conditional surrender of the world, as the indispensable condition of discipleship and of admission into heaven, he could not abide the trial;" he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions."

The history of this young man is substantially that of many other youth. It is proposed to consider the subject, suggested by his history, in its application to the young people of this village; a village, which, after making all reasonable deductions on the score of local predilection, must be admitted to hold, at least, as high a place on the scale of morals, as other villages equally populous.

The general sentiment taught by the text is, that strict morality is indispensable, but insufficient to salvation.

The two parts of this proposition will be considered separately.

I. Strict morality is indispensable to salvation. The term morality is here used in the popular acceptation-meaning just what it imports in common usage. Some men, in their zeal to enforce the scriptural doctrine of salvation by grace alone, have, by implication, communicated the idea, that sound morals have but little connection with our preparation for heaven. This idea, however, is wholly at variance with the preparation demanded. Admitting, what is truly the fact, that vital piety is the grand requisite for entrance into life, it by no means follows, that strict morality is unnecessary or unimportant. Though the greater be indispensable, the lesser may be equally so. Morality, in one sense, may be said to sustain very much the same relation to religion, which a part does to the whole; and surely, if the whole be demanded, its parts, of course, are required. It is altogether a delusive and dangerous impression, that a man can give credible evidence of piety, while his morals are questionable. What evidence of personal holiness can he give, if he is seriously deficient in sobriety, or honesty, or integrity, or benevolence? How can he substantiate his title to heaven, if he exhibits habitual defects in the social and mercantile virtues? His pretensions to piety rest on a slender basis indeed, if they are not accredited by a life of consistent morality.

Antinomianism is as far removed from religion on the one hand, as Arminianism is on the other. While mere morality is utterly inadequate to save the soul, good works are indispensable as the fruit and evidence of religion in the heart. "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?" "Whoso hath this world's goods, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" "If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain." "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." Thus emphatically do the inspired writers pronounce all religious hopes to be vain, if they are not supported by a life of strict morality. But

II. The strictest morality of the world is entirely insufficient to salvation. That it is sufficient, is a very prevalent error; and dangerous, just in proportion to its prevalence. This branch of the subject, therefore, requires to be treated more at large. Some of the usages of society, on which great reliance for salvation is frequently placed, will be put to the test of the Scriptures, as that is the only standard of appeal.

The scriptural rule of morality is summarily announced in these two declarations; -" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbor as thyself." "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets." As this rule of morality applies to a great variety of subjects and relations, I can, in this lecture, show its application to only a few of them.

1. Strict morality forbids us to injure others by violating their right of property. That right may be violated in three ways;-by theft, robbery, and fraud. Theft is the taking of the property of others without their knowledge. But few instances of theft on a large scale occur. There is, in such cases, more danger of detection, and this operates as a powerful preventive of theft. Most of the thefts, which are committed, consist in pilfering or purloining articles of small value. There are probably more immoralities of this sort than are commonly imagined, even in communities which claim to be honest. Clerks, apprentices and domestics frequently handle the property of others, and are under strong temptations to this species of dishonesty. Nor is the moral character of the most petty theft altered, by persuading ourselves that the owner will never know it, or that he will not care about it, or that he would have no objection, or that he can afford to lose the property. None of these excuses palliate, in the slightest degree, the heinousness of the offence. I put it to the consciences of the young, and ask, whether any of you are guilty of such violations of the command, "Thou shalt not steal." If you are, "be sure your sin will find you out." Your offences were committed not merely against the injured individuals, but against society, against conscience, against the moral law, against God; and all are interested in bringing them to light. Escape, therefore, is impossible.

Robbery is the taking of the property of another, with his consent compulsorily obtained. The highwayman meets a traveller, and threatens him with instant death, unless he surrenders his money. Here, consent is obtained, but obtained at the point of the bayonet, or the mouth of the pistol. This is a high-handed offence against society, and, under most governments, is capitally punished. As this offence is comparatively infrequent, as it is committed only by the most hardened desperadoes, and, as it should seem, they cannot hope for salvation on the ground of their morality, it is unnecessary to dwell on it at length.

The rule of morality, respecting the property of others, is much more frequently violated by fraud. Fraud is not so tangible a thing as theft or robbery, it can be practiced in a greater variety of forms, and is not so easily exposed. Hence, the frequency of this species of immorality.

A man is guilty of fraud, when he sells an in