t the paths of those who acknowledge him.

And here, I insist, whether the question be one of law or of expediency,
has been a grave error of the church in not trusting enough to this inward
principle of life in the soul, to this insight of love, to regulate the
outward developments of the life, and to prevent the obliteration of the
lines between the church and the world. She has busied herself too much
with details, and not enough with that which lies back of them; too much
with the circumference and not enough with the centre. Christ teaches us
that if the fountain be pure, the streams must be pure. But the church, in
her unconscious distrust of the purifying power of the fountain, has
thrown into the streams such abundance of mint, anise, and cummin, that
the taste of the original water is sometimes sadly impaired. Too often,
while she has been busy with the streams, the fountain head has been
gathering unsuspected poison. While I recognize the church's duty to watch
carefully over Christ's flock, to counsel, rebuke, restrain, I think that
she has encouraged, in many cases, by her want of faith in the power of
the relation between Christ and the believer, an artificial religious
life, a factitious conscience, a life wanting the freedom and naturalness
of movement properly engendered by the gospel. I think she should have
insisted more on having this clearly defined and constantly maintained,
more on a full assurance, and a lively faith, and an ever burning love,
and less on details which these would have regulated of themselves. I
believe that if she had done this, and moreover had preached the word
literally and boldly to the people, had told the people their privilege to
use God's gifts, and pointed them to the principle of love to God as
competent to regulate use, and not twisted its declarations into warrants
for the abridgment of Christian liberty,--there would be in the church
to-day more simple, strong, manly, intelligent piety, and far less
conformity to the world. This distinction between safe and unsafe truths
is a Romish and not a Protestant idea; and the temporary gain secured by
acting upon it is more than counterbalanced by the final pernicious
result.

It is far safer for me and for you that I preach this truth to you boldly
and plainly; and I have a special object in bringing it to your notice
now, at this solemn season when you are reviewing the past, and making a
new consecration of yourselves to t