been buried with him I had never risen with him; if not planted in the likeness of his death, how could I have "risen in the likeness of his resurrection ?" "Let us com In Heb. x. 22, I found myself again cut off. draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed in pure water." Christ has said, " If ye love me keep my commandments"-neither one nor two-but " mandments." He that said "believe" and " repent," said also, "be baptized." Who dare to separate what he has joined? What must I do? I believed I had repented of my sins;-the Word of God informs me that I must Arise, and be baptized, and wash away my sins calling on the name of the Lord." Like Paul, I did not tarry, but arose and was baptized into Christ, and have put on Christ, and rejoice in the liberty wherewith he has made me free. The Bible teaches, "One Lord, one faith, one baptism." The Methodist church taught three modes of baptism: viz., sprinkling, pouring, and plunging, and do not enjoin it particularly either way; for I was in the church two years without any baptism whatever. The Bible also tells me that, "Because ye are the sons of God, he has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying, Abba, Father." While the church told me it was to make us sons. Again, the Bible taught me that "It was able to thoroughly furnish me for every good word and work." The church taught me that it needed an assistant, which they called the Discipline. If the Bible, then, is competent to accomplish its ends, why should I be trammelled by man's opinion? I will lay it all down, and will stand on no other foundation than the "apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone." ,, These are my reasons for renouncing Methodism and taking my stand with the Disciples of Christ. My prayer is, that the time will soon come when we shall not have to say, "Know ye the Lord; for all shall know him"-and we shall all be one as he and his Father are one. I am now in my Father's house enjoying all his promised blessings. O brethren, examine God's Word, and you will find that I have obeyed the truth, E. F. Elizabeth Town, September 1st, 1844. A SAFE WAY TO DETERMINE WHO IS IN THE WRONG WHEN THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TWO. THE offender is always the hardest to be reconciled. Would he be the first to seek, he would have to confess his sin; and rather than to do that, he will remain hostile. The offended seeks reconciliation. We may see this exemplified in the conduct of God and man. Man was in the wrong; and such was his hostility to God that he never would have sought his favour. But God, who was the offended, sought our friendship when we were enemies. A SHORT DISCOURSE ON CHARACTER. ONE important thought is enough for a single sermon, and if I can offer in this discourse one idea which will cause useful reflection, my labour will not be lost. My chief design is to call up the living nations as they now exist, and learn, if possible, how the race of Adam presents such a contrariety of character. In other words, I wish to ascertain from Scripture, and the best philosophy of which I am master, To WHAT EXTENT MAN IS THE CREATURE OF CIRCUMSTANCES. That my views may be perspicuous, I will vary from the common beaten path-that the whole world is.composed of but two classes, saints and sinners. It may be literally true, but as there are different kinds of sinners, another classification of the world will better answer my present purposes. I assume the position, then, that the whole race of man is composed of, first, Natural or animal men; secondly, Of moral men merely, or those of mixed character; thirdly, Of spiritual persons. All the world may be grouped under these heads; and my first object will be to. define the natural, moral, and spiritual man; and in the course of the investigation, it will of necessity devolve upon me to show why mankind are thus classified. First. THE NATURAL MAN.-Perhaps on no subject has there been more false teaching than on this. Generally, the religious world pronounce all men who are sinners, or those who are not members of an orthodox church, merely natural men. Presuming all who are not church members are in a state of nature, we are thrown into great confusion by the language of Paul. He says: "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." But is it true the things of the Spirit are "foolishness" to all who are not professors? Why then preach the gospel to them? for the whole gospel was given by the Spirit. It is a truth of the Spirit that there is a God; that his Son died for sinners: but why preach these things of the Spirit to the wicked of this country, if they are all men in nature's darkness," and are consequently incapable of receiving or believing these truths, upon which salvation depends ? Not to be tedious, most of the religious world has done nothing but darken counsel on this subject. The (pseuhikos) animal or natural man is he whose knowledge of God, himself, the world about him, is circumscribed by nature. It has not been long since the Siamese and other eastern nations were in a state of nature, "having no hope, and without God in the world." The Australians, at this day, approach a state of nature. Men and nations whose knowledge is limited by nature, and who, like the beast of the field, are ruled by appetite and passion, are in a state of nature. Such know not their origin or destiny. In this condition mankind are not capable of receiving the gospel. It is foolishness to a savage to say, "Jesus Christ died for