or parodied, by Dr. Johnson-is the work to which I refer, and which I recommend to your perusal.

Sometimes too, it should be observed, the apparently inequitable dispensation takes its whole aspect, simply from our ignorance-our ignorance of certain facts, which if we had known, we should have seen the greatest propriety and beauty, in the whole procedure. Many fables, or apologues, have been invented, to illustrate this point. That of Parnel is excellent. The following, by Mr. Addison, is I think striking. It is, as well as I remember, to this effect He says that the Jews have a legend, that during the forty days which Moses spent in Mount Horeb, he was permitted to propose some inquiries, in regard to the darkness of God's providential dispensations. He was commanded to look to the foot of the mount. He did so, and saw a fountain of water, at which a soldier was alighting from his horse to drink. In remounting, the soldier, unknowingly, dropt a purse of money, which, a few minutes after he was gone, a child picked up, and carried away in haste. Scarcely was the child out of sight, when an old man, bending under the weight of years, and weary with travelling, sat down to refresh himself on the brink of the fountain. In the mean time, the soldier, having missed his purse, returns in search of it-suspects the old man of having found and concealed it, and insists on his restoring it. The old man protests that he has not seen it, and in the most solemn manner, appeals to God, as the witness of his innocence. But the soldier disbelieving him, kills him on the spot. Moses is shocked, and inquires where is the equity of this dispensation of providence! The answer was-The child is, indeed,

the cause of the old man's death; but know thou, that this old man was the murderer of that child's father.

After all, there are some dispensations of providence, so dark, that perhaps we can scarcely conceive how the equity of them can be made out, except that we do certainly know that God can, and will, correct, in a future state, all the inequalities and apparently inequitable allotments of the present. These dark dispensations are, no doubt, intended to be trials of the faith and patience of God's people, in their passage through the world. Whenever his providential dealings seem to be contrary to his word-seem, I say, for they never are really contrary

it is the office and the excellence of faith, to trust and cleave to the divine word, in opposition to all appearances. This it was that gave its peculiar value to Abraham's faith. We have no reason to doubt that it will constitute a part of the happiness of heaven, to have all dark providences fully cleared up; and to be able to see the equity and goodness, yea the kindness and mercy, of all that here was obscure, and perplexing, and hard to be borne.

(To be continued.)

It is some time since we inserted in our pages any extract from the old English writers. We now offer to those of our readers who love the olden time, in matters of religion, a morsel of poetry.-We take it from the London Christian Instructor, for January, 1824. It is there said to be "from the pen of the excellent Thomas Toller, who was a puritan vicar of Sheffield, in the early part of the seventeenth century."

But it is to be remembered, that every real excellence of character, is consistent with every other. Vices may clash, and often do; but the virtues and graces never do, and never can. Yet it is not uncommon for men, as suits their purposes, to single out some one excellence, and so to represent it, as really to be exclusive of another, and perhaps of almost every other. This, probably, is oftener done in regard to what is called charity-mistaking the true import of the word-than to any other Christian grace or virtue. It may therefore be useful to make a few inquiries which may lead us to something like a clear and consistent view of this whole subject. 1. Does a Christian temper, or genuine charity, require us to be indifferent to truth; or to treat error of opinion, as if it were harmless? The scriptures answer this inquiry decidedly in the negative. We are exhorted "earnestly to contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." To represent all religious opinions, therefore, as equally safe or good, or to act as if we so considered them, is to violate this express injunction of holy writ. So far, moreover, is an indifference to truth from being an act or expression of love to our fellow men, that it is exactly the reverse. Nothing can be clearer from the scripture, than that there are some articles of faith which are essential to salvation. "If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins"-was the declaration of our Saviour himself. Is it then the expression of love to our fellow sinners, to let them alone in that error and unbelief which, if persisted in, will ruin their souls? or to represent it as a matter of indifference, whether they retain their errors or not? On the contrary, is not this to act like the great enemy of souls, in whom all malignity dwells in perfection? It is his grand artifice to keep sinners easy in error and unbelief, that they may be lost forever. The highest manifestation of love to our fellow men, that we can ever show

them, is to convince them of essential error-to bring them to the knowledge of the truth, that they may be saved. We must do this; we cannot cherish a truly Christian temper-we cannot love our neighbour as ourselves, if we refuse or neglect it. Our charity in this particular, will therefore consist in two things; first, in taking care, while we hold fast and plead for the truth, to do it in that manner which is least likely to be offensive, and the best calculated to recommend and inculcate it effectually. Secondly, in not representing all truth as equally important; but, while no truth is treated as a matter of entire indifference, making great allowance for unessential errors, from which none of the human race, in this imperfect state, will ever be entirely free.

