to above four grown persons. The result of the trial | vanced age many urgent applications were made to him was, that he was fined in the sum of L. 50; and being by congregations in different places, all of which he reunable to pay the fine, he was cast a second time into fused. In looking back upon his past life, we find the York Castle. While in prison, he spent much of his good man's heart thus teeming with gratitude to Him time in study, and in promoting the spiritual interests, 'from whom all blessings flow." as far as possible, of his fellow-prisoners; so that this faithful servant of God might well have adopted the language of the persecuted Apostle of the Gentiles, "the things which happened unto me, have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the Gospel." After the lapse of nearly a year, Mr Heywood was released, and, at the next assizes, his fine was paid. On his return home he spent two days in thanksgiving to the Almighty for his goodness. During the imprisonment of Mr Heywood in York, Charles II. died, and was succeeded by his brother James. The reign of Charles, who was, with too much reason, suspected of being favourable to Popery, had been a memorable period to the nonconformists, and they had little to expect from a monarch who had ascended the throne, an avowed Papist. It was a remarkable circumstance, however, that one of the earliest acts of James, was to proclaim liberty of conscience to all persons of every persuasion. Though the real design of this act of toleration was generally understood to be to promote the growth of Popery, yet the nonconformists who, for nearly twenty-five years, had been treated with so much harshness, hailed the declaration as a gracious boon. Mr Heywood now renewed his labours at Coley, and, on the afternoon of every Sabbath, at Halifax. Hitherto his hearers had been in the habit of assembling at his own house, but the number was now so much increased that they required additional accommodation. attempts were made to build a chapel, but all of them, from various circumstances, failed. At length, he undertook the work at his own expense. It is related of him, that when he laid the first stone, he knelt down upon it, and spent a whole hour in giving thanks to God for the liberty now enjoyed, and in praying for the success of present and future endeavours to promote the cause of the Redeemer. The building was finished in the course of a few months, and, on a review of what Various God had enabled him to expend in rearing this sanctuary, he felt that he had no cause to repent it. The freedom of worship which the nonconformists enjoyed during the reign of James was very precarious, but, in the course of events, it was placed on a firmer footing. The monarch soon abdicated his throne, which was afterwards filled by William and Mary. A short time after their establishment on the throne, the renowned toleration act was passed, and the freedom of religious worship was secured to the dissenters by law. This to the nonconformists was like life from the dead. Mr Heywood, though now nearly sixty years of age, felt himself called upon to labour with greater ardour than ever, after the many opportunities of usefulness from which he had been so long debarred. Hitherto he had enjoyed almost uninterrupted health of body, amid all the trials which he had been called to endure. Now, however, he began to feel the infirmities of age, but still persisted in preaching to his own congregation at home, and itinerating occasionally to the towns and villages around. "Blessed be God who hath brought me hitherto through a variety of duties, difficulties, and mercies, to enter upon the seventieth year of my life, the age of man. Whether I shall accomplish this year, I know not, nor am I much concerned, so that I may live to God, and finish my course with joy in his service and to his glory. I said to him this day, when prostrate before him, now, Lord, I would welcome my last breath, that this poor carcass may never rise, but be carried to have arisen in health, and this breath I give to thee, this the grave, if only my soul may ascend to heaven; but I body and all its powers and senses shall be for thy service, this soul and all its faculties shall be for thy glory. I am here to comply with thy mind, to be at thy disposal; service or suffering, this ensuing year, shall be welcome. Make my heart sound in thy statutes, search me to the bottom, discover to me all the deceit and fallacies in my heart. Leave me not to myself, hold me by my right hand, that my soul may still follow hard after thee. Give me this year seals to my ministry, set my soul some steps nearer heaven, and let me have some further attainments towards perfection. O that I could bring forth still more fruit in old age to myself and others, and in both to God. Help me to arise and depart, for this is not my rest, that my soul may aspire more after my everlasting rest above. The longest life must at length draw to a close. Mr Heywood's bodily vigour began sensibly to diminish, and even, when no longer able to endure the fatigue of walking to his chapel, though but a short distance from his residence, he was carried to the house of God in his chair, where he conducted the services with his accus tomed energy. The subject on which he preached a series of discourses for several Sabbaths immediately before his death, was in striking accordance with that solemn event," Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ, depart from iniquity." No particulars of his decease are preserved, except that he died in peace, May 4, 1702, in the seventy-third year of his age, and fifty-second of his stated ministry. CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY. No. VII. LAWS OF MOTION. BY THE REV. JAMES BRODIE, MOTION is a continued and successive change of place. Force is the term which we apply to the mechanical cause which either originates or destroys motion, and receives the distinctive names of accelerating or retarding, regular or irregular, according to the nature of the motion that it produces. With respect to the different kinds of forces, a very Mr Heywood's high character, both as a Christian strange error has hitherto prevailed. In the words of and a faithful and laborious minister, was well known Professor Robison, (Mech. Phil. vol. I. p. 6,)" Methroughout the whole of England, and even at an ad-chanical actions have been usually classed into two is this very remarkable uniformity preserved? How is it, that in the celestial machine no retardation takes place by the lapse of time, as would be the case in any machine which it would be possible for human power to construct? The answer is, that in the earth's revolution on her axis no cause operates to retard the speed, like the imperfection of materials, the friction of supports, the resistance of the ambient medium, impedi ments which cannot in any human mechanism, however perfect, be completely removed. But here we are led to ask again, why should the speed continue the same, when not affected by an extraneous cause? Way should it not languish and decay of itself, by the mere lapse of time? That it might do so involves no contradiction, for it was the common, though erroneous, belief of all mechanical speculators to the time of Galileo. We can conceive velocity to diminish in procecding from a certain point of time, as easily as we can conceive force to diminish in proceeding from a certain point of space, which in attractive forces really occurs. Why must the speed of a body, left to itself, continue the same, any more than its temperature? Hot bodies grow cooler when left to themselves; why should not quick bodies go slower when left to themselves? Why must a body describe 1000 feet in the next second, because it has described 1000 feet in the last? Nothing but experience can inform us whether bodies do move according to such a rule. We find that they do so, for we learn that all diminution of the in the Library of Useful Knowledge, (No. VI. sec. 23,) it is said, "The force of gravity, or any other attraction, differs essentially from an impulse. An impulse acts instantaneously, and produces all its effect at once, and time does not change that effect. On the other hand, attraction, such as gravitation, requires time to produce any effect at all, and the effect produced increases exactly in the same ratio as the time of producing it." And Professor Whewell, (Bridgewater Treatise, p. 232,) when he enumerates the laws of motion, considers it necessary to limit his statements to forces" of the nature of a pressure." Notwithstanding, however, the high authority of the writers, we do not hesitate to affirm that these distinctions are utterly absurd. All forces are of the nature of pressures. Omnipotence alone can act instantaneously. Attraction and impulse are identically the same in their manner of acting; time is essential to both; and all the wonderful effects produced by impulse and percussion, may be calculated (as will afterwards be shewn) by the established and well known laws of accelerated and retarded motion. The laws we are now about to exa-speed which ever takes place, can be traced to exter mine, apply to every species of matter, and to every kind of force; they regulate all the endless variety of movements that the universe exhibits; and, if rightly considered, illustrate the procedure of Him who is Governor alike of matter and of mind. First Law. A body at rest continues at rest, and a body in motion continues in motion, with its velocity and direction unchanged, unless it be acted upon by some external force. That inatter can never put itself in motion is allowed by all, the want of such a power constituting an essential part of the idea which we form of it, and universal experience confirms our belief in its truth. We see that a stone, lying on the ground, never removes itself from its place, nor does any one imagine it ever can. Most people, however, are apt to suppose that all matter has a propensity to rest, because the motion of bodies on the surface of the earth is soon stopt, however rapid it may be at first. But this stoppage is easily explained, when we consider the gravitation of the body which brings it to the ground, notwithstanding the impulse that may have been given, and the resistance offered to it by the air, by which its velocity is retarded every moment till it falls. A bowl moves but a little way upon a bowling green, because the unevenness of the grassy surface soon creates friction enough to stop it. But if the green were perfectly level, and perfectly smooth, the bowl would have nothing but the air to resist it, and would go a great way farther; if, then, the air were taken away, and the green extended round the earth, it would go on without any resistance, and consequently without any diminution of its velocity, round and round the globe for nal causes. Contrary to all that man had guessed, motion appears to be of itself endless and unwearied.” (Whewell.) And why is it so? Because thus the Creator has determined; because by these means he is able most fully, and effectually, to promote the happiness of his creatures. If the earth did not contime its daily revolutions unchanged, the alternation of light and darkness, of coolness and warmth, of repose and activity, would immediately cease, and comfort and life would soon be destroyed. In like manner, if the velocity of the earth in its annual course were retarded, it would approach nearer and nearer to the sun, till it was consumed in his blaze; and, on the other hand, if that speed should be accelerated, it would wheel farther and farther away from the centre, till it flew off into the voids of space and regions of endless night. Second Law. The quantity of motion produced is always proportioned to the force applied, and corres ponds to the direction in which it acts.