me, and who told me before I left him, that it was indeed true, that we can be saved only by faith in Jesus Christ."

Bo. Feb. 9.-" I had similar conversations in this village, in one house in particular, where there were many persons. One woman said, I have read the New Testament a great deal, but never understood this.' Well, said I, do you understand it now? Yes, yes,' she replied; I understand fully that it is impossible for us to be saved but by Christ.' And do you, sir, understand this? said I to a man who was present. 'Yes,' replied he, I cannot gainsay what you have pointed out to us, since it is the word of God.' I then entreated them to continue to read it with attention. The woman replied, That she would not fail to do so, and begged me not to omit calling at her house when I again came to the village; for,' said she, I should never be weary of hearing you con verse about the Scriptures.' Well, said I, if you read the New Testament, you will have still greater pleasure, for our Lord himself speaks there. I left them, hoping that they had understood what I had said."

B. Feb. 9." I had been already twice to this village, and I was entreated to visit it again: I returned thither the third time, but I had only one New Testament in my case. Four persons in one house, each begged to have it; and as it was impossible for me to satisfy the four, they drew lots for it. In another house, a woman asked me what was meant by the words, He who believeth shall be saved.' Well said I, shall we talk a little about our salvation? Yes,' she replied, 'I should like it very much.' How do you hope to be saved, said I? I do not know,' she replied. I then explained to her, how salvation has been effected, how we may obtain it," &c. &c.

It was in this manner that this humble servant of God followed the steps of his Divine Master, go

ing about doing good. His modest deportment, his gentle manners, easily procured him access wherever he went his faith, his pure and enlightened zeal, sustained his courage under his severe fatigue: he prepared the way for the preaching of the Gospel, and in the humble office of colporteur, he had the joy of being the instrument of the conversion of more than one sinner, and of drawing the attention of many others to the sacred Scriptures.

Deep humility was one of his decided characteristics. A. G. a Christian well capable of judging, thus wrote of him, in Aug. 1822: "We met Ferdinand, the colporteur, who has been so useful in selling Bibles and New Testaments in our country. He is a young man of about twenty-three years of age. While all those whom we met praised him, and attributed to his efforts the revival of piety and faith among them, it was truly edifying to hear him speak of himself in terms of the deepest humility, attributing all to the power and mercy of God, to whom he gave all the glory."

Ferdinand thus went on for some time, making visible progress in the understanding of the hidden things of God, and in the habit of addressing sinners to induce them to think of their salvation. God thus prepared him, unsuspected by himself or any one else, for the still more useful service of preaching the Gospel, in which he was afterwards employed. The circumstances which led to this appointment were the following.

(To be continued.)

FAMILY SERMONS.-No. CCLXVII*.

Psalm xlii. 5.-Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? Hope

This sermon is from the pen of the Right Rev. Bishop Griswold. See our review department.

thou in God; for I shall yet praise him for the help of his

countenance.

THESE words of king David, uttered under the pressure of some heavy affliction, probably when driven from his kingdom, and the holy hill of Zion, by the rebellion of his son Absalom, afford much comfort to Christian mourners, and to those especially whose minds are dejected with religious melancholy. The loss of his kingdom, and of temporal grandeur, seems to have far less affected that monarch, than his exile from the sacred place where the ark rested; his being cast out, as it were, from the Lord's presence. Nature was in him, as in other men, weak there were seasons when his spirits were much depressed, but he was never in despair. He knew in whom he trusted, a God of refuge, who never forsook a faithful servant. He reproves his own weakness, in suffering desponding apprehensions to pain his heart; and grace rises in triumph, and comforts his soul with religious consolations. Often did he repeat these words of the text, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me?" Is not God, who governs the world, just, and wise, and merciful? Shall we receive good at his hands, and shall we not receive evil? Afflictions are sent in love; they are necessary to our better good. I will still hope in his unchanging goodness: I will never cease to trust in his mercy, whose unfailing word is pledged for my support. The happy time will again come, when my soul shall rejoice in the light of his countenance; when I shall praise him for that mercy which endureth for ever.

If a man of David's sound faith, ardent piety, and religious experience, was sometimes beset with such dejection, we may well expect, what is too much the fact, that God's people at other times, that Christians now, should, in many instances, experience the like dejecCHRIST. OBSERV. No. 341.

tion. The Saviour of the world shed his blood to deliver us from the pains of eternal death; but not from all the sorrows incident to humanity in this present world. It is rather the Lord's will, that through much tribulation we should enter his heavenly kingdom.

