All the natural attributes belonging to God are possessed by the Holy Spirit. The moral attributes also are claimed and exercised by Him. He is holy, just, good, wise-superlatively so. That which creatures may have in measure, He has in infinite fulness.

We know that there is a general Providence, controlling and ordering all things; and it is not too much to say the Holy Spirit here is the active agent. "Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created, and thou renewest the face of the earth." (Psalm civ. 30.) "Creatures fade and die, when their Maker withdraws His support; but as soon as the Spirit, the great vivifying Principle, the Author of Life, natural and spiritual, imparts His influences, they revive.”—Dick's Theology, vol. ii. 151.

Miracles are said to be performed by the Spirit. "If I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you." (Matt. xii. 28.) "To another are given the gifts of healing by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles ;-all these worketh that one and selfsame Spirit, dividing to every one severally as He will." (1 Cor. xii. 9-11.) He gave the power to human agents to work those miracles which are recorded in the scriptures of truth.

Man is dead in trespasses and sin, without spiritual life. "It is the Spirit which quickeneth." The Holy Spirit is undoubtedly the great agent in the conversion of the sinner, and in imbuing him with new life. He awakens the conscience, brings in spiritual light, softens and subdues the heart. He produces a new creation. "Old things pass away, and behold all things become new.'

The resurrection of the human body will be the crowning glory of the redemption of man. The apostle says, Rom. viii. 11, "If the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead, dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you." The more the work of the Spirit is considered, the more we see that in everything, both in nature, providence, and grace, His almighty power is in active operation.

What would be our condition without the Holy Scriptures, writings which we have seen, in a former chapter, were inspired? "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (2 Pet. i. 21.) In everything we trace His almighty influence. Man, to do, must know the will of God, and a revelation of that will has been given by the inspiration and teaching of the Holy Spirit.

I cannot close this chapter better than by giving that summary of the Holy Spirit's gracious acts found in Watson's "Institutes; ". "As a DIVINE Person, our regards are therefore justly due to Him, as the object of worship and trust, of prayer and blessing; duties to which we are specially called, both by the general consideration of His divinity, and by that affectingly benevolent and attractive character under which He is presented to us in the whole scriptures. In creation, we see Him moving upon the face of chaos, and reducing it to a beautiful order; in providence,

renewing the face of the earth,''garnishing the heavens,' and 'giving life' to man. In grace, we behold Him expanding the prophetic scene to the vision of the seers of the Old Testament, and making a perfect revelation of the doctrine of Christ to the apostles of the New. He "reproves the world of sin,' and works secret conviction of its evil and danger in the heart. He is 'the Spirit of grace and supplication;' the softened heart, the yielding will, all heavenly desires and tendencies, are from Him. To the troubled spirits of penitent men, who are led by His influence to Christ, and in whose heart He has wrought faith, the Spirit hastens with the news of pardon, and bears witness of their sonship. He aids their infirmities; makes intercession for them; inspires thoughts of consolation and feelings of peace: delights in His own work in the renewed heart; dwells in the soul as in a temple; and after having rendered the spirit to God, without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, sanctified and meet for heaven, finishes His benevolent and glorious work by raising the bodies of saints in immortal life at the last day. So powerfully does the Spirit of glory and of God' claim our love, our praise, and our obedience. In the forms of the churches of Christ, in all ages, He has been joined, therefore, with the Father and the Son, in equal glory and blessing. That so to each person of the eternal Trinity glory may equally be given in the church throughout all ages. Amen.'"-Watson's "Institutes," vol. ii. 475-6.

DO JUSTLY. A PRACTICAL HOMILY.

