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himself to be wanting in the essential principle of true obedience to the whole; and although the Supreme Judge will never for that violation place him upon the ground of a positive violator of the other commands, yet neither will he accept and reward his seeming conformity as real virtue; for the plain reason, that the meritorious principle of all virtue is not therein to be found. And this is a judgment in which the reason of all must acquiesce.

The practical conclusion from this discussion should be to excite us to an honest and constant endeavour to avoid every known wrong and to perform every known duty.

"Next to Sincerity thou must resolve

Upon Integrity-God will have all

Thou hast."

There is a twofold and equally perilous separation not seldom made in men's minds and conduct between Morality and Religion. But they are both inseparable parts of the great Law of Duty. No strictness in the performance of the social duties of morality can make up in the eye of Reason or of God for a neglect of the duties of Religion; even if it were possible to conceive

of a truly virtuous regard to the duties we owe to men, along with an utter disregard of the duties we owe to God. And, on the other hand, all pretensions to Religion, which are not combined with a pure morality of outward life and a true regard for the social duties, are wicked hypocrisy or wretched delusion. If we adopt the familiar distinction between Morality and Religion, although in strictness it can hardly well be made, since the duties of Religion, the duties which we owe to God, are as much commanded by the Moral Law, are as much a part of Morality, as the duties we owe to our fellow-men-yet if we adopt the common language which distinguishes them, we must still say that Religion and Morality are inseparable. Outward morality may indeed exist without religion; for outward morality-an external form of conduct, such as would be prompted by the pure principle of duty, may be produced by other motives than the pure principle itself: but true religion cannot exist apart from an internal principle of pure morality, controlling the life. Whatever, therefore, may be the religious emotions, the hopes and joys of any person-whatever his strictness in the offices of devotion and piety, yet if his religion does not make him kind and humane, upright and just, it is all a hollow and worthless

thing. What, indeed, in the eye of Reason and of God, is that man's religion worth which does not prevent him from doing a wrong or unfair thing in his dealings with mankind? What is that man's religion worth which leaves him still false and deceitful, or proud and oppressive, or malignant and revengeful, or covetous and envious, or fraudulent and unjust towards his fellow-men? In like manner concerning every wrong principle or practice in our relations with our fellow-men, we are bound to conclude that the religion which leaves us still to continue in the allowed and habitual violation of duty, is worse than worthless in the eyes of Him whose judgment is according to Everlasting Righteousness.

THE MORAL ARGUMENT FOR THE

BEING OF GOD.

PSALM XIV. 1.

The fool hath said in his heart there is no God.

THE physical argument for the Divine Being is drawn from the manifestations of Power and Intelligence which are seen in the material universe. We point to the innumerable displays of superhuman power and skill which are made in the frame of Nature-which are seen alike in the grandest and in the minutest forms of existencein the magnificent and harmonious march of the myriads of worlds that form the garniture of the heavens above us—in the fitting up of this fair earth on which we dwell, and in the countless forms of life and being with which the earth, the air, and the water are full. In all this grandeur and glory of the outward universe we discern the tokens of a Supreme Power and Intelligence. We

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