tence of one only and true God, by whom are all things; who governs the whole universe according to the dictates of unerring wisdom and universal infinite goodness. This doctrine was taught by Jesus; not as one of those points of debate between him and his enemies; for they also acknowledged such a Being, though they were ignorant of those necessary influences which are deducible from such a doctrine. He said to one who called him, 'good master,' 'Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God.' This God he always addressed by the appellation of Father, and directed his disciples to address him by the same endearing name. To this Being he ascribed more power than to all other beings. He said, John x, 29: My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and none is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.' To this almighty Being Jesus also ascribed more knowledge than to any other. He said, Mark xiii, 32: 'But of that day, and that hour, knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the son, but the Father.' Jesus moreover taught that the protecting providence of our heavenly Father is minutely applied to all creatures. See Matt. x, 29-31: 'Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing; and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not, therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. To our heavenly Father, Jesus also attributed more compassion than earthly fathers have for their children: as we read Matt. vii, 9-11: 'Or what man is there of you whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

If we carefully examine the character which the passages just cited, attribute to God, we shall find noth

ing wanting to render it perfectly acceptable to the believing heart. And it will also be perceived that a confident belief in such a God is necessarily productive of joy and peace to the believer. With what a holy calm, with what serenity of feeling, with what extacy of joy, with what indescribable peace, does the believing heart contemplate the existence of such a Being! On the contrary, to deny the existence of our heavenly Father, is as fatal to the happiness of the rational mind, as the blotting out of the sun would be to vegetation and all our earthly comforts.

II. The doctrine of the divine forgiveness is one of the essential points of the christian faith. No particular subject was more forcibly taught by Jesus, nor did he more clearly carry any to an extent altogether unlimited. In his controversy with Simon, the Pharisee,. as recorded in Luke vii, we have an instance in which this doctrine is set forth in a truly wonderful manner. Because Jesus suffered a sinful woman to anoint him with ointment, to wash his feet with her tears, to wipe them with the hairs of her head, and to kiss them, the Pharisee concluded that he was no prophet; and said, verse 39, this man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him; for she is a sinner. And Jesus, answering, said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he said, master, say on. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors; the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay he frankly forgave them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him most ?" Simon was now compelled to answer in a way to refute his own uncharitable conclusion and remark, respecting the divine teacher. He said, 'I suppose that he to whom he forgave most.' The Saviour's reply was as follows; Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, and said to Simon, Seest thou this wo

man? I entered thine house, thou gavest me no watef for my feet; but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman, since the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. Mine head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, her sins which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.' A very slight attention to the complaints which the enemies of Jesus made against him and the nature of his defence against them, will discover a dispensation of divine favor, which in room of being frustrated or rendered void by the sinfulness of man, is justified by it as necessary and right. We have a case of this nature recorded Matt. ix, 10, &c. 'And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his desciples, Why eateth your master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not the physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.' Again in Luke xv, this controversy is set forth in most a striking manner. seems, according to the account, that a very numerous concourse of the publicans and sinners had collected, for the purpose of hearing Jesus. At this the Pharisees and scribes were offended. They murmured, and said; This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them.' In his reply, the divine teacher gave his enemies to understand, that the compassions which he showed to sinners, and of which they complained, were justified, first, by what any of them would do in reclaiming one sheep which should wander from a numerous flock; and secondly, by the rejoicing of the angels of heaven, over one sinner that should repent.

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In relation to this controversy, two important facts are strikingly manifest. First, the more merciful Jesus showed himself to be, the more were his enemies offended; and secondly, the more sinful people were, the greater was the necessity of the divine favor, and the greater would be the joy of holy beings in their reconciliation. This dispensation of divine forgiveness is like the water in Ezekiel's vision, risen water, which no man could pass.

A confident belief in this heavenly doctrine cannot fail to fill the heart with joy and peace. When we are conscious that our sins are many, when they lie as heavy burdens upon us, and press us down as in the dust; when it seems that our own consciences have become implacable, and scarcely a hope remains that we can ever forgive ourselves, how cheering, how reviving is the light of the divine countenance, and the assurance of the forgiveness of our heavenly Father! Deprive the christian of this inestimable truth, and you render him as unblessed as the darkness of despair.A garden of the sweetest and most fragrant flowers is turned into a dismal hedge of thorns and thistles.

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III. The impartiality of the divine goodness, and the universality of redeeming mercy constitute an important truth which is embraced in the christian faith. On this subject Jesus and his apostles have left ample testimony. It may be well, in this place, to notice some of their declarations on this vast subject. corded Matt. v, Jesus demonstrated the impartiality of the divine love by the well known fact, that God causes his sun to rise on the evil, and on the good; and sends his rain upon the just, and upon the unjust.Never did a master endeavor more earnestly to elevate the mind, and exalt the understandings of his scholars, than did Jesus those of his disciples on this interesting. subject. He said, 'If ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the

same ? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect! In this article of the christian. faith, the believer is not only made acquainted with the truth of God's impartial goodness towards mankind, but he is also shown that in order to walk acceptably to God he must love his enemies, and pray for those who hate and persecute him.

In view of his sufferings and death, which lay in near prospect before him, Jesus said, John xii, 32:'And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.' This was the joy which was set before him, for which he endured the cross and despised the shame. The believer in Jesus contemplates the crossof the Redeemer as the sure pledge of universal reconciliation to God, agreeably to the declaration of St. Paul, Col. i, 19, 20: For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; and (having made peace by the blood of the cross) by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.' On this most interesting subject, the same apostle, in his epistle to the Ephesians thus writes: chap. i, 7-10: In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he hath purposed in himself; that in the dispensation of the fulness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him,'

As it is not so much our object, in this article to prove certain points of faith, by quoting the written testimony, as it is to present them to the reader as subjects productive of joy and peace, we need only state them in the language of divine inspiration, recommen