(Micah vi. 8.)

possess

ALL men admit, theoretically, that it is their duty to act justly towards their fellowmen. This, as a general principle, is held by all who the common elements of humanity. Justice, enshrined as an attribute of Deity in the mind of man, is regarded with deep respect, if not with reverence; and those men who have more particularly embodied it in their lives such as Aristides-though they have been the objects of calumny and dislike by the few, yet they have commanded the highest admiration and profoundest respect from the many. But while men hold these high notions of justice, and generally pride themselves in the possession of it, yet it is a very common thing for them to violate its simplest dictates in their daily intercourse one with the other. Lord Bacon said, "Men discourse according to their opinions, but their actions are accor ding to their habits." This is peculiarly true with respect to the subject we are considering. The man who can talk grandiloquently at a political meeting of the glories of a just policy in legislation, and of its magnificent effects in remedying the evils of society, and redressing its wrongs, oftentimes will not scruple to underpay his workmen, adulterate his goods, or take the meanest advantage of the ignorance of a customer. The woman who could almost go into a fit of hysterics in her excited denunciations of

the horrible injustices of slavedealers, could also exercise the most tyrannical bearing towards her servants, and traduce any of her female friends who happened to be more accomplished, more beautiful, or better-dressed than herself. These inconsistencies are more common than at first sight they appear. It is forgotten that this virtue is something more than, finely spun theories of righteousness; it is essentially a thing of practice, not merely of opinion. To let it remain in the region of sentiment without actively manifesting it, is to make it effete and useless, and a source of mental deception to its possessor, making him think he is more virtuous than he is. And it is to regulate all our actions both great and small. Jesus said, "He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much and he that is unjust in the least, is unjust also in much." Teaching that in the most trivial deeds our real characters are known and judged as well as in our greater. No acts possessing a moral quality, and tending to affect the destiny of immortal beings, can be unimportant in God's sight, however insignificant they may appear to us. In the little things

of life, the principles which really guide our conduct are manifest; and in these we reveal our true selves. The refusal of Dr. Adam Clarke to stretch the piece of cloth to please his master, seems to give us as good a view of the nobility of his character, as we get in any of his subsequent acts, however much more notable those acts were. But many tradesmen -even professors of religion-say, "The Doctor' was too particular; that such 'unco guid' scrupulousness would never do in business now; it is to strain at a gnat; that the present condition of trade requires many such sleight of hand tricks, and much cunning craftiness; and without such like practices, they would have soon to close their shops." Now, is this true? We think, decidedly not. And we believe that those who talk like this are greatly deceived. Not only because no real good must come, but certain evil, from the transgression of God's command; but, because in the end, as a matter of profit, nothing is really gained by trickery. Let a house of business have the reputation for strict honesty— let the public say concerning that house, "You always get your money'sworth, whether you send a child or go yourself; everything there is open and above-board; they never have two prices for the same article; a fair profit is all they seek to get." Why, such a reputation as that, would be worth a great deal more to a man's trade and cash-box than any amount of profit he might get by the short weight, or the scant measure, which is abominable. Remember the old proverbs, "Knavery may serve a turn, but honesty is the best in the end." "Treasures of wickedness profit nothing." "Ill gain brings a curse, like the gold of Tolosa." "Honesty is the best policy." "A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children, and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just." Then, if your aim is merely to make a fortune-if the monetary success is all you seek, apart from other higher considerations, such as the favour of God, and a quiet conscience, which result from a just life, we believe firmly, you are more

likely to secure it by obedience to God's command "to do justly" than otherwise.

And are not these unjust practices in trade, on the part of professing Christians, one of the commonest causes of reproach to religion? Is not this one of the commonest ways in which she is wounded in the house of her professed friends! How often does the worldling make these things the basis of his attack upon the Church of Christ! How often do we hear such remarks as these: "Well, look at Mr. Thump-in-the-scales; he makes a flaming profession; can talk about religion like an angel, yet I know he can cheat as well as any rogue; he would take a mean advantage of anybody if he could do it without being found out; his way of doing business is as hollow as an empty nutshell; if this is a specimen of your religious people, I'll have nothing to do with them." Now, what can be said in reply to this? Very little indeed; for every one feels that those concerning whom such statements may be truly made are libels upon our holy Christianity-are disgraces to that religion whose central, social principle is, "Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." Such persons eat away the influence of a Church like a cankerworm; they destroy the good which it does; and are a blasting and a mildew upon the fruit of its toil.

