sound of such tidings? No, "this Wonderful, Counsellor, this Prince of Peace," whose life was one continued series of good and gracious acts, and of the most splendid manifestations of divine power, though " he was holy, harmless, and undefiled," yet he is despised and rejected of men, more hardened than the first wretched culprit; and as if enamoured of destruction, instead of flying from the face of their God, they surround him with the rancorous fury of hell-hounds. While he is stretching his gracious hands towards them with offers of peace and pardon, they nail them to the cross, and insult and mock him while he is breathing out his agonizing, holy spirit in petitions for his very murderers. "O! the height, the depth, the unsearchable riches of divine love!" Though subject a moment as it were to the bands of death, the grave could not hold him; he bursts from the gloomy cavern more than conquerer over death and hell, "leading captivity captive, and bringing good gifts to men." See him with unabated love, collecting the deserters of his standard around him, soothing, consoling, and strengthening them; instead of upbraiding, he fills them with "that peace that passeth all understanding, even the joy of the Holy Ghost," and sends them far and wide, to proclaim the joyful news of salvation by his blood. Having evinced the most amazing proofs of love, love stronger than death; of mercy tender, endearing and unbounded; of power unlimited, and faithfulness unshaken as his throne, is not the offer of such salvation received by guilty, ruined, undone creatures with shouts of joy? Does not every individual whose ears are blessed with the gracious sound spontaneously give up all " for that pearl of inestimable price," an interest in his dying love, his spotless

righteousness, his full and free atonement, and his allprevailing intercessions at the throne of grace, in behalf of sinners? Alas! from the tenor of history from age to age, and the present appearance of the state of religion among us, the heralds of salvation, from the few, comparatively, who cordially accept of its terms, must still take up the complaint of the evangelical prophet, and say, "Who hath believed our report?" In every Church, it is true, there are professing members; many attend the temple of worship, and a few communicate in its most sacred ordinances; and having done this, the question with too many of that small number may very pertinently be asked, "What do ye more than others?" Instead of considering those sacred rites as an indissoluble bond in which they inscribe their names with the "blood of the Lamb of God," to withdraw from the vanities and forms of the world, to live soberly, to watch and pray, to walk in newness of life, to examine themselves of their knowledge to discern the Lord, to set themselves against every thing that is evil, to feed the hungry, and clothe the naked; not to relieve their own feelings, not to be seen of men but because the Lord has commanded it; to love the brethren, and to have the fear of the Lord always before them; to read and meditate upon his word, to be devoted to him, soul, body and spirit, which is the reasonable service of every intelligent creature. Are these the exercises of modern professors, professors of the religion of the pure and holy, meek and lowly Jesus? No, the closet and the Bible are deserted for the ball-room, the card-table, or a party, to help them kill that time in idle chit chat, on the right improvement of which eternal happiness depends, and to murder it, certain death to the soul.

Nor are such worldly temporising Christians only responsible for the injury done to themselves, by their carnal walk and conversation. Instead of exerting that influence in the cause of Christ, which every one possesses in a greater or less degree, they become a stumbling block to the weak, who, perhaps, look up to them with deference, excited by external advantages or mental superiority, who will naturally make such conclusions as will tend very much to stagger their minds, and weaken their exertions in duty. Example is ever more powerful than precept. Is it not a criminal abuse of terms to call those Christians, who neither give the one, nor set the other?

SELF-EXAMINATION.

THAT it is a great thing to be a Christian, every

one that has any conception of the value of the immortal soul, and the magnitude of those blessings obtained by a saving knowledge of "the things pertaining unto Jesus Christ," must acknowledge. And if this truth be acceded to, does it not prove the duty of self-examination, not only indispensable, but all-important, both for present comfort and future safety? That a soul may have passed from death unto life, and yet be unable, from remaining corruption, to ascertain its state (at least for some time), I well believe; but that it should remain indifferent to arriving at this certainty, appears to be in direct opposition to the opera

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tions of grace, which is never stationary, but progressing from strength to strength. "Leaving the things that are behind, and pressing on to the things that are before," it excites in the soul a restless desire, proportionable to its view of the good things to come through the infinite grace of the Saviour. To know the foundation of its claims, to arrive at full satisfaction, in the clearness of evidence, and the identity of right to the privilege of a child of God; that a "full assurance of faith" is attainable in this life, the Scriptures of truth abundantly testify; a privilege comprising all that is worth seeking in time, as the foretaste of that blessedness to come, of the unmingled joys of eternity. Doubtless the soul that arrives at this most desirable haven of security and rest, must first be deeply experienced in the discipline of grace; must first be tossed by the storms of temptation; his sky darkened by the clouds of sin and of doubt; the darkness made visible and rendered awful by the flushes of conviction and the thunders of the violated law. It cannot, it will not supinely fold the arms in listless indifference, and say, I know not how it is with me, my future destiny is with the hidden things of God, and it is not for me to presume to look within the folded leaves of his decrees." This is the language of indolence, not of submission. It is written, "labour diligently to make your calling and election sure, for they that do these things shall never fall." How can we know whether this calling and election be sure, but by examination, not into the faithfulness and stability of the promiser or the promise? These are established beyond the shadow of scruple, however frequently doubts may torture the mind through the wilfulness of unbelief. The only inquiry

is, Have I by faith appropriated these promises to myself, which are thus freely offered to all, both Jew and Gentile? Do I find the evidence of this appropriating faith in corresponding exercises of the affections from whence spring the fruits of obedience and love? These are as invariably the result of true faith, as that light and heat emanate from the sun. To investigate, not

the action, but the motive, is the best method to obtain an acquaintance with our own hearts. Whenever the source is pure, the stream will be good. The soul that pants after God as its portion, will strive more earnestly to make the "inside of the cup and platter clean," and is equally distressed for secret as for open sins. While the hypocrite only desires to obtain a brilliant outside, to dazzle the eye of the beholder, to pervert the praise that is due to God alone to himself; while the true Christian in his heart is continually saying, However fruitful in good works, however abounding in illumination, "not unto me, O Lord, not unto me, but unto thee be the glory;"—the nominal professor's chief care is to adjust the routine of duties in such a way as to catch the eye, and is virtually crying out to every passenger, "Stop, behold my righteousness; this hath my arm wrought, this have I done." To guard each rising motion of the heart, to watch the tendency of affections, that they may not grovel in the dust, be constantly engaged to give them an upward direction; like the tendrils of the vine, as if conscious of their weakness, cleave to the lofty oak, entwining its base, aspiring even to an adoption with its branches, glories in the assumption of its strength, and extends its leafy honours in the security of its protection. Experience will every day evince to the observing Christian, how dangerous it is to suffer any carnal pro