that those who are worldly and sensual up to its doors, shall enter them disengaged, and prepared to hear of eternal purity? We may crowd the temples of the Most High, but is it not too often as those whom the Prophet saw in the midst of the holy places? The visions of our idolatry accompany us even into the house of the living God; and, though we kneel as in adoration, our busy hearts neglect to adore, and we are still " 'every man in the chambers of his imagery."......God grant to us a strong desire to live the "life unto God," -by patience and faith "to walk as seeing the Invisible,"-to yearn after that devotion of heart and soul unto Him, which, begun in this world, shall be perfected and consummated in the world of eternal peace!-Professor W. Archer Butler.

TRANQUILITY IN DEATH,

RELIGION is not a cunningly devised fable; and they who disbelieve its doctrines, make void its obligations and despise its ordinances, are sometimes left by the horrors of an unblessed death to give warning to others not to follow them in their lives, lest they resemble them also in their latter end-an end at all times dark and cheerless, and sometimes exhibiting features of guilt and wretchedness from which humanity recoils; and it is a sensible relief to the mind to turn from such a scene, and contrast with it the peace and serenity that shed a tranquil air over the closing hours of the just!

Peace in death is the effect of a good man's principles. For that which made his life peaceful, will also pacify at death. It is not the remembrance of a well-spent life, nor any confidence in the flesh that he is personally righteous before God and need fear nothing; but it is the stedfast reliance on the Saviour for pardon and acceptance, which tranquilizes the soul in death, and pus to flight its rising fears. Hope also comes in, and tells of the glory of Christ in heav

en, and the mansions of glory which he has prepared for his followers there; and Love concludes that to depart and be with Christ is far better, and therefore death ceases to be an object of dread and dismay. Thus the principles of grace that wrought peace through life, produce it at the hour of death. "All these," says the Apostle, "died in faith ;" and they who die in faith die in peace.

As there is a promise of strength according to our day, and an assurance from Christ that his grace is sufficient for us, so the day of death hath its peculiar strength granted it; and special grace is allotted for that time of need. The Lord knows that more than ordinary help_is then needful, and it is given. His glory is concerned to uphold them in that hour, and though their hearts and their flesh faint and fail, he is the strength of their heart, and their portion for ever. "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee." (Isa. xliii. 2). He rebukes the enemy, silences the accuser, and speaks his own peace to the believing soul. He will not perhaps give rapture and the voice of triumph; but though the believer should not be able to say, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory ?" it is enough if he can say, "Into thy hands I commit my spirit; for thou hast redeemed me, Lord God of truth!"

This is peace, the peace of redeemed souls, expiring in faith, and with meek resignation submitting to death in the hope of eternal life. When we mark the perfect man, his latter end is peace.-Dr. Seiveright's "Memorials of a Ministry."

CONFIDENCE IN GOD.

BY THE REV. A. REID. Minister of the Congregational Church,

Postern, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Confidence in God ought unquestionably to be regarded as at once the duty and the delight of man. His perfections and his promises,

-the arrangements of his providence, and the arrangements of his grace,—the blessings he confers in time, and the glories he bestows in eternity, are all alike calculated to teach us to trust in the Lord for ever.' It is, however, a mournful fact, that man is more unwilling to learn the great duties which he owes to God-intimately connected as all those duties are with his own comfort and happiness-than any other lessons to which his attention is called. How seldom do we discover that unreserved and uniform confidence in God which is calculated to lead the mind to cheerful acquiescence in the Divine will! How often do we rebel in temper and feeling, in inclination and desire, against the dispensations of Infinite Wisdom! Under such circumstances, it is of great importance to entertain correct and definite ideas of that confidence in God of which inen so often speak, but which they so seldom manifest.

