gentle, and peaceable, that all who see us may witness for us that we are the meek of the earth. We must

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not only be moderate, "but let our moderation be known.' We must shew our meekness not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward, for this is thank-worthy. So exceeding broad is the commandment, we must "shew all meekness to all men.' We must seek meekness." Zeph. ii. 3, "Seek ye the Lord all ye meek of the earth-seek meekness." Now the way prescribed for the attainment of meekness is to seek it. Ask it of God, pray for it, it is a grant of the Spirit, it is given by the God of all grace, and to him we must go for it. The God we address is called the God of patience and consolation, Rom xv. 5, and as such we must ask him when we come to him for grace to make us likeminded, i. e., meek and loving one towards another. God's people are, and should be, a generation of seekers, that covet the best gifts, and make their court to the best Giver, who never said to the wrestling seed of Jacob, "seek in vain," but hath given us an assurance firm enough for us to build upon, and rich enough for us to encourage ourselves with: "Seek and ye shall find."-MATTHEW Henry.

whence the vast frame of nature sprang! What stretch-
ed out the heavens, established the earth, sustained all
things! What turned the mighty wheels of providence
throughout all the successions of time! What order-
ed and changed times and seasons, chained up devils,
restrained the outrages of a tumultuous world, preserved
God's little flock! Especially what gave birth to the
new creation; what made hearts love God, embrace a
Saviour; what it was overcame their own, and made
them a willing people in that memorable day! And
what do we think of the ravishing aspects of his love?
When it shall now be open-faced and have laid aside its
veil; when his amiable smiles shall be chequered with
no intermingling frowns; the light of that pleasing
countenance be discerned by no intervening cloud;
when goodness, which is love issuing into benefaction
or doing good; grace, which adds freeness to good-
ness; mercy, which is grace towards the miserable,
shall conspire, in their distinct and variegated appear-
ances, to set off each other, and enhance the pleasure of
the admiring soul; when the wonted doubts shall cease,
and the difficulty vanish of reconciling fatherly severity
with love! When the full sense shall be unfolded to
the life of that description of the divine nature,
"God
is love," and the soul be no longer put to read the love
of God in his name, and shall not need to spell it by
letters and by syllables, but behold it in his very nature
itself, and see how intimately essential it is to the divine
being. Now is the proper season for the full exercise
and discovery of love. This day has been long expect-

it is now called forth, its senses bound, all its powers
it is now to take its fill of loves.-Howe.
inspirited on purpose for love, visions and enjoyments;

Christian Example.-How powerful is example! How blessed and beneficial is good example! If we speak of place, it extends from house to house, from village to village, from city to city, from nation to nation, and, by the grace of God, its blessings may cover the earth as the waters cover the channel of the sea; if we speak of time, it descends from age to age, from century to century, and by the divine blessing, theed, and lo! now it is dawned upon the awakening soul; lamp of wisdom may be handed down, and transmitted through successive eras till time shall be no longer. The light of an individual, of a family, of a community, fearing God and working righteousness, may shed a ray of blessedness on the ends of the earth, and on the most distant isles of the sea, and may shine on the last of the human race! Oh! were we Christians in deed, and in truth, our example, by a silent and powerful eloquence, would convince and confirm others with regard to the faith that is in Christ, and would turn many from darkness to light, from sin unto holiness. The word of God would sound out from us, as it did from the Thessalonians, and be heard in distant places; it would run freely, and be glorified from the rising to the setting

sun.

But if we are wicked and ungodly, cruel and revengeful, Sabbath-breakers and drunkards, fraudulent and overreaching, having our hearts full of guile, and our hands stained with the wages of iniquity and the gains of oppression; in vain shall we compass sea and land to make proselytes to our faith; in vain shall we mingle the fervours of our zeal with the fire of a vertical sun, or the frosts of a Polar sky. We might expect to hear from those whom we wished to convert, such language as this: "Who made thee a judge and a divider among us?" "Physician, cure thyself." Christian, "show me thy faith by thy works," "and then we may hearken more patiently to thy arguments."-WIGHT

MAN.