And yet, this seems a strange difficulty to many Christians. That impenitent, unbelieving sinners, who are "without God in the world," should have no hope, is not difficult to be supposed. But why should they who believe in Christ, be ever cast down? Why should they who know that the sufferings of this present world are not worthy to be compared with the infinite joys which await them in a better state, suffer dejection of spirits, and in many instances be less cheerful, and appear less happy than worldly men? Why should they, who have once "tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come," ever seem to doubt the certainty of his word, and suffer the pains and disappointments of this life to cast them down? Nothing, the Christian well knows, can be more sure than the word and promises of God: heaven and earth will

sooner pass away, than his covenant fail. That the dead will be raised to life, is made to us no less certain, than that it is appointed unto all men once to die; and that there is a reward for the righteous in heaven, is not less sure, than that they have sorrows, or that they have existence here on the earth. But it does not follow that men must of course have the same lively and undoubting assurance of spiritual things, as of sensible objects. The evidence of our senses is more powerfully convincing, than that of our reason and understanding. the one case, we walk by sight; in the other, by faith only. What we know by the testimony of our senses, we cannot doubt of. "That which we see by the light of grace, though it is indeed more certain, and our reason must so acknowledge, yet

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the evidence is not so necessarily convincing to our imperfect understandings.'

Let it be remembered too, that spiritual light is given men in various portions, and different degrees, according to the very different states and trials to which it has pleased God to call us. Some, indeed, have ten talents; others have but five; and some but one. We have reason to believe, that the principal circumstance in the moral probation of many, not to say the most of people, may be the obscurity of the evidence given, or the doubts which are permitted to perplex them. The fruits of faith and holiness are required, and are accepted, "according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not."

Let it also be considered, that none are perfect; that all fall short of what is justly required, and that our best deeds have need of pardon. Our faith, compared with what it should be, is weak when we are confident; and a sense of this weakness is often our best security. He, who without any "fear and trembling," thinks that he stands secure, ought, more than other men, to "take heed lest he fall." And let every one take heed how he boasts of, or confides in, a strength which he does not possess, lest he should lose the support of that weakness, which in common with all men, he certainly has.

con

But this is a subject of such general interest, and is SO nected with our religious practice, that it claims our more particular attention. And it is intended, as the Lord shall permit, to offer some remarks upon the cause, the use, and the remedy of the depression of spirits to which Christians are subject.

I. In many cases, melancholy proceeds from bodily weakness, and then what it most needs, is medical relief. Often too, in the constitution or natural temper, there is a disposition to sadness, and to view every thing on the most discou

raging side. And though a faith in Christ has a tendency to correct this, as every other inordinate propensity and unreasonable disposition, yet the tempter will take advantage of this, as of every other human infirmity, to cloud our hopes, and cast us down. Christians of such melancholic temperament are usually weak in faith, and even religion they will view in the light which is most gloomy and discouraging. They are ready to fear that their hearts have not been renewed; that their repentance is not sincere ; and their faith not that which justifies. All the threatenings against sin, they are ready to apply to themselves, and none of the promises in Christ.

2. Another cause of religious discouragement, is a habit which some have, of judging themselves, not from the word of God, but from the words of men. They hear others talk of comforting experience, of rapturous devotions, and sublime enjoyment of religious hope; and because they feel less assurance, are ready to conclude that they have none. This is unreasonable; for others may be too confident and fearless: they may be deceivers, or themselves deceived. "Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils." And supposing that other men are all that they think themselves, or pretend to be, it does not follow that all Christians must be like them. The Lord himself makes one to differ from another; and they who mourn in Zion, may serve him as acceptably, as others who are always rejoicing. We know, and we rejoice that there are many Christians who in this life, especially towards its close, reach to very high degrees of assurance, and leave this world in the most triumphant expectation of a blessed immortality. But generally strong expressions of undoubting confidence are no sure indications of stability, or of a well grounded faith. St. Peter, of all the chosen Apostles, was the most confident, that though he died with

his Master, he should never deny or forsake him; and yet, within a few hours, he did both.

3. It is also an error, and it is a further cause of religious discouragement, that they who seek God and endeavour to serve him, in some instances, and perhaps we may say generally, form too high expectations of assurance and of comfort. They expect clearer revelations of Divine things; brighter evidence of their justification, and greater joy in the Holy Ghost, than is promised them in this present world. In our teaching, there are few things that we find more difficult, than to make Christians realize that the church here is militant; that this is a state of trial and warfare; and that we are now contending for the prize, not enjoying it. Thousands seem to expect, that the moment they forsake the world, they shall be in paradise; that if they believe, no doubt can assail them; that they shall immediately be, what the most faithful Christians can scarcely in a whole life attain; even what St. Paul was, when he had finished his course, and was ready to be offered, or what the Psalmist was in the brightest seasons of religious comfort. They forget through what "fight of afflictions," what manifold and great tribulations, those faithful servants of God had passed; they forget how often the soul of David was cast down, and his heart disquieted within him. The consequence of this error is, that some whose minds the Lord has truly awakened; whose hearts are warmed with the fire from his holy altar; whose desire is to be found faithful; to be holy, sanctified, and accepted with him; yet, because they are not what they wish to be, and what they erroneously suppose a true Christian immediately must be, durst not profess to be what they truly are, sincere believers. That which is the best evidence of their conversion, their penitence, their humility, their fear to offend God, they construe as the contrary, and

make it a cause of discouragement. Because faith does not yet effect in them all that it ever has effected, they judge themselves yet faithless.

