fetters that moment struck off, he would go back to the world the same monster that he left it, only to retrace anew the never-ending circle of crime and punishment. The public justice of the universe, therefore, demands their exclusion from the society of the just, and as they pass to their own place, the voice of long-abused mercy is heard to say, "Israel would none of me, so I gave them up to their own hearts' lust, and they walked in their own counsels." III. The interesting aspect under which this subject teaches us to contemplate the divine dispensations. It illustrates, 1. The riches of God's mercy in forgiving sin.— It is with a view to the moral state of man in this guilty and endangered condition, that the whole economy of the divine government has been formed; and to us it is evident, that no less a combination of power and mercy than that revealed in the gospel would have availed for the remission of human guilt, and the restoration of the soul to the lost image of God. Sin was an evil for which the regular constitution of the world could furnish no cure, but in the cross of Christ divine grace is seen to abound beyond all the aboundings of transgression. By the vastness of the remedy employed, we may form some faint conception of the essential malignity of sin; since God, who is never prodigal of miracles, would scarcely have framed so mighty an apparatus of mercy, if a less costly system of means would have accomplished all the ends contemplated. The "great mystery of godliness" sheds a light of its own upon the gigantic character of "the mystery of iniquity;" and prompts the devout exclamation, from all the redeemed family, "Who is a God like unto thee, pardoning iniquity, transgression, and sin ? He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy." 2. The power of his grace in subduing sin—" Marvel not that I say unto you, Ye must be born again, for that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit." "As we have borne the image of the earthly," it is requisite that, by a gracious process, we should be made "to bear the image of the heavenly;" and for this the gospel makes ample provision. Hence we see the fallacy of those schemes of doctrine, which do not adequately recognise the truth of man's apostasy from God, and provide for his renewal. In scripture, man is always spoken of as a rebel against his Maker, "very far gone from original righteousness," and wholly incompetent to his own restoration. But all false religions, and all corruptions of the true, seem to proceed upon the assumption that the contrary is the case, as might be seen by a reference to Mahommedanism, modern Judaism, and the various forms of corrupted Christianity. Most of the errors and heresies which have crept into the church appear to be based upon defective views of the essential evil of sin, or upon mistaken apprehensions of what is requisite to effect its subjugation in the human mind. From defective views of the heinousness of sin, arose those systems which set at nought the atonement of Christ; and, from inadequate views of the necessity of conversion and sanctification, arose those which contravene the reality of the Holy Spirit's work upon the heart. And as all error is" affianced and of kin," we find these two sources of error blending in schemes of theology, widely divergent, in some respects, from each other. But the gospel meets the entire exigency of a lost world. By the atonement of the cross, it secures the forgiveness of sin; and by the agency of the Holy Spirit it accomplishes its subjugation, and calls into exercise those devout affections towards God which prompt to holiness of heart and life. Well, then, might the apostle say, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation to every one that believeth." Accordingly, we delight to exhibit the absolute efficiency of Christianity, in break ing up and disentangling the snares of sin, be they never so complex, or so near to the final destruction of their victim. "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." No exigency is too great for the power of the Deliverer; and the peril is perhaps felt to be most extreme when deliverance has been sought and found. So the redeemed have ever to say, 66 My soul is escaped as a bird from the hand of the fowler." And the apostle describes it as God's peculiar prerogative to give men" repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will." 3. The wisdom of his Providence in preventing sin.Many of the afflictions and disappointments of the righteous, which we suppose are sent in judgment, are in reality sent in mercy, being designed to check our froward tendencies, and to hold back our feet from the fatal snare. God says to us, as he did to Abimelech, by these visitations, "I withheld thee from sinning against me." Lastly. The urgency of his invitations to those who are the slaves of sin.-We are never left in despair, but Christianity always appeals to hope. Our encouragement to seek mercy is as ample as our need is great. The angels announced the gospel as glad tidings of great joy to all people, though they well knew that the morals of all people were in a most deplorable state. Still the announcement is, "Turn ye to the Lord, ye prisoners of hope." "Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; and though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." "Return, O prodigal, return, Your Saviour bids your spirit live; MISCELLANEOUS DEPARTMENT, CONSISTING OF ORIGINAL PAPERS, UNDER THE FOLLOWING HEADS : Criticisms on the different styles of preaching. Interpretation of difficult and mistaken passages of Scripture. The best and shortest methods of confuting the sophisms of infidelity and scepticism. Occurrence of remarkable incidents connected with hearing or reading the word of God, or illustrative of its particular passages. Occasional accounts of the lives and writings of some of the best of our old divines. A concise and chronological epitome of the rise and progress of the Papacy; in a series of papers. PREACHING. A preacher should be faithful to three things: faithful to the word of God, as Samuel to Eli,-faithful to his own conscience, as Peter and John before the rulers of the Jews,-and faithful to the case of his hearers, as Nathan to David. His aim should be to have it said to him with truth at last, by THE FAITHFUL AND TRUE WITNESS, "Well done, good and faithful servant. ON A COMFORTING MINISTRY. No one branch of the ministry appears more difficult than that of comforting souls. Nothing can be more destructive of the true comfort, or injurious to the best interest of our hearers, than false comfort. A mistake here may lull them into a fatal security. Some ministers breathe out nothing but the promises of God in soothing accents to believers; and many taking it for granted that they are believers, without examina NO. II. L tion, and without scriptural evidence, cherish their false peace to the last. If such should hear another preacher distinguish carefully between a true and a false faith, they are offended, and deem him harsh. And if Christ himself were to appear in a pulpit, unknown to such, he would be condemned as a most disagreeable and uncharitable minister. It is no good sign of a preacher's fidelity, when carnal hearers can sit under him for years, and never be offended with his sermons, but feel themselves comfortable under them. If a threatening drops from the preacher, such self-flattering hearers conclude it does not belong to them, because they are believers. The best way of detecting such close hypocrites, is to describe a believer in Jesus Christ, in the objects of his faith -the grounds of his faith-the source, author, and support of his faith. The duties, the trials, the conflicts and victories of faith-the difference between a dead and living faith-the walk, the effects, the enemies, of faith-the beginning, the progress, and the ends of faith. Such a method would tend to subvert false comfort, and introduce true. Two things are necessary to comfort an afflicted soul. First, he should be told the very worst of his condition. In this many err. They suppose it harsh and cruel: but if a person is not told the worst of his condition, his comfort cannot prove abiding. For when fresh views of his sin and ruin arise, he has no provision against it; but thinks, ah, wretched creature, the longer I live, the worse I find myself. Surely, there is no just ground of comfort for me in the whole world; and if such a minister had received a full, instead of a partial account of my condition, I fear he could not have encouraged me as he did. This will prove the case more especially with persons of weak capacities, very deep convictions, or of small acquaint. ance with the truth. A prudent comforter will tell a soul his real condition-without the least attempt to conceal a part: and his exact condition, without any attempt to make it appear worse than it is. The true |