in demons, while they make a boast of disbelieving a God.

To conclude, What, in my opinion, is most deplorable in the sceptic is, that he is in a situation which precludes almost every hope of salvation. For an actual unbeliever, if such there be, may, in a moment, be stricken of God, and overwhelmed, as it were, under the weight of that glory and majesty which he had unknowingly blasphemed: the eyes of this unfortunate wretch may still be opened by the Lord in his mercy; he may make his light to shine through his darkness, and reveal that truth which he resists only because he knows it not; he has still resources, such as perhaps rectitude, consistency, principles, (of error and illusion, I confess, but still they are principles :) he will be equally warm for his God when known, as he was his enemy when unknown. But the unbelievers, of whom I speak, have scarcely a way left of returning to God; they insult the Lord whom they know; they blaspheme that religion which they still preserve in their heart; they resist the impressions of their conscience which still inwardly espouses the cause of faith against themselves: In vain does the light of God shine upon their heart, it serves only to render more inexcusable the treachery of their impiety. Were they, saith Jesus Christ, absolutely blind, they would be worthy of pity, and their sin would be less: but at present they see; and thus the guilt of their irreligion becomes a blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which dwelleth for ever upon their heads.

Let us repair then, my brethren, by our respect for the religion of our fathers, by a continual manifestation VOL. II.

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of gratitude towards the Lord, who hath permitted us to be born in the way of salvation, into which so many nations have not as yet been deemed worthy to enter: let us repair, I say, the scandal of unbelief so common in this age, so much countenanced among us, and which, having become more bold through the number and quality of its partizans, no longer hides its head, but openly shews itself, and braves, as it were, the religion of the prince, and the zeal of the pastor. Let us hold in detestation those impious and despicable men, who pride themselves in turning into ridicule the majesty of the religion they profess: let us fly them as monsters unworthy to live, not only among believers, but even among those connected together by honour, probity, and reason; and, far from applauding their impious discourses, let us cover them with the shame of that contempt which they merit. Nothing is more low and mean, even according to the ideas of the world, than to dishonour the religion in which we live ; nothing is more beautiful and more honourable, than to take a pride in respecting and defending it, even with an air of authority and indignation, against the silly speeches which attack it. By despising unbelief, let us deprive it of the miserable glory it seeks: from the moment they are despised, unbelievers will be rare among us; and the same vanity which forms their doubts will soon annihilate or conceal them, when it shall be a disgrace among us to appear impious, and a glory to be a believer. It is thus that this scandal shall be done away, and that we shall all glorify the Lord in the same faith, and in the expectation of the eternal promises. Amen.

SERMON XXIV.

EVIDENCE OF THE LAW OF GOD.

JOHN viii. 46.

And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?

PREVIOUSLY to the period recorded in the text, our Saviour had confounded the incredulity of the Jews by his works and miracles; on this occasion he appeals to the judgment of their own conscience and to the evidence of the truth, which, in spite of themselves, rendered testimony to his doctrine and to his ministry. Nevertheless, as they shut their eyes against the evidence of his miracles, in accusing him of operating them through the ministry of devils, so they likewise hardened themselves against the evidence of his doctrine and of his mission, so clearly foretold in the scriptures, by alleging pretended obscurities, which rendered them, in their eyes, still doubtful and suspicious.

For, my brethren, however evident may be the truth, that is to say, the law of God, whether in our heart, where it is written in shining and ineffaceable characters, or in the rules, which Jesus Christ hath left to us;

we always wish either that our conscience should see nothing in it but what our passions see, or that these rules should be so framed that we may always be able to find out some favourable interpretation and mitigation of them.

Accordingly, we find two pretexts commonly made use of by sinners against the evidence of the most awful truths, of the law of God.

In the first place, In order to make themselves easy with regard to a thousand abuses, authorised by the world, they tell us that they believe themselves to be in safety in that state; that their conscience reproaches them with nothing on that head; and that, could they be persuaded that they were in the path of error, they would instantly quit it. The first pretext, therefore, which is opposed to the evidence of the law of God, is that of sincerity and tranquillity of conscience.

Secondly, They maintain that the gospel is not so clear, and so explicit on certain points as we hold it to be; that each interprets it in his own way, and makes it speak whatever he wishes; and that what appears so positive to us, appears not so to the rest of the world. Their second pretext therefore, is the obscurity and uncertainty of the gospel rules.

Now, I say that the law of God hath a two-fold evidence, which shall overthrow these two pretexts, and defeat, at the day of judgment, all the vain excuses of sinners.

1st. It is evident in the conscience of the sinner: 2dly. It is evident in the simplicity of its rules.-The evidence of the law of God in the conscience of men is the first proof of the law of God, by which

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the false security and pretended sincerity of worldly souls shall be judged. The evidence of the law of God in the simplicity of its rules, is the second proof of the law of God, by which the affected uncertainties, and the false interpretations of sinners shall be judged. And thus it is, O my God! that thy holy law shall judge the world, and that the criminal conscience shall one day be confounded before thy tribunal, both by its own lights, and by the perspicuity of thy heavenly maxims.

PART I. It is somewhat surprising that so many persons should allege their sincerity, and the tranquillity of their conscience, as a justification of the dangerous maxims and abuses of the world. Independent of peace and security, in the false paths of iniquity, being rather a punishment than an excuse; and, were it even true, that the conscience ought not to reproach them when their morals are regulated solely according to the false judgments of the world; still a being in that state would be only so much the more hopeless of salvation: it appears that, of all tribunals, his own conscience is the last to which an unbeliever should appeal; and that nothing is less favourable to the errors of a sinner, than the sinner himself.

I know that there are hardened beings, to whom no ray of grace or of reason can carry conviction; who live without remorse and without anxiety in all the horrors of an infamous licentiousness; in whom all conscience seems extinguished, and who carry the excess of their blindness, says St. Augustin, so far, as even to glory in their blindness. But these are only rare and dreadful examples of God's justice upon men;