-This law requires to be viewed in three different aspects. 1. When the body acted on is previously at rest, the proposition merely affirms, that a double force will gene rate a double velocity, and a triple force a triple one, &c. 2. When the body is previously in motion, the velocity which the force communicates, will be added to that which the body had before, if they are in the same direction; it will be deducted from it, if they are opposed to each other, and will be combined with it, if they act obliquely. 3. When two or more forces act on a body at once, the effect produced in any given time, will be the same as if they acted upon it in suc cession for a period equal to the given time. That this The rotation of the earth on its axis affords one of must be true, is evident from a consideration of the the best examples of continued uniform motion. To general law; for if the effect of any force be always this constant revolution we owe the succession of night proportional to that force, this effect must be the same, and day; and the calculations of astronomers assure us, whether the force act alone, or whether it act conjoin that there has been no change on it, no increase or di- ly with others. minution of its velocity, since the first observation was made. "Each day, measured by the passages of the stars, is so precisely of the same length, that, according to Laplace's calculations, it is impossible that a difference of one-hundredth of a second of time should have obtained between the length of the day in the earliest ages and at the present time. Now, why is this? How ever. By adopting this mode of stating the effect of bined forces, we get a much more simple mode of re solving various problems than has hitherto been obta ed. Let a line drawn in the direction in which the force acts, and of a length proportional to the distance to which it would carry the body in a given time, represent the force. If the forces impressed be unifura, and, when combined, produce uniform rectilineal mo- | tion, however numerous, and however varied in their direction and degree, by representing them as acting successively, the point to which the body is carried by the last, will be that to which it will be carried, in the given time, by the combined operation of the whole; and a straight line drawn from this point, to that from which it set out, will be the line in which it moves. To take the simplest illustration, let us suppose that only two bodies act on a body, as, for example, when a ship is sailing before the wind, and at the same time is carried along by a current, if, in any given time, the one force carry it a mile to the south, and the other carry it a mile to the east, when these two act together, their effect will be the same as if they acted successively; the distance sailed will be the diagonal of a square, of which each side is a mile, and the vessel's course will be south-east. If there be ever so many forces acting together, the effect may be found in the same manner. If the last force bring the body back to the point of starting no motion will be produced, and the forces will be in equilibrium. When the forces produce curvilinear motions, these motions must be considered as formed of a number of small rectilineal ones, each of which may be determined by the rule laid down above. When we contemplate the various movements that occur in creation, and remember that every one must have proceeded from some proportionate cause, how wonderful does the power of Jehovah appear! The flowing of the streams, the swelling of the waves and the tide, the breath of the zephyr, the fury of the hurricane, and every motion that takes place on the earth, originate in his appointment, and are guided by his might. He makes a weight for the winds, and he weigheth the waters by measure. "He shuts up the sea with doors, and saith, hitherto shalt thou come but no further, and here shall thy proud waves be stayed." These proofs of the Creator's energy are open to every eye, and leave the atheist without excuse; but, in the discoveries of modern science, we find manifestations of power far more amazing. The earth itself is in motion. It forms a vast globe, eight thousand miles in diameter; its surface contains two hundred millions of square miles; when compared to its mass, the loftiest mountain is but as a grain of sand; yet this immense body is in constant motion, and that motion is inconceivably rapid. Unconscious of its progress, we naturally imagine that it is at rest, that the habitations in which we dwell, and the ground on which we tread, are standing still, while, in fact, we are flying through space with a speed a thousand times more rapid than the flight of the swiftest bird, for the ascertained rate of the earth's progress round the sun is nearly 70,000 miles in the hour. Nor is the earth alone in motion; the other planets, and their attendant moons, emulate its speed. All these bodies, too, and the sun himself, are rapidly wheeling around their axis. Nay, the vast extent of the solar system seems but a fragment of a mighty whole, of which every part is