what, unfortunately, the generality of Christians too much take: I have taken the middle walk of Christianity. I have endeavoured to live up to its DOCTRINES and DUTIES, but I have lived below its PRIVILEGES." I do not quote the expressions as believing that the great and good man who employed them had neglected altogether the blessings to which he so emphatically referred; though, in the solemnities of a dying hour, in the light cast upon his past life by the near approach of the awful realities of an eternal state, he thus detected (as who, at that time, does not detect?) past unfaithfulness and short-coming; and, detecting, deeply regretted them. "I have lived below my privileges." I quote the expression only for the purpose of pointing out in what manner the deficiency to which I have referred is to be supplied. In religion there are not only doctrines to be believed, and precepts to be obeyed, but likewise blessings to be experienced; and the religious character, according to the Scriptures, is constituted by the due union of the three,-a scriptural belief, practice, and experience.

I have used the word "experience" to describe one branch of personal religion, scripturally considered. It is a word which has met with many objectors. There are persons who never hear the word, in its ordinary religious sense, without having all their fears about what they call "enthusiasm" awakened. It is very true that enthusiasm (in the sense ordinarily expressed by the word) is wrong, and altogether to be avoided. Strange fire may not be brought before the Lord. It is likewise true, that, if all fire be excluded from the service of God, the danger of offering strange fire will be completely obviated. But where will religion be? Banish every thing to which the word "experience" may with propriety be referred, and you have sufficiently guarded against enthusiasm. But the question recurs, Where now is religion?

It may be admitted that indiscreet and even improper uses may have been made of the word on

which I am now remarking. Still, it is not to be rejected; and that not merely because it is proper in itself, accurately describing the nature of that acquaintance with religious blessings, which is one important part of personal religion, but because, in this particular acceptation of it, it is directly scriptural. St. Paul says, "And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may PROVE what is that good, and acceptable, and per fect will of God." (Romans xii. 2.) "Prove it; " that is, not by argumentation, but by experience. That ye may thus, in yourselves, and for yourselves, know what is this "good pleasure of the divine goodness.' It is the will of God to bestow certain blessings upon man. Of these, none can partake who refuse that self-surrender, that "yielding themselves " to God, which is so justly demanded. To this therefore the Apostle most powerfully, not to say pathetically, exhorts: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may EXPERIENCE* What is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."

The view I am now taking is not one that is merely suggested by a few. insulated and obscure passages of Scripture. It runs throughout the word of God, and refers to what has evidently been a principal characteristic of religion under all the dispensations of the covenant of redeeming mercy. Let the texts that follow be taken as a specimen of scriptural teaching on the subject; and let the reader say, when he has carefully perused them, whether experience, understanding by the term the conscious possession and enjoyment of promised spiritual blessings, be not evidently an integral part of religion.

• The cognate substantive is used in Romans v. 4, and is there translated, experience. "And patience, experience; and experience, hope,"

Gen. v. 24.-" And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him." Connecting this with Hebrews xi. 5, "For before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."

Psalm iv. 6, 7.-" There be many that say, Who will show us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased."

Psalm lxxxix. 15.-"Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound : they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance."

John viii. 12.-"I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

Acts ix. 31.-Walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost."

Psalm lxvi. 16, &c.-" Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. Verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me."

Psalm cxvi. 3, &c.-"The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the Lord; O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul. Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling."

Isaiah Ixi. 1, &c." He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness."

Isaiah xlv. 24.-"Surely, shall one say, In the Lord have I righteousness and strength."

John xiv. 22, &c.-"Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him,

and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”

Rev. iii. 20. "If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me."

John iv. 14.-" Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water, springing up into everlasting life."

So Psalm xxxiv. 8, connected with 1 Pet. ii. 3, and Heb. vi. 4, 5, where the word "taste" is employed to denote experimental knowledge. "O taste and see that the Lord is good." "If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." And have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come." The same word is applied to our Lord, in reference to the full, actual acquaintance which he had, by experience, of “ the suffering of death." But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man." Heb. ii. 9.

It

Nor is the passage of Scripture placed at the head of this essay by any means to be overlooked. evidently refers to the day of the Gospel," the day which the Lord hath made;" "the accepted time, the DAY OF SALVATION;" "the dispensation of fulness of times;" the complete establishment and manifestation of the evangelical covenant. The Prophet has just spoken of the Rod which was to come forth out of the stem of Jesse, the Branch that was to grow out of his roots. He describes his qualifications for the great work he had undertaken to perform, and especially points out the blessings which shall flow from the administration of the divine government by him as the incarnate Mediator. That knowledge of the Lord which they possess who behold his glory with unveiled face, so that they are changed into the same image,-that "experimental knowledge," as it may well be termed,-shall subdue and extirpate the selfish, envious, and violent

passions of the heart; and "the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard lie down with the kid, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them." "And in that day, thou shalt say." This shall be the language of the church, the whole company of them that believe in the Lord Jesus Christ with the heart unto righteousness, and "receive the end of their faith, even the sal vation of their souls;" so that "though now they see him not, yet believing, they rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory." "They shall say," they shall speak their experience. And this, too, is according to the scripture, "I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart: I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation.” Psalm xl. 10. It shall be the regular practice of the church, thus experiencing the goodness of God in the personal enjoyment of spiritual blessings, to make mention of it; not ostentatiously, indeed, but humbly, according to that which is written, "He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." There shall be on the part of the people of God, this public profession of religious experience, as part of the profession of their faith. This shall be done principally in those regular intercommunings with each other, for which every New Testament church will make provision, and the absence of which materially interferes with all claims to apostolicity. "Come and hear," it will be said, "all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul." They are addressed who alone can both understand and relish what is thus spoken to them; and thus is the scriptural injunction obeyed, "Come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the Lord our God." Jer. li. 10. The more extended profession will be made carefully, and with a due recollection of the words of our Lord, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine." But still, on proper occasions, the profession will be made. To the whole company of them that are "washed, and sanctified, and justi

