To observe seasons of retire, ment is a compliance with the duty, enjoined by our divine Teacher, of "entering into the closet and of shutting the door. " The object of such retirement is meditation, prayer and self-acquaintance; a privilege which has been sought by the true friends of God in every age of the world. Of the patriarch Isaac we read, that " he went out to meditate in the field at the even-tide.” Jacob, under his troubles, was alone, all night, wrestling in prayer. David, as appears from his writings, was often employed in thinking on his own ways; or in reviewing his life and examining his heart, To such precious seasons he alluded, when he penned the following words, in the 77th Psalm: "In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Thou holdest my eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient

my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart; and my spirit made diligent search." And in another Psalm: "I thought on my ways,and turned my feet unto thy testimonies. I made haste, and delayed not, to keep thy commandments." Had not this pious man, amidst all his cares, reserved some time to commune with his own heart, he would have lived and died, like most other men, a stranger to himself. At the close of an active and laborious life, he might have taken up the sad lamentation, They made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.

But, we have a brighter example than that of David, or of the patriarchs. The Saviour of the world had his seasons of withdrawing from the multitude, who thronged around him to hear his instructions, and even from the disciples who composed his particular family, that he might commune with God and his own heart. This he viewed an important part of his duty, and, by his example, he has enjoined the same on all his friends.

The hours of retirement and self-examination, which have now been represented to be so important, will, however, fail of being important to those who observe them, unless they are rightly improved. At such seasons, we must have God's holy law in our view. Can we weigh our characters, without having recourse to some standard? The great standard, or test of character, is the divine law. Every character is viewed by the

Searcher of hearts to be bad or good, according to this standard. This, therefore, we ought to care ry with us to our closets, and places of retirement. Into this we ought carefully to look, as in to a glass, that we may know what manner of persons we are. The law, in all its strictness and purity, should be imprinted on our minds. How expressive of a strong attachment to the divine law are the following words of David, "O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day." It appears that the law was his delight, not because he expected to obtain salvation by it, but because he saw it to be holy. He loved its perfection and purity. Though by this standard, he stood condemned, yet he was inclined to weigh himself by it; and the more faithfully he attended to this, the greater sense he had of his own imperfection and vileness. He saw the commandment to be exceedingly broad. With all this the experience of the apostle Paul perfectly corresponds. "I had not known sin (said he) but by the law for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died."

:

From the united testimony of these inspired men, David and Paul, we learn that all, who have been brought to see themselves to be sinners, have gained this knowledge by looking into God's holy law. Many, doubtless, have their seasons of re

tirement and meditation, who remain exceedingly ignorant of themselves, because when they have entered their closets, they have always neglected to take the divine law with them. Were they now to do this, and to be faithful in comparing themselves with this standard, their imagined attainments in religion might possibly vanish like the morning dew, before the rising sun; and they might tremble as king Josiah did, when he heard the words of the book of the law, which had long been lost. While men suffer themselves to be ignorant of the law, they feel very whole, and practically say, that they stand in no need of a physician.

To obtain a knowledge of our. selves, we must also carefully compare our feelings and prac tice with the requirements of the gospel. The gospel, it is true, is good news to sinners. But, does it promise any good to sinners, who remain impenitent? Does it countenance men in their sins? No; the requirements of the gospel are strict, and, like the law, which we have been considering, they try the hearts of men. The language of the gospel is, "He that believeth shall be saved." An 10finite favour is here promised, on a certain condition. The condition is, that we renounce all dependence on our own strength, acknowledge ourselves to be in a helpless and hopeless condition, and that we embrace, with our hearts, the all-perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. Without that faith, which implies all this, what benefit are we to expect from the gospel? None at all; for the gospel, considered

Besides; the gospel presents to us many crosses, which we must daily take up, or lose our souls. Speaking on this subject, our divine Saviour said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."

With these views of the gospel we should enter our closets, and solemnly ask ourselves, as in the presence of God, whether we have complied with the conditions. If, on examination, we find that our faith is not of that kind, which leads to purity of life, and which influences us to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep ourselves unspotted from the world, what does it profit? If we find, that our religion does not consist in self-denial; if it does not make us feel interested in the honour and glory of the divine Redeemer; if it does not make us prize the worship of God in his house, in our families and in our closets; what important end do we expect will be answered by it? The gospel is represented by its divine Author to be a test of character. Men are to know themselves by

Therefore it is written, " Every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But, he that doeth truth, cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."

If the wicked obtain any con→ viction of their ruined state, it must take place in consequence of comparing themselves with the pure oracles of God, with the law and the gospel. And if Christians are brought to have any just sight of their many imperfections, to lie low before God, and to feel the necessity of struggling against sin, they will attain to this, by retiring from the world, and studying the word of God with self-application, and with particular reference to the state of their own souls. Convicted of the greatness of their danger, and of the magnitude of their wants, they are constrained to cry for help, as the publican did; not mentioning their own good deeds, but saying, "God be merciful to us sinners." No longer do they say in their hearts, that their farms, their flocks, their merchandize and their earthly companions call so loudly for their attention, that God must be put off, and eternal concerns dispensed with; no longer do they say, "To-morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant ;" but, they make haste, and delay not, to keep the divine commandments.

H.

ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE ATONEMENT.

In a Series of Letters to a Friend.

(Continued from page 515.J

LETTER III.

The Doctrine illustrated, proved, and defended from Scripture.

DEAR SIR,

Ir is asserted that, when Christ is said to have borne our griefs and sins, the word in the original sometimes signifies merely to take away. We need not then imagine that our sins, guilt, and punishment were laid on him, or borne by him, but only that he freed us from them, or took them away from

ús.

I answer, though the word here used may sometimes bear the sense here mentioned; yet Socinus himself owns that the phrase, bearing of sins and sorrows, commonly means bearing them, as a burden is borne, or suffering under them. This is evidently the meaning of the threatening, which so often occurs in Scripture against transgressors," He shall bear his iniquity." Grotius, one of the most learned critics, says, that in the language of the Scriptures, bearing of sins always signifies bearing the guilt or suffering the punishment of them. I cannot find that it ever has a different meaning. That the phrase is to be so understood in this place, is plainly intimated and implied, when it is said, "The Lord laid our iniquities upon him." This heavy burden, which would have crushed and sunk the world, was laid upon him, that he might bear it, and so free us from it.

The prophet has also declared, that this was his meaning. Having said of Christ, "He hath borne our griefs," he adds, " and carried our sorrows ;" and afterwards, "He shall justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities." Here a different word is used in the Hebrew [sabal] which always signifies to carry a load. Christ carried our sorrows and iniquities, when he was wounded, bruised, and chastized or punished for our sins. St. Peter also says, that " He bare our sins." (the guilt and punishment of them)" in his own body on the tree." He freed us from the burden of our guilt by taking it upon himself, and making satisfaction for it on the cross.

But the words of Matthew are objected, who speaks of Christ's healing the sick, as a fulfilment of the words of Esaias, "Himself took our infirmities, and bear our sicknesses." Christ did not transfer the diseases of the sick to himself, but healed them; and so took them away. This shows how the words of the prophet were understood, and applied by the evangelist. I answer; the words of the prophets are in the New Testament sometimes applied by way of allusion, or accommodation, to events, which the prophets did not primarily and chiefly mean. Dr. Clark accordingly observes, that, though the original meaning of Esaias is the same with that of the apostle, when he said, "Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many;" yet the words of the prophet might also be accommodated to Christ's healing the sick, and in that sense be said to be fulfilled or verified. Besides, it