sinners, and will save his people in the eternal mansions." It thus becomes obvious, a savage state is made, by the peculiar circumstances of the case, and neither by inclination or disinclination, to be a natural man. Now, the ques tion is, can such men be Christians-be converted by the gospel? In other words, are savage tribes prepared to receive the gospel? Does the history of the world exhibit an instance of a savage tribe being christianized by the gos pel? Romanists and Protestants have all failed. What is the reason? The circumstances surrounding savages are so unfavourable as to preclude the possibility of christianizing them in this state. Missionaries, however, to some extent, have benefitted savages, but not by preaching the gospel. The very degraded of all countries, and the very opulent, are in circumstances most unfavourable to Christianity. Civilization is indispensable before an individual or nation can receive the gospel. How is this to be accomplished? God has ordained Agriculture, Horticulture, and the Mechanic Arts as the means of civilizing the degraded of the earth, and preparing them to receive and practise the truth. No people ever did become Christians, and act worthy of his profession, without personal acquaintance with the industrial and responsible pursuits of life. By these, God teaches man dependence and humility, and without their influence no community can be truly pious. It is utter folly to talk of savages, and the lazy, indolent portions of the earth, being christianized. Their state must be greatly exalted, by the means God has appointed, and their circumstances materially changed, before they can possibly act the Christian. casting pearls before swine to preach to such. Am I asked what will become of men in a state of nature? I know not; God will do right. They cannot enjoy heaven in consequence of disqualification. God will send them to their own place, and they will experience, in the world to come, according to their qualifications. Enough on the first division of the world. It is Second. THE MORAL MAN.-The merely moral man is one whose outward conduct is in obedience to moral govern→ ment, but whose heart is not influenced by the grace of God. Piety has reference to the purity of the heart, and the pious man is not only moral but also spiritual. The moral man is the honest gentleman and good citizen merely. Any one civilized, but who is not under the economy of favour, may be considered a moral man. The great question, however, is to ascertain what makes the moral man. It may be answered, MORAL GOVERNMENT. But what is moral government? Any government which is not exclusively spiritual. All moral governments are mixed, and, consequently, those who live in conformity to them can have but a mixed character. All civil governments are moral institutions, and those who conform to them closely, have the character the government imparts. It is not for want of honesty in the subjects that mere civil governments do not make pious men, but it is owing to the circumstances that govern. No stream can rise above its fountain; and therefore, to have more than a moral character we must have more than a moral government. Temperance societies are moral institutions, fraught with a good deal of worldly wisdom, but the temperance cause cannot make a pious man. Although it is a good institution, it is a worldly one, and men of the world should conduct it without the aid of others. Am I asked why I am not a member of this society, which I call good? I answer, if I were to join every worldly establishment to do good, I would have no time or means of doing good by higher authority. God commands me to be "temperate in all things;" and if the Bible fails restraining me, I admit the greater influence of human wisdom over me, and I thereby detract from the dignity of my Christian profession, and from the sacred authority of God. A greater insult cannot be offered to a king than for a subject to refuse obedience from the word of the king, but to conform by the advice of a servant. The Christian who puts his hand to anything human to perfect him in usefulness, offers marked insult to the authority of God. All that is good in the Temperance Society, is in the Bible, and if the same money had been expended on Christian principles, and the same talent and zeal brought to bear, to make men temperate from the authority of God's word, a thousand more benefits would have been the result. Let merely moral men manage the temperance cause-I say Amen to it; Christians have a higher and more holy calling. Freemasons and Odd-fellows have moral societies. Their governments are mixed, and so must be their character. These are amongst the best human institutions of the world; but they are merely human-are not of God, nor countenanced by him, and therefore Christians need them not. Whatever is good in either is in the Bible; and if pious people will not be influenced by the Word of God, it is greatly detracting from the Christian profession to resort to other means to form the most perfect character. Freemasonry will not make a pious man, yet it has relieved many an orphan and widow. The Christian needs not any auxiliary society to perfect his character. Indeed, the way to heaven is a high, open, straight road, and when professed Christians are in any of the little by-ways, dark ways, and side cuts, they are liable to wander clear away from the open road. But to men of the world I say, go on with Freemasonry, it referring to this world, and do all the good you can |