There can be no confidence in God that is not based on the discoveries of his character and will with which we are furnished in the Scriptures. As it is only from revelation that we can be led to form any adequate conception of God, so it is only in so far as we are guided by the light of revelation that we can trust in him. Regarded thus, confidence in God will embrace the doctrines of the Bible, and it will manifest itself in the reception of those doctrines, the promises which God has given us, and it will evince itself in the belief of those promises, -the law which God has promulgated, and it will lead to obedience to that law, the providential dispensations with which God is pleased to exercise us, and it will induce submission to those dispensations.

Among the characteristics of this disposition some may be enumerated which are to be found invariably associated with it, and others may be noticed which it ought always to possess, but which we too seldom see identified with it as it is actually found among mankind. It must be supernatural,-wrought in our hearts by the mighty energy of the Holy Spirit. It must be

intelligent,-connected in all its views and decisions with the convictions of an enlightened understanding. It ought to be cheerful, -not a grudging, complaining surrender to inevitable fate, but a willing consecration of ourselves, with all that belongs to us, to the arrangements of Jehovah. It ought to be unlimited,-not a partial trust exercised only in circumstances agreeable to our wishes, but a disposition that will lead us, amid the severest trials with which we are visited, to say, 'Not my will but thine, O Lord, be done.'

Every one, at all acquainted with his own heart, must readily perceive, that it is no easy matter to attain to that perfect confidence in God which is thus characterized. We may be tranquil and happy, when the sunshine of prosperity rests upon us; but we may give way to discontent or despondency, when called upon to struggle with the storms of adversity. And yet it is only in the time of trouble that confidence in God is put to the test. Whatever will not sustain us then, must be false and worthless. Are we visited in the providence of God with personal or relative afflictions, with bereavements, with losses, with disappointments, with one or other of those manifold temptations' which are sent by God to prove us and to try us,-to teach patience and experience and hope, -to lead us to set our affections on things above? Do we seek to imitate the example of Aaron, of Eli, of Job, who, amidst the heaviest strokes of judgment, recognised a Father's hand, and who could say, with heartfelt sincerity and submission, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him ?'

Alas! how often do we perceive, even among those who admit in general terms the necessity of yielding to the will of God, and who manifest the influence of genuine religion in their wonted conversation and conduct, an unhappiness of mind and a rebellion of temper amid troubles, which prove, only too undeniably, that they have yet to learn to confide in God. Why that fretful spirit, why that morbid

imagination, the former dissatisfied with present circumstances, the latter foreboding future evils, -if we believe what we profess, that all things are under the direction of Him who will cause all things to work together for our good? Why that sorrow of heart, whence those sighs and tears, if we are persuaded that it is the happy privilege of the people of God to rejoice in tribulation?' We would not seek to destroy natural feeling, to reduce man to a state of stoical insensibility; but we would have Christian principle uniformly to operate, exerting its mighty influence in adversity, as well as in prosperity. We would deprecate all inconsistency in those who profess to bow to the will of heaven. We are in ourselves weak and wayward, and that God with whom we have to do is the Omnipotent, and he is able to make all grace abound towards us. Let us seek his aid. Let us cast our burden, however heavy, upon him. Let us learn to wait upon him, and to be of good courage, knowing that he will strengthen our hearts. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." Happy, indeed, is the man who, when reviewing God's ways, can present to him the humble petition as expressive of his own feelings and de

sires:

6

"Oh Thou, whose mercy guides my

way,

Though now it seem severe,
Forbid my unbelief to say,
There is no mercy here!

Oh grant me to desire the pain
That comes in kindness down,
More than the world's supremest gain,
Succeeded by a frown.

Then, though thou bend my spirit low,
Love only shall I see;
The very hand that strikes the blow,
Was wounded once for me."

ARE YOU SURE.

ARE you sure that you will live another day?

Are you sure you will go to heaven when you die? and if so, can

you give a scriptural reason for being so? Does your life give evidence that your feeling sure is well founded, and not presumption ? Are you sure that you are, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, taking the road which leads to present and future happiness; the way of faith in Christ your Saviour, a faith which works by love? Are you sure you are not deceived by a name to live while you are spiritually dead?

