knowledge of Christianity, but he was prepared for its reception by a sincere desire to obey the will of God. The seed of the word, after wards sown, did not fall upon stony ground, but in "an honest and good heart:" the fallow ground had been ploughed up; penitence had softened the stubborn soil: so that, watered by the dews of God's blessing, and fertilized by the genial rays of the Sun of Righteousness, the heavenly plant took deep root, and brought forth fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundred fold. According to According to our Lord's own declaration, wishing to "do the will of God," he had the promise that he should "know of the doctrine," and means were accordingly provided for his instruction. "And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and there it shall be told thee what thou must do." Many of the circumstances connected with St. Paul's conversion were miraculous, and are recorded, not as illustrations of the usual process by which men are brought to the knowledge and obedience of the faith, but chiefly perhaps as connected with the remarkable history of this great Apostle and of the early church, and as affording a strong testimony to the truth and power of the Christian religion; but the anxiety of the Apostle to know what God would have him to do, is a common, a never-failing characteristic of true religion in every age, and as such deserves our serious consideration. We, like Saul of Tarsus, must each one of us solemnly inquire, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" and this with an earnest desire, first, to know the will of God, and, secondly, to do it. We shall endeavour to illustrate the operation of this two-fold desire, with a view to shew when it may be considered as sincere, and, as such, indicative of true repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.. I. First, then, there must be an earnest desire to know God's will. Faith, love, obedience, and every good fruit, are grounded on scriptural knowledge: we must know in whom we believe, what he requires of us, what he has promised to the obedient, what he has threatened against the disobedient. Now we may judge whether we really feel this desire to know God's will, by examining whether we are willing to surrender our own will to itwhether we are using the appointed means for coming to a knowledge of it-and whether we are making use of this knowledge with a practical reference to our own particular cir, cumstances. 1. The first token of our sincerity in wishing to know the will of God, is a willingness to surrender our own will to it, so far as it is known. This was strikingly displayed in the case of the Apostle. His own will had been strongly bent towards his favourite object of extirpating Christianity; he was pursuing his journey with alacrity, charged with a commission from the high priest for that purpose; but now he renounces his own plans and projects, and, like his great Master, the wish of his soul is, "Not my will, but thine, be done." "I am willing," as though he had said, "to abandon my own schemes, and my most fondly cherished opinions. I ask not what would be most agreeable to myself, or what would be most applauded by my fellow-creatures; but what thou, O Lord—thou, who art my Creator, and hast a claim to my fullest obedience; thou, O Saviour, whom ignorantly I have persecuted-wouldst have me to do. Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. Command me what thou wilt; for thy commands must be holy, just, and good. Thou art infinitely wise, and canst not mistake; thou art supremely good; and what thou willest must be best for the happiness of thy creatures. It is thine to command; be it mine to listen and to obey." 2. A second token of our sincerity in wishing to know the will of God, is our diligent use of the means which he has provided for our coming to an, understanding of it. The means in the Apostle's in stance were, to repair to a particular place, where an instructor was divinely appointed to receive him, and to tell him what he should do. To have asked the question in the text, and not to have availed him self of the source of information pointed out in reply to his petition, would have shewn great hypocrisy and contempt for the command of God. Yet such is the conduct of many who esteem themselves to be Christians: they pray daily, "Thy will be done;" but they seek not to know what God demands; especially, they consult not the Scriptures, which are the record of his will; or, if they peruse them, it is only perhaps for the sake of form or amusement, without any serious desire of learning what he requires. Too many persons follow the dictates of their own fancy, or the current opinions of the world around them, instead of "inquiring at the mouth of the Lord." Now, this is quite inconsistent with a sincere use of the petition in the text. The man of Ethiopia, wishing to know the will of God, diligently perused the Scriptures, and entreated Philip to explain them to him. Cornelius was not contented indolently to say, "What is it, Lord?" but, in compliance with the answer to his inquiry, he sent immediately to Joppa for the Apostle Peter, and summoned his kinsmen and friends reverently to hear "what was commanded of God." We have not, indeed, in the present age, the same special and miraculous manifestations of God's will, because they are no longer necessary, since we have his revealed word, and various assistant means of religious edification and instruction. If we diligently use these, with humble prayer for the guidance of his Holy Spirit, we shall not go far, and, above all, not fatally, astray. The page of Revelation plainly declares what is God's will-not, indeed, all those CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 284. mysteries of his secret counsels which our curiosity might wish