distant stars you will live to witness them all. Whatever catastrophe may convulse the globe where you now dwell, you will see it and survive it. Should the framework of the universe at length grow old, and the stars one by one drop from their spheres, these decays and changes will in no way shorten your existence, nor portend a coming extinction. Is your immortality, then, a thing of no moment a matter which it becomes you to neglect? Will it suffice to glance a thought towards it occasionally-to arrest a fugitive moment or two in the course of a long day, a week, a month, just to catch a faint and fading glimpse of the grand fact of your being? For this purpose did Christ bring life and immortality to light, that they might be forgotten in the fashions, the vanities, the pursuits of time, that they might be lost sight of for hours and weeks in the great crowd of pleasure, follies, childish amusements, or God-dishonouring perplexity and absorption about this life-this life, which as a vapour appeareth a short time, and then vanishes away? No. This one thought, IMMORTALITY, should be that around which all other thoughts revolve. This one idea, ETERNAL EXISTENCE, should be the centre in which all others converge. This one possession, A DEATHLESS SOUL, should make you utterly indifferent to everything of a transient nature. And

yet I am here surrounded by men and women who think less of their IMMORTALITY than of the clothing of the body! Is this pleasing to Him who came from heaven to earth to reveal the fact,-to Him who passed through the grave to demonstrate it, who sends his word, his ministers, his sabbaths, to bring it ever to your remembrance? It is far otherwise. He is beholding you at this moment, and the sentiment of his soul toward you is, I would ye were cold or hot.'

Vast numbers of our race-Pagan, Mahommedan, Jewish, and Christianhaving done with time, are now condemned in hell. With myriads once as thoughtless, young, and gay as many of you are, it is now one dark dismal night of wretched, eternal condemnation. From the Mount Zion in heaven they are seen clothed in shame, laden with the guilt of years, lamenting their folly, and howling in despair. The gospel solemnly reminds you that you are in the same world of temptation where they sinned and contracted all their guilt; that you are on the same precipice from which they fell. It declares and reiterates the possibility

of your souls being lost; yea, even the high probability, for it exhorts every one to strive to enter in at the strait gate;' whereas you strive not, you labour not, you fight not, you run not. The gospel maxim, 'What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and lose his soul?' in these modern days seems to be reversed. The habits of general dissipation, frivolity, luxurious ease, and elegant fashions in which the professed followers of the Lord so unscrupulously indulge, can only be accounted for by a state of mind which says, 'What shall it profit a man if he save his soul, but lose the pleasures of time?' Condemnation does not appal your hearts with its terrors. The pit of hell scares you not. The worm that dies not and the quenchless flame seem to you figures of no meaning. The wrath of God and of the Lamb either you do not believe or do not fear. In short, the great verity of being shut out of heaven, and made to wander in everlasting disgrace and hopeless ruin, you seldom revolve. Your exposure to this awful curse—the possibility that you may endure it the certainty that many called by the Christian name will know it in all its dire experience, stand not before your minds as great and solemn truths. I am here, therefore, to sound an alarm in your hearing, if perchance those who are at ease in Zion may be troubled and the sleepers aroused. Wherefore did the Redeemer, in the days of his travail, announce, Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name have done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity?' And wherefore has this announcement been preserved? Wherefore? That the awful doctrine of eternal condemnation, being placed distinctly before your minds, might preserve you from lukewarmness. And yet, in spite of these solemn words directly from the lips of Him who spoke as man never spoke, the mournful position of a large part of his professed followers, were they suddenly removed into the world of spirits, would be outside the door, vainly knocking and pleading for admittance. The Saviour sees your perilous state, and in his great mercy sends the pathetic expostulation, 'I would ye were cold or hot.'

"The Divinely inspired writers often

labour to give prominence, beauty, and attraction to the realities of heaven. But heaven is infinitely more glorious than, with your present range of conception, you are able to imagine. There are the innocence and loveliness of pristine Eden, the solemn grandeur of the ancient temple, the delightful converse of the dear Redeemer. Are you here annoyed by temptation and troubled by sin? there they are known no more. Sigh you at all for rest and pleasure? there they are pure, spiritual, in glorious perfection. Ask you for friendship, tender, devoted? in heaven the saved are AT HOME With the Lord. Seek you a range for thought and imagination? there is not the dimness of twilight nor the moon's sickly ray; one clear, bright, eternal noon throws a flood of glory all around, lights up the way into the immensity of creation, and renders transparent all the history of time. Here you have no continuing city, no durable possession, no unmingled joy. And many of you are already grown old and feeble; all are rapidly gliding down the stream of time. To-morrow is not yours. You cannot repent in the grave, nor rise from hell to heaven. Yet your affections are dull, your thoughts are carnal. The visions of celestial glory are, in your eyes, like the toys of children."

Here, for a moment, he paused. His animated eye, which had all along flashed from side to side, was devoutly lifted up to heaven. And then, glancing round him a benignant and pitiful look, in a somewhat subdued, but still emphatic voice, continued :

"Thus saith the Lord, Oh that my people would hearken unto me, and Israel would walk in my ways! I should soon subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their adversaries. The haters of the Lord should submit themselves unto him: but their time should endure for ever. He would feed them also with the finest of the wheat; and with honey out of the rock would I satisfy thee."