moving too. And by whom are all these motions regulated and sustained? By Him who, even in his day of humiliation, could rebuke the tempest, and make its swelling cease, and who is now exalted King of Kings and Lord over all. And yet men reject his offered friendship, and will not depend on his care; they trust to their own righteousness and strength rather than to the arm of the Redeemer, and are more afraid of the displeasure of their fellow-mortals, than of the wrath of creation's King! No part of the works of nature is better calculated for shewing forth the character of God, and the method of his procedure, than the laws of motion. Their extreme, yet beautiful simplicity, and their harmonious operation, by which perfect order is preserved through a universe in motion, shew the extent of his contriving skill. Their universal application to every kind of force, whether it impel the revolution of the stars, or move the dust that floats in the sunbeam, proves the extent and unity of his government. Their beneficial result, in which every movement tends to advance the comfort of his creatures, evinces the benevolence of Him who made and governs all. While the fearful consequences that would follow if they were suspended or broken, shew the direful fruits that transgressionof his appointments must ever produce. STRAY LEAVES FROM THE JOURNAL OF BY THE REV. DAVID WADdell. Most STATE OF THE SLAVES AT MONTE VIDEO. THE blacks in Monte Video are very numerous. of them are free, some having purchased their freedom by the earnings of their industry, others having obtained it by the generosity of their masters. A few of these have acquired considerable property; and all who are emancipated appear happy and industrious. Many of the negroes act as peons, or porters, and are obliged to give a certain number of dollars weekly to their owners, who permit them to appropriate to themselves whatever they may earn beyond the stipulated sum. With this overplus, not a few have succeeded in purchasing their freedom. And it is a singular fact, that, so soon as they have thus obtained their own release, they immediately begin to buy slaves for themselves; and many of them have a considerable number in their possession. They are also very generally employed as domestic servants, and, when kindly treated, they usually prove honest, faithful, and attached to their master and his family. As this was the first time I had ever come into contact with human beings in a state of slavery, I was anxious to ascertain something of its real character; and, as I had not been aware that the Spaniards generally treat their slaves with greater mildness than any other nation, I was agreeably surprised to find that slavery presented here a less repulsive aspect, than I had been led to expect. I observed enough, however, I confess, to confirm my previous abhorrence of the system, and to satisfy me of its tendency to degrade and brutalize the human mind. Though in general treated with much kindness by the Spanish Creoles, they appear sullen, sulky, and unhappy. Unlike their emancipated brethren, who bear the erect and manly port of freemen, they sneak along the streets, like an inferior race of beings; and, on meeting a white man, they will lift their hats and make their obeisance to him, as to some superior intelligence; nay, they have been known sometimes even to kneel before a white man, and implore his blessing. They are generally accused of ingratitude, and it is alleged that no degree of kindness can excite any corresponding feeling in their breasts, and that the more leniently they are treated, the more sullen and perverse they become. This idea, which has, I presume, given rise to the unnatural and cruel maxim, that a harsh and rigorous discipline is necessarily adapted to the negro character, may be perfectly true. It is strange, however, that this, which is but the natural consequence of slavery, should be adduced as a reason for perpetuating the horrors of such a system. That these poor degraded creatures should sometimes betray a spirit of restiveness and perversity, is not at all wonderful. When they look around them and see their fellow-men basking in the sunshine, and rioting in all the luxuries of liberty, having their time and their persons at their own dis posal, and then perceive themselves, though partaking | back, I happened to meet a British resident, and asked of the same nature, and entitled to the same rights, doomed to perpetual bondage, and subjected to the caprice of a fellow-creature, who regards them in the same estimation as the horse that he rides, or the ox that drags his car; is it surprising that the negro should refuse to kiss his chains, and bless the hands that fastened them? They are accused of ingratitude forsooth; and what are the mighty favours for which their gratitude is claimed? Are they to be grateful to the man who tore them from the bosom of their country and homes, who has robbed them of their birthright, who has rivetted their fetters, holds them in hopeless thraldom, and, ranking them with the lower creation, seeks to obtain their affections, only from the same motive that induces him to treat gently and mercifully his favourite horse? It is not consistent with the principles of reason, much less with the feelings of human nature, for a rational being to be grateful or contented in a state of bondage. And it is invariably found, that the nearer the state of the negro's mind approximates to that of contentment, the more degraded and brutalized has his intellect become. They are, besides, accused of idleness and dishonesty. But do not these evils, also, naturally arise from the enslaved