to fathom, but all that concerns ourselves, so far as is necessary to be known by us for our present or eternal welfare; especially our duties and obligations towards God; the way to obtain the pardon of our sins through faith in the atonement of the Saviour; the virtues and graces which become our holy profession; and the rewards and punishments reserved for the righteous and the wicked in the unseen and eternal world. In that sacred page we are instructed in various branches of that will; different parts of it being at different times more particularly specified, but all combining in one consistent whole. Thus it is said, "This is the will of God, that ye believe on Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent;" and again, "This is the will of God, even your sanctification;" and again, "In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus;" and again, "What doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God;"-all of which are comprised by our Saviour in the two golden precepts of loving God with all our heart, and our neighbour as ourselves. In an especial manner is unfolded to us that part of God's will which relates to us as sinners: thus faith in the Saviour is spoken of as the will of God in the first of the texts just quoted; holiness, in the second; and in numerous other passages, repentance, contrition for sin, prayer, humility, and all other particulars comprehended in the Christian life. 3. But it is not a mere general inquiry into points of Christian doctrine or duty that is sufficient to shew that we are in earnest in wishing to know the will of God, unless also we apply the investigation to our own particular case. The inquiry of St. Paul was strictly personal: "What wilt thou have me to do?" And similar is the language of every sincere penitent: he hears the word of God speaking 3 Q to his own heart, pointing out his own sins, urging upon him his own duties. Every discourse he listens to seems to say, "I have a message from God unto thee," and it finds an echo in his heart, "Thou art the man." He is not satisfied with general principles, but brings them practically to bear upon his own character and conduct. Is repentance enjoined, Have I repented? is faith essential, Do I believe? is holiness indispensable, Am I renewed in the spirit of my mind; am I living as a servant of God, a disciple of Christ, a candidate for heaven? And, besides the application of such general principles, he will seek to know the will of God as referable to his own individual circumstances: he will consider what are the sins, the duties, the difficulties of his particular age or calling; what God seems especially to require of him at that very time,-the daily trial, the daily duty; the neglected command, the besetting sin; to act, or to suffer; to learn, or to teach; in short, whatever may direct him to a perfect knowledge of the will of his Father which is in heaven. The man whose speculations are merely general and barren; who does not, by prayer, by selfexamination, and by the application of Scripture to the discipline of his own heart and life, enter into the details of his own circumstances before God, cannot be said sincerely to offer the petition in the text. II. But, secondly, our inquiring into the will of God must be accompanied with a wish and endeavour to do it. This is, in truth, the best, the only test of our sincerity. True Christianity is ever practical in its effects; if, therefore, our faith be a mere creed or system of opinions, it profits us nothing. The inquiry of the Ruler in the Gospel, "Good master, what must I do to inherit eternal life," appeared as sincere as the question of Saul of Tarsus in the text; but how different the result!-the former, when he learned that the will of God towards him was, that he should sell all that he had, and take up his cross and follow Christ, would not obey it; whereas the latter repaired to the appointed instructor, received in faith the doctrines and commands of his Saviour, and followed his blessed steps, amidst a series of persecutions and afflictions, such, perhaps, as no other apostle or martyr of Jesus Christ was ever appointed to endure. Our knowledge of God's will will only aggravate our punishment, if we do it not. True, we never can do it perfectly or meritoriously; at best we are unprofitable servants, not entitled to the rewards of unerring obedience, but looking solely for the pardon of our acknowledged disobedience for the sake of the infinitely meritorious obedience of our Divine Surety; yet, still, the very test of our sincerity, the proof of our conversion, are the desire and effort to act up to the knowledge we possess. When St. Paul asked the question, What wilt thou have me to do; it was his earnest resolution to do whatever might be commanded. He did not stipulate for an easy task; he did not wish to consult his own natural inclinations or partialities; but was willing, by the grace of God, to yield a universal and voluntary obedience to the Divine command. 1. His desire to obey was universal in its influence. This is a conspicuous mark of true devotion of heart to God. It is not enough that we select a few favourite points of doctrine or duty as our standard; that, like the rich man before mentioned, we profess to be willing to keep all other commands, if we may only be covetous, and decline selfdenial and bearing our allotted cross; that, like Saul, we slay the Amalekites, and spare Agag their king. No; the true standard of our submission to God, according to our daily prayer, is, that his will may be done earth as it is upon done in heaven,' and there it is done universally and most willingly. We must act with singleness of heart, and "have respect to all God's commandments." We must carry this desire into the whole course of our spiritual life and our secular conduct. There must be no reserved corner of the soul where God is not to reign; where some favoured sin is to remain secure in its entrenchments, and some neglected duty to seek in vain for admittance. Even if the will of God towards us should be that we should bear many heavy afflictions, or make many painful sacrifices and who had more to endure or to give up than St. Paul?