The blessedness of the Saints above.-How pleasant will the contemplation be of the divine wisdom! when in that glass, that mirror of eternity, we shall have the lively view of all that truth, the knowledge whereof can be any way possible and grateful to our natures! And in His light, see light! When all those vast treasures of knowledge, (Col. ii. 3,) which, already, by their alliance to Christ, saints are interested in, shall be opened to us; when the tree of knowledge shall be without enclosure; when the pleasure of speculation shall be without the toil, and that maxim be eternally antiquated, "that increased knowledge increases sorrow;" when the records of eternity shall be exposed to view, and all the counsels and results of that profaned wisdom looked into, how will it transport! How grateful to behold

No Middle course in Religion.-Often do we hear remiss professors strive to choke all forward holiness by commending the golden mean. A cunning discouragement; the devil's sophistry! The mean of virtue is between two kinds, not between two degrees. It is a mean grace that loves a mean degree of grace; yet this is the staff with which the world beats all that would be better than themselves. What! will you be singular,-walk alone? But were not the apostles singular in their walking, a spectacle to the world? Did not Christ call for this singularity, what do ye more than others? You that are God's peculiar people, will ye do no peculiar thing? Ye that are separate from the world, will ye keep the world's road? Must the name of a puritan dishearten us in the service of God? St. Paul said in his apology 'by that which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers;" and by that which profane ones call puritanism, which is indeed zealous devotion, so let my heart desire to serve Jesus Christ.-Old Puritan Writer.

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the Sun of Righteousness, the refreshing showers of Prayer. Prayer draws down the warming beams of the Spirit of Grace, beneath whose genial influence all the spiritual graces, which God's own hand has planted, expand in their fullest bloom, and diffuse all around the sweetest fragrance. Prayer, with outstretched arms, fetches from the inexhaustible reservoir above, those rich supplies of the oil of divine grace; fed by which, the Christian lamp of faith will burn with a steady and increasing brightness, till, having guided the believer through the journey of life,-cheered, by its gladdening ray, the gloom of the chamber of death; and even darted a bright gleam of heavenly light deep down into that dark valley, through which he must pass to the city of his God, it will there be absorbed in the blaze of light that burns around the throne; for in that city there is no candle nor lamp required, yea, "there is no need of the sun or moon to enlighten it, for the Lamb is the light thereof, and our God its glory!"-WHITE.

THE

SCOTTISH CHRISTIAN HERALD,

CONDUCTED UNDER THE SUPERINTENDENCE OF MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OF THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH.

"THE FEAR OF THE LORD, THAT IS WISDOM."

VOL. I. No. 17.

SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 1836.

ON THE WISDOM OF GOD, AS DISPLAYED IN
THE WORKS OF CREATION.

BY THE REV. DAVID WILLIAM GORDON,
Minister of Earlstoun.

PRICE 1d.

or of its glory through a long succession of ages. To the earth which we inhabit, the sun is appointed to rule by day, and while the earth's diurnal motion round its own axis produces vicissitude of day and night, so necessary to the preservation both of animal and of vegetable existence, its annual motion round the sun produces the change of seasons, by which we are regularly favoured with the sweetness of spring, the glory of summer, and the riches with which autumn, in its turn, adorns and blesses the year. Were the earth brought nearer to the sun, every living being would perish through excess of heat; were it placed at a greater distance, the same consequence would follow through excess of cold; so that the precise situation in which it is placed may furnish every one by whom this is considered, with a proof no less of the wisdom than the goodness of the Creator.