condition in which they are held? Perceiving, as they do, that all their earnings go to fill the coffers, and pamper the avarice of their owners, who have no just claim or natural right to them; and aware that they themselves have been stolen from their native country, and robbed of all that is dearest to the human heart; is it surprising that these unfortunate victims of rapacity should manifest some reluctance to labour, or a disposition to plunder their oppressor? In Monte Video, however, as in some other places, the poor negroes are not always treated with gentleness and lenity. Here, too, their backs often smart under | the lash of their masters, and the most trivial delinquency is not unfrequently atoned for by the blood of the offender. In a land where the breath of life is often, for the acquisition of a trifle, extinguished by the hand of violence; and where the assassin roves unpunished, hardly heedful of his concealment, it is not to be expected that any great restraint can be laid upon the evil passions of the negro task-master. Occasion ally, therefore, crimes of the deepest dye are committed, and not much regarded where a negro is the victim. This statement is strikingly illustrated by an occurrence which came under my own observation. A few days after my arrival, I noticed from my window a man of European extraction, pursuing along the street, with a diawn sword, a man of colour brandishing a large knife in his hand; and, having overtaken him within thirty yards of the house in which I resided, he assaulted him with the most brutal ferocity, and broke his arm, when the poor unfortunate, dropping the bootless weapon, fled into the next street, with his arm dangling at his side, and his adversary pursuing at his heels, to strike a deadlier blow. They were then concealed from my view, and I escaped the horror of witnessing the shocking scene that was enacted. The assassin, however, soon returned, and, with a grin of malignant satisfaction, described to those around him the manner in which he had despatched his victim. I felt inexpressibly shocked; and, as I could not rest till I had ascertained what the ruffian had actually done, I went out, a few minutes after, to the spot where I saw the blood first spilt; and, following the purple track till I reached the adjoining street, I perceived a small group of negroes carrying a box, over which hovered an immense multitude of flies, forming a cloud so dense, as, at a little distance, to prove quite impenetrable to the eye. In the box lay, "ghastly and ghostly," the wretched object of my anxiety, weltering in his blood, and groaning bis last. I shuddered at the sight; and, turning him who the sufferer was, and what he had done He informed me, with great coolness, that "he was only a slave, who had got drunk, and that his employer having been insulted by him, had sent out a young man to hill him." On further inquiring if the public authorities would investigate the affair, he replied, with a seng froid worthy of the meanest burgess of a slave city, "O, the doctors will examine his wounds-that's all!" I shrunk from my heartless countryman, with almost as much horror as I had done from the hapless object of my inquiries; and hastening home, I soon found mysel: alone, sighing and weeping over the miseries of fallen humanity in an unchristianized state, and recalling, with fond remembrance, the sweet charities, the soothing sympathies, the calm and peaceful scenes of my own, my native land,—the happy land of liberty, and pure religion. Such is the estimation in which the life of the poor negro is held at Monte Video. And many a fell deed, like the foregoing, is perpetrated there. The poor unfortunate beings have, no doubt, their faults; but whe is chiefly to blame? Is it the uneducated and hardtasked slave? or is it his iron-hearted master, whose treasures are amassed by the sweat of the negro's brow They received no education in their youth, and no opportunity is ever allowed to them of obtaining religious instruction. The day of holy rest never comes to them, to solace and sanctify, with its benign influences and heavenly consolations, their weary and toil-worn spirits. They grow up like the wild ass's colt, and no more care or attention is given to the formation of their minds and virtuous habits, than is paid to the training of ther master's dog or his horse. I had almost forgotten to mention, however, that the poor neglected negroes have one "bright sunny spot," which, when unshaded by counterpoising sorrows, faintly glitters in the waste of their wretched existence, like the fresh and fair oasis in the wilderness. They are permitted to employ the evenings of Sundays and feast days as they please; but, unfortunately, in their ignorance, they devote them uniformly to music and dancing. On these evenings, they assemble in groups around the walls of the town, and dance to the wild airs of their native country. "Such have I heard in Scottish land The negroes are passionately enchanted with their native music; and, on such occasions, if wild screaming, odd grimaces, comical attitudes, and fantastic gy rations, be indicative of happiness, they then reach the acme of human felicity. The revolution in the government, however, has opened a prospect of better and brighter days to the black population in Monte Video. By the new con stitution, all distinctions of caste and colour have been abolished; and by one of its articles it is ordained, the no slave shall in future be brought into the country, and that henceforth all children born of slaves shall free, and provided for by the owners of their parents, till they be fifteen years of