Sir? I have frequent conversation with my friends among the methodists, who point out to me many scriptures, which seem point blank against the calvinistic system, or the sovereign decrees of God. I never shall forget his answer, when I asked his opinion. of Calvin's plan. "The calvinistic plan," said he, "is the doctrine we have received as the truth of God, yet, I am free to own, that I never love to think of it, but on my knees." "However," added he, "when in company with persons of the description you mention, you can at any time silence them, by observing that if Christ Jesus died for all, they must consequently be all saved.— They would much rather deny the principle than admit its consequence." Well may we exclaim, Lord, what is man!! Are we not, my friend, highly favoured that we have the privilege of attending a preacher, who spake as never man spake; and that he has given us power to believe his teaching, for in order to profit by his teaching two things are necessary, light and sight. To the blind the light is of no service; and were we excluded from light, the sense of seeing would be useless. But our Saviour has given us eyes to see, and the irradiating light of life to point our way. And,blessed be God, both the light and sight, which is the procuring cause of our eternal redemption is in our common head, so that if the ransomed of the Lord, are still continued without sight or light, Jesus hath these advantages in perfection, and what he has they have, as whatever my head possesses, is the property of my whole body; and if one member suffer or rejoice, all the rest of the body suffers and rejoices with it. In fact, there is no spiritual blessing which we do not possess in Christ Jesus, and it is because the individuals of mankind are not apprized of this indubitable truth, that they are constantly looking for grapes on thorns, and figs on thistles, for the new piece in the old garment, and when pride whispers, they have found these novelties, they rejoice and triumph. But, my friend, we have wandered from our catechism.

E. B. No matter; we have not lost our way.

M. But I had forgotten an engagement of some importance, I must leave you.

E. B. And the Lord God of our fathers go with you. If you carry as much consolation to the individuals you are to visit, as you have communicated to the person you are leaving, I trust they will feel to the master and the messenger, like gratitude. .Thurs we parted.

Was not this a delightful close to my round of visiting? Wisdom's ways are indeed ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. I do not blame one of my father's sons, when I hear him, so decisively pronounce, "One day in thy courts, is better than a thousand spent elsewhere. I had rather be a door keeper in the house of the Lord, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness." "No wonder, for in fact the way of the transgressor is a hard and thorny way. The yoke of the God of this world is not an easy yoke, neither is his burden light. O! that men were wise, that they understood this, then would they prefer the service of God for their own sakes; never was any thing more just than the poet's observation: "Virtue is its own reward." And I have often wished, as we have as virtuous a set of clergymen as any country under heaven, that instead of continually dwelling on subjects which fly over the heads of the multitude, instead of expatiating on subjects which neither speaker nor hearer can understand, they would speak to the people in a known tongue, or, in other words, that they would speak to their understanding. We frequently hear of eternal happiness and eternal misery, as the fruit of the seed sowed in time. But were I to be met by one of those well meaning gentlemen, on some morning during the harvest season, and he should ask me whither I was going, and I should reply, I am going into Pennsylvania to gather in my harvest, he would no doubt remark with some astonishment, "Your harvest, Sir! I never heard you were a landholder in Pennsylvannia." No, Sir, I have no land there. "Then what do you mean by going thither to reap your harvest?" It is the harvest season. "What is that to the purpose!" O! Sir, although I have never sowed any grain there, I expect to reap a plentiful harvest notwithstanding. Would not the inquirer be justified in supposing me labouring under a degree of derangement?

If we can obtain credit through a long range of succeeding centuries, people, ignorant people especially, are very apt to take advantage of so much indulgence. If those teachers who think their whole time should be employed in cultivating good morals, would remember this, it might have a salutary effect.

I have been censured for not dwelling more frequently on the subject of morals, but when listening to suggestions of this description, I exclaim in the language of Dr. Young,

"Talk they of morals, O thou bleeding Love,

The grand morality is love of thee."

And in fact, whatever proceeds not from this source, is but as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. Yes, I am indeed a friend of morality; but I would abundantly rather sce morality as the fruit, than the root of religion. O for the happy time when we shall find, in the regions of blessedness, both the root, and the odoriferous fruits and flowers, which it shall and doth produce!

