325 t to entertain for one e will of my Father be acceptable in the hoever worships the Conscience, not only actually contradicts in the Book itself. out God?"-This d now and for ever REASON, otherwise Infidel. When God vealed His Laws, E to obey. At the IORAL LAW," seated as a Divinity. What Find out the "WORD hrist, and you need T. To render yourot strictly in conforON"-and you will REASON is the WORD ascertained by that st. the purity of your motives. What Consciousness effects in material things, Conscience performs in spiritual things. The one assures us of the presence of objects and events in TIME; the other convicts you of the want of purity of the motive in ETERNITY. The WORD OF MAN is nothing but the action of matter upon matter; the impingement of the tympanum by the particles of air that are put in motion from the lips of the speaker, to raise sensations in the mind of the hearer; in fact, nothing more or less than material drum-sticks to raise sound. What is sound?-Sound, strictly speaking, is a sensation excited in the mind by the motion of the air on the nerves of the ear. All this is strictly material: the air is matter, the sonorous body is matter. These, however, are only the CAUSE of sound-the EFFECT is the Sensation produced in the mind of the hearer by an affection of SENSE. The individual without the sense of hearing cannot have the least conception of sound. Take away the vehicle, air, and ring the bell under the exhausted receiver then define sound. There exists the same motion in the sonorous body; the Cause, but no sensation the Effect is not produced; for the ear is not struck by the agitated air, as the communication is cut off. The sensations arising from sound flow in such harmonious measure when rightly conducted as to produce the most delightful feelings in the bosom of the hearer. They constitute complete and entire wholes-intelligent objects; they move us to tears, or excite us to joy. The war song animates the followers of the Chieftain. The funeral oration melts us to tears. Alas! poor Yorick! whose mirth had oft set the table in a roar! And what is all this but the motion of material objects to produce sensations in the mind of the hearer! Now, indeed, we see clearly why our Saviour preferred using Parables-objects known to all his hearers — instead of "Written Books," whose types might be mistaken for the DOCTRINE he taught. But no one of his hearers could possibly be so ignorant as to suppose, when Christ referred to the Sower, the grain, and the ground, that these material objects were the divine doctrines of the Gospel. What! the Sower the WORD OF GOD, the λoyos, the REASON incarnate!-impossible! nay, madness!—a mathematical figure made of matter! sheer nonsense! Unfortunate and unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost, thus to mistake the type for the essence, only to found a horrible SUPERSTITION, tending to endless disputes and the total annihilation of RELIGION! Contrast with this material and earthly account of things the genuine "WORD OF GOD," the communing of Spirit with Spirit, the λóyos, the REASON, that Christ expounded, by means of these material types, which he employed only to awaken the SENSE of his hearers, with the ultimate view of putting their REASON into play to raise ideas- things of REASON- suitable to the dignity and sublimity of the divine DOCTRINE of the Gospel, and your notions of the Divinity of Christ will be complete. So says the Redeemer: "I am the λoyos, the word, the DOCTRINE, the REASON incarnate, which is not from myself, but has descended from my Father, who is in Heaven." The Quakers have a very exalted notion of the communing of spirit with spirit, or the WORD OF GOD. Worship is an act of the Soul with regard to its Maker. God is a Spirit; the Soul is a Spirit. The acts of pious devotion, therefore, consist of the communing of spirit with spirit: in this hallowed intercourse, words are not essentially necessary, because He who is a spirit understands the language of the spirit. On this ground this peaceful Society of Friends defend their silent meetings. They come to their Religious Worship, sit down in silence, and wait for the assistance of that Spirit which helpeth our infirmities, and without which we know not what we pray for. "At times we feel the spirit making intercession for us, and believe that a secret aspiration will be more acceptable to the Father of Spirits than any form of words previously prepared for us, that does not come from the heart." "Here we feel those divine influences upon the mind, which constitute the highest enjoyment of man upon earth." "Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, Oh God of Israel, the Saviour!" "A state of humble silent waiting we consider to be more suitable to the dependence of the Creature on the Creator, than rushing unprepared into those external acts of devotion, which are no farther acceptable than as they come from the heart.” "Thus we draw nigh unto God through the spirit of his Son, Jesus Christ, and feel the communion of the Holy Ghost awakened in our Conscience. In this manner we escape the sin of drawing nigh unto God with our lips, whilst the heart is far from him." Our blessed Redeemer says: "The hour cometh, and now is when true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.” The communion of Spirit with Spirit constitutes the essence of prayer; while the mere motion of the material lips are only the type to indicate to man that |