erroneous systems of religion. It may here reasonably be asked if this principle of Divine truth be so very important, and its application

*The Rev. Hamilton Verschoyle.

so very simple and so very salutary, why has it not been more generally applied? The only answer the Writer can give to this, and it seems to him the correct one, is, that while the principle has been frequently admitted, very little has ever been offered in proof of its truth, and this has prevented, or practically defeated, the application of the principle; for if brought directly to bear on Our favourite views, and found not to square with them, its application would be immediately evaded and its truth denied, unless the correctness of the principle had first been fully established.

Again, the truth and importance of the subject may be generally admitted, while the difficulty in so establishing it may appear insurmountable. How, it may be asked, are we, in the first instance, to ascertain the importance of any subject before we proceed to show the prominence it occupies in the Sacred Volume? It would manifestly be most illogical first to assume subjects to be the most important and proceed to shew they were the most prominent, and then to infer they were the most important because they were the most prominent. This would be adopting the method by which the Church of Rome endeavours to prove the infallible authority of her church and the Scriptures. The Scriptures, she says, are true because the church says so, and the church is true because the Scriptures say so. A line of

argument condemned by sound reason and common sense; and which has been justly characterized "as a gross insult upon the human understanding." Such a method and such an example we shall carefully avoid.

The plan we propose to adopt, in order, in the first instance, to ascertain the importance of any subject will be three-fold: First, a consideration of the nature of the subject itself, the knowledge of which, in many instances, must carry with it the clear conviction of its importance. Secondly, from the general admission of Christian writers avoiding, as far as possible, all subjects the truth or importance of which are questioned; and here, we would observe, we shall frequently refer to the Articles and Formularies of our Church. Thirdly, from the testimony of Scripture, the wording of which, with respect to many subjects, clearly points out their importance, independently of the frequency of their occurrence. It is needless to adduce proofs of this here, as abundant proof will be supplied hereafter. pursuance of this plan, having first ascertained the importance of various subjects, we propose to shew their prominency. This will occupy the first part of this work. And having established this principle on grounds on which all agree, in the second part we propose to apply it as a standard by which to ascertain the relative importance of subjects with respect to

In