THOUGH the principal design of the Word of God is to instruct us in the knowledge of salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, yet it does not confine our attention to this glorious subject. It declares, that all the works of the Most High are great, and "will be sought out by such as take pleasure therein." And having told us, that "whoso is wise will observe these things," it not only presents to our serious consideration the amazing dispensations of providence, but directs us to the study of the divine attributes, as these are exhibited in external nature. It directs our thoughts to the fertile valley, to the lofty mountain, to the far resounding sea, to the moon as she sheds her silver But it is not the heavenly bodies alone, it is light upon the earth, and to the sun pouring forth also in the air, the waters and the dry land, that from his meridian height, the effulgence of sum- we are called to contemplate the wisdom of God. mer day. It speaks of the God of salvation as Every one knows how essentially necessary is the counting the number of the stars, and calling them element of air, to the existence of animal life. all by their names. It speaks of his saints as There are many, however, who have thought but considering the heavens, the work of his fingers, little of its properties, and it might therefore be the moon and the stars which he hath ordained. edifying for such persons to consider, in the words And it says to us all, "lift up your eyes on high, of a late philosopher, that the air is so conand behold who hath created these things, that structed as to support clouds for rain; to afford bringeth forth their host by number, by the great-winds, for health and traffic; to be proper for the ness of his might, for that he is strong in power," not one faileth. On lifting up our eyes to the heavens, we behold an order, a harmony, an adaptation of means to ends, all demonstrating the most perfect wisdom. We see in the magnificence of a cloudless night, the planets preserved in their circles, and impelled in their course, performing at certain distances, and in certain periods, their appointed revolutions, without collision, without confusion, without one moment's suspension of their movements, and without the slightest deviation from their respective paths. And then, when "the sun cometh forth from his chamber, rejoicing like a strong man to run his race,” then is made manifest the wisdom of God, in establishing this immense magazine of fire as the centre of attraction to the planets which move regularly round it, the source of light and of heat to them all, and undiminished in respect either of its influence

breath of animals by its spring, and for causing sound by its motion, and transmitting light by its transparency." Philosophers are unable to explain the cause of its motion, but to this, whatever be the more immediate cause, are to be ascribed, the refreshment afforded to lands which would otherwise be scorched with heat, the prevention or removal of pestilence in various parts of the world, together with the preparation made for sowing the seed in spring, and drying the corn in harvest. Some, on turning their eyes to the ocean, may be surprised at so great a part of the globe being occupied by what seems only a wide waste of water. But how different would be their thoughts of the spacious sea, did they reflect on the discoveries which men of science have made, since they would find, that were the proportion of water less than it is, the earth would be a parched up desert, unfit for the habitation of man.

Το

The

what do we owe those clouds, which, while they form in some countries an everlasting canopy from the heat of a tropical sun, descend in other regions to soften the earth with showers? To what do we owe the moisture of which the highest mountains are full, and the springs of water which support our existence, and the rivers which enrich the land? We owe all these to the ocean, which, in addition to these advantages, is also one of the principal bonds of union among all the nations of the world. Nor are we furnished with less memorable proofs of divine wisdom by turning to the earth which we inhabit. The mountains which diversify its surface, affording a much greater variety of herbs, of shrubs, and even of animals, than could possibly be found in one uni-veloping those manly and amiable principles for which he form plain; the riches to be found in its bowels; the quality of the soil, fitted to produce grass for cattle and corn for the service of man; the tree, providing, by the seed contained in it, for the renewal of its existence; the beasts of the field, providing with unerring instinct, for the purposes for which they were formed; the industry, the order, the regular government, the perfect accuracy both of arrangement and of structure, distinguishing the insect by which honey is prepared to gratify our taste with its sweetness; these are as complete attestations of divine wisdom, as the order with which the heavenly bodies perform their everlasting rounds. And how can we seriously meditate either on the soul or on the body of man, without feeling ourselves constrained to adore the wisdom of God? Did we think on the soul as

capable of surveying the ample stores of the earth, the sea, and the firmament, capable of recollecting the past, of anticipating the future, of discovering truths the most profound in every department of science, and of transmitting the acquisitions it has made to generations yet unborn; did we think on the comely proportions of the body, on the adaptation of its various parts to the uses for which they were designed, on the beautiful and amazing instruments of hearing and of sight; did we consider that a slight alteration in the structure of the eye, would make every ray of light be felt like devouring fire; did we reflect that a slight change in the structure of the ear would make every sound like the deafening roar of a cataract, and that a similar change in the nervous system, would make every touch like the stab of a sword; we would surely join with the Psalmist in saying, "we will praise Thee, O Lord, for we are fearfully and wonderfully made. O Lord, how manifold are Thy works in wisdom hast Thou made them all."

