BARTHOLOMEW Fair is one of the most perfect exhibitions of unrestrained human nature in the whole world. The monkey, the tiger, the wolf, the hog, and the goat, are not only to be found in their own, but in human form; with all their savageness, brutality, and filthiness. It displays human nature in its most degraded, ridiculous, and absurd conditions. The tiger may be seen in a quiescent state, if we pass through Dyot street: he couches there: he blinks. But, at Bartholomew fair, he is rampant -vigorous-fierce. Passing through a fair in a country town, I witnessed a most instructive scene. Two withered, weather-beaten wretches were standing at the door of a show-cart, and receiving two-pences from sweet, innocent, ruddy country girls, who paid their money, and dropped their curtsies; while these wretches smiled at their simplicity, and clapped them on the back as they entered the door. What a picture this of Satan! He sets off his shows, and draws in heedless creatures, and takes from them every thing they have good about them! There was a fellow dressed out as a zany, with a hump back and a hump belly, a lengthened nose, and a lengthened chin. To what a depth of degradation must human nature be sunk, to seek such resources! I derived more instruction from this scene, than I could have done from many elaborate theological treatises.

VIEW man on whatever side we can-in his sensualities, or in his ferocities-in the sins of his flesh, or in the sins of his spirit:-catch him when and where you will-his condition is 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 see but little, however, of its abomination; because he has still an affinity with the evil.

MAN nature is like the sea, which gains by the ✩ of the tide in one place, what it has lost by the > in another. A man may acquiesce in the thod which God takes to mortify his pride; but is in danger of growing proud of the mortifican; and so in other cases.

On the Need of Grace.

HERE is something so remarkable in the genius d spirit of the Gospel, that it is not to be underod by any force of speculation and investigation! xter attempted this method, and found it vain. ne state of the heart has the chief influence, in e search after truth. Humility, contrition, simicity, sanctity-these are the handmaids of the derstanding in the investigation of religion.

ow is it that some men labor in divine things ght and day, but labor in vain? How is it that en can turn over the Bible from end to end, to pport errors and heresies-absurdities and blashemies? They take not the SPIRIT with the ORD. A spiritual understanding must be givengracious perception-a right taste.

A VERY extraordinary thing," said one, “if I, who have read the Bible over and over in the origal languages-have studied it day and night-and ave written criticisms and comments on it: a very xtraordinary thing that I should not be able to iscover that meaning in the Scriptures, which is aid to be so plain that a way-faring man though a ool 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 ap proaches 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 Providence. In this light I view the darkness of the heathen world. Let us follow every apparent leading of Providence, in our endeavors to communicate light to the heathen; but, still, the opening and the whole work must be of God. Thousands, indeed, hear the Gospel, wko 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 sideblow-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 surprised 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 univer

sally 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 but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

ear,

EVERY thinking man will look round him, when he reflects on his situation in this world; and will ask.

"What will meet my case? What is it that I want? What will satisfy me? I look at the RICH-and I see Ahab, in the midst of all his riches, sick at heart for a garden of herbs! I see Dives, after all his wealth, lifting up his eyes in hell, and begging for a drop of water to cool the rage of his sufferings! I see the rich fool summoned away, in the very moment when he was exulting in his hoards! If I look at the WISE-I see Solomon, with all his wisdom, acting like a fool; and I know, that, if I possessed all his wisdom, were I left to myself I should act as he did. I see Ahithophel, with all his policy, hanging himself for vexation! If I turn to men of PLEASURE-I see that the very sum of all pleasure is, that it is Satan's bed into which he casts his slaves! I see Esau selling his birth-right for a mess of pottage! I see Solomon, after all his enjoyments, leaving his name a scandal to the church to the latest age! If I think of HONOR take a walk in Westminster Abbey-there is an end of all inquiry. There I walk among the mighty dead! There is the winding up of human glory! *And what remains of the greatest man of my country?-A boasting epitaph! None of these things, then, can satisfy me! I must meet death-I must meet judgment-I must meet God-I must meet eternity!

On the Occasions of Enmity against Christianity. THE cause of enmity against real Christianity is in the heart. The angel Gabriel might exhibit the truth, but the heart would rise in enmity. To suppose that there is any way of preaching the cross so as not to offend the world, is to know nothing of the subject.

There are many occasions, however, of calling forth this enmity. Any man, who should bleed me, would put me to pain; but he would greatly