allotted to the antediluvians; let him endeavour to withdraw men's attention and interest from the perishable goods and enjoyments of this world; adding, also, the great uncertainty of them, even during the short period of our abode here; and dwelling also on the never-ending life which awaits man beyond the grave; and he will find, that, many as are the afflictions of the present life, and short, precarious, and responsible as it is, men are yet so wedded to the things of this world, that, so far are we from being haunted with the thought of parting with them, and from having our delight in them thus destroyed, on the contrary, it is not without a continual effort that even the best Christian can wean himself from over-attachment to the passing scene, and "set his affection on things above, not on things on the earth." And the result must be an admission, that a limited period of enjoyment, so far from being disregarded, is often even too satisfactory; that the thoughts of its termination are not apt to be even so intrusive as they ought to be.

The origin of much of the confusion of thought which has prevailed on this subject, and which has led to the groundless notion of a claim to

immortal happiness, established by a virtuous life, is probably this; that we observe some human actions to be really and justly deserving of gratitude and reward from other men: being beyond what they had any right to demand; and hence many persons are apt to forget that such actions cannot have a similar claim on the Almighty. Any one, for instance, who freely relieves a fellow-creature in distress, or aids him in his pursuits, is justly entitled to gratitude and reward from him; having done more than that other man had any right to demand of him; (for which very reason, by the bye, the other could have no right to punish him for not doing it;) but since God has a strict claim upon him for the practice of every duty, no one can, in his sight, set up the plea of merit, or boast of his services.

Some, however, may urge, that immortal happiness, though not demanded as a right from the justice of God, may reasonably be hoped from his goodness; and that it is agreeable to his attributes to bestow it. Doubtless, this is so far conformable to what we know of the divine attributes, that we need not be surprised at his condescending, in any instance, to

bestow it, nor hesitate to believe, evidence, (as the Christian does,) in h done so. But this is far different, not only from a claim, but from a rational expectation, supposing no proof to exist of an express promise to that purpose. If a rich and liberal man freely bestows a bountiful gift on any one, he certainly performs an action suitable to his nature; but it would be strange to say, that therefore that particular person had, and that any one else has, a fair right to expect it of him. As far as we know, it is nothing inconsistent with God's nature, to confer perfection and happiness, at once, on any of his creatures; as He, perhaps, has on some others of them but yet we know, that on Man He has not. The immortal happiness, therefore, of which we are speaking, not only can be no other than a free gift, but a gift which can be reasonably expected on no other ground than that of express promise.

Such a promise, the Christian thankfully and joyfully recognises, as held out in the Gospel; in which he finds eternal life uniformly alluded to, not as merely "brought to light" by Jesus Christ, but procured through his means. He

came not into the world merely that his followers might know of this immortal life, but (as He himself declares) "that they might have life." The Christian Scriptures do not profess to republish, as part of the religion of nature, the doctrine that eternal happiness is the just and legitimate reward of a virtuous life; but, on the contrary, while they speak of death as the "wages of sin," they represent eternal life, not as the wages of obedience, but as "the gift of God through Jesus Christ" a reward, indeed, dependent on obedience, but earned and merited by the sacrifice of a Redeemer.

§ 12. The perversion of this doctrine, by those who imagine that they may "continue in sin that grace may abound," is nothing different from the abuse to which almost every other doctrine of Scripture (and, indeed, almost every truth ever taught) is liable. That salvation is a free gift, through Jesus Christ, yet is prepared for those only who obey his commandments and walk in his steps, is in itself no more mysterious or difficult, than a multitude of cases which occur daily, and the nature of which is readily com

prehended by every man of common sense; because common sense is usually consulted in the ordinary affairs of life, even by those who lay it aside in religious questions. Every one would judge readily and rightly, in such a case, for instance, as that of a rich and bountiful man placing a poor labourer on a piece of ground, which he is charged to cultivate industriously and carefully; (receiving for this purpose, a supply of implements also, and of seed-corn, and all other necessary stock) with the promise, that if he does so, for a certain time, the land shall be bestowed upon him in perpetuity; if not, he shall be deprived of it. If a man placed in this situation should suffer the ground to lie waste, and pass his time in sloth, because he was a dependent on another's bounty, every one perceives that that advantage would of course be withdrawn from him: should he, on the other hand, diligently exert himself in tilling the spot of land, and then claim it, not as a free gift, but as fairly earned by his labour, no one would fail to censure his absurd ingra-la he titude. Should a case of this kind actually occur, it would probably be thought to present

not on that very Groud n'a sic right to it?