tue and happiness, the consummation of all things, the blessings of immortality, the glory of heaven, and the future union of sanctified minds in that delightful world, leave out of sight and out of remembrance all the creations of poetry, all the splendid excursions of imagination. Into these things, angels desire to look.' All those whose minds are attuned to the disposition of angels, love to follow them in this divine employment. Nay, God himself regards this combination of wonderful objects as a glorious picture, an illustrious emanation of his own wisdom, which he beholds for ever with the smiles of infinite complacency.

3. That great division of truth, which is called moral, or evangelical truth, is, in an important sense, the foundation of all virtue.

'Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth;' said our Saviour, in his intercessory prayer; John xvii. 17.—' Of his own will begat he us, with the word of truth,' James i. 17. -The truth,' said Christ to the Jews, shall make you free.' From these declarations it is completely evident, that evangelical truth is the means of that mighty change in the human soul, by which, according to the strong language of the Scriptures, it is, turned from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God.'

The law of the Lord,' says David, ' is perfect, converting the soul.' But the law of God is nothing but truth communicated in the preceptive form. All its influence on the soul is derived from this fact; and, were it not conformed to truth, or were it, in other words, founded on falsehood, its moral influence would cease. Particularly, its influence to produce this conversion would be annihilated. Truth then is, in this point of view, of just as much importance to the happiness of mankind, and to the glory of God, as the salvation of all the millions who have been or will be saved.

Falsehood, or error, has in the mean time never had the least influence towards the accomplishment of this glorious purpose. From the erroneous moral systems of men no individual ever gained the least tendency towards real virtue. Truths, indeed, these systems have always involved; and the influence of these truths has so far been felt by mankind, as to prompt them to many commendable actions, and to prevent them from becoming as abandoned as they would otherwise

have been. The errors which they contained have, so far as they were believed, been the means of sin only. Of cordial and thorough reformation they have been absolutely barren. Truth and falsehood have been blended in them with such confusion, as to be inseparable by the men who embraced them, without very different efforts from those which they have been inclined and, in most cases, able to make. They have therefore been swallowed whole; and have produced just such effects as a mind enlightened by Revelation could not fail to foresee. Error became the predominating rule of action to all their votaries; and the truth was chiefly lost, and forgotten.

But moral truth is not merely a rule to teach us what virtue is, and to guide us ultimately to this glorious attainment. To discern it with the understanding, and to welcome it to the heart, is virtue itself, as existing in the soul; and, when carried out into action, conformed also to its dictates, is all, which is included in the name of virtue. In other words, virtue is nothing but voluntary obedience to truth.

Error, on the contrary, is the foundation of all iniquity. It leads the soul only away from duty, from virtue, from salvation, and from God. To the divine kingdom it is only hostile. To the reformation and happiness of man it is ruinous. It promotes no cause, but that of Satan; it forms no character, but that of sin. All the just definitions of sin are involved in this; that it is nothing but voluntary obedience to error.

In the mean time, all the motives to virtue are found in the general system of truth; as all the motives to sin are found in systems of error. Error contains nothing in it to prompt us to obey God, to perform our duty, or to seek the salvation of ourselves and others. As a motive, or combination of mo tives, error contains nothing but inducements to sin; and truth nothing but inducements to holiness. In all these important particulars, truth is the basis of virtue.

It cannot be thought strange, then, that love,' or evangelical excellence, or, in other words, real virtue, should rejoice in the truth;' that holiness should be styled by St. Paul, holiness of truth;' or that those who know not God, and obey not the Gospel,' or truth, of our Lord Jesus Christ,' should be classed together in the ruin of the final day.

By these views of the importance of truth, we are naturally led to the second subject of discourse, viz, veracity.

The importance of veracity will sufficiently appear from the following considerations :

1. Almost all the truth which we know, we derive from communication; and, of course, almost all the benefits of truth which we enjoy.

1

A man deprived of the communication of others, and left wholly to his own observation, would possess little more knowledge than a brute. It would be no easy matter to explain how he could subsist. If we suppose him to subsist through the ordinary period of human life, it is certain that he would know nothing beside his own feelings, and the little number of objects which fell under his observation. Even of these he would rather form ideas, than possess knowledge. Of the relations between them he must remain almost absolutely ignorant. Nor would he easily acquire the skill necessary to construct even the simplest propositions. Still less would he be able to reason, to illustrate, and to prove. word, his mind would rise in very few things above that of a dog, or an elephant; while, in almost all, he would fall far below them.