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF
CHRISTIAN F. GELLERT.
BY THOMAS BROWN, ESQ.,
Author of the " Reminiscences of an Old Traveller

throughout different parts of Europe." CHRISTIAN FURChtegott GelleRT was born at Haynichen in Saxony, in the year 1715, and was one of a family of thirteen children. His father was pastor of the Church at Haynichen, of which he had long had the

second charge, and where he died, at the age of 75,
after bringing up his numerous offspring as useful mem-
interesting person more immediately the object of this
bers of society, upon a very moderate income.
Memoir, was noticed at a nearly period of life by a friend
of the family, whose philanthropy and benevolence were
manifested towards them in many instances, and parti.
cularly in forwarding the views of young Gellert, who
was placed at one of the public schools, where he ac-
quired a knowledge of different languages, and of vari-
ous branches of learning, so as to qualify him for the
Church, to which he was destined. He soon became
convinced of the necessity of great personal exertion, and
of the importance of accustoming himself to hardships
and privations. This, at so early a period, was soon
attended with the best effects, and had the most sa-
lutary influence in forming his character, and in de-
was afterwards distinguished. He always reverted to
the kindness and zeal of his first teachers with the
strongest feelings of gratitude. At the age of eleven,
in order to defray his little expenses, he amused himself
with writing contracts of sale and various legal documents,
and at a later period he humorously observed, that his
native city could boast of more of these specimens of
his early studies, than the world possessed of his works
of a later date. At thirteen he first shewed his taste
for poetry, without either having had the advantages of
a liberal education, or having profited by extensive read-
ing. He therefore entered on his career with considerable
diffidence; and it was not till his second journey to Leip-
zig, that he became more extensively acquainted with
men of taste and learning, and his talents began to shine
forth with peculiar lustre. The government schools in
Saxony were admirably suited to form the young mind for
the last polish at a university, and it was at one of those at
Meissen where Gellert stored his mind with the Greek
and Latin languages; perused with avidity the most
celebrated German poets, and where he lived in inti-
macy with Gärtner and Rabener. Gellert's weakness
of constitution began at this period to shew itself. Af-
ter attending his studies at Meissen for five years, he
returned to his father's roof to prepare himself for the
academy.

While at Leipzig, in 1784, he attended the lectures After the lapse of four years he returned to his father, of Hofmann, Jochern, Christen, Kappen and others. and at this period he mounted the pulpit as a preacher, to assist his parent in his parish duties. His first appearance in public (according to his own account of the circumstance) was rather singular. A neighbour had asked him to baptise his child, which, soon after the ceremony, expired. The young pastor was desirous of delivering a funeral sermon on the occasion. The child was to be interred at twelve o'clock. At eight on the day of the funeral, Gellert began to compose his discourse, and then to draw up an epitaph, after which he had to study and prepare himself for an extempore delivery. On commencing session suddenly forsook him, when he was relieved the third head of the sermon, his memory and self-posfrom his embarrassment by referring to his notes, which fortunately were at hand; his indulgent hearers attri buting his state of mind to sympathy and grief for the loss of the child. He takes occasion, in this instance, to warn young divines against the consequences of over anxiety and precipitation; and the circumstance gave his character a stamp of diffidence and timidity, which accompanied him through life. From this early period his unassuming manners, unaffected piety, and ardent zeal in disseminating the great and important truths of religion, made a deep impression on his hearers, and tended more and more to increase their esteem and respect. The interest he took in his professional duties, which he followed up with redoubled ardour, however amiable and