xxv. 14. There are only two parables in this chapter, strictly answering to the two parts of the prophecy, and enforcing the duties of watchfulness and diligence; and what is usually called the parable of the sheep and the goats, is not a parable, it is a simile; it is not a parable, it is a reality; it is the Son of Man coming in his kingdom; it is the application of the parable of the talents. This will be plain if the whole passage is taken into view. In the fourteenth verse: "For (not the kingdom of heaven, as it is supplied in our translation; but) the Son of Man (see ver. 13) is as a man travelling into a far country," &c. Then the intermediate events are narrated, and in the thirtyfirst verse we read, "When the Son of Man shall come" (he had taken a journey into a far country) When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats." Here it is plain that it is no parable, it is merely a simile-a comparison; it is the continuation of the parable of the talents, and nothing else. But if so, there is nothing in it about the day of judgment -nothing about what the Son of Man shall do with the dead; it is of the living that he speaks;-co will the Son of Man do with the living in Christendom when he comes in his glory, at the end of the great tribulation. 66 I beseech you, my dear brethren, to apply these parables to your own souls, and draw from them all that God intends to impart by them. Be assured that there are false prophets going about, who would persuade you that there is no necessity for this diligence to which we call you. But I say unto you, occupy till your Lord comes. Do you say, What shall I do?" Who are you? What are you? What opportunities and talents have you? Are you ministers of the word of God? I would speak to you as to my own soul-Be faithful! Reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and faithfulness; be instant in season and out of season;" be not satisfied with a common weekly round of duties, which are imposed upon you for the maintenance of your station among men; but throw yourselves into the work, and do nothing else-preaching, and teaching, and exhorting; give yourselves wholly to it, so 66 that all may see and know that your employment is not a mere pastime, or attended to for filthy lucre's sake, but as the work of the living God. "Occupy till your Lord comes; and take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares." "Watch and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.' What are you to do!-Who are you? what are you? are you ministers of an earthly king? Then your situation is next in order in its responsibility to that of the ministers of the gospel. Remember that you have a Master who is in heaven, who will not give his glory to another, and whose word has gone forth, Them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." What are you to do!-What are you? what are your situations? what are your talents? Are you magistrates?—Administer justice equally-oppress not the poor man-be a terror to evil doers, and a praise to them that do well; remembering that you hold the sword of the righteous Judge, of the Prince of peace. What are you to do!-What are you? who are you? are you shopkeepers?— Do justly; conduct your business honestly; overreach not your neighbour; have not a piece of lead under one of your scales, for the purpose of defrauding your customers; remember that "a false balance is an abomination to the Lord, and a just weight his delight." What shall you do!-Who are you? are you tradesmen ?-Be not tempted in doing work for your employers, which you suppose they do not understand, to do it improperly, saying, “Oh, never mind, it will not be seen!" What is the application of this? Is it not that those who do so are smiting their fellow-servants?— going beyond and defrauding their brethren? What shall you do! Who, and what are you? Are you labourers? You are paid your wages, that you may employ your full time in the service of your em ployers; be faithful; do not idle away any of that time which belongs to them; do not withold any part of your work, and thus break the covenant into which you have entered. Are you employers? Keep not back the wages which is due to your servants, lest their cries enter into I the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, and he avenge their wrong. Are you poor, in distress, and find it difficult to trust in the Lord?" Behold the fowls of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" Are you rich? Be not high-minded; be rich in good works; ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up for yourselves a good foundation for the time to come. tell you all, thus to be watching, and occupying your talents, "for you know not when your Lord doth come." "Blessed is that servant whom his lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods." Not doing it to merit heaven-that is already done, once for all, by Jesus Christ; but as faithful servants, animated by that love which is fruitful in devising expedients to please and serve the object beloved. O! my brethren, remember that the slothful servant is compared to the goat, and is placed at the left hand, and finally cast into everlasting punishment, not for the commission of evil, but for those omissions which betrayed the want of that ingenious active love of which I have spoken: "I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink : I was a stranger, and ye took me not in : naked, and ye clothed me not: sick and in prison, and ye visited me not." "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment." "Now to God the Father," &c. FAMILY RELIGION. Does pure Religion charm thee At home-sweet home!-BARTON. Ir is an important and impressive view which has sometimes been given of a family, that it is a kingdom in miniature. Here the nations of the world had their origin, and here is the most delightful state of society which earth can present. A family devoted to the service of God presents a scene which attracts the attention of men to religion, and which ensures the warmest regards of the holy angels. It surely, then, becomes every man who feels the importance of his own salvation, and who is concerned for the extension of the divine glory, to take care of the spiritual interests of the little nation which God has committed to his government. "The private affections," as an excellent living preacher remarks, are not incompatible with the public, but conduct to them; and the way, the best way, the only way, by which we can promote the good of the whole, is by advancing the goodness of a part. The man who, in opposing patriotism, pleads that the world is his country, and all mankind his fellow citizens, has no country, no fellow citizens. The object for which he pretends to be concerned is too indistinct to impress; too distant to approach; too extensive to grasp. To come nearer, if a man were to disregard his family, under the pretence that he was acting on a broader, and nobler principle, and for an object less selfish and contracted, even the nation at large; he would soon be told