any forsake the plain path of the gospel to chase its shadows, and sport themselves with its deceivings?

There is nothing more affecting in all history than the dying confession of John Theophilus Fichte, one of the great preachers and apostles of German Pantheism. "I know absolutely nothing," says he, "of any existence, not even my own. Images there are, and they constitute all that apparently exists. I am myself one of these images; nay, not so much, but only a confused image of an image. All reality is converted into a marvellous dream, without a life to dream of, or a mind to dream; into a dream, itself made up only of a dream. Perception is a dream; and thought, the source of all the existence, the reality, which I imagine to myself, is but the dream of that dream."

And is this the end of pantheistic piety? Is this the dying confession of a man who had studied it, professed it, and taught it, with high honor and success, through a long course of years? Let me, then, "die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his." Let me rather accept and pursue the religion of Paul, that I may be able to say with him, in my last hour: "I know in whom I have believed, and am sure that he is able to keep what I have committed to him against that day."

That the Church of Christ is now seriously threatened from the inroads of that philosophy which I have attempted to describe, there can be no doubt. But that it will be overcome in the conflict, no one who has faith in the great Captain of our salvation can for a moment believe.

That we may be delivered in this day of our trial, and not only delivered, but come off victorious, only two things seem to me to be necessary. The first is, that we know our enemy; know his nature, his artifices, his resources, his strength, the forms of deception which he assumes, and the ways in which he leads captive to destroy.

And knowing with whom we have to contend, we are, in the second place, to go forth and meet him, not with arms of our own preparing, but in a skilful use of the old tried weapons of the gospel, and in a prayerful reliance on those aids and influences which are proffered us from heaven. It is true that, in ourselves, we have no strength. What are we, that we should engage the embattled hosts which the Prince of Darkness is now arraying against us? "In our own sight we are but as grasshoppers, and so we are in their sight." Yet it is our privilege to say, with our brothers of olden time: "We can do all things, through Christ strengthening us." "We are more than conquerors, through him that hath loved us and died for us." Relying prayerfully on his promised aid, and using faithfully the weapons which he hath given us, no power on earth can overcome us, or stand against

us.

One shall be able to chase a thousand, and two to put ten thousand to flight, until our enemies are all scattered, and the victory is won.

Courage then, my brethren, in the work of the Lord; courage to toil on, whether in early morn, or sunny noon, or evening shade, till the night of death comes over us, and we can no longer work. It is our privilege to follow a Master who never forgets or forsakes his faithful servants. We labor in a cause where not a stone is laid, or a stroke struck, or a prayer is offered up in vain. If we are faithful, we may behold the fruits of our labor even here. And this will be pleasant, amidst the turmoil and dust of the conflict, to see that our work is not in vain in the Lord. But whether this privilege is permitted us or not, we know that no work of faith, or labor of love, can be lost. Such works are sure to follow us to heaven; for it is a part of the blessing of the holy dead, not only that they shall rest from their labors, but that their works shall follow them. May this blessing, dear brethren, be ours, individually and collectively ours. Amen.

SERMON DLXXIV.

BY REV. A. C. PIERCE,

SPRINGFIELD, MASS.

THE GREAT LESSON OF MAN'S EARTHLY STATE.

"Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. "Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth." COL. iii. 1,'2.

ADMITTING the truth that it is the same God who has ordered the circumstances of man's nature and condition in this earthly state of being, and inspired the pages of Revelation, it were natural to suppose that there would be religious correspondences between them; that the same teachings which the "lively oracles" urge upon our attention, would also, in unseen, yet to us intelligible characters, be written within and around us.

And so it is. Religion is not alone of Revelation, it is also of Nature. Deep in the desires, the impulses, the feelings which make up our inward experience, and are the circumstances which

any forsake the plain path of the gospel to chase its shadows, and sport themselves with its deceivings?

There is nothing more affecting in all history than the dying confession of John Theophilus Fichte, one of the great preachers and apostles of German Pantheism. "I know absolutely nothing," says he, "of any existence, not even my own. Images there are, and they constitute all that apparently exists. I am myself one of these images; nay, not so much, but only a confused image of an image. All reality is converted into a marvellous dream, without a life to dream of, or a mind to dream; into a dream, itself made up only of a dream. Perception is a dream; and thought, the source of all the existence, the reality, which I imagine to myself, is but the dream of that dream."

And is this the end of pantheistic piety? Is this the dying confession of a man who had studied it, professed it, and taught it, with high honor and success, through a long course of years? Let me, then, "die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his." Let me rather accept and pursue the religion of Paul, that I may be able to say with him, in my last hour: "I know in whom I have believed, and am sure that he is able to keep what I have committed to him against that day."

That the Church of Christ is now seriously threatened from the inroads of that philosophy which I have attempted to describe, there can be no doubt. But that it will be overcome in the conflict, no one who has faith in the great Captain of our salvation can for a moment believe.

