In one word, how many Christians are there who exemplify little of the harmony, the loveliness, the true nobility and grandeur of the Christian character! We want that character to be brought out in its full and rich beauty; its various points developed; its distinctive features broadly expressed; its fine tempers and characteristics decisively and harmoniously unfolded; so that we may at once say, when the exhibition is furnished-"This is religion! This is genuine Christianity! This is the man who resembles his Lord! This is the moral portrait on which we would fix our gaze!" and grandeur, in all their broad and practical aspects-all their tendencies, their issues, their happy, dignified, and momentous results. There can be no elevation of the Christian character without a steady regard to these principles, and an undeviating maintenance of them. This is often forgotten, or shunned. Many persons talk about Christianity, and that with great freedom and volubility; but their conversation has no weight, no power, no lodgment in the mind of a listener acquainted with them, because there is no development of Christian principle, and hence there is no lumin "A Christian is, indeed, the highest style ous, no decisive unfolding of the Chris of man." tian character. It is a point which must never be kept in abeyance, that Christian principles lie at the foundation of the Christian character, and The elevation of the Christian character may be seen, particularly, in four respects:I. In the principles which are deve- that character can have no solidity, no loped and broadly maintained. By principles here, we of course mean the sentiments which the disciple of Christ receives, which he regards as Divine and transcendently important, and by which he professes to be constantly governed. Those principles which are derived exclusively from the Bible; which have been implanted by the Spirit of Christ; which relate to God, to the Saviour, to sin, to holiness, to this life and a better; and which at once mould, regenerate, and beautify his mind and character. Now, it is very obvious to every person of sound and enlightened reflection, that the elevation of the Christian character must spring from the development and maintenance of Christian principles. Those principles must be maintained in all their harmony and entireness; all are valuable, important, necessary; none must be wanting, none must be disregarded. The golden chain must not be broken; not one link must be severed. These principles must be maintained in their purity, in their consummate and Divine holiness, in their nobility, in their peerless majesty beauty, no elevation, no entireness, unless those principles are clearly avowed and vigorously maintained. The elevation of the Christian character may be seen II. In the feelings and affections which are cultivated. These feelings are not fitful and uncertain; these dispositions are not wayward, fleeting, and evanescent. They are not mere impulses, like the April day, continually changing; one hour the sunshine, another the shower; anon the blue and cloudless sky, and the dark and gathering storm. These feelings, moreover, do not spring from ignorance, but knowledge; they are not to be associated with darkness, but light. These feelings and affections, also, are not without a basis. There is an adequate foundation with which they are identified, and, indeed, the connection is close and inseparable. There are three classes of feelings, of dispositions, where there is the elevation of the Christian character. First. Those which are connected with profound humility and lowliness of mind. There will be no arrogance, no self-conceit, no self-confidence, no selfcomplacency. There will be no vapouring; no airs will be assumed; no selfsufficiency will be cherished. Indeed, action, the result of certain views definitively formed; certain principles definitively received and maintained. Every real Christian is the creature of habit all "boasting will be excluded;" all-habit springing from enlightened self-inflation will be annihilated. Secondly. Where there is the elevation of the Christian character, there will be those feelings which are connected with eminent devotion. Those emotions which lead to fellowship with God, and which uniformly result from it, will be cherished and beautifully expressed. The affections glowing within the bosom will be pure and celestial. There will be a holy atmosphere breathed, and a holy and divine fire enkindled, and that fire will be continually fed. The flame on the altar will ever burn serenely, yet brightly. thought, deeply seated conviction, and sentiments cordially and unhesitatingly embraced; and, where there is elevated piety, four habits will be unceasingly maintained. First. The habit of Christian activity. The disciple of Christ who is marked by the elevation of his religious character, cannot be lukewarm, sluggish, habitually cold and indolent in the service of the Redeemer. It is utterly impossible. His principles, his spirit, his privileges, his obligations, his hopes, all compel him to develop temper and conduct diametrically opposed to coldness and insensibility. He must be animated for God; he must be zealous for the honour of his Divine Lord; he must be alive in the service of Him who has redeemed him with his most precious blood. Secondly. The habit of Christian consistency will be exemplified. Where there is elevation of religious character, there will be nothing broken or dis Thirdly. There will be those feelings which are identified with holy love. Love to God as the universal Father, as the Father, especially, of those who believe; love to Christ Jesus as the Son of God, the living and ever-present Head of the Church, the great Apostle and High Priest of our profession, the compassionate friend of sinners, the allsufficient Redeemer of the world. Love to the Holy Spirit, by whom the dis-jointed. There will be a beautiful harciples of Christ are all enlightened, all renovated, all purified, all "sealed to the day of redemption;" love to all "the brethren," because they breathe "the Master's" Spirit, develop the Master's image, realize the Master's favour, and will dwell and reign for ever with the Lord Jesus in the kingdom of celestial glory. It is very apparent to every rightly constituted mind, to every heart brought under the subduing influence of Divine truth, that there can be no elevation of the Christian character, unless these classes of sanctified emo tion are broadly exhibited. The elevation of the Christian character will be seen, III. In the habits which are formed. By habits are denoted regular and daily courses of thought, of purpose, of mony between profession and conduct. The noble-minded and noble-hearted believer will be one man. There will be a transparency about him at all times, in all situations, in all places, and amidst the diversified relations of life. There will be the integrity, the entireness, of the Christian character developed. There will be the consistency of the man of high principle exemplified. Thirdly. The habit of Christian benevolence will be unfolded. The disciple of elevated piety will not be a coldhearted, selfish, unfeeling professor, without kindness, sympathy, genial or warm emotion. He will not live for himself, but expressly for the benefit of others. He will be always endeavouring to be useful to the extent of his means, and within the range of his powers. His motto will ever be, "I must aim at doing good to some, however young, feeble, ignorant, unworthy, and depraved." Every opportunity will be embraced by which he may lessen the sum of human misery, or augment the sum of human happiness. Resembling his generous and Divine Master, he will "go about doing good." Within his sphere the light of heaven will be shed, and the warmth of Christian love will be diffused. Fourthly. Where there is true Christian elevation, there will be the habit of doing everything from principle. His religion is not the mere creature of the imagination, nor is it the fruit of ignorance or fanaticism, and it is obviously not the result of merely occasional excitements and momentary feelings. It is the issue of strong and enduring principle. It has weight, power, permanent influence. It does not pass away with the first causes of excitement, the first ebullition of warm feeling, the first passion of zeal. This is true Christian elevation. How superior to the spirit of the world! There is nothing about it that is mean, sordid, or creeping. Principle, high principle, is uniformly associated with it. It is always identified with the glory of Christ. It prefers ten thousand times to die faithful to the Saviour and his cause, rather than to live unfaithful; to die with Christ, under circumstances, externally, the most ignominious and distressing, rather than to live without the Redecmer, or without being consecrated to his service. cultivated, the individual unfolding it will be governed, invariably, by three motives. First. That his own Christianity may be exemplified, and so exemplified as that there may be no mistake or uncertainty. He is very anxious that his religion may be seen and felt; that it may be apparent there is no insincerity or delusiveness about it. He is very solicitous to give the practical evidence that he is a child of God, an undisguised follower of the Lamb; that he is enlightened by his Saviour's spirit, warmed by his Saviour's love, and ardently desirous of advancing his Saviour's honour. The Christian of elevated piety will be incited by the motive,— Secondly. That his fellow-men may receive a blessing through his instrumentality, and especially the young, the ignorant, the careless, and the depraved. He longs to be the agent, however humble, in reliance on the Spirit of God, of dissipating their moral darkness; of correcting their errors; of subduing their prejudices against the truth; of inducing thought, meditation, and inquiry on the great subjects involved by Christianity. His supreme desire is to win them to the Saviour, to bring them into the fold of redeeming love, to attract them to Calvary, to draw them to heaven. His third motive is, That the Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified. This is his master motive; this his ruling passion; this his absorbing, his inextinguishable desire. He has no other ambition The elevation of the Christian charac- than to promote the honour, and extend ter will be seen,the kingdom of that Redeemer, who died IV. In the motives which prompt to that he might live, and has entered into action. These will be habitually felt, and will be very powerful in their influence. They will also be palpable. Others will perceive that the springs of action are pure, generous, noble, free from everything sordid, unhallowed, or unworthy. Where elevated piety is possessed and heaven, that he might reign for ever with Him in Paradise. If Christ be pleased, the disciple of elevated piety is well pleased; if Christ be glorified, he is more than satisfied-he "rejoices with exceeding joy." How finely were these motives brought out by David Brainerd, by Henry Mar tyn, by John Howard, by George Whitfield, by Samuel Pearce, by Edward Payson, above all, by the Apostle Paul! They were the great principles governing their lives, and habitually controlling their thoughts, arrangements, and daily course of action. Would that the professed disciples everywhere, in the present day, were more characterised than they are by that elevation of piety we have been concisely illustrating and emphatically commending! This is what we want, to give beauty to the character, holiness and usefulness to the life. This is what we require, to adorn, sanctify, and regenerate our families. This is what we need, to secure a revival of religion in all our churches, and to give a tone, as well as efficiency, to the Christian ministry. This is absolutely essential to gain the unconverted, and to draw the wanderers into the fold of Christ. This is imperatively required to