-we must not hesitate to submit to it. 2. And this submission must, further, be voluntary. It is not a code of reluctant duties, that God requires. He would hear from us the language of cheerful self-dedication: "I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart." And such will be our feeling, if our desire to do his will be duly grounded on faith, and love, and gratitude, as well as on a mere general sense of obligation and responsibility. On faith-for we shall thus trust him in the darkest hour of affliction, and in the most difficult path of duty. On love-for thus will our compliance with his commands be prompt and cordial; like the Psalmist, we shall rejoice in his testimonies; our affections will go before, and open the way for our actions; to know what is God's will, will be to make it our own; while to do any thing contrary to that will, would be to wound our own bosoms, as well as to offend the Great Object of our reverence and supreme regards. On gratitude-for the love of Christ will constrain us; we shall love him, because he first loved us; and, loving him, we shall seek to know and to perform his commands: we shall co-operate as it were with him: we shall not willingly resist or grieve his Holy Spirit, but shall pray for and value his sacred influences; and to do God's will, will be to us, as it was to our Great Example, our meat and our drink, the object of our desires, our prayers, and our unceasing solicitude. In conclusion, let me ask, Are we seeking to know and to do the will of God?-Some, perhaps, are not seeking this at all; and others are not seeking it as conscience dictates and God commands; to each of these classes does the subject apply with fearful interest-and oh that it may be impressed upon their hearts by the Holy Spirit to their eternal welfare! But others, perhaps, doubt whether they know the will of God aright; or, where they know it, they feel their inability to do it as they ought, and would desire. To each of these classes also, which include the true penitent, the sincere believer, our subject speaks in suitable words of hope and encouragement. If only they are honest in their inquiries, and act up to their convictions, they have the promise of God that "the meek will he guide in judgment, the meek will he teach his way." Nor "If thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thy heart to understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord; for the Lord giveth wisdom, and out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding." must this effort to know and to practise the will of God be confined to the first stages of our religi ous progress, but must continue and increase through life. It constitutes our highest advancement; it is our preparation for that heavenly world where the will of God is done perfectly and without reserve; it befits us, as the creatures of God, and especially as redeemed by the blood of Christ and professing to be dedicated to his service: and it is also our privilege, as well as our duty, for to submit to the will of God, lightens all the cares of life, while it opens to us the prospect to a blessed immortality. Tothe Editorofthe Christian Observer. A CORRESPONDENT, N. J. B., in your last Number, in the respectful observations which he has offered upon the Bishop of Limerick's re-. marks upon Psalm 1. 1, considers that the word translated "ungodly" implies positive wickedness, answering, he says, "to Πονηρος, ασέβης, impious." It so happens, however, that two of the synonimes which he himself brings forward are, as to grammar, clearly negative-a-reßns, im-pious-but not so their application, which is positive: indeed, negative terms often convey the most positive ideas; as, an impious man, means not merely a person negatively wicked, but one far gone in actual ir-religion, in-justice, and im-piety. Whether your correspondent is right or wrong in his criticism I shall not undertake to decide; but beg leave to notice the foregoing distinction, as, for want of it, an unfounded objection may be urged against his argument. I quite agree with him in his opinion of the highly valuable and interesting nature of the learned Prelate's volume. R. L. G. Tothe Editorofthe Christian Observer. Ir would be a great favour conferred upon many of your readers, if some of your experienced correspondents would furnish a reply to the following query: "What are the promi nent sins, temptations, and spiritual dangers peculiarly incident to religious students, and how may they best be avoided?" G. F. MISCELLANEOUS. Tothe Editorofthe Christian Observer. In referring to your volume for 1822, my attention has been recalled to the papers on the " Apocryphal New Testament," the re-publication of which called forth several most convincing and decisive refutations of any claim to Divine inspiration in favour of the long-exploded compositions in that volume. Some recent circumstances having summoned the attention of the public to the consideration of the Apocryphal Books of the Old Testament, I should be glad, for the benefit of those who have not access to the many learned dissertations which have appeared at different times on the canon of Scripture, to see in your pages a brief popular notice of the character of those books, and of the arguments which prove their palpable want of authenticity as Divine records. The following remarks, extracted chiefly from Dr. Ranken's excellent "Institutes of Theology," (published at Glasgow in 1822), |