He ceased; and, as the sound died upon the ear, the form whence it proceeded dissolved and was gone. November, 1846.

P. Q.

THE CHURCHES: HOW IS IT, AND HOW SHOULD IT BE?

THE present languid state of religion in all Christian denominations is a fact not

less lamentable than certain. Considerable difference of opinion may exist as to the cause; but it seems not unreasonable to conclude, that both members and ministers of the various sections of the church of Christ have occasion for humiliation before God, because of unfaithfulness. With reference to ministers, it may be asked, Do they in general preach with the earnestness, plainness, and strong solicitude for the salvation of souls, which distinguished the ministry of the apostles? If such preaching were general, the effects would soon be extensively witnessed. May all the ministers of the churches be men full of faith and of the Holy Ghost; men of deep piety, holy zeal, and enlarged usefulness! But, taking a view of the great body of professing Christians, it may be inquired, Is there not amongst them too much conformity to the world, to its fashions and customs, which are evil? Are not many so absorbed in the pursuits of earth, as almost to forget eternal things, with all their importance and solemnity? Let us bring the matter home to ourselves. Does our conduct as professors afford evidence that we are spiritually minded; that our affections are set on things above, and not on things on the earth? Do we walk by faith, and not by sight? Are we adorned with the graces and virtues of our holy religion? Do we by good works lead men to glorify our Father which is in heaven? Are they impressed and convinced by our consistency? Are we truly humble, meek, and kind in our spirit and deportment? Are we as zealous for God and for his cause as our duty requires us to be? Do we embrace every opportunity of doing good to others, and of obtaining good for our own souls? Do we practise the duties of self-denial, and the taking up of our cross that we may follow Christ? Are we seeking to imbibe his spirit, and endeavouring to imitate his example? Are we deeply affected with the perilous condition of unconverted men, and do we pray and labour for their salvation? Do we, according to the ability we have, contribute of our substance for the diffusion of the gospel in our own and in heathen lands? Is the prosperity of the Redeemer's cause and kingdom dear to us, and do we seek to promote it by every means in our power? In short, do we, as professors, exemplify the purity, wisdom, vigour, and activity of the Christian life and character?

Now these are points, regarding which, it is to be feared, many are culpably deficient; and while the professed people

of God are, spiritually, in a weak and apathetic state, it cannot with reason be expected, that a powerful influence for good will be exerted on the world around. There must be, first of all, a revival within the church; the tone of personal piety must be raised, and energies which have been and are misimproved and dormant must be devoted to the service of God. We need more of the influence of the Holy Spirit, to quicken and invigorate our own souls; and when this is obtained may we with confidence look for days of prosperity, and for the pouring out of that Spirit on all flesh. Everything must be laid aside which tends to prevent our growth in grace, and to render our labours in the Lord's vineyard unsuccessful. If we wish for a revival of religion, we must repent of our negligence and supineness, and resolve, in dependence on Divine aid, to be more faithful.

The offering up of earnest and importunate prayer for the blessing of God, on ourselves, and on the universal church, is a matter of great importance, though there is reason to fear it is much neglected. Would not the great Head of the church, in answer to ardent supplications, send "showers of blessings from above? Would he not "revive us again," and 'prosper and establish the work of our hands?" This he has graciously promised to do, and surely we cannot doubt of his faithfulness and truth, any more than of his goodness, or his power. "Prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it," Mal. iii. 10. One great hinderance to the progress of religion is, undoubtedly, the absence of a fervent, prayerful spirit in many. If we did but pray more than we are accustomed to do we should be induced to greater diligence and exertion in the cause of our God, and we should receive richer blessings from his hand. He would lift up upon us the light of his countenance, and give us to see the prosperity of Zion. Then would the promise given of old to his church be realised in our own experience: "In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people, and for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate," Isaiah xxviii. 5, 6. October 12, 1846. M. W.

RIGHTEOUSNESS BY JESUS CHRIST. EVERY one who has seriously attended to the workings of his own heart must have been sensible of its total estrangement from love to God, and the practice of holiness. And this conviction is confirmed and established by the statements of God's word. "For God is greater than our hearts, and knoweth all things." And this deep-rooted aversion to all that is holy and good is there affirmed of mankind universally, and is commonly known as the doctrine of "original sin;" and as this truth lies at the very threshold of the Christian system, a thorough conviction of its truth is absolutely necessary, as a first step toward the attainment of pardon of sin, and holiness of heart, "without which no man shall see the Lord." The following scriptures plainly teach this melancholy truth: "The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth," Gen. viii. 21; "The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek after God; they are all gone aside, they are altogether become filthy, there is none that doeth good, no, not one," Psa. xiv. 2, 3; compare Rom. iii. 10—18. "Behold I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me," Psa. li. 5; "There is not a just man upon earth that doeth good, and sinneth not," Eccles. vii. 20; "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it?" Jer. xvii. 9; "Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,” etc., Matt. xv. 18. In these passages the natural heart is laid bare, stript of all inherent worth, and all the world is held guilty before God. Reader, have these and similar statements ever led you to make the appalling, but important discovery, that you had no love to God, no respect for his will, no relish for his service? Has the conviction never flashed into your mind that the "inner man " of your heart was corrupt to the very core? Has the God-dishonouring, hell-deserving nature of your sins, never constrained you to feel abashed, humbled, self-condemned? If you have never thus realised your pollution, guilt, and danger, you may fitly be compared to the emaciated invalid, who thinks he has "no need of a physician," while a deadly disease is rapidly undermining his constitution! And so long as you continue in this state, you are but ill prepared for the reception of that robe of righteousness without which you shall never sit down at "the marriage supper of the Lamb." But where, do you ask,