If God does not fill them with all "joy in believing," they refuse to receive any. As well might a man conceive that he does not belong to the human race, because he possesses not every limb and faculty in perfection, which some men enjoy. 4. Another cause of discouragement, or deep concern in Christians who have been for some time disciples, is the advancement which they have made in spiritual knowledge. They obtain a more perfect knowledge of God; they discover more and more the purity of his law, the evil of sin, and the depravity of their own natures. They who are recently converted to the Gospel faith; whose hearts are comforted, and their souls perhaps enraptured with a view of God's mercy in Jesus Christ, too seldom sit down to count the cost of their profession; they rejoice with too much confidence, because they are too ignorant of themselves, and know not how deceitful and desperately wicked their heart is. But after some experience of their many infirmities; after some time enduring the conflict of the Christian warfare; when they know that they are set in the midst of manifold and great temptations, and feel how easily many sins beset them; that when they would do good, evil is present with them; and that in every thing they fall short of what the law requires, they are humbled with penitence and sorrow. In cases not a few, they begin to doubt whether they have passed from death unto life. Every succeeding year they appear to themselves more sinful, and less worthy, than in years past. They think more also, of how much is at stake, and what it is to lose their souls. The magnitude of eternity is rising on their view. They find now, that the righteous scarcely are saved; and that their own salvation must be " wrought out with fear

and trembling." Experienced Christians become like a man bearing a great treasure; the more he discovers its value, the more awakened are his apprehensions of losing it.

5. There is also a plain distinction between the doubting of unbelief, and the doubting which is through infirmity; as there is also between the sins of infidels, and of weak believers. The latter often err, and may fall into great sins; but they never yield themselves the servants of iniquity, nor are they contented with their bonds. They find no peace or comfort; their hearts are disquieted within them, till they are fully restored to the liberty of the sons of God; till they behold again his reconciled countenance. The errors of a Christian, and his general conduct in life, are as a line drawn by a trembling hand; though it appear ragged and uneven, the general course is right, and it comes at last to the point where it should end. But the ways of the faithless and wicked, are as lines drawn in a wrong direction; the farther they extend, the more they err; and when they seem most straight and smooth, deviate the most rapidly from the true point. There is mercy with God, that he should be feared, and men be saved; and a humble spirit, and a contrite heart, though trembling and afraid, he will never despise. Yet many, who, by such view of their sins, are, like the Psalmist, cast down, will not like him be comforted. They feel the wound, but apply not the remedy. They mourn the want of Divine grace, when it is powerfully striving with them. They lament the loss of what they actually possess; are quite discouraged at the hardness of their heart, when it is actually melting by the mercies of God. They think that they have no faith, because some doubts still perplex them; that because they have no perfection, they have no true religion. If I were renewed in heart (they say), should I be thus? so cold in my affections to God? so

unthankful to my Redeemer? so forgetful of his love? so unlike him in my living? so inclined to evil? so in love with the world? They forget that their grieving for these things is an evidence that their hearts are opposed to them. We ought not to despise the day of small things, but believe that he who has begun a good work in us, is able and willing to finish it. Though evil is present with you, yet if you would do good, you shall be delivered from the body of this death. "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled." When the Christian's heart is thus depressed, he should say, "This is my infirmity, but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High." I will consider what he has done for me and for others.

II. The Christian will be more inclined, and better prepared to improve from these trials of religious depression, if he consider also their use. They are profitable,

1. For the trial of your faith. It is good for us, as Christians, no less than as men, to be sometimes afflicted, brought low, and made to be humble. It is much better that we should often, with the publican, be reduced to cry, God be merciful to me a sinner; than to be like the Pharisee, thanking God that we are not as other men. "The Lord would have those who walk in the light, never forget what it is to sit in darkness and the shadow of death. A grieved spirit is the best foundation of a faithful heart."

2. These desponding apprehensions are a powerful remedy for selfrighteousness and spiritual pride. They who think themselves righteous, and in a sure and perfect way to heaven, are likely to be vainly confident, and to think of themselves more highly than they ought to think. When you are brought more and more to feel yourself an unworthy, and perhaps a perishing sinner; when you find that your best deeds are far short of perfect