made of coral, or of pearls; for the price of WISDOM, is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold. Whence then cometh WISDOM? and where is the place of UNDERSTANDING ?—Behold, the FEAR of the LORD, that is WISDOM; and to depart from evil is UNDERSTANDING.

If such is the value of WISDOM, the search will undoubtedly repay the labour. But, have we any assurance that the inestimable treasure may be found? The Wisest of men will answer to our satisfaction: My son, if thou wilt receive my words; and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thy ear unto WISDOM, and apply thine heart to UNDERSTANDING: yea, if thou criest after KNOWLEDGE, and liftest up thy voice for UNDERSTANDING; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of GOD-thou shalt understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. All this implies the greatest possible attention to our religious concerns.

With these fine sentiments I take my leave, commending you to GOD, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, if you will submit to its authority, and to give you an inheritance among all them that are sanctified. If you are right, in your present state of mind, may you continue in the right way to the end of your days, and increase and abound therein more and more. I think, however, you should be extremely cautious how you contradict and blaspheme what so many wise and good men esteem the truth of GOD, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets-Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish !-Speaking modestly, your situation is not altogether without danger. It is impossible you should be perfectly satisfied that all is as you could wish *.

"Since then we die but

once, and after death Our state no alteration knows,

But when we have resign'd our breath

Th' immortal spirit goes

To endless joys, or everlasting woes;

Wise is the man, who labours to secure

That mighty and important stake,

*He was no inconsiderable man who said, "To doubt of the

Gospel is folly, to reject it is madness."

JORTIN'S Sermons, vol. 4. p. 111.

And by all methods strives to make

His passage safe, and his reception sure."

As to myself, I am thoroughly satisfied with that God, that REDEEMER, and that SANCTIFIER which the Christian Scriptures hold out to the view and acceptance of mankind. I am perfectly pleased with those Scripturest, and with all

Let the sceptical reader consult Dr. ROBERTSON, the Historian's, very sensible Discourse on the Situation of the World at the Time of CHRIST'S Appearance, and its Connection with the Success of his Religion. A conscientious reader cannot fail of being edified by such a discourse.

† When I have spoken above in such strong terms of the volume of Revelation, it is by no means intended to cast any slight upon the volume of Nature. While we daily study the former, we shall do well to pay all due attention to the latter, according to our opportunities of investigation. To an enlightened observer, they both carry indubitable marks of their great original. The heavens declare the glory of GoD, and the earth is full of his riches. The most perfect catalogue of stars, before the present ingenious and indefatigable Dr. HERSCHEL appeared, did not contain quite 5,000; but by the vast superiority of his glasses, he hath discovered 44,000 stars in a few degrees of the heavens*; and by the same proportion it is supposed, that 75,000,000 are exposed in the expanse to human investigation t. All these stars are of a fiery nature, and conjec tured to be so many suns with their systems of planets moving round them. We know the sun to be the centre of our system. It is accompanied with 19 planets, besides about 450 comets. What an amazing idea does this give us of the works of GOD! And if such is the Work, what must the WORKMAN be!

Every part of nature, moreover, with which we are acquainted, is full of living creatures, with stores of every kind to supply their ne cessities. This little globe of ours is known to contain within its bowels a great variety of valuable minerals, and to be covered with about 20,000 different species of vegetables, 3,000 species of worms, 12,000 species of insects, 200 species of amphibious animals, 550 species of birds, 2,600 species of fish, and 200 species of quadrupeds. How immense then must be the number of individuals! One fly is found to bring forth 2000 at a time, and a single cod-fish to produce considerably more than three millions and a half of young. Nay, LEEWENHOEK tells us, that there are more animals in the milt of a single cod-fish, than there are men upon the whole earth. Over all these creatures preside upwards of 730 millions

* See the Dissertations of Dr. HERSCHEL, relative to this brilliant portion of the heavens, in the Philosophical Transactions.

