deplorable. While he is sunk in the mass himself, he has no perception of his state: but, when he begins to emerge, he looks down with amazement. He sees but little, however, of its abomination; because he has still an affinity with the evil.

HUMAN nature is like the sea, which gains by the flow of the tide in one place, what it has lost by the ebb in another. A man may acquiesce in the method which God takes to mortify his pride; but he is in danger of growing proud of the mortification: and so in other cases.

ON THE

NEED OF GRACE.

THERE is something so remarkable in the genius and spirit of the Gospel, that it is not to be understood by any force of speculation and investigation! Baxter attempted this method, and found it vain. The state of the heart has the chief influence, in the search after truth. Humility, contrition, simplicity, sanctity-these are the handmaids of the understanding in the investigation of religion.

How is it that some men labour in divine things night and day, but labour in vain? How is it that men can turn over the Bible from end to end, to support errors and heresies-absurdities and blasphemies? They take not the SPIRIT with the WORD. A spiritual understanding must be givena gracious perception—a right taste.

"if

"A VERY extraordinary thing" said one, if I, who have read the Bible over and over in the original languages-have studied it day and night -and have written criticisms and comments on it: a very extraordinary thing that I should not be able to discover that meaning in the Scriptures, which is said to be so plain that a way-faring man though a fool shall not err in discovering it!" And so it is extraordinary till we open this Bible; and there we see the fact explained. The man who approaches the word of God in his own wisdom, shall not find what the fool shall discover under the teaching of divine wisdom: For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent -and God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.

GOD, in his Providence, seems to make little account of the measures and contrivances of men, in accomplishing his designs. He will do the work, and his hand will be seen in the doing of it, We are obliged to wait for the tide. When that flows, and the wind sets in fair, let us hoist the sails. When the tide has left a ship on the beach, an army may attempt to move it in vain; but, when she is floated by the water, a small force moves her. We must wait for openings in Provi

dence. In this light I view the darkness of the Heathen World. Let us follow every apparent leading of Providence, in our endeavours to communicate light to the Heathen; but, still, the opening and the whole work must be of God. Thousands, indeed, hear the Gospel, who are no more impressed by it than though they were Heathens. The minds of some men will stand as it were a regular blockade, and yet yield to a side-blow-sit unchanged under a searching ministry, and yet fall beneath a casual word. I know such cases. We might account, indeed, for them, in some measure, as philosophers. The mind, which plants itself against and repels the formal and avowed attacks of the preacher, may be surprized by a hint addressed, perhaps, to another: yet, after all, the whole work is of God. We may make very little, therefore, of the vehicle. The Gospel-the wants of men-the indisposition of the heart- and the mighty power of God-are always and universally the same. By whatever vehicle God conveys that mighty energy, which disposes man to find the relief of his wants in the Gospel, HE still is the worker. It is a divine operation of God's Holy Spirit. If God would raise up Heathen Princes with the spirit of Peter the Great or Kouli Khan, and send them forth under the powerful influence of Christianity to proselyte their subjects, we might expect the

end to be accomplished: but this is a scheme suited to our littleness, and not to Him, whose thoughts are not as our thoughts, and whose ways are not as our ways.

A LADY proposed to me a case, which seemed to her to decide against those views of religion called evangelical. She knew a most amiable girl, who was respectful and attentive to her parents, and engaging and lovely to all connected with her who had, however, no objection to seeing a play; and had certainly nothing of that, which she knew I should call religion: but she asked if I could believe that God would condemn such a character to everlasting misery. Many persons view things in this way. They set themselves up to dictate to God what should be done, on points which he only can determine. If these persons are ever cured of this evil, it must probably be in some such way as that by which it pleased God to teach Job. Job could assert his integrity and his character against the arguments of his friends; but, when God asked Where wast thou, when I laid the foundations of the earth? Job prostrates his soul with this declaration-I have heard of thee with the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes!