poor." The language of our Lord is perspicuous, and his instruction concerning the doctrines and duties of his religion easily intelligible. He wrapt up nothing in mystery, except when speaking to the perverse Jews, who were waiting to entrap him. He told his disciples, that to them "it was given to KNOW the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven," though to the Jews it was not given.— His Apostles, also, although, on account of the controversies of the times, they delivered many things hard to be understood; yet in stating the great essential truths and requisitions of the Gospel, were always clear and intelligible.

It is evident then, that of two or more systems of faith claiming to be the original faith of the Gospel, there is a presumption in favour of the more simple. And this the rather, because there has always been an acknowledged tendency to depart from the simplicity of the Gospel. The history of Christianity in every age shows, that this tendency has been a chief source of religious corruption. -Men have been fond of making their religion more imposing than they found it. In the very first age of the Gospel, it was esteemed an objection to it with some, that it had no pomp and magnificence, nor hidden and awful mysteries, like the mythological faith of the ancient religions; it was an objection with others, that it was not subtle and profound, like the philosophy to which they had been accustomed in the schools of the Sophists.Hence sprung the two sorts of corruptions, which flowed in like a deluge upon the church. On the one hand they thought to dignify it and remove what they esteemed its foolishness, by mixing with it their own wise speculations and philosophical subtleties; and on the other hand, they thought to relieve its nakedness by adorning its spiritual worship with the rites, and forms, and incense,

and lustration, and images of their former idolatrous temples. I need not say, how much and how long the church suffered from these abuses. The rational system throws them off, wholly, in principle as well as in form. It tolerates nothing but what is simple. It makes essential nothing but what is plain. These were striking characteristics of the original faith; and they afford a strong presumption in favour of its identity with this.

2. It is a presumption in favour of the claims of the rational system, that it is constituted of articles in which all believers of every name are agreed; it occupies the common ground of christians.

It will be found, if we mistake not, that the articles we have described are included in the faith of all believers. Others dissent from them rather by certain modifications and additions, than by absolute denial and contradiction. For example-in respect to the great doctrine of the Divine Unity; no Christians deny this doctrine. It is held by all. But some hold it with the modification that this one Being is constituted of three persons. So also, that "Jesus Christ is the son of God," none deny ; but in some systems it is asserted that he is God himself as well as the son of God. So, also, that man is here placed in a state of probation, is universally allowed. But some receive it in connexion with certain additional doctrines, which greatly affect and modify it. They suppose that he comes into life with a character already fixed—so strongly fixed, that it can be changed only by the power which made him at first; a notion which greatly affects, if it do not destroy, the probationary purpose of life. They suppose also that his final condition of happiness or misery has been already determined by the immutable decrees of God; which seems to leave life without any object, or at any rate makes it difficult to understand how it can be a state of probation.

That the object of the christian dispensation is "to make men holy that they may be happy;" none deny, it is a proposition to which unanimous assent would be given. But in some systems much is added, of very questionable authority, respecting the mode in which this holiness is attained, and the persons who may attain it. As for example, some insist that it is a divine communication to the soul, an act of sovereign almighty power as great and supernatural as the original creation of the soul; and that none are the subjects of it but those who were appointed to it from eternity, by an irreversible decree of election. They thus, in effect, modify the simple doctrine so as to make the gospel only a mode of ensuring the happiness and holiness of a specified portion of mankind.

Again; that the gospel is founded in " the placability of God," none would deny, but all would heartily declare. But in some systems there are found restrictions to the exercise of this placability, which appear essentially to alter its character. It is said, for instance, that God is not able to extend this attribute to sinful man, until a substitute have endured the penalty of his sins. This notion has assumed various forms, and a great deal of metaphysical acuteness has been exercised in making definitions and establishing distinctions. In every form however it seems to be taught, that the placableness of God, or his exercise of mercy in the gospel, depends on his having first received from the Saviour an equivalent to satisfy the demands of justice in regard to the sinner's punishment. Now it appears to us, that a placability thus encumbered and modified, loses its claim to be so called. In the rational system, we admit, because it is revealed, the connexion of the Saviour's sufferings and death, with the extension of pardon and salvation to unworthy man; but we do not pretend to explain or understand fully that

connexion. We think it enough to rejoice in the fact, that the divine mercy is thus exercised, without explaining the secrets of the divine administration, or presuming to say that God cannot, or can, pardon in this or that way.

Similar remarks might be made upon other points; but what we have said may be sufficient for our purpose. Now we acknowledge it to be very natural that men should add to the naked statement of religious doctrines their own conceptions of their import, and mould them to their own feelings and opinions. Men love to explain, and illustrate, and exercise their ingenuity in searching into what is obscure, and discovering what is concealed, and building great systems from small hints. But in doing this, it is plain that the original groundwork would be retained, and would be held in common by all, however different the additions they might make to it. And there is certainly a presumption that this common groundwork, these universal principles, which none have been able to remove or hide, do of themselves constitute the genuine, original system.

3. It is another strong presumption in favour of the rational system, that it is most agreeable to the obvious meaning and general tenor of the New Testament; that is to say, it contains those views of religion, which a plain, serious man, unbiassed by education and unprejudiced by his connexions in the world, would naturally derive from his first careful study of the scriptures. He would state these to be his impressions respecting its contents: That there is but one God,-that he requires men to do his will,-that he has compassion on human imperfection, that Jesus Christ is his Son,-that by him. he has given and promised all needful aid for man's instruction and salvation,—that all, who will, may come to

God through him, and that none who come shall be rejected, and that the future condition of all will be determined by an equitable judgment according to charac ter. There is no doubt that a man of plain, unbiassed mind, would discern this to be the substance of the faith contained in the New Testament; and that, if he had never heard of it before, it would not occur to him that there are three persons in the one God, or that God has chosen a select few from all eternity and left the rest of mankind without help, or that all are so corrupt on account of Adam's transgression that they can do nothing but sin. The general aspect and complexion of the holy volume would not suggest to him these doctrines. He would find some passages hard to be understood, and some expressions obscure. But he would not think of collecting the meaning of the book from these. He would not judge of any other book by the passages which he could not understand;-neither will he of this. And whatever some men might learn by refined criticism and ingenious speculation on dark and hidden expressions; he would not doubt that he was right in taking for his guide the plain passages and most definite expressions. Now it is very remarkable, that the rational system is contained in most explicit terms in those portions of scripture which are plainest, easiest, and most indisputable; while the more complicated systems are gathered, by arguments and inferences, from those portions which are ambiguous and difficult, and which have perplexed thinking men in all ages to interpret them. Can there be a doubt, then, which is likely to be the true system?

4. It is another presumption in its favor, that the most important corruptions which have crept into the records of our faith, have been of a character to favor an opposing system; and that the more the Scriptures are restor