pretensions, but imposed mere artificial rules which embraced a flourish of declamation, without mental discipline or any genuine eloquence. Now Paul came not to amuse them with subtle and curious speculations, but simply to preach "Christ and him crucified."-He came not to charm the ears of a false taste with wordy harangues and mellifluous intonations, but to give a plain message, whose simple import was so majestic and glorious that it defied and frowned upon the popular tricks and antics of oratory. And he did this "lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect;" lest the attention of his hearers should be diverted from the doctrines of salvation, and the cross of Christ fail of its great end.

Christianity is not in any sense, or in any degree, a system of formal philosophy. It contains neither fables nor subtle and strange dogmas. It conveys truth under striking facts and beautiful examples. It presents truth with a living countenance, a speaking voice, a warm heart, a benevolent hand, and going about doing good; "I am the way and the truth and the life," says Christ. It indeed contains mysteries, but they are, like all the mysteries of God, sublime and glorious, and connected with rich practical benefits. There is no greater mystery to me than the sun. What is the substance of his orb ? What feeds his inexhaustible light and heat? What is the nature of light itself, and by what force is every ray carried directly onwards in space, travelling eternally, except it meet a reflecting or absorbing surface? O sun, I know thee not! thou art to me, like every other star of light, "a beauty and a mystery!" I know not what thou art; but I know that thou art; thou risest every morning to give me light, and settest every night to give me repose; thou travellest through thy vast circuit and bringest the pleasant succession of the seasons; thou art, to me, God's most palpable and glorious minister of blessings! I know not what thou art in thyself and I may never ascend thy empyreal seat to gain a nearer vision-but I know thy benign influences and effects-I know that I cannot live without thee! And so likewise these orbs of moral and spiritual truth, which move together in the gospel system, are at a sublime height above my feeble vision-I see them, I know that they are, I experience their gracious, healing, heavenly influences-they are to me "life and immortality." I believe in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, although the Divine Being is to me an orb of brightness whose intense

centre I cannot penetrate. Like Moses in his vision, we see but the far off sweeping skirts of this glory-we feel its vivifying and enriching power; and the goodness of the Lord passes before us. It is paternal mercy, redeeming love, ineffable consolation, joy and peace-and this suffices us.

The cross of Christ, the humiliation, the incarnation, the suffering and death, the heavenly high priesthood may be as mysterious to me, as the deep and clear fountain which bubbles up from the cleft in the rock, from generation to generation, sending out its pure and sweet waters, but they are no less palpably a benefit, and they are a fountain of life in an infinitely higher sense. Reason does not reject mysteries. Reason believes in mysteries upon sufficient evidence, and no evidence to reason is higher than the undoubted affirmation of the Infinite God, and the existence of benefits which can be traced to these mysteries alone.

Now, when we take up the work of preaching the gospel, are we to make these facts and mysteries, these commands, warnings, exhortations and "exceedingly precious promises" the mere occasions of philosophical speculations ?-are we to frame systems of metaphysico-theology upon them, arrogant and formidable? Are we to take them, by violence, as the vehicles of our Manichæism, Gnosticism, Peripateticism, or even our Platonism? Upon the cross of Christ shall we nail our parchment rolls, and change the blood-stained symbol of salvation into a sign-post of the "excellency of" our “wisdom?" God forbid. We are to preach the facts, mysteries, promises and precepts of the gospel, without the glosses of our philosophy-with no ambitious aim-with the simplicity, directness and dignified earnestness which characterized the Great Author of our religion and his apostles-that "if by any means we may save some"-a style of preaching which although it seem " foolishness" to the "disputers of this world," will, to the souls seeking salvation, be "in the power and demonstration of the Spirit."

I do not undervalue philosophy; I may rather be suspected to be one of its devotees. But I wish to preserve it in its fitting relations, and its due subordination. And if I ever undertake philosophical investigation, in respect to biblical truth, my aim shall be to disintegrate the simplicity of revelation from the philosophies which have been heaped upon it. When philosophies of all sorts have for ages been erecting their towers

of strength and naming them after the "stronghold" of Zion; and have been inscribing Scripture texts all over their banners -then of necessity we may be compelled to seek out, by legitimate methods, the true philosophy, which is the harmony of all minds as well as the principle of all God's works; that we may beat down these frowning and boastful fastnesses of error, and release the gospel from its long imprisonment, to go abroad again, as free and simple as when Paul carried its banner, exclaiming, "I have determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified."

We have seen how the doing away of the equality of Christ's ministers, and the introduction of the higher orders of the church, corrupted its polity, and led on those vast evils which blacken and sadden the pages on which are recorded the acts of nominal Christianity. Akin to this is the history of dogmatical Christianity.

