under her feet the mask of Hypocrify; fimple and unadorned, she rejects the cloak of diffimulation, and cafts afide all concealment. Love holds the middle place, and ftrengthens the union fubfifting between Hope and Truth. Divine Love is drawn with wings, to represent her heavenly origin.

Faith is both created and preferved by Hope, Truth, and Love. This Triad conftitutes its efficient cause. Truth is indeed the mother of Faith. Hope affifts in its creation, by its expectations and defires; Love nourishes and reconciles, and thus contributes to lay a foundation for Faith.

True faith, as represented in the Scriptures, is always connected with a "good hope through grace." The truths of God's word form the only proper objects for its exercife. Without Love, there can be no good works; and "without works faith is dead." Christian Faith, as described above, is distinguished from the faith of devils, who are faid to "believe and tremble" because they have no hope; and from the faith of wicked men, who "love not the Lord Jefus Christ," and who are consequently "accursed;" and from the faith of the carnal profeffor, who has fold the truth, and has pleasure in unrighteousness.

The proper ufe of faith is to bring us to God, to enable us to obtain the promises contained in the word or truth of God. If Chrift had not been moved by love, he would not have suffered;

if he had not suffered, we should have had no promise of pardon; if we had no promises, we fhould have no hope; if we have no hope, we fhall have no faving faith in the mercy of God. Christ is set forth a refuge for finners, he faves all who flee for refuge to the hope set before them; but those only who believe in him, flee to him. Faith then is an inftrument of falvation; "by grace are ye faved through Faith."

The finner hears, and gives credence to the Faith of God: the terrors of the Almighty take fast hold upon him; his fins weigh him down to the duft but hark! the voice of heavenly love is heard proclaiming: "Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you reft." He looks upward, Hope springs up, he ventures on the Redeemer, "who juftifies the ungodly;" his faith has faved him. It is counted to him for righteousness, and being juftified by it, he has peace with God, through our Lord Jefus Chrift.

A celebrated divine once gave his little child an illuftration of the nature of Faith in the following manner. The child had a beautiful string of beads, with which fhe was much delighted. Her father spoke to her, faying, "Come, my child, throw those beautiful beads into the fire, and I will, in the course of a few days, give you fomething far more beautiful and valuable." The child looked up into the face of her father with aftonishment: after looking for á time, and feeing he was in earnest, she cast her beautiful toys

into the fire, and then burst into tears!-Here was Faith. The child believed her father spoke the truth; fhe expected, or had a hope, he would fulfil his promises; and confiding in his Love fhe was willing to obey him, though it cost

her tears.

"And an highway fhall be there, and a way, and it fhall be called the way of holiness; the unclean fhall not pass over it." -ISA. xxxv. 8.

THE WAY OF HOLINESS.

There is a place, a Holy place above,
Where Angels holy dwell in light and love :
There is a God, a Holy God who reigns,
And holy empire over all maintains ;
There is a way, a holy way, whose road
The holy Pilgrim brings to heaven and God:
See! on that way the holy Pilgrim hies,
Nor doubts at laft 'twill lead him to the fkies.
With robes entire, and garments clean and white,
He walks with joy along the plains of light.
See! one has left the holy way divine,

His clothes are foiled, he wallows now with fwine;
Alone, the Pilgrim on his pathway speeds,

And leaves th' apoftate to his worldly deeds.

SEE where the way of Holiness ftands caft up. It is ftrongly built and confpicuous to all be

holders; a pilgrim is feen walking thereon triumphantly and secure; his garments are unsullied and untorn. Down off the way is one wallowing in the mire; fee how he grubs up the filthy lucre. His garments are rent, and foiled; the beaftly swine are his chofen companions.

This is an emblem of Holinefs, and of its profeffors. The upright conduct of the pious is called, a way, a "highway," and "The way of Holiness." It is a way of fafety, "No lion shall be there," and "the wayfaring man, though a fool, [illiterate] fhall not err therein." The Pilgrim purfuing his journey, with his garments unfullied and untorn, denotes the Christian (c walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless." "The fine linen, clean and white, is the righteousness of the faints." The man among the fwine, fignifies an Apoftate from God and Holinefs; he has "left off to do good;" the love of the world has again taken poffeffion of him; "he has turned as the dog to his vomit again, and as the fow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."

Holiness in man confifts in obedience to the divine commands-in loving God fupremely-in loving our neighbour as ourselves. Man, by nature and by practice, is finful, and fin is superlatively felfifh. A felfishness pervades the heart, which is enmity against God. It is not fubject to the law of God, neither indeed can be, confequently the love of God dwelleth not in the selfish heart.