makes their souls his dwelling-place, subdues the evil propensities of their natures, turns the tide of their affections against the devil, the world, and the flesh. And this is the grand design of God in justifying them,-to make them holy beings. Reader, try yourself by this test. Are you adding to your faith all the other virtues and graces of the Christian character? Do you bring forth the fruits of the Spirit? Is conscience tender and dis

criminating? criminating? Have you an unfeigned regard for universal holiness? This is the great practical test by which all men shall know whether you are disciples of Christ; and it imparts a meetness for eventually joining the great multitude "arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints," Rev. xix. 8. November, 1846.

W. F.

PRIDE.

OUR natural pride is a great hinderance to our believing. If we acknowledge ourselves to be sinners, and are sensible of our need of mercy, we are not easily brought to see that we are so destitute of all good as the word of God describes us to be; its secret dependence upon prayers, tears, resolutions, repentance, and endeavours, prevents us from looking solely and simply to the Saviour, so as to ground our whole hope for acceptance upon his obedience unto death and his whole mediation. A true believer will doubtless repent, and pray, and forsake his former evil ways; but he is not accepted on account of what he does or feels, but because Jesus died, and rose, and reigns on the behalf of sinners, and because he is enabled by grace to trust in him for salvation. Pride leads us into that spirit of vain reasoning which is contrary to the simplicity of faith. Till this is renounced, till we become in some measure like little children, and receive the doctrines of Scripture implicitly, because they are from God, requiring no further proof of any point than a " Thus saith the Lord," we cannot be established in our hope.-Newton.

THE REMEDY FOR HUMAN PRIDE. AN evidence of the wisdom of God, in the cross of Christ, is, that the doctrine of it is designed especially to counteract the very sin by which man originally fell. Man fell by pride; he is restored in a way of humility. He fell by selfdependence; he is saved by self-renunciation. We lost ourselves by a vain desire after wisdom; we return to God by the foolishness of the cross. As we sinned by presumptuous curiosity, the wisdom of God humbles us at the very root of the tree of knowledge, and compels us to renounce the pride of our understanding and submit to faith. Everything connected with the cross of Christ opposes the reigning evil of our fallen hearts. Human wisdom receives not this doctrine. Human pride comprehends nothing of it. Repentance begins in humility; faith moves in it as its proper atmosphere, claiming nothing but from the undeserved mercy of God. Prayer is the breathing of humility; justification is a free gift; salvation is of grace; holy obedience is the fruit of submission; every step, every act, every duty, every feeling of a Christian, all is humility. Sin has changed the way to happiness. In the first, God wished to draw men to

a knowledge of himself by the use of their reason, and the consideration of the wisdom of his works; in the second, the Saviour draws men by the folly of the word, of the cross, and by the subjection of their reason and will to the doctrine of faith. Religion is the remedy of human pride, as it is not so much a science of the understanding as of the heart.-Bishop Wilson.

HUMILITY.

ALAS! I do not only betray the inbred venom of my heart by poisoning my common actions, but even my most religious performances also, with sin. I cannot pray, but I sin; I cannot hear or preach a sermon, but I sin; I cannot give an alms, or receive the sacrament, but I sin; nay, I cannot so much as confess my sins, but my very confessions are still aggravations of them, my repentance needs to be repented of, my tears want washing, and the very washing of my tears needs still to be washed over again with the blood of my Redeemer. Thus not only the worst of my sins, but even the best of my duties speak me a child of Adam; insomuch, that whensoever I reflect upon my past actions, methinks I cannot but look upon my whole life, from the time of my birth to this very moment, to be but as one continued act of sin. And whence can such a continued stream of corruption flow, but from the corrupt cistern of my heart? And whence can that corrupt cistern of my heart be filled, but from the corrupt fountain of my nature ? Cease, therefore, O my soul, to gainsay the power of original sin within thee, and labour now to subdue it under thee. why do I speak of my subduing this sin myself? Surely this would be both an argument of it and an addition to it. It is to thee, O my God! who art both the searcher and cleanser of hearts, that I desire to make my moan.-Beveridge.

But

CHRIST WAS MADE SIN FOR US. THE cross on which Christ was extended points, in the length of it, to heaven and earth, reconciling them together, and, in the breadth of it, to former and following ages, as being equally salvation to both. "The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all," says the prophet; took it off from us, and charged it on him; made it "to meet on him," or "to fall in together," as the original word is. The sins of all, in all ages