sustain our benevolent and missionary societies, to augment their resources, and to widen the extent of their influence and successes. This is indispensable to accelerate the millennial period that era of joy and triumph, when the light of Divine truth shall be everywhere shed, the power of Christianity be everywhere felt, and the blessings of the religion of the New Testament everywhere en With how much beauty and majesty was this elevation of the Christian character unfolded by the eminent John Howe! How pure was his spirit! how noble were his principles! how Godlike his aims! how transparent his motives! how exalted and seraphic his piety! Nothing strikes and delights us more, in contemplating his character, and examining his writings, than the serenity and dignity of his mind and spirit. To use an expression of Bates"he seemed to live above the clouds"to dwell in the serene; in other words, he caught and diffused the very spirit of heaven. So it was with Archbishop Leighton. Who can read his life, who can investigate his character, who can examine his chaste and beautiful compositions, without being impressed with the truth and force of this observation?-joyed. "When we get near Leighton, we seem to be approaching one who had the very temper of his Lord, the very temper of the world of unbounded serenity, holiness, and love." - Mighty Saviour! thou art glorious, Stretch abroad thy powerful hand! EVANGELICAL CONTINENTAL SOCIETY. DEAR SIR,-The eyes of all men are now turned upon Paris; it appears as if that were to be the spot on which all great European questions must be decided. The attention of our own government has been recently engaged, and the anxieties of our country excited, by questions originating in that city. The surface of French society presents many serious causes of alarm for the peace of the world; but, Sir, there is a mighty power silently at work beneath that surface, greatly calculated to re-assure the timid and to encourage the hopeful. If only to promote this end, perhaps you will insert the following brief sketch of its operations, and thereby much oblige the Committee, on whose behalf I have the honour to be, dear Sir, your obedient servant. Towards the conclusion of its last Report, the Société Evangélique de France indicated to its constituents the motives which had determined it to take an active part in the evangelization of Paris. In its Report for the present year, it gives an account of the manner in which that resolution was carried into effect. They have concentrated their efforts in three different quarters of the capital. In the Faubourg du Temple, in the Faubourg Saint Antoine, and in the Faubourg Saint Marceau. In the Faubourg du Temple, their efforts have been directed to the continuation of a very successful attempt, which had been commenced by a few Christians some twenty years since, to make known the gospel in that quarter. An abundant blessing appears to have rested upon this work, and although it must be known to many of your readers, I have no doubt that they will read the following details concerning it with interest: In 1830, an epoch in which it was believed that religious liberty was about to become a reality in France, the Lord put it into the hearts of some of his servants to open places in different parts of Paris for the regular preaching of the word. Amongst other places, they selected the Faubourg du Temple, in consequence of finding there several pious families of the working class, with extensive connections, as a nucleus to begin with. The place opened for the preaching was a room in the upper part of a house; but the services attracted such crowds, that after the fourth or fifth meeting, it was found necessary to look out for more spacious accommodation. This measure became more necessary, as the friends engaged in promoting the development of this interesting movement, had felt from the beginning, that in order to secure its continuance, they must attend at the same time to the children as well as the adults. Whilst organizing the meetings for worship, therefore, they deter mined also to open gratuitous schools; but the number of children that applied for admission (more than two thousand at once) showed these friends that it would not do to confine themselves within the narrow limits which they had assigned to themselves at first. Whatever diffidence they might have felt, as to the propriety of extending their efforts, was removed by the parents, who, although repeatedly apprised beforehand, and knowing perfectly well that one of the essential objects of the instruction to be given in these schools was to attach those who received it, by living ties, to the religion of the Lord Jesus, apart from all human inventions, instead of cooling in their eagerness to get their children admitted, became still more urgent. Never did a missionary effort commence under happier auspices; and never was there a greater necessity for making the means of action proportionate to the offered facilities. The friends charged with the work comprehended this, and firmly depending upon the assistance of heaven, they put their hand resolutely to the plough. Their trust in God was not vain; at the end of a few months they found themselves in a position to remove into a large and beautiful house, situated in the Rue Saint Maur, and surrounded with spacious court-yards, with ample accommodation for both the religious services and the schools. Here there was plenty of room for more than a thousand children, arranged in classes. These steps served as a guarantee for the permanency of the establishment, and therefore confirmed the confidence of the population in our friends. That this confidence has gone on increasing, is best proved by the precious results produced in numerous families by the preaching of the truth, and the instruction of the young. Grown people from all parts of this vast quarter of Paris crowded to the chapel in the Rue Saint Maur, to hear the truth expounded; whilst parents in |