Are you sure you are not injuring the cause of God in your family, and in public, by an inconsistent walk? Are you sure you are training up your children in the way they should go, and by your example recommending religion to them?

Are you sure your temper is mild and affectionate; that you are of a forgiving spirit and heavenly in conversation, so that others may take knowledge of you that you have been with Jesus? Are you sure you never unnecessarily speak of the faults of others when absent? and if you reprove for faults, are you sure that it is in meekness and love?

Are you sure you read the Holy Scriptures daily and search them, and try to retain and practise what you read ?

Are you sure, when you pray, that you are earnest, fervent, believing, and importunate? or are you cold, lifeless, and formal?

Are you sure you make no vain excuses for not attending the house of God on the Lord's day? Will the excuses you now make be accepted at the judgment-day ?

Are you sure that you spend nothing in gaudy dress, unnecessary ornaments, expensive food, or vain amusements, which might be spent in a better purpose-in relieving the poor, sending the gospel to the neglected at home, or the heathen abroad; distributing tracts at home, or when travelling?

Are you sure that you are not putting off repentance? Beware, for you may die suddenly, be deprived of reason, or given up to hardness of heart.

Are you sure that you are born again of the Holy Spirit, and are

66

believing in Jesus as your Saviour? Christ said, Ye must be born again;" and " He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." John iii. 7, 36.

Friend ponder these questions, and answer them as in the presence of God; and may the Lord bless them to your soul.

THE SABBATH SCHOOL EXPOSITOR: Notes, critical, explanatory, and practical, on the HOLY BIBLE. By JOHN CAMPBELL, D.D. No. 1. -Glasgow-M'Phun.

This is the first number of a Reference Bible, with notes by Dr. Campbell, beautifully printed on a clear type.

The aim in the notes is to give the results of extensive reading and investigation, rather than a statement of the process by which they have been reached, with a view of benefiting Sunday School Teachers and others; and there can be no doubt of the work being extensively circulated among that very useful class of Evangelical labour

ers.

Still, we venture to suggest, whether a series of practical observations, however excellent, is all that is required by the numerous and influential class, for whom the work is principally designed. In our view, what is wanted, and what is desired, by a large portion of those Evangelists is, such facts, arguments, suggestions, and other data, as will guide and assist the inquiring mind in its search for scriptural truth, that it may feel fully satisfied that the sentiments it cherishes are in strict accordance with the revealed mind of the Holy Spirit. In order to secure this important object, a man must not take on trust doctrines as the result of the deep thinking of learned and pious men, but must investigate and think for himself. We make not this suggestion to discourage those engaged in the noble enterprise which has called it orth, but to contribute our mite to render the work as useful as possible.

RELIGIOUS

As regards the marginal references, in a circular to Reviewers accompanying the work, the Publisher says,-"In addition to the valuable notes supplied by DR. CAMPBELL, I may mention that I have employed an able and learned Minister of the Free Church of Scotland to verify anew every Marginal Reference, from Genesis to Revelation. I deemed this absolutely necessary; for I could not find any Marginal Bible where the References were throughout strictly applicable, in making, as they profess to do, the Bible become its own interpreter. The great bulk of these Bibles are too much upon the Concordance plan, and refer merely to where a single word occurs in another portion of the Scriptures, without keeping in view that it is the elucidation of the passage which is wanted, so that the mind of God may thereby be brought out and illustrated by His own Holy Word."

A beautiful map of "The World, as peopled by the descendants of Noah," greatly enhances the value of this number; and gives promise of further useful embellishments.

The Work being published in penny numbers, will enable every Sabbath School Teacher to possess it; and all whom our opinion is likely to influence are advised to order the work at once, as the larger the number of Subscribers, the more will the enterprising Publisher be encouraged to introduce every practicable improvement. We will readily supply any number which may be ordered by the Pastors in our denomination.

TOTAL ABSTINENCE

[At the request of a juvenile correspondent we insert the following, with a VOL. XXI. THIRD SERIES.