We admit that there are very great and peculiar temptations to deceitful and unjust practices in trade, in these days of fierce competition and eager chaffering. But as these temptations are so common, and these practices so general, is there not the greater need for the clear manifestation of uprightness ? A fortiori there is. And what is our virtue worth, if it will not stand the test of being tried? Is not this its essential glory, that it can breast the tide of general corruption, and stand alone, if need be, against it? To whom are we to look for the purification of our commerce, if not to the professed followers of Christ. "Ye are the light of the world.". To you the Church and the world look for the accomplishment of this. And it should be your holy aim and fervent ambition to do your part in driving out the demon of deceit from the commercial transactions of the world, and to inaugurate, if possible, a new era of honesty and justice. It is said of Astræa that she was the last of all the goddesses that left the earth when the golden age ceased, and mankind became violent and wicked; and may we not say, that justice will be the first to return, when the golden age begins to dawn again? for is not justice the precursor and producer, socially, of permanent happiness and lasting joy? Her coming will be the true sign of the millennium. Let "do justly," be the practised motto of the world's exchanges and courts, its marts and counters; and then shall brightly beam forth upon it the glorious light of the age, spoken of by the prophets, when "violence shall no more be heard in the land; wasting nor destruction within its borders; but judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field; and the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever."

It is high time to awake to practical effort. The church has thought too much of dogma, too little of practice. Perhaps preachers of religion have been somewhat to blame for this. Often their aim has been to teach the people to believe rightly rather than to act rightly. Sometimes engaging in the arduous and unnecessary labour of splitting theological hairs, to strengthen the prejudices of their hearers; instead of applying the practical precepts of Christ to their lives, to arouse them to practical righteousness; not showing the people their transgressions, nor the house of Jacob their sins. And sometimes their conduct in some quarters has been even more puerile and foolish than that: for there is certainly some degree of truth in what Mr. Froude said, the other day, in his address to the students of the University of St. Andrews: "We have had thirty years of unexampled clerical activity among us; the churches have been doubled; theological books, magazines, reviews, and newspapers have been poured out by the hundreds of thousands; while by the side of it there has sprung up an equally astonishing development of moral dishonesty. From the great houses in the City of London, to the village grocer, the commercial life of England has been saturated with fraud. So deeply has it gone, that a strictly honest tradesman can hardly hold his ground against competition. You can no longer trust that any article you buy is the thing which it pretends to be. We have false weights, false measures, cheating and shoddy everywhere. Yet the clergy have seen all this grow up in absolute indifference; and the great question which at this moment is agitating the Church of England is, the colour of the ecclesiastical petticoats." Brethren, let us see to it that we are clear of this folly. WM. OSBORNE LILLEY.

Biography.

SOME EVENTS IN THE LIFE OF THOMAS MITCHENER.

WRITTEN BY HIMSELF.

WITH A FEW CLOSING REMARKS BY MR. J. CLARKE.

I was born in Leckford, in the county of Hampshire, on the 18th July, 1786. My father was the blacksmith and farrier of the village, and also sexton and clerk of the church. At the early age of nine years, I was strongly impressed with the thoughts of death. Standing by a grave in the churchyard, and seeing a skull which had been thrown out, I took it up in my hand and examined it, and was struck with the solemn thought that I must die. The effect was instantaneous, producing dreadful fear—so much so, that after this I had no rest day or night: I felt that I was a sinner; and, unprepared to die, I could not tell what to do. My parents were members of the Church of England, but ignorant of gospel salvation, and, being unconverted, they could form no idea of what Was passing within my mind, or give me any instruction how to obtain