I have passed the morning in reading and comparing scripture testimonies, and my attention has been powerfully attracted, by the sixteenth chapter and twenty-fourth verse of the Evangelist, John. "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name : ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."

yet

The disciples of our Lord were no doubt frequently engaged in prayer. Prayer is an invaluable privilege, and we are assured the Deity graciously bendeth his ear to the voice of supplication. Few, however, attend to the nature and design of prayer. It is common to view the fervent aspirations of the mind as a religious duty, and individuals performing this duty, are happy that they have taken one step towards perfecting their claim to future happiness! we should wonder at the presumption of that petitioner, who arrogated merit to himself, merely because he had solicited our aid. Christians, when they pray, come to God believing that he is, and that he is able and willing to give them that, for which they supplicate. Yet the disciples in ancient or modern times, are rarely found asking any thing of the Father, in the name of Jesus. It would be well to inquire what we are to understand by asking any thing in the name of Jesus. It is not merely to mention this sacred name, or to ask a blessing for his sake? There are many passages in sacred writ, which will aid us in our inquiries into this important truth.

First, The character the Redeemer sustains as our husband. Thy Maker is thy husband, said Isaiah, the Lord of hosts is his name; and, he adds, The God of the whole earth shall he be called. This character will help us to comprehend the force of the text. The Apostle somewhere says, I have espoused you unto one husband, that you may bring forth fruit unto God; intimating that in their single state, they could bare no fruit acceptable unto God, it would not be ripened fruit, or it would be decaying at the core; hence we are told it is from him, Jesus Christ, our fruit is found. He is the apple tree among the trees of the wood. He has

wrought all our works in us and for us; this is the green fir-tree from me, said our Lord, thy fruit is found. Now, when the creature is thus one with the Creator, precisely as he said to the Father, I in them, and thou in me, that we may be made perfect in one; what is it but a comprehensive character, forming a complete whole ?

A single woman stands in her own right; if she contracts debts she is answerable, and the law attaches her in her own person. But let her take a husband, and the ground is changed; were an action brought against her in her maiden name, her creditor would be non-suited, his action would not stand. So it is in the gospel dispensation, arrested under the law; we can plead our marriage, and positively pronounce, our name is not in the writ; we can assure the officer of this truth, and should he still insist, we should reply, that was my name, but I am married; you must make application to my husband. In every legal process, in every possible arrangement, this plea would be admitted as perfectly conclusive.

The twenty-seventh chapter of Genesis furnishes a narration full to my purpose. The venerable patriarch, Isaac, addressed his eldst son, Esau, and said:

"Behold now I am old, and I know not the day of my death: "Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison: "And make me savory meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat: that my soul may bless thee before I die. "And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it."

It would seem that Esau had been in the habit of attending to the wishes of his father in this particular. The truth is, his character is amiable; he is represented as affectionate and dutiful; he is the object of his father's affection, and in every view superior to his youngest brother. Yet Jacob was the favorite of his mother; nor is this by any means a solitary instance; it has been frequently observed in many respectable families, that if a boy in the family be wild and eccentric, wandering in devious paths, he is immediately regarded by his mother with an eye of partiality, and, in consequence of this absurd preference, the sex in general have been subjected to many unkind remarks. But admitting the truth of this observation, the manifested kindness may originate in a laudable source. A consciousness in the bosom of the mother, that

the offender is her son, would teach her sympathy and commiseration; and this would apparently augment her stock of tenderness, and give her an additional and glowing interest in every thing that affected him. I once knew a mother, who sometimes complained of her children, but if we agreed with her, it immediately divested them of their errors, and she affirmed they were not worse than others. It was true they had their faults, but who from faults were free? and it was also true, her children had their virtues too, and a great many virtues, &c. &c. &c. I love to see and hear a fond mother conversing of her children, for it always reminds me of the words of our great Master: "If ye being evil can thus think, thus speak, and thus act toward your children. How much more perfect will be the dispositions of the almighty Parent, toward his children?"

But to return to the family of the patriarch. Rebekah listening to what Isaac had said to his favourite son, determined to avail herself of the discovery she had so clandestinely made, and when Esau departed on his filial employment, she spake unto Jacob her

son:

“Now, therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.

"Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two kids of the goats; and I will make them savory meat for thy father, such ashe loveth:

"And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that The may bless thee before his death."

Although this son had previously given evidence of his self-love, in the unwarrantable advantage he had taken of the sufferings of his eldest brother, in the memorable transaction relative to the birth-right, yet in the present instance, alarmed by the fear of detection, he objected to the proposed fraud, by observing:

"Behold Esau, my brother, is an hairy man, and I am a smooth

man:

"My father peradventure may feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me and not a blessing."

But to render her favourite perfectly easy on this head, his mother said unto him: "Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, only follow my council, and leave the event to me." The youth certainly hesitated; he was convinced it was a wrong