do the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away by the errour of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness." "For this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." "The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.-There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." "Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed; for he that biddeth him God speed is par taker of his evil deeds." "Henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive." "Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines, FOR IT IS A GOOD THING THAT THE HEART BE ESTABLISHED WITH GRACE." "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." "The works of the flesh-are heresies.” “A man that

is a heretick, after the first and second admonition reject; knowing that he that is such is subverted and sinneth, being condemned of himself," "There must be heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest." "There were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, EVEN DENYING THE LORD THAT BOUGHT THEM, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of ;-whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not."*

If these and many more similar texts do not decide the point that errours are both blamable and destructive, it is in vain to attempt to prove any thing from the Bible. Indeed if a denial of one half of the truths of Christianity is not criminal, no reason can be given why downright infidelity is. And if infidelity is not, why did our Saviour say to the Jews, "If ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins"? And why were the Jews "broken off" and so dreadfully punished for "unbelief"? And why is it said to all nations, "He

Mat. vi. 22, 23. and xiii. 13-15, Luke xxiv. 25. John iii. 18-20. Rom. i. 21, 28, 29, 31. 1 Cor. xi. 19. Gal. v. 19, 20. Eph. iv. 14, 18. and v. iv. 3, 4. Tit. iii. 10, 11. Heb. xiii. 9. 1 John i. 5—7. and ii. 18-27. and iii. 2 John 1, 2, 4, 9-11. 3 John 3,4.

* Prov. xvi. 23, 25. Isai. xliv. 20. 19, 23. Mark viii. 17. and xvi. 14. and vii. 17. and viii. 43-45, 47. 2 Cor. iii. 15, 16. and iv. 3, 4. 17. 2 Thes. ii. 11, 12. 2 Tim. 2 Pet. ii. 1-3. and iii. 5, 16, 17. 23. and iv. 1, 5, 6. and v. 10, 20.

that believeth not shall be damned"? And will you after all say that a man is not answerable for his faith?

This point being settled, it is manifest that if the four doctrines which have been supported do in truth belong to the Gospel, the opposite errours, to say the least, must endanger your salvation. What language then can express the infinite importance of entering without delay on a deep and solemn examination into these matters? It is truly distressing to observe the dreadful indifference which prevails on the question, What is truth? Hence the lamentable ignorance of people who have been brought up under the light of the Gospel. Such indifference had not Paul when he said and with an emphasis repeated, "Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel, -let him be accursed." This baleful indifference, couched under the imposing name of Charity, threatens to yield up the last fragment of truth which we received as a legacy from our fathers, and to leave our poor children without inheritance, -except those delusions which will drown them in perdition. If any thing is likely to cut off our children from hope, it is this cruel indifference: for if you can once be brought to feel the importance of examining with earnestness and prayer, there is no fear for the issue. If then you have any compassion for your children, throw off this apathy, and like the noble Bereans arise and search the Scriptures. In them you will find a

confirmation of the faith of our fathers, and will hear them say, "Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the OLD PATHS, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls."* Every friend of the Church, every friend of society, every friend of the rising generation, ought to give no sleep to his eyes nor slumber to his eye-lids till he has examined these first principles to the bottom, and become well grounded and settled in the truth. Drop every other concern, forget your business, forget your sleep, forget your food, till these questions are decided. that there were a voice to send this heavenly mandate through every heart, "SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES." If you find not there the doctrines which I have set forth, reject them: I charge you upon your peril, reject them. God forbid that I should wish to impose my creed upon you. Call no man master; but examine the Scriptures for yourselves. It is they who by business and amusements are detained from their Bibles, that drink in the poisonous errours of the day. With all the boast that is made of Biblical learning, it is a thing perfectly understood in the churches that there is little knowledge of the Word of God among the corrupters of the Gospel. How should it be otherwise? The way is there so plainly drawn that he who runs may read, and "the way-faring men, though fools, [need] not err therein."+ Any plain, unlettered Christian who uses his Bible faithfully,

*Jer. vi. 16.

Isai. XXXV. 8. Hab. ii. 2.

may be led into all truth, without the aid of learned sophistry or boasting ignorance.

Were there but one chance in a thousand that these doctrines will prove true at last, no man, bound to the eternal Judgment, ought to rest till he has explored them to the bottom. For if they do prove true, and you venture forward into eternity upon the ground of a heartless morality, you are as certainly lost as though you were infidels. While you have the sure testimony of God in your hands, rest not,-I conjure you by all that is sacred, rest not your eternal all upon a doubtful basis.

One evil, never enough to be deplored, is that people do not and will not distinguish. They are pleased with different preachers who bring as different gospels as the koran is different from the Bible. They are as ready to put themselves in the way of hearing errour as truth, and swallow down whatever comes, provided only it is gracefully administered. Such people are like children rushing into an apothecary's shop, and tasting at random of every vial, without the power of distinguishing medicines from poisons. It requires no spirit of prophecy to perceive that such a course is likely to prove fatal. If the doctrines supported in these Lectures are the truths of God, then those ministrations which soften down the representations of human depravity, which reject the Scriptural idea of Regeneration, and place all religion in external duties, performed with natural feelings