.2. Does the preservation of a genuine Christian temper demand that the ministers of the gospel, or other teachers of religious truth, should never reprove vice or error with severity? We must also answer this inquiry in the negative, if we take Christ and his apostles as our examples and guides. What a most terrifick series of woes and denunciations does our blessed Saviour, in the 23d chapter of Matthew, address, directly and personally, to the Scribes and Pharisees-"Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell." In commenting on these words, SCOTT says most justly-"It is remarkable, that the most severe and awful things contained in scripture, were spoken by Jesus Christ himself." The protomartyr, Stephen, who so closely resembled his divine Saviour, concludes his address to his persecutors, in a strain of awful severity. "Ye stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the just One, of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: who have re

ceived the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it." It was with scarcely less severity, that Peter reproved the rulers, elders, scribes, and high priest of the Jews, even when he stood as a prisoner before them-"Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner." The great apostle of the gentiles, gives as a direction to Timothy, "Them that sin, rebuke before all, that others also may fear." To Titus, we find him saying, "One of them selves, even a prophet of their own said, The Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. This witness is true; wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith." In rebuking Elimas, the sorcerer, the apostle himself used a style of peculiar severity-" Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, and said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief! thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord! And now behold the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season." In this we know that the apostle did not speak "in his own spirit," but under the guidance of the Spirit of all grace and truth. In his severe adddress to the high priest, who "commanded those that stood by to smite him on the mouth," it is not so clear that the temper of his mind was exactly right.

Severity of address, then, is sometimes right, in speaking to transgressors, whether generally or individually. To determine the proper occasions, and not to exceed them, requires much discretion and self-command, and a good measure of that very Christian temper now under consideration. A general rule, admitting of but few exceptions, is given

us by St. Paul-"Foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God, peradventure, will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will." How admirably does this illustrate what was said in regard to our manifesting charity, by endeavouring to convince men of essential errors? The utmost meekness, gentleness and patience, are here required to be used, for this very purpose. And such, unquestionably, should be the very spirit that should breathe through the addresses, generally, of those who seek to win souls to Christ, Of this there never was a more illustrious example, among mere men, than that which was exhibited by Paul himself. There is a tenderness in his epistles which has not been exceeded, if it has been equalled, by any other writer, not excepting even the beloved apostle. The more of this tenderness, this melting compassion for souls, any minister of religion, or any other individual who communicates religious instruction, can feel and express-for it can never be well expressed if it be not felt-the greater will be the probability of his success, in the benevolent work in which he is engaged. It is peculiarly important that this tenderness and compassion should be apparent, in all discourses which announce "the terrors of the Lord." If, in such discourses, there is any indication of exulting in the doom of the wicked, or even an appearance of apathy or want of feeling, the effect will probably be nothing but resentment against the speaker, and an indignant rejection of all his comminations. But if it appears that the speaker's soul is filled with sympathy, and is, as it were, bleeding with anxiety and distress, at the prospects of the impenitent sinner, and that it is only in

"very faithfulness," and with a hope that his destiny may be prevented, that he is warned of "the wrath to come;" there is much hope that the warning may be salutary, and little danger, at any rate, that the faithful and affectionate monitor will be hated and lose his influence. In a word, a good portion of "the meekness and gentleness of Christ," should give character to the feelings, words and actions of all, who would cherish a true Christian temper, and especially to the addresses of the publick teachers of religion.

As to that severity which we have seen to be lawful and proper on certain occasions, it would be well, perhaps, if these occasions could be clearly specified, or fully enumerated. This, however, will not now be attempted. Yet a general direction, drawn chiefly from the examples that have been mentioned under this particular, may be thus stated-Severity, in different degrees, may occasionally be used, in addressing, or speaking of, those who, under the guise of a false religion, obstinately and openly oppose the doctrines and progress of true religion; and those, also, who flagrantly and publickly treat the truths of scripture with disrespect and insult; and those, too, who palpably violate their own solemn engagements; and those, finally, who have long been addressed in a different manner, and have shown that gentle admonition and kind persuasion have been without effect, or have rather served to harden and embolden them in their transgressions.

S. Is the indulgence of anger, in any case whatever, consistent with a truly Christian temper? We must answer this inquiry affirmatively—if we keep to the same unerring guides which we have endeavoured to consult and follow, in replying to the previous interrogatories. We are told that "God is angry with the wicked every day;" and the instances are almost innumerable in the sacred writings, in which anger, and sometimes wrath and fierce anger, are attributed to the Deity. Now, VOL.III.-Ch. Adv.

that this is spoken "after the manner of men," and that when any of our passions or feelings are ascribed to our Maker, we are to separate from them, not only every thing morally impure, but all those commotions of our faculties which arise from their natural imperfection, is no doubt true, and ought always to be carefully recollected. But this notwithstanding, we have no reason to think that a human feeling essentially wrong in itself—in its very nature bad or immoral-would ever be attributed to the pure and holy God, even in figure, or with any possible abstractions. If wrong in itself, it can never, in any form or degree, belong to the standard of all natural and moral perfection. But fartherOur blessed Saviour, who was God as well as man, "who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth; who when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously"—this blessed and perfect Saviour was, at least in one instance, angry. We are told, Mark, iii. 5-" And when he had looked round about on them with anger, (urogyns,) being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand." It would be easy, also, to mention several instances from the sacred writings, in which the anger of mere men appears to have been right, and to have received indications of the divine approbation. Moses indulged sinful anger at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, and received the most decisive tokens of the divine displeasure on that aecount. But when his " anger waxed hot" at the children of his people, for making and worshipping the golden calf, and when in this "hot anger," he, to denote that his people had broken covenant with their God, brake the two tables of stone, on which the decalogue had been inscribed, he received no intimation of the divine displeasure; but on the contrary, the whole of his conduct appears to have been approved by Jehovah. It 0