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As he would know scarcely any thing concerning the present world, so, it is plain, he would know nothing of the world to come. Of God, of duty, of virtue, and of immortality, he would not form a single idea. Nor could he, without manifest impropriety, be styled a rational being. How could such a man enjoy the benefits of truth at all?

The difference between this man, as an intelligent being, and Newton, Berkely, or Locke, is made by communication. The mass of ideas accumulated by an individual is communicated to others; and those of a preceding generation, to the generation which follows. By the labours of many individuals, and in the progress of successive generations, the knowledge formed out of these ideas has increased to that height and extent which exist at the present period. Every kind of business, art, and science has been thus brought to the perfec tion in which we possess it; and all the benefits which these things confer upon the present race of mankind are derived solely from communication. For our knowledge of the future world we are indebted wholly to communications from God. To the same source we are indebted for the chief knowledge which we possess concerning the moral system. All this

knowledge is indeed contained in the Scriptures; yet a part of it may be, and has been, acquired without their assistance. To this knowledge we are indebted for the direction, comfort, and hope which we enjoy in the character of moral beings; as we are to natural knowledge for the necessaries and conveniences of the present life. To communication therefore we owe almost every thing, whether present or future, which can be called desirable.

But the whole value, the whole usefulness, of communication is derived solely from the truths which it conveys. False information can be of no use to us. As our own concern lies with the real state of things, and the good or evil which we are to enjoy or suffer is dependent on our knowledge of that state, and the conduct dictated by this knowledge, it is evident that the information which leads us to conceive erroneously of the things with which we are connected, will both hinder us from the acquisition of good, and expose us to the sufferance of evil. The measures by which we design to acquire good, and to avoid evil, will in both cases fail of their effect; because, being founded on erroneous apprehensions, they will be unsuited to the existing state of things, and therefore to the accomplishment of the intended purpose. If we are falsely informed of business, we shall conduct it unhappily; if of the markets, we shall buy and sell with loss; if of our duty, we shall perform it amiss, or not at all; if of the means of salvation, we shall fail of it; if of the character and pleasure of God, we shall offend him in all our attempted services. Thus it is plain, that all the benefits of communication are dependent on its truth; and that almost every benefit of truth, experienced by rational beings, is derived from their mutual veracity.

2. Veracity is the only foundation of confidence.

Confidence is the great bond of society among intelligent beings. Intelligent creatures are supremely dependent on their Creator, and, to a vast extent, on each other. From him, ultimately, they derive all the good which they enjoy; and without his perpetual protection and blessing they must not only be miserable, but must perish. A great part of these blessings he has been pleased to communicate to us through the instrumentality and agency of his rational creatures. To them immediately we are indebted for blessings, innumerable

in their multitude, incalculable in their importance, and indispensable to our daily safety, peace, and comfort, and not unfrequently to the continuance of our lives. So 'numerous and so continual are these blessings, that they are generally regarded as things of course; and pass by us unnoticed and

unseen.

Originally, all these blessings are unpossessed by us; all of them from time to time being future. It is necessary, therefore, that we should provide for the acquisition of them by such means as are in our power. As for almost all of them we must be indebted to the agency of others; we are compelled, unavoidably, to rely on their engagements to supply them. Here the field opens in which confidence is to be exercised; and, almost at our very entrance into life, it becomes boundless. We are obliged to trust to parents and others for protection, food, raiment, and innumerable other things, indispensable to our subsistence, as well as our comfort, from infancy to manhood. The offices for which we rely are necessary, and are rendered; the benefits are indispensable, and are communicated, every day, hour, and moment. Confidence is thus diffused everywhere, and at all times. We trust as naturally and unceasingly as we breathe, and with as little consciousness of the fact. In the same manner is the same confidence extended through life, exercised every moment, placed, in a greater or less degree, on every person with whom we correspond; and employed about every object with which we have any concern. If we could not confide, we should in a sense know nothing, acquire nothing, and do nothing, to any valuable purpose.

Equally indebted are we to confidence for almost the whole of our happiness. The emotion is delightful in itself, and indispensable to every other delightful emotion. It is equally pleasant to trust, and to be trusted. No supposable union of esteem and good-will is more pleasing, more elevated, or more refined. Accordingly, it is thus regarded by those who exercise it, and by those towards whom it is exercised. Parents are never more delighted than in the entire confidence of their children. Children are never more happy than when they entirely confide in their parents.

Equally necessary is confidence to the existence and operations of government. Indeed, government without it would