scriptive passages as this, "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool. His throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened."

:

2nd., The judges of our land are possessed of extensive knowledge and peculiar skill-professional knowledge and skill. I mean, especially, they are well acquainted with the laws, their nature, their sanctions, their penalties, and they understand how to apply their provisions to the diversified cases which may come under their notice; hence, they are usually denominated "the learned judges," and from their decision people seldom think of appealing. Well: Jesus Christ is possessed of the most accurate and extensive information respecting the statutes of heaven, and also concerning the character and desert of all who will be placed at his tribunal. It may be confidently affirmed, that of the myriads of cases He will have to dispose of, there will not be one which will occasion Him the smallest measure of embarrassment, or induce him to hesitate a single moment. He will see through them all at once, and arrive at the most righteous and appropriate conclusions: hence, we read in the Apocalypse, that "His eyes are as a flame of fire;" they illumine, they penetrate and pierce through every object which comes before them; and as to any appeal from His de.. cisions, such a thing will never be attempted, since the attempt would be certainly fruitless, for the Father himself "has given Him authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of Man.'

3rd., The judges of our land are considered remarkable for seriousness, or sobriety of mind: hence, the well-known proverb, "As grave as a judge." Individuals are not permitted to sustain that office until they are considerably advanced in life; until the levity and impetuosity of youth are subdued; until time and experience have imparted a degree of solidity and gravity which evidently befits so awful and responsible a station. Well: the Lord Jesus will unquestionably equal them, at least, in this important particular. It has been said, that while he sojourned upon the earth, “He was known to weep repeatedly, but was never known to laugh." Whether this declaration is perfectly correct or not we pretend not to determine; but certainly there is no account of his laughing in the Bible, or displaying at any time the smallest measure of levity. He is spoken of there as "a man of sorrows." We read of Him being "grieved, because of the hardness of people's hearts." We are informed that He wept at the grave of Lazarus, and also over the Jewish metropolis devoted to destruction; and we may rest assured that there will be nothing frivolous or trifling in his spirit or deportment at the day of final retribution. The transactions of that day will be so identified with the glory of God and the good of the universe, that the utmost solemnity will pervade every mind, and be depicted on every countenance. There will be no levity in heaven; there will be none on earth; and there will surely be none in hell. Angels, men and devils will all be sufficiently serious then, while the righteous judge, with the deepest solemnity, will examine their characters, and pronounce their respective doom.

Having thus remarked upon the judge of quick and dead, I solicit at

tention a few moments longer to the persons who will be arraigned at the last assizes. "We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ;" that is, the whole family of Adam, every rational being who ever was or ever will be an inhabitant of this terraqueous globe. Accordingly we read, "Before him shall be gathered all nations;" and, "Every one of us shall give account of himself to God." And I may be allowed to remark here, that none of us shall stand there merely as listeners and lookers on. This is the case with multitudes who visit our earthly courts of justice. Such courts are generally crowded; and thousands of those who enter them have nothing to call them thither except curiosity, or a laudable desire to obtain information. They go to see and hear of transactions which relate to others more than to themselves. But how different will it be in the day of universal judgment. We shall all have business of our own to transact at that time; business of the most important description; and business which cannot be delegated to any body else. But allow me to particularize a little, and to remark,

1st., That the rich, as well as the poor, must stand at the judgment seat of Christ. All the prisoners brought to the bar at the time I have already spoken of, were evidently poor. Their clothes, their general appearance, their want of knowledge and address, were sufficient indications of grievous poverty; and no doubt the greater part of the crimes perpetrated in our country, of which our laws take cognizance, are perpetrated by persons in low and necessitous circumstances, for such persons are under stronger temptations than the affluent, while their misdemeanors and depredations are less likely to be overlooked, for whatever forbearance may be extended to wealthy malefactors, the poor will not be suffered to transgress much with impunity. But in the case now under consideration, the high and the low, the opulent and the indigent, will meet together. All have sinned, all will be summoned, and all must inevitably appear.