fied, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God," is it said, "Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God." Isai. xliii. 12. They are the witnesses of his truth and love; witnesses that his faithfulness continueth from generation to generation; witnesses that the blessings of a former age are to be enjoyed now; witnesses, therefore, that when men hearken to the Gospel, and yield to its suasive power, they are "not following a cunningly-devised fable." They testify, not merely that they believe "the pearl of great price" is to be found, but that they have found it; not merely that they are persuaded the supreme good is attainable, but that they are actually in the enjoyment of it. A very remarkable instance of this more public profession of religious experience we have recorded, in one of the most touching and instructive relics of Christian antiquity; a relic that says to all, but most loudly to those who profess high and almost submissive veneration for those who, though uninspired, were the immediate successors of inspired Apostles, "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 to your souls." The passage to which I am referring occurs in the account of the martyrdom of St. Ignatius, by order of Trajan, very early in the second century, and not long after the decease of the Apostle John. Being come into the presence of the Emperor Trajan, the Emperor asked him, "What a wicked wretch art thou, thus to transgress our commands, and to persuade others also to do likewise, to their destruction?" Ignatius answered, "No one ought to call Theophorus wicked, forasmuch as all evil spirits are departed from the servants of God. But if because I am a trouble to those wicked spirits, thou callest wicked, I confess the charge; for having within me Christ, the heavenly King, I dissolve all the snares of the devil." Trajan replied, "And who is Theophorus ?" Ignatius.—“ He who hath Christ in his breast." Trajan.-"And do not we seem to thee

me

to have the gods within us, who fight for us against our enemies?" Ignatius." Ye err, in that ye call the evil spirits of the Heathen, gods: for there is but one God, who made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that are in them; and one Jesus Christ, his only-begotten Son, whose kingdom may I enjoy." Trajan."His kingdom, you say, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate." Ignatius." His who crucified my sin, with the inventor of it; and has put all the deceit and malice of the devil under the feet of those who carry him in their heart." Trajan.-" Dost thou then carry him that was crucified within thee?" Ignatius.-"I DO; FOR IT IS WRITTEN, I WILL

DWELL IN THEM, AND WALK IN

THEM.' Then Trajan pronounced this sentence against him: "Forasmuch as Ignatius hath confessed that he carries within himself him that was crucified, we command that he be carried bound to the great Rome, there to be thrown to the lions, for the entertainment of the people."

The entire force of this important extract will not be perceived, unless the meaning of the name which this venerable man assumed be noticed. All his epistles have this remarkable introduction prefixed "Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus." The word literally signifies "one who bears God about with him," and the whole tenor of the conversation with Trajan shows the sense in which it was employed. Standing in the presence of the polytheistic Emperor, the humble but undaunted Christian witnesses the sublime confession, "There is but one God, who made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that are in them;" and does not hesitate to declare, however it might provoke the contempt of a man whose character was made up of the soldier, statesman, and philosopher, that he carried in his heart Him that was crucified, and was therefore called Theophorus. The inference is not to be resisted, that, in acknowledging Christ to be the only-begotten Son, he acknowledged him to be God. The entire passage is a most precious testimony to the proper

character of catholic orthodoxy in the time of Ignatius; that is to say, in the time immediately succeeding the apostolic age. The holy martyr acknowledges the essential Godhead of the Son, and his incarnation in "the man Christ Jesus," who was crucified under Pontius Pilate; and thus we see his right belief. But this right belief is set before us in immediate connexion with a right experience. He professes to enjoy the spiritual indwelling of the Saviour, whose Divinity he acknowledges. And it will be seen that he states this experience, not as a privilege peculiar to himself, or as vouchsafed to him in the time of his need, but as a blessing which he enjoyed in common with his fellow-believers. "He has put all the deceit and malice of the devil under the feet of those who carry him in their hearts." All this the Emperor heard with a scorn which he made no attempt to conceal, and which displayed itself in the sarcastic cruelty of the sentence," Forasmuch as Ignatius has confessed that he carries within himself Him that was crucified, we command that he be carried bound to the great Rome, there to be thrown to the beasts, for the entertainment of the people."

It is plain, then, that Ignatius not only believed the doctrines of the Gospel, but enjoyed, also, that accomplishment of the evangelical promise which constitutes Christian experience. "Dost thou then carry Him that was crucified within thee? "Ido; for it is written, I will dwell in them, and walk in them."" Now, as the moral character of the venerable martyr was unimpeachable, we possess in this early record of what may be termed uninspired antiquity, a testimony to what we have already termed the three constituents of personal religion; namely, a scriptural faith, experience, and practice: a testimony, too, in which the experience is set forth as clearly and prominently as the belief.

These preliminary remarks have been intended to show that vital godliness includes an experimental acquaintance with the "acceptable and perfect will of God," that which