he proves, that a man is justified by his works, and not by faith only: that is, a man is not justified by a bare belief in the divine mission of Christ, or by a bare reliance in him for salvation; that faith must be accompanied by obedience, or it will be ineffectual to salvation that is, "faith without works is dead." And both Apostles refer to the same act to support their arguments, viz. to the act of Abraham offering up his son Isaac, in obedience to the divine command. St. Paul points out the patriarchs' faith in the promises of God, which led him to sacrifice his only son, in obedience to his commands, and which faith justified him in the sight of God.

St. James refers to the act itself, as the evidence of the sincerity of his faith, and which act justified1 him in the sight of men. Thus then are faith and works separated in the business of justification, but they are united in the lives of justified persons, And thus, while we, in conjunction with our excellent church, consider justification, by faith only, to be a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort to the humble and penitent believer yet do we most strenuously insist on good works, as the necessary concomitants of faith," inasmuch as that they do spring out, necessarily of a true and lively faith, and are the evidence whereby men are alone able to judge of its real existence in the heart, even as they distinguish the nature of a tree by the fruit which it produces."

ON WORKS DONE BEFORE JUSTIFICATION.

THIS subject necessarily involves a question of considerable moment, in reference to those who have not as yet enjoyed the blessing of living under the,

Gospel dispensation. "Their works being done before the grace of Christ, and the inspiration of his spirit," it has been asked, what will be their condition in a future state? If men can be saved without the Gospel, where is the motive of missionary efforts? or rather, where was the necessity for the death and sufferings of Christ? If it is asked by some-if there can be salvation in any way independent of that revealed to us in the scriptures of truth, do not the sacrifice and atonement of the Redeemer, seem unnecessary? and, is not the obligation that lies upon us to promote the extension of his kingdom, by enlightening the nations of the earth, and diffusing amongst them the gospel of the ever-blessed God, materially weakened, if not entirely destroyed? These are questions on which men may differ with safety, and in the spirit of love; still, it is a subject not very distantly connected with Christian conduct.

The following seems to the writer to be the doctrine of his Bible. God, doubtless, "will have all men to be saved," but it must be by coming unto the knowledge of the truth.* All nations must be taught and baptized into the name of the ever-blessed Trinity. Jesus Christ must be preached unto all people for the obedience of faith. "There is no salvation in any other: for there is no other name under Heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.”+. He that believeth shall be saved. But how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard ?" Safely commending, therefore, the unenlightened and heathen nations to the mercy and justice of God, let us prize our own privileges, and "fear, leșt a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of us should seem to come short of it." We should gird up our loins, and " give all diligence to make onr calling and election sure."

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* i. Tim. ii. 4. Acts iv. 4.

Freely having received, freely. should we give, and communicate to all around us, and to other distant lands, that knowledge which we possess, and which is able to save our souls. Having received greater talents, a greater improvement of them will be expected at our hands, and a strict account of their employment, will be required of us. Instead, therefore, of inquiring, with the disciples of old, whether a few or many shall be saved, rather be it our determination to strive to "enter in at the straight gate," since "straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth into life, and few there are who find it."

SCRIPTURE ELUCIDATED.

UNDER this head it is proposed, from time to time, to discuss particular passages of Scripture, in which there appears any difficulty; or to elucidate the manners and customs of the Bible, by reference to the local habits and history of the east. The enquiries of correspondents, on any points, either of faith or Christian conduct, in reference to particular portions of the Bible, will, under this head, be regularly discussed and answered.

And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo! in her mouth was an olive leaf.-Gen. viii 11.

Dr. Chandler supposes that the olive groves are the principal places for the shooting of birds; and he observes, in his travels in Greece, that when the olive blackens, vast flights of doves, pigeons, thrushes, and other birds, repair to the olive groves for food: the connection therefore between Noal's dove and al olive leaf is not at all unnatural.

The top of the "olive-tree might alone, possibly, be in view of the place where the ark was then floating, though it is a tree of only middling height; but if the dove saw a great number of other trees appear above the water, it was natural for it to repair to olive-trees, where it had been wont to shelter itself, preferably to others, according to this account. As to branches of olives being used afterwards as symbols of peace, that could be nothing to Noah, as, most probably, the associating the idea of reconciliation and peace with an olive branch was the work of after times.

Herod's Jealously.-Matthew. ii. 3.

The Greek and Roman classics may not only be illustrated by eastern customs and manners, but these classics may, in their turn, illustrate matters of great importance in the sacred writings. The consternation into which Herod was thrown on the report of the eastern magi, as mentioned Matt, xi. 3. was probably occasioned by the agreement of their report with an opinion predominant in the east, and especially in Judea, that some great personage should soon appear, to whom universal empire should be given. The Jews of course expected this person in their promised Messiah; the Romans applied it to one of their Emperors. Suetonius and Tacitus, both eminent Roman historians, mention this general persuasion. Their words are very remarkable: "An ancient and settled persuasion prevailed throughout the east, that the fates had decreed that some should come from Judea who should attain universal empire. This persuasion, which the event proved to respect the Roman Emperor, the Jews applied to themselves, and therefore rebelled." The words of Tacitus are nearly similar: says he, "Many were persuaded that it was contained, in the ancient books of the priests, that at that very time the east should prevail, and that some should proceed

from Judea, and possess the dominion. It was Vespasian and Titus that were predicted by these ambiguous prophecies." The prevalence of this opinion at once accounts for the perturbation, jealously, and cruelty of Herod.

The description which Isaiah gives of the harbinger of Christ is as follows: "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight and the rough places plain." Ch. xl.

3. 4.

The idea here is evidently taken from the practice of eastern monarclis, who, whenever they entered upon an expedition, or took a journey through a desert country, sent harbingers before them to prepare all things for their reception, and pioneers to open the passes, to level the ways, and to remove all impediments. The officers appointed to superintend such preparations, the Latins called Shatores.

The account given by Diodorus Siculus of the march of Semiramis into Media and Persia, will give us a clear notion of the preparations of the way for a royal expedition. From thence she marched towards Ecbatana, and came to the mountain called Zarkeum, which, extending many furlongs, and being full of craggy precipices and deep hollows, could not be passed without making a long circuitous route. Being desirous, therefore, of leaving an immortal monument of herself, as well as to make a shorter way, she ordered the precipices to be cut down, and the hollow places to be filled up with earth; and, at a great expense, she made a plain open road, which to this day is called the road of Semiramis. Afterwards, she made a progress through Persia, and all her other dominions in Asia, and wherever she came she ordered the