pressed and afflicted, spit upon and buffetted, and at length crucified as the vilest malefactor? did he abo lish death, burst the barriers of the tomb, triumphantly ascend to the mansions of glory, leading captivity captive, and is he now seated as King upon his holy hill of Zion, possessing all the fulness of the Godhead, and qualified to bestow gifts to men? and after all will he withhold from his sincere followers, those blessings of glory which he has purchased at so dear a rate?

J. Ousey.

WHAT Would the life of man be without hope? Remove it, and you take away at once the relish of prosperity, and the support and solace of adversity. Let the tide of prosperity run ever so high, and flow with unebbing fulness, ever so long, if the hope of its continuance be destroyed, it is instantly deprived of all its power to satisfy. Let the prosperous man be certainly assured, that his prosperity is to last but one day longer; that at the close of so short a time its springs are to be dried up, and he is to be left in all the dreariness of universal desolation; would that day, think you, be enjoyed by him? No; the extinction of hope would be the extinction of joy. And, oh! what would adversity be without hope? This is the last lingering light of the human bosom, that continues to shine when every other has been extinguished. Quench it, and the gloom of affliction becomes the very blackness of darkness cheerless and impenetrable.

Wardlaw.

LOVE, A DIVINE PRINCIPLE.

THE essential element of religion is love. But how could I love the being who was a tyrant; the stern interrupter of my lawful enjoyment; and who, reversing the statement of scripture, desired that his creatures should perish? The discovery of God as a father, is constantly the turning point in religion. Suppose that we should discover some individual, whom we had conceived to be a mere stranger, to be a long-lost parent, how would this indifference of the heart melt into love! And when the soul makes a similar discovery, with regard to God, the frost of indifference dissolves, and the heart surrenders itself at once and altogether to his service. One is your Father, which is in heaven. To believe this truth, as explained and illustrated by the Gospel; to value it, and to act upon it; is genuine religion. God, my reconciled Father in Christ; then I must love, and trust, and cheerfully and unequivocally serve him. Is the Father in heaven? then I must mingle reverence with affection, and tremble at his displeasure, even when I repose upon his love. Is one only my Father? then I must oppose no authority to his; I must admit none to wield his sceptre, or to occupy his throne, in my soul; I must obey God rather than man. Lord, we have too long halted between two opinions. Come, thou that art the Father of our spirits, come and dwell in us, and rule in us. Wash us with the blood of atonement, sanctify us by the Spirit of truth, clothe us with the white robe of the Redeemer's righteousness, and give us at once the adoption and the disposition of sons, the delightful portion of those who are admitted to be heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.

Cunningham.

CHARITY

TRUE charity is the fruit of the Divine Spirit; it is the product of Omnipotent love; it is excited by the sense of our obligation to Divine benevolence it is love to man, associated with the feelings of love to God. Real charity is never found but in connexion with faith, and hope, and holiness. It is divine in its origin, for God is its author; it is spiritual in its nature, for the beloved Son is its subject; it is evangelical in its motive, for the love of Christ constraineth the heart, possessed of this principle, to cherish it; it is comprehensive in its object, for it embraces the eternal interest of man; extending beyond the narrow limits of time, it encompasses eternity; it is permanent in its operation, leading the mind to be "steadfast and immoveable;" and it is persevering in its energy, leading the man who possesses it, "always to abound in the work of the Lord."

J. Fletcher.

PATIENCE.

LET me set before you, in one view, the incomparable excellencies and advantages of this lovely grace of patience. Patience then commends us to God, and keeps us his. Patience is the guardian of faith, the preserver of peace, the cherisher of love, the teacher of humility: patience governs the flesh, strengthens the spirit, sweetens the temper, stifles anger, extinguishes envy, subdues pride; she bridles the tongue, refrains the hand, tramples upon temptations, endures persecutions, consummates martyrdom; patience produces

unity in the church, loyalty in the state, harmony in families and societies; she comforts the poor, and moderates the rich; she makes us humble in prosperity, cheerful in adversity, unmoved by calumny and reproach; she teaches us to forgive those who have injured us, and to be the first in asking forgiveness of those whom we have injured; she delights the faithful, she invites the unbelieving; she adorns the woman, and approves the man; is loved in a child, praised in a young man, admired in an old man; she is beautiful in either sex, and every age. Behold her appearance and her attire. Her countenance is calm and serene as the face of heaven, unspotted by the shadow of a cloud, and no wrinkle of grief or anger is seen in her forehead. Her eyes are as the eyes of doves for meekness, and on her eye-brows sit cheerfulness and joy. Her mouth is lovely in silence; her complexion and colour that of innocence and security; while, like the virgin, the daughter of Sion, she shakes her head at the adversary, despising and laughing him to scorn. She is clothed in the robes of the martyrs, and in her hand she holds a sceptre in the form of a Cross. She rides not in the whirlwind and stormy tempest of passion, but her throne is the humble and contrite heart, and her kingdom is the kingdom of peace.

Horne's Sermons.

SELF REFLECTION.

To candid, reasonable men, I am not afraid to lay open what have been the inmost thoughts of my heart. I have thought, "I am a creature of a day, passing through life, as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit, come from God, and returning to God: just

hovering over the great gulph; till a few moments hence, I am no more seen; I drop into an unchangeable eternity! I want to know one thing-the way to heaven: how to land safe on that happy shore. God himself has condescended to teach the way; for this very end he came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. O give me that book! At any price give me the book of God! I have it: here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be homo unius libri (a man of one book.) Here then I am, far from the busy ways of men. I sit down alone: only God is here. In his presence I open, I read his book; for this end to find the way to heaven. Is there a doubt concerning the meaning of what I read? Does any thing appear dark or intricate? I lift up my heart to the Father of Lights. Lord, is it not in thy word, "If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God?" Thou "givest liberally and upbraidest not." Thou hast said, "If any be willing to do thy will, he shall know." I am willing to do it, let me know thy will. I then search after and consider parallel passages of Scripture, "comparing spiritual things with spiritual." I meditate thereon, with all the attention and earnestness of which my mind is capable. If any doubt still remain, I consult those who are experienced in the things of God: and then, the writings whereby being dead, they yet speak. And what thus I learn, that I teach.

J. Wesley.

SELF EXAMINATION.

We live in an age, and in a place, in which we are peculiarly called on to be jealous of ourselves. The reproach of the cross has, in some degree, ceased