That we may be delivered in this day of our trial, and not only delivered, but come off victorious, only two things seem to me to be necessary. The first is, that we know our enemy; know his nature, his artifices, his resources, his strength, the forms of deception which he assumes, and the ways in which he leads captive to destroy.

And knowing with whom we have to contend, we are, in the second place, to go forth and meet him, not with arms of our own preparing, but in a skilful use of the old tried weapons of the gospel, and in a prayerful reliance on those aids and influences which are proffered us from heaven. It is true that, in ourselves, we have no strength. What are we, that we should engage the embattled hosts which the Prince of Darkness is now arraying against us? "In our own sight we are but as grasshoppers, and so we are in their sight." Yet it is our privilege to say, with our brothers of olden time: "We can do all things, through Christ strengthening us." "We are more than conquerors, through him that hath loved us and died for us." Relying prayerfully on his promised aid, and using faithfully the weapons which he hath given us, no power on earth can overcome us, or stand against

us.

One shall be able to chase a thousand, and two to put ten thousand to flight, until our enemies are all scattered, and the victory is won.

Courage then, my brethren, in the work of the Lord; courage to toil on, whether in early morn, or sunny noon, or evening shade, till the night of death comes over us, and we can no longer work. It is our privilege to follow a Master who never forgets or forsakes his faithful servants. We labor in a cause where not a stone is laid, or a stroke struck, or a prayer is offered up in vain. If we are faithful, we may behold the fruits of our labor even here. And this will be pleasant, amidst the turmoil and dust of the conflict, to see that our work is not in vain in the Lord. But whether this privilege is permitted us or not, we know that no work of faith, or labor of love, can be lost. Such works are sure to follow us to heaven; for it is a part of the blessing of the holy dead, not only that they shall rest from their labors, but that their works shall follow them. May this blessing, dear brethren, be ours, individually and collectively ours.

Amen.

SERMON DLXXIV.

BY REV. A. C. PIERCE,

SPRINGFIELD, MASS.

THE GREAT LESSON OF MAN'S EARTHLY STATE.

"Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. "Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth." COL. iii. 1,'2.

ADMITTING the truth that it is the same God who has ordered the circumstances of man's nature and condition in this earthly state of being, and inspired the pages of Revelation, it were natural to suppose that there would be religious correspondences between them; that the same teachings which the "lively oracles" urge upon our attention, would also, in unseen, yet to us intelligible characters, be written within and around us.

And so it is. Religion is not alone of Revelation, it is also of Nature. Deep in the desires, the impulses, the feelings which make up our inward experience, and are the circumstances which

any forsake the plain path of the gospel to chase its shadows, and sport themselves with its deceivings?

There is nothing more affecting in all history than the dying confession of John Theophilus Fichte, one of the great preachers and apostles of German Pantheism. "I know absolutely nothing," says he, "of any existence, not even my own. Images there are, and they constitute all that apparently exists. I am myself one of these images; nay, not so much, but only a confused image of an image. All reality is converted into a marvellous dream, without a life to dream of, or a mind to dream; into a dream, itself made up only of a dream. Perception is a dream; and thought, the source of all the existence, the reality, which I imagine to myself, is but the dream of that dream."

And is this the end of pantheistic piety? Is this the dying confession of a man who had studied it, professed it, and taught it, with high honor and success, through a long course of years? Let me, then, "die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his." Let me rather accept and pursue the religion of Paul, that I may be able to say with him, in my last hour: "I know in whom I have believed, and am sure that he is able to keep what I have committed to him against that day."

That the Church of Christ is now seriously threatened from the inroads of that philosophy which I have attempted to describe, there can be no doubt. But that it will be overcome in the conflict, no one who has faith in the great Captain of our salvation can for a moment believe.

That we may be delivered in this day of our trial, and not only delivered, but come off victorious, only two things seem to me to be necessary. The first is, that we know our enemy; know his nature, his artifices, his resources, his strength, the forms of deception which he assumes, and the ways in which he leads captive to destroy.

And knowing with whom we have to contend, we are, in the second place, to go forth and meet him, not with arms of our own preparing, but in a skilful use of the old tried weapons of the gospel, and in a prayerful reliance on those aids and influences which are proffered us from heaven. It is true that, in ourselves, we have no strength. What are we, that we should engage the embattled hosts which the Prince of Darkness is now arraying against us? "In our own sight we are but as grasshoppers, and so we are in their sight." Yet it is our privilege to say, with our brothers of olden time: "We can do all things, through Christ strengthening us." "We are more than conquerors, through him that hath loved us and died for us." Relying prayerfully on his promised aid, and using faithfully the weapons which he hath given us, no power on earth can overcome us, or stand against