2nd., The intelligent, as well as the ignorant, "must stand at the judgment seat of Christ." Extreme ignorance is supposed to be one principal reason why numbers become chargeable with those offences or crimes which occasion them to be brought into our courts of justice; hence, if we examine those "prison reports" which are published from time to time, we shall discover, probably, that nine-tenths of the criminals are individuals of little or no education. Many of them can neither read nor write at all; many others can only read and write very imperfectly; while but here and there one has acquired any considerable amount of general information. But though learning may be very serviceable on earth, in the way to which allusion has just been made, yet the greatest amount of it does not preserve people from violating those excellent laws which God has promulgated for the government of our minds, and the direction of our conduct. "All we like sheep have gone astray." The wisest philosophers, no less than the most untutored peasants; the man of extensive reading and research, no less than the man who has seldom seen a book, and who is not able to acquaint himself with the contents of any one that might be put into his hands.

3rd., The aged, as well as the young, must "stand before the judgment seat of Christ." At the time alluded to above, nearly all the prisoners placed at the bar while I continued in the court were quite young: some of them were very young; and it was truly affecting to see such juvenile de

linquents, and to find them in early life so disgracefully and dangerously situated. Perhaps the ignorance and thoughtlessness, the levity and impetuosity of youth, might be pleaded in extenuation of their crimes, and in mitigation of their punishment. But if aged people are not so likely to violate the laws of our land as those who are younger, still there is not one among them but has frequently broken, and is frequently breaking, the holy commandments of God; consequently, each of them stands indicted as a criminal, and each will be dealt with as the Judge of all the earth sees fit. "We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ."

But let us observe how very positively the apostle speaks on this subject, "We shall all stand," &c., plainly implying, that of the myriads that compose the human family, not one will be able to escape from the hand of divine justice. It is well-known, that some of the vilest and most desperate offenders are never brought to trial, and to appropriate punishment, in the present world. Men who have committed robbery and murder, succeed sometimes in concealing their crimes, or if the crimes are discovered, those men themselves are never known as their perpetrators; they change their names it may be, and their places of abode; they disguise their persons, and remove to distant parts of the country, or foreign regions of the globe. But "the eyes of the Lord are in every place," and "there is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves." He will find out every transgressor of his laws, despite all stratagems and disguises, and "will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.”

Let it further be impressed on our minds, that to declare ourselves inno⚫ cent, when standing before our final judge, will be utterly unavailing. In courts of justice prisoners are generally expected and desired to plead "Not guilty," that their cases may be thoroughly investigated, that the witnesses may be fully examined, and that the culprit may be fairly tried according to the provisions of the law. But the plea of innocence is a mere formality, considered in itself; it stands for nothing; it makes no impression on the judge or the jury; they require other data on which to form their opinion, and by which to guide their proceedings. And if any of us should declare ourselves innocent at the bar of God, it will only serve to display our ignorance and temerity. Our own consciences will pronounce us guilty, and "a long cloud of witnesses" could easily be summoned, if necessary, to testify against us.

Let it be recollected, also, that the longer any of us live in sin, and the more we multiply our offences, the worse will our character appear at last, and the more terrible will be our doom. Several of those criminals at whose trial I was present, had been imprisoned and punished before, they were regarded, therefore, as old offenders; and because they had not profited by previous inflictions, it was deemed necessary to chastise them with greater severity. So if any of us, though "often reproved," should foolishly persist in our evil ways and doings, if neither the mercies of God," nor "the terrors of the Lord," are found sufficient to subdue and reform us here, then such contumacious stubbornness will assuredly be remembered against us at the day of judgment; and since it will form a prominent feature in our character, so will it proportionately increase our condemnation; yea, it will sink us to "the lowest hell."

It is very pleasing to reflect that millions will be acquitted at “the day

of the Lord;" yea, moreover, they will be honoured and glorified. But why? Not because of their own innocence and goodness, but because they have previously "obtained mercy," and "the righteousness of God which is to all, and upon all that believe."

Finally, let it never be forgotten, that those who are condemned at the day of judgment will be punished for ever. Some of those culprits, at whose trials I was present, were sentenced to several months imprisonment, and others to several years transportation; but their sufferings would find a termination; the prisoner would be liberated in due time from his cell and his chains; the transport might return to his country and his home; but the finally impenitent shall "go away into everlasting punishment;" they "shall never see life, but the wrath of God abideth upon them." O that every sinner would lay this to heart, and while opportunity is afforded, seek an interest in that merciful Reedemer who alone can deliver us from "the wrath to come."

"O may I in the Judge behold

My Saviour and my friend,
And far beyond the reach of death,
With all his saints ascend."