age. The evils of slavery will now, therefore, gradually disappear; and there some reason to hope, that the day is not far distant, when no vestige of this horrible system of inhumanity will exist throughout the Banda Oriental, except the sable hue of " tropic cheeks suffused with the sun- | born blood" of their enslaved fathers. And, since all distinction of rank and colour is now done away, we may indulge the pleasing hope, that the time will come when even the dark visage of the negro shall no longer be deemed a mark of degradation. In conclusion, let us express our ardent wish, that every Christian may offer up his humble prayer, that it may please the Almighty, in his own inscrutable ways, to enlighten those lands of spiritual darkness with the glad tidings of the Gospel of Jesus; and that, whilst the negroes are in the course of being emancipated from slavery at the hand of man, he who judgeth the cause of the oppressed may so overrule this event, that, in all those distant countries, the worse and more awful bondage of sin and death may also be abolished, and our heathen fellow-men delivered from the slavery of Satan, and blessed with that liberty "wherewith Christ hath made his people free. DISCOURSE. BY THE REV. JOHN SMYTH, D. D., Minister of St. George's Parish, Glasgow. gods and Ashtaroth from among you; and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." The exhortation was obeyed. "Then the children of Israel (ver. 4.) did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only. And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the Lord. And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh." It is generally understood, that the libations of water, on such occasions, were intended to be emblematical of the penitent effusions of a soul smitten with shame and sorrow for sin. "I am poured out like water, says the Psalmist. "Pour out your hearts before him," is the exhortation given to all the repentant Israel of God. After these solemn and necessary preparations for the battle," the children of Israel implored Sa دو "Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Miz-muel that he would not cease to cry unto the Lord peh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us."1 SAM. vii. 12. AMONG the many distinguished men whom the Almighty raised up, and qualified to instruct and deliver his people, Samuel holds a conspicuous place. The sins of the nation had marked them out for the infliction of punitive justice. The Philistines had prevailed against them, and slain more than thirty thousand in battle. Hophni and Phinehas, Eli's apostate sons, who had been instrumental in the increase of wickedness among their brethren, perished by the hand of their enemies. The ark of God was seized and carried into the camp of the Philistines, and the prophets of Israel were thus enveloped in thick darkness. But deliverance was at hand. The Lord remembered his covenant, and interposed for the salvation of the seed of Abraham his friend. The men of Bethshemesh were signally punished, because of their irreverent treatment of the ark of testimony. That sacred symbol of Jehovah's special presence was restored; for we read in the beginning of this chapter, that "the men of Kirjath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of the Lord, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the Lord. And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord." The people had been brought to a deep sense of their sinfulness before Him who is of purer eyes than that he can behold iniquity. Even the men of Bethshemesh exclaimed, "Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God!" How impressively is it said in Scripture, "when he slew them, then they sought him, and inquired early after God!" The season of conviction and penitent acknowledgment was improved by Samuel for holy purposes. 'He spoke unto all the house of Israel, saying, if ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the strange their God for them, that he would save them out of the hands of the Philistines." The prophet, accordingly, presented a lamb for a whole burntoffering: and "cried unto the Lord for Israel; and the Lord heard him. And as Samuel was offering up the burnt-offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Beth-car. Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." From this brief outline of the particulars connected with the text, it is plain that Samuel intended to perpetuate the remembrance of those mercies which he and his countrymen had received from the hand of God. The commemoration was preceded by a train of arrangements which evinced the simplicity and godly sincerity of his spirit, and the value which he attached to the interventions of the Supreme hand. He deemed it no light matter to approach unto God, but was careful to seek both for himself and the people that preparation of the heart which ought to characterize all our religious services. And, in like manner, the memorial which he raised expressed the depth and intenseness of a grateful heart, dwelling on the unmerited mercy of its God. Nothing, you observe, is ascribed to the creature; no part of Israel's deliverance is attributed to the agency of secondary causes, although these are mentioned as subservient to its accomplishment. But the Lord of Hosts alone is exalted as the Saviour of his people. "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us," was the memorable inscription engraven on that stone, which attested the thankfulness of the true Israelite. And we may justly conclude, that it continued to be regarded by all who, like Samuel, exercised genuine faith towards God, as express |