can never fairly be supposed that he meant himself, other person labouring in the promulgation of Christianity, to be included in that class.

or any

As to the second point urged by the Reverend Editor, namely, that the compiled Precepts were not sufficient to lead to salvation, I deeply regret that the Editor should appear to have overlooked the authority of the gracious author of this religion in the several passages cited by the Compiler in his Appeal, to prove beyond doubt the sufficiency of the Precepts in question to procure eternal life; as it is almost impossible that so numerous quotations, spreading over a great part of the Appeal, could have escaped his notice. The Reverend Editor, while endeavouring to prove, that the compiled Precepts would fall short of guiding to peace and happiness, only illustrates by sacred authority the truth and excellency of the miracles and the doctrines of Christianity. But such illustration can have no tendency to demonstate the position he endeavours to maintain; I am therefore under the neces sity of repeating a few passages already quoted, with some others, shewing that the compiled Precepts are sufficient to conduct the human race to happiness; and I humbly entreat to know, if I be persuaded to believe in the divine origin of those passages, and in the entire veracity of their author, how I am to reconcile their authority with the position maintained by the learned Editor, as to the insufficiency of the Precepts of Jesus to guide to peace and happiness.—

Matthew, ch. xxii. beginning with ver. 37: "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind; this is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." Mark, ch. xii. beginning with ver. 29: "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these." Matthew, ch. vii. ver. 12: "Therefore all things whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do you even so to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets." Luke, ch. x. from ver. 25: "And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the Law? How readest thou? He answering said: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right. This do, and thou shalt live." Matthew, ch. vii. ver. 21: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord! Lord! shall enter into the

kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say unto me in that day, Lord! Lord! have we not prophesied in thy name; and in thy name have cast out devils; and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock; and every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand." Luke, ch. xi. ver. 27: "Blessed is the womb (said a certain woman to Jesus), that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked but he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it." John, ch. xv. ver. 12: "This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you." Ver. 17, “These things I command you, that ye love one another." Ch. xiii. ver. 34: "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have love you, that ye also love one another:" 35, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Observing those two commandments, (Matt. ch. xxii. ver. 37, 38, and 39,) selected by the Saviour as a substitute for all the Law and the Prophets, and sufficient means to produce peace and happiness to mankind, the Compiler never scrupled to follow the example

set forth by Jesus himself in compiling such precepts as include those two commandments, and their subsidiary moral doctrines, as a true substitute of the Gospel, without intending to depreciate the rest of the word of God. I regret that the Reverend Editor should have disapproved of this compilation on the ground that "it is of importance that every compilation be given as a sample of the Sacred Writings in all their excellence and importance, and not as a substitute for the whole."

The authority of St. Paul, the most exalted among primitive Christians, quoted by the Reverend Editor, (page 89,)" If righteousness come by the law, Christ is dead in vain," is not, I presume, adequate to set aside, nor even applicable to the express authority of the Author of Christianity, already quoted; as the latter includes not only the Mosaic law, to which St. Paul alludes, but both law and religion, as is evident from the following passages: "Therefore all things whatever you would that men should do to you, do you even so to men; for this is the Law and the Prophets." "On these two commandments (to love God and to love our neighbours), hang all the Law and the Prophets." Every one must admit, that the gracious Saviour meant by the words "the Law and the Prophets," all the divine commandments found in the Scriptures, obedience to which is strictly required of us by the founder of that religion. Luke, ch. xi. ver. 28: "Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it." John,

ch. xiv. ver. 15: "If you love me, keep my commandments." Had the manifestation of love towards God with all our strength, and towards our neighbours as ourselves, been practically impossible, as maintained by the Editor, (page 112,) or had any other doctrines been necessary to lead to eternal life, Jesus of Nazareth, (in whose veracity, candour, and perfection, we have happily been persuaded to place implicit confidence,) could not, consistently with his office as the Christ of God, have enjoined the lawyer to the obedience of those two commandments, and would not have promised him eternal life as the reward of such obedience; (vide Luke, ch. x. ver. 28," This do and thou shalt live ;") for a man possessed of common sense and common humanity would not incite another to labour in vain by attempting what was practically impossible, nor delude him with promises of a reward upon conditions beyond his power to fulfil; much less could a Being, in whom dwelt all truth, and who was sent with a divine law to guide mankind by his preaching and example, inculcate precepts that it was impracticable to follow. Any commandment enjoining man to love God with all his heart and all his strength, requires of us of course to direct our love towards him as the sole Father of the universe; but does not amount to a prohibition of the pursuits necessary for life, or to an abstinence from love towards any other object; for such love also is enjoined by the subsequent commandment. The following passages, John,