T. Y. F.

THE DESIGN OF BAPTISM.*

BY THE REV. ANDREW LESLIE.

BAPTISM is the immersion in water of those who believe in the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; and is performed in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. It may be difficult to say what is precisely meant by the words, "in the name of." Some understand them to mean, "by the authority of," and others, "in the belief of," that is, in the belief of a Father, of a Son, and of a Holy Ghost; in other words, in the belief of a Trinity. The latter, we presume, is the precise meaning of the terms. The belief of this was to be the distinguishing mark of the christian from the Jew, who speaks contemptuously of a Trinity; and from the Gentile, who multiplies his gods beyond the bounds of rationality. The belief of a Trinity may, therefore, be considered as a prime characteristic difference of the believer in the Gospel from all other men, whether Jew or Gentile; and baptism stamps him, as it were, with this distinction.

But, further, the belief of a Trinity is a thing in itself of the very highest importance. The admission of this doctrine involves the admission of every essential doctrine of the word of God. 1. The belief in a Father implies the belief in a Being who has authority over us-authority to command us, authority to call us to account, and authority to punish us if we transgress his law in other words, it implies the belief in a moral governor. 2. The belief in a Son implies the belief that the second person of the Godhead has become incarnate; for it is in reference to his incarnation that he is called the Son of God: "that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God;" and the belief of the incarnation necessarily involves the belief of the atonement, for it was to give his life a ransom for many that Christ was born into our world, and for a season become subject, as a Son, to the Father. And, 3. The belief in a Holy Ghost implies a belief in the depravity of man; for it is in reference to the work of the removal of this * Extracted, by request, from the Baptist Magazine.

depravity from the spirit of man, that the third person of the blessed Trinity sustains the name of the Holy Spirit, or the Sanctifier.

Thus the doctrine of the Trinity involves the very important doctrines of the moral government of God, the entrance of sin into the world, the incarnation and atonement of Christ, and the necessity for the Spirit's influences for regeneration and sanctification. All these doctrines stand or fall with the doctrine of the Trinity. Hence, it is almost always the case, that the man who denies the latter denies the former also.

We can now see the reason why baptism was commanded to be administered in the name, or belief, of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Baptism is the initiatory rite into the christian Church. Its being required, therefore, that a man should profess his belief in the doctrine of a Trinity before he gains admission into the Church, is just in effect to tell him, that he cannot be a christian without a belief in all the other doctrines which this one doctrine implies.

But why command him to make a profession of these doctrines by being immersed in water? We reply, Chiefly that these doctrines themselves may be more vividly exhibited to, and more deeply impressed on, his mind.

1. That they may be more vividly exhibited to his mind. The eye affects the heart and all know how very strikingly and fully the doctrines of the death and resurrection of Christ, of man's utter defilement, of the Spirit's purifying influences, and of the christian's death unto sin and his new life unto righteousness, are shown forth by the believer's immersion in water. The whole thing is a sort of visible display of every sentiment involved in the doctrine of the Trinity. And hence it is, that baptism is spoken of in different parts of the Bible as exhibiting all these prime articles of faith. See particularly Rom. vi.

2. The immersion in water in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, was designed, too, to impress all the doctrines involved in these three names the more deeply on the mind. We have already intimated, that these doctrines are the all-important and essential doctrines of the Bible. Without the belief of them a man cannot be a christian. It is important, therefore, that the whole should be prominently and impressively brought into view at the very entrance of a person into the Church of the living God. Hence, to accomplish this, God has commanded baptism to be administered, the first thing of all,-to every man who professes to believe the Gospel. By the appointment of baptism as the initiatory rite into the Church, God has, in effect, said, "I am determined that no man shall come into my Church without his having had presented to him, at the very threshold, every thing essential in revelation. They shall stare him in the face at the very portal. And, that they may the more deeply be impressed on his mind, I command that my servant shall, in the presence of all who may be there assembled, lead him down into the water, and, in the most solemn manner, immerse him in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,-the doctrine which embodies the whole of the others." God has thus taken care that once, at least, in the believer's life, all these important doctrines shall be presented to his mind, and presented, too, in such a way, that if he live till the age of Methuselah, he shall not be able to forget either the occasion or the doctrines.

If these sentiments be correct, the following inferences will, we judge, be allowed.