INTRODUCTORY LECTURE. LUKE I. 17. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. Ir must be a matter of serious regret to every one who has the interests of religion really at heart, that the Church of Christ, by which I mean that part of mankind who acknowledge and receive the Scriptures as the standard of their belief, should be rent and torn as they are, by conflicting opinions on the subject of their common faith. An indifferent observer would scarcely suppose it possible that Christians had, one and all, built their religion on the same foundation, that all had received the same revelation from God; that, in the great majority of in B stances, the same Word had been handed down from their fathers to each and all, in the same pure and unadulterated form, with nought added thereto, and nought subtracted from it. In this case, as in all others where error is involved, the evil must be referred, not to God, but to the corruption and infirmities of man. The word of God sanctions no variety of doctrine; it preaches but one Gospel-it speaks of unity, not of division; of "one body and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;" of "one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."* The very essence of the word of God is unity, as God who created us is one, as the Lord Jesus who died for us is one, as there is no baptism. but "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," so, according to its teaching, the body of Christ's Church is one, one in Faith, as one in hope. But is it so in these days? or rather, are not the members of this body torn and rent asunder by violent dissensions; so that, * Eph. iv. 4, 5, 6. on earth at least, its unity is utterly destroyed? Are not the passions and prejudices of men, who see not with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts, daily perverting the Scriptures and indeed searching them for proofs of their own preconceived notions, rather than coming to them with the humble spirit of enquiry, which desires to learn all, and teach nothing? We treat the gospel of Christ with greater contempt than the Heathen soldiers of old the garment which had clothed his dishonoured body; they said, "Let us not rend it," and that garment of the Holy Gospel, which is given. us equally without seam, which is thrown Over us by Christ, that it may wrap us all alike in its sacred folds, why is it rent into almost as many pieces as there are teachers, so that each one takes away his scanty covering, instead of availing himself of the ample protection of the whole? This is not as it should be; it is no subject of congratulation that the subtilty and ingenuity of men have been exercised on the sacred field of Revelation, till each man is able to give a reason for a different faith, till every varied creed is made to rest on |