For the ministers of Christ to aim to be any thing more than preachers of the cross, of equal rank, and unambitious pastors of the flock, was one form of error. For the professed preachers to preach any thing besides the doctrines of the cross-to foist into the system of truth, revealed from heaven, their own inventions-to know any thing besides Christ and him crucified, was the other great and pregnant form of error. They began to exist together-they co-worked together—they advanced together-they sustained each other, and they devastated the fields of truth, by the tares which they sowed. The evils which the apostle deprecated, which began to work in Corinth, but which he successfully opposed, and of which he forewarned the church in those memorable words: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables," these evils appeared even before the apostolical sun had set. He who has read the history of philosophy and church history together, finds no difficulty in tracing the multifarious and conflicting doctrines of the professors of Christianity to the schools of philosophy. He who has examined the specimens of sermonizing, which have come down to us from the different ages, as well as the theological writings in general, finds them a mixed and motley web, of Scripture facts and affirmations which may be called the golden threads, and speculative dogmas, acute or

crude, ingenious or monstrous, gathered from Plato or Aristotle, Zoroaster or Manes, from the Gnostics or the Bhudists and these are the threads of various and strange colors and materials. Such are a vast proportion of the writings of the schoolmen-the subtleties of Duns Scotus, and Magnus Albertus Beatissimus, and a multitude of others.

What prevailed in the days of our fathers is not extinct in our day. A blessed change has indeed come over the church, and is still in progress. But Arminianism, and Pelagianism, and Calvinism, and Hopkinsianism, and Antinomianism, and Emmonism, and Taylorism, and Coleridgeanism, and Transcendentalism, and Old and New Schoolism, and Perfectionism, and other isms are rife in the land. What is the origin of these discussions? Whence spring these warring opinions? We find not their names in the gospel. Do we find all the opinions they represent, in the gospel? One thing is certain, that, in these conflicting schools, gospel truths are not at war with each other. Let a philosophical critic examine them, and he plainly discovers the opposing elements of different philosophies. Multitudes of people who have never studied philosophy and who care nothing about it, and who, if you take them upon the plain facts, affirmations and duties of the gospel, are perfectly agreed, are nevertheless divided into alienated parties, respecting consecrated technicalities, and the artificial precision of elaborate confessions. They dispute about words because they are old and favorite words, when they all alike have the older and better things. They give each other foul names upon verbal or philosophical differences, which are unintelligible alike to the unlearned, and, alas! to not a few of the learned disputants.

While discussions are waxing louder and louder-methinks I hear the voice of the apostle, like a clear, harmonious trumpet, call to draw us away from the battle-" Now I beseech you brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." And how shall we effect this? Let each minister bear in mind," Christ sent me to preach the gospel." This is my rank, this my office. my office. I am to preach it" not with wisdom of words" or "excellency of wisdom and speech"-not in view of my philosophy, or in support of my party; I am to preach it as it is given me from

the pure fountain of truth-and in the meekness, plainness, and earnestness of one endeavoring to "save a soul from death." A return to the apostolical models, this, this will bring in the cure, and breathe upon us the balmy breath of peace.

It is to be remarked how the apostle is continually referring to the "cross of Christ," or to" Christ and him crucified. This alone he glories in this alone he determines to know and preach. It is not difficult to discern the reason. The "cross of Christ," or "Christ and him crucified" presents us the substance of the gospel. The aim of God in sending his Son was not to institute a splendid hierarchy, nor to establish proud and learned schools of philosophy-nor even to teach the most useful sciences and arts: there was but one aim, a sublimely simple aim-" to seek and to save the lost." All the divine institutions and arrangements are made for this end. The truths revealed are revealed for this end. The ministers and agencies ordained, are ordained for this end. The rites and ordinances given, are given for this end. No part of the gospel plan is adapted for mere scientifical purposes, for the uses of the world -or for amusing or profound disquisitions; but all is for salvation-for immortality and life. Hence he who reads, or hears, or professes, and enters upon the practice of, the gospel, can consistently do so only for this end. And so likewise he who preaches the gospel, or takes any measures for its dissemination, can lawfully have no other end in view. It is not for the cause of Apollos, or Paul, or Cephas, but for the cause of Christ alone. O could we thus take and use the gospel, it would indeed be "peace on earth, and good will towards man.'

Look at our missionaries. Of different sects, they are still united in preaching the great central doctrine of the cross of Christ. The enemy is so numerous and active that disagreement with each other becomes treason to the common cause. Would we but consider it-there are the same imperative reasons for our agreement at home.

The representation we have given of the ministerial office, assigning it one grade, separates it from the love of power and the competitions of ambition. The representation we have given of the manner of preaching the gospel shuts out from it the ambitious displays of learning, the pomp, profundity and brilliancy of philosophical discussion, and the studied elegancies of oratory. But is it thence an office of low grade, and of duties affording little scope to the human mind? There