faith is expressed, are its own spontaneous effusions-decisions and declarations of the truth, possessing a divine sanction, as proceeding from itself, because it has the mind of Christ in forming it, and the voice of Christ speaking in it. The evidence of Scripture, accordingly, is not essential to the proofs of its doctrines. It is enough that they are referred to the authority of the church. They are the doctrines of Christ, because they are the doctrines of the church. The Church of England, on the other hand, disclaims any right to originate articles of faith of its own motion, or any authority to command what shall be believed by the faithful. It only proposes for the acceptance of its members, what itself believes to be the doctrine of Christ, in the way of authoritative counsel and direction to them; and bids them search the Scriptures whether its teaching be true or no.— (Page 21, 22.)...

"We might not have been disposed to take the warning which the long experience of the world has given in the case of the Church of Rome; because it might have been supposed that the principle" (of development)" could be inculcated under the shade of a reformed church, apart from its obnoxious accompaniments in the former instance; the corruptions of faith and practice which have followed in the Church of Rome. But we have now seen that these corruptions are its natural and proper results; that we cannot take up an extravagant, unscriptural theory of the church, without taking along with it its unscriptural consequences; that, if we become Romanists in principle, we must be Romanists throughout; believers in the doctrine of the mass, and of purgatory, and of invocation of saints and angels, of justification by the sacraments, of the merit of good works, and other corruptions of the Church of Rome; and that we must also become assimilated to it in conduct, having words of peace and gentleness on our lips, and persecution in our hearts. The developments of the last few years have strikingly brought this fact before us.". (Page 27, 28.)

LECTURE XXXI.

DOMESTIC DUTIES.

COL. iii. 18-25; iv. 1.

CHRISTIANITY is a perfect system; nothing is wanting either as to doctrine or morals. Our apostle, therefore, is not content with stripping the old man of his heathen vices, and adorning the new with the contrary graces and virtues. Nor does he stop in directing the Colossians to "let the Word of Christ dwell in him richly," so that they might "do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus." But he goes on to give some particular rules for the new man in his conduct in domestic life. In doing this, he takes the three classes of persons which divide the private circle, and amongst whom the closest mutual obligations exist. Husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants. This constitutes the fourth portion of the means of our rising more and more with Christ.

The glory of Christianity, as to its morals, consists in the purity and happiness of its domestic life; as the misery and confusion of heathenism and

Mahommedanism arise from the loss of the original law of marriage. All is slavery, pollution, jealousy, divorce, uncertainty as to the descent of property, contests in royal houses, murder of rivals, neglect of children, disobedience, distraction, envy and hatred, where polygamy prevails. But where Christianity rules, all is peace, love, purity, stedfast affection, religious education of children, safe transmission of property, contentment, repose, union.

Such is the effect of the pure doctrine of the Gospel as believed by our apostle. How lovely, how beneficent is Christianity! Were she diffused over the world in her true character, how unspeakable would be the blessing, temporal as well as eternal! With this code of family morals expounding the ten commandments, which we are about to consider, who could avoid acknowledging the beauty of the Gospel? This is the fruit of the tree of life. Whereas any material corruption of the doctrine of Christ, deprives the morals which flow from it, of their force.

What have the merits of works, and philosophy, and the worship of angels, ever done to sanctify men? What traditions and human commandments, in things" which perish with the using," to purify the heart? What has a mean, degrading superstitious religion ever done in honouring and promoting the institution of marriage, the religious education of children, and the due relations of masters and servants?

Alas, we have seen for many centuries how Rome sapped the foundation of christian morals by discouraging God's institution of holy matrimony, by imposing celibacy on the priesthood, by magnifying the merit of virginity, by representing the married state as inconsistent with high attainments in holiness, and instituting a multitude of monasteries and nunneries; and yet at the same time exalting matrimony, without a shadow of scriptural authority, into a sacrament of like dignity with the divinely instituted ones of baptism and the Supper of the Lord.

Such are the fruits of human inventions in religion; and it is one of the broadest features of their tendency towards popery in the divines whose errors have still left some roots in the earth around us, that they imitate that corrupt church, as in every other, so in this instance also.

It is to be observed that the apostle in the subsequent directions begins with the inferior relation in each class the wife, the child, the servant; because the difficulty of obedience is greater; because in contentions it is the duty of the humbler party to submit, and also because the discharge of duty by that party is the surest method of securing it in the other.

It is to be noted, also, that in all the three divisions of persons, the highest motives of the Gospel are intimately connected with the right performance of their mutual duties. The wife is to aim to "win

66

Eph. v. 25;

The vi. 4.

Tit. ii. 10.

over the husband to Christ," if an unbeliever, " with- 1 Pet. iii. 1. out the word, by her chaste conversation." husband is to "love the wife, as Christ loved the church," and to walk with her in the ways of piety, "as being heirs of the grace of life," that their prayers be not hindered." The parent is to bring up the child" in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" and the child to " obey his parent, as it is fit in the Lord." The master is to remember" he has a Master in heaven;" and the servant or slave is to "adorn the doctrine of God his Saviour in all things." Thus evangelical doctrine leads to, and terminates in, relative duties, as its natural and proper fruit.

It is further to be remembered that the apostles, in three or four places, repeat the self-same directions and cautions as in the verses before us, with the like encouragements to the three classes-a proof of the importance they attached to domestic christian morals, and of the danger the converts were in of being turned aside by false teachers, and stopping short in knowledge and approbation of duty, without carrying it out into practice.

1. We begin with husbands and wives, the first class of persons united in domestic life.

18. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.

19. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.