DEMONSTRATION.

view of encouraging our young friends in the attempt more widely to diffuse 2 E

the elevating principles of Total Abstinence from all intoxicating beverages.]

A TOTAL ABSTINENCE DEMONSTRATION by eleven Bands of Hope, connected with certain Bible Christian Sabbath Schools in the Shebbear Circuit, took place on Thorn Moor, on Thursday, July 17th, and realized the most sanguine hopes of its projectors. This result is to be attributed to the indefatigable efforts of Mr. Joseph Snell, the late Pastor of the circuit, and to the Committee who so ably and willingly co-operated with him.

According to previous arrangement, the Bands of Hope had all arrived on the ground at about 1 o'clock; and as soon as the children were seated, Mr. Cephas Barker mounted a waggon and gave them an address which lasted rather more than half-an-hour. Anything like the raciness of his manner, or the humorous character of his speech, it would be impossible to convey to paper, did our space admit of a full report. He expressed his pleasure at meeting with his old friends, the children of the Shebbear Circuit Sabbath Schools: and desiring their attention for a time, briefly described the object of the Demonstration, which was, he said, mainly to show the publicans that teetotalism possessed a power in the rising generation, which would ultimately pull down every public-house in the land. He also told the children that one reason of their being brought there was, that they might have proof that their friends desired to make them happy; and gave some personal illustrations of the happiness which results to one's self from making others happy. He concluded by leading the children in three hearty cheers for teetotalism.

The Bands of Hope were then organised in a procession, headed by a brass band which played" Cheer Boys, cheer." The following Bands were present, and their names are given as they marched, priority being accorded to the largest Bands:

Salem, Rehoboth, Milton, Zion, Provi dence, Bethel, Rowden, Frithelstock, Sutcombe, Ebenezer, Twitching.

Each Band was headed by a banner. Some of the Bands were fewer in number than others, owing to their exeluding the backsliders who wished to return, and to the refusal of all signatures since the announcement of the Aggregate Meeting; their attendance on this day being thus made the reward of a consistent profession since the formation of the Band of Hope.

The procession halted at the tea-table, and 376 children sat down to a bountiful provision in the shape of a cake one pound in weight each, and plenty of tea. It was a novel and interesting sight to stand at one end of the 400 feet of tabling, and look down the long vista, which resembled the sides of a tunnel, composed of happy smiling children.

The tables were occupied, ere the tea was over, by 1,000 visitors, who cheerfully partook of the excellent provision made for them. Twenty-four female friends, each having an assistant, took trays. Ten barrels were mounted on carts to supply the 35 tea-kettles which hissed and steamed their welcome to the visitors, over four fires made in an improved gipsy fashion. A large bowery booth, entered by two leafy arched porches, had been erected in the morning under the active superintendence of Mr. Thomas Reed, of Holwell, and was occupied by respectable females who cut bread and butter, divided cake, and dealt out tea, sugar, milk and cream to the multitude with amazing celerity and willinghood. The tables were decorated by dishes of flowers, which were arranged as garlands in the morning; but the wind had laid them low on the table. Although the tea-cups were in such an exposed situation, so excellent were the arrangements of the Thornhillhead friends, the tea was as hot as could be desired.

The Band performed a variety of well known airs, with great ability, during tea. The weather was everything that could be desired; being without rain, while a clouded sky, and a fresh breeze, made it cool and plea

sant.

It was estimated that above 2,000 people had collected on the moor at about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, who had come in from a large tract of country, extending from Tawstock to Bradworthy, Hartland to Hatherleigh, and Bideford to Ashwater and Holsworthy.

As the tea drew to a close, arrangements were made for commencing the public meeting, and the people drew up around a couple of waggons, which served as orchestra and platform. The greatest order prevailed.

After tea MR. PENHALE stepped on the platform, and told the people that the proceedings were appointed to close at a quarter before 8 o'clock, and pleasantly desired the people to turn their backs on the speakers if they attempted