+ JEROME DE LALANDE, Director of the French Observatory, supposes at a glass of HERSCHEL's powers may discover 90 millions of stars in the whole surface of the heavens, and that even this number is but small, in comparison of what exists. Monthly Mag. for Oct. 1798. p. 265.

the divine dispensations therein recorded. Our God hath
done, is doing, and will do all things well. It is altogether fit
he should govern his own world, and bow the rebellious nations
to his sway. The present degenerate state of Christendom is
too disgraceful to his government, to be permitted to continue
beyond the predicted period. He will, therefore, arise and
of human beings. Such is the family of the GREAT FATHER here
upon earth! And when it is considered that the earth itself, with
all its furniture, is no more, when compared with the whole system
of things, than a single grain of sand, when compared with a huge
mountain, we are lost in the immensity of God's works, and con-
strained to cry out, LORD, what is man, that thou art mindful of
him, or the son of man, that thou visitest him! And if to this im-
mensity of the works of creation, we add the admirable structure of
the whole, and the exquisite perfection of every part, we shall not
fail of being exceedingly affected with the ineffable wisdom of the
DIVINE ARCHITECT. To bring this consideration more within the
grasp of human comprehension, let us take, as it were, to pieces, and
examine the several parts of any one creature which GOD hath made;
and we shall find a perfection among its several powers, and an
adaptation to its situation in the grand scale of existence, far surpass-
ing human skill.
Let the most perfect anatomist, that ever existed,
make his observations upon the human frame; let him examine
with the greatest possible attention the tout ensemble of the struc-
ture; then let him proceed to the several parts, of which the micro-
cosm is composed; first, the powers of the mind; the understand-
ing, the will, the memory, the conscience, and the various affections:
next the five senses; the touch, the taste, the smell, the hearing,
and the sight: afterwards let him proceed to the several fluids of the
body; and then to the 300 bones, the 40 different sorts of glands,
the 466 muscles, the 40 pair of nerves, the fibres, the membranes,
the arteries, the veins, the lymphæducts, the excretory vessels, the
tendons, the ligaments, the cartilages; and let him explore the
whole and every part with the greatest degree of accuracy, know-
ledge, and judgment, that ever centered in man; and then let him
honestly say whether he could suggest the smallest improvement in
any one respect. If he were an Atheist before such investigation,
like the celebrated GALEN, he would be converted to the belief of
the DIVINE EXISTENCE, would compose a hymn in praise of
the CREATOR of the world, and sing with the great Progenitor of man-
kind:

"These are thy glorious works, PARENT of good;
Almighty, thine this universal frame,

Thus wondrous fair; THYSELF how wondrous then!
Unspeakable! who sitt'st above these heav'ns,

To us invisible, or dimly seen

In these thy lowest works; yet these declare

Thy goodness beyond thought, and pow'r divine,"

T

plead his own cause, and all the wickedness of men, and the convulsions and distress of nations, shall wind up to his eternal credit. The LORD is King, be the people never so impatient; he sitteth between the Cherubim, be the earth never so unquiet. His Gospel is no other than the plan devised by infinite wisdom for the melioration of mankind. The immortal seed is sown; the principle of life has vegetated; the little leaven is diffusing itself far and wide. Much has been done; much is doing; much Ishall be done Millions of reasonable creatures have already found eternal rest in consequence of the REDEEMER's dying love: multitudes of souls at this moment are happy in their own bosoms under a sense of the divine favour: and innumerable myriads of men shall arise, believing in his name, trusting in his mediation, and rejoicing in his salvation, maugre all the opposition of fallen Christians and apostate spirits. Wise and gracious is the DIVINE BEING in all his ways, and I rejoice that he is the GOVERNOUR among the people. To his service I avowedly devote my feeble powers, as long as he shall vouchsafe me the exercise of them; nor will I cease to speak the honours of his MAJESTY while the breath continues to actuate this mortal frame. And,

"When even at last the solemn hour shall come,
And wing my mystic flight to future worlds,
I cheerful will obey; there, with new powers,
Will rising wonders sing: I cannot go

Where UNIVERSAL LOVE not smiles around,
Sustaining all yon orbs, and all their suns,
From seeming Evil still educing Good,
And Better thence again, and Better still
In infinite progression.-But I lose
Myself in HIM, in LIGHT INEFFABLE!
Come then, expressive silence, muse His praise."