LETTER XXIV.

THEOLOGY.

MY DEAR M, In many departments of your official engagements, you deal with subjects on the right understanding of which you know that much of your pupil's future well-being will depend; and which consequently awaken anxiety on your part that you may fully acquit yourself of responsibility. But there is no subject in the whole round of your instructions, which, in the importance of its character, its power over the happiness of the soul, and the consequent responsibility in dealing with it, can for a moment be compared with the system of gospel truth. In its nature, -it is the truth received by direct revelation from God in its bearing upon happiness,—it is the truth by which they are to be saved and sanctified, the only truth which has power to qualify them for the enjoyments of earth and heaven: in the responsibility of the instructor, she deals with God's word, and influences the eternal destinies of the soul. If on other subjects you are jealous of error and active in the investigation of truth, considering your power over the minds of those you train, "what carefulness should this work in you." On other subjects, if you impart false impressions, experience or advancing knowledge may correct them; and the error may not work any very material mischief during the time it prevails.

Here it is not so, you cannot inculcate error without inflicting a serious injury; you cannot withhold truth, or neutralize its efficiency, without endangering all that is essential to the virtue and happiness of being. First impressions on any subject are the most abiding; on religious subjects they are especially so, and will inevitably influence the future character. Even should the errors imbibed in youth be corrected, and ideas accordant with truth be afterwards acquired, the mind is very far from being in the same position as if erroneous ideas had not been entertained. Perhaps you will not at once admit this statement. I am convinced of its truth by experience. I could tell you of notions I imbibed, and long entertained, which were inconsistent with truth; and which dimmed and confused my ideas on collateral subjects, to the great disturbance of my peace, and detriment of my progress. I could describe to you the enjoyment I experienced when I discovered the error, and saw clearly, after its removal; but I could not say that its influence was gone. That which I know to be untrue, and have entirely discarded, does yet, from its long familiarity, and admitted association with the fixed principles of my mental operations, often resume its place unperceived, and act as a film before the mind's vision. If such be the power of error acknowledged and discarded, how great must be its influence when the mind is treasuring it as truth!

Take an example. There is a common one in the case of a young person brought up under the influence of the notion, that by belonging to a Christian nation, having had the ceremonies of baptism and confirmation duly performed, and being regular in attendance

on the ordinary services of public worship, all the duties arising out of her relation to God are fulfilled, and she fully prepared to stand before Him at the last great day. Can you not imagine how such a soul is shielded from the arrows of the Almighty, and rendered impervious to conviction of sin?. I say imagine, but you have probably experienced in your efforts to impress the heart, how pre-eminently callous such error renders it. And though I know the omnipotent energy of the Spirit of truth, and how completely such mistake shall be purged away when He shall come; yet I cannot believe that all the injury and mischief such an error works will be dissipated at conversion, to be felt no more.

It is when we estimate the power of erroneous convictions, on religious subjects, over the character of the individual who imbibes them, that we become sensible of our responsibility as religious instructors of the young; and exclaim with trembling anxiety, "Wherewithal shall we cleanse our apprehensions so that they shall contain nothing to defile the purity of truth?" And here is the answer, "By taking heed thereto according to the word of God." This is the fountain of pure undefiled truth. How is it, then, that so many different dogmas are deduced from its pages? It is the sinful propensities of men's minds which pervert the truth before them. And if we would have our supply pure and unperverted, we must surrender ourselves to the purifying influence of the Spirit who dictated the word; we must mortify pride, and abandon all the delights its gratification affords; we must buy the truth at the sacrifice of the "carnal lusts which war against the soul." The truth sanctifies the heart,

and in proportion as it sanctifies it, will purify our conceptions. "If we will do his will," as God is true, 66 we shall know of the doctrine" whether it be from Him.

I am, however, firmly persuaded, that the error arising from the perversion of the meaning of scripture, is very trifling in comparison with that which may be traced to the neglect of revelation, or the admission of other authority. I do not think that many different dogmas are deduced from its pages. It is when men forsake its pages, and substitute as authority their own opinions of expediency, or the decisions of human judgment by individuals or assemblies, that they err in creed and observance. That scripture is wrested to support error thus originated, is another and very different thing.

Besides the importance of theological doctrines, there is another peculiarity in this department of your labours -you have to qualify your pupil to be a teacher. I would recommend you to keep this in view constantly, and frequently to place it before her mind. Do not imagine that the duty of communicating religious truth rests only on those who have received it, and should never be thought of until they have received it. It is quite true that until your pupil has received the truth in the love of it, till her heart is imbued with the strong and holy affections which the gospel creates, she will make no effort for the conversion of others; or if she should be incited by example or persuasion to undertake their religious instruction, she will be entirely incompetent to its discharge. But this does not interfere with her responsibility for the fulfilment of the duty, nor with yours in pressing its claims upon her. The gospel is here, first claiming each individual's attention and re

ception, and then commanding him to devote himself to the diffusion of the glad tidings. Now it is not with one of these duties, to the exclusion of the other, that you have to do as it regards your pupils. You must by all means seek their saving apprehension of the truth; you must also set before them the duty of spreading it, for which their rejection does indeed disqualify them, but from which it does not exonerate them in the least. And you have your part to perform towards its accomplishment, in the provision of clear, sound, extensive knowledge of the doctrines, precepts, and promises of the word of God.

It appears to me, that in general this is too much lost sight of. Judging solely from the character of the religious instruction communicated generally to the young, and the limited notions of duty usually set before them, one might be led to suppose that the present is the era of the church, in which it is no longer necessary for " every man to teach his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord." No, we are in that period when it is especially and emphatically incumbent on Christians to bend every energy they can redeem from the necessary engagements of time, to teach their brethren and their neighbours the fear of the Lord, and when instructors of youth should aim at qualification for the discharge of the duty, as a great object of their labours. It is not, however, a separate work. That which converts and establishes the soul, elevates its character, helps its progress towards perfection, is that also which animates and arms it for the work of evangelization.

And now, how shall we best secure the ample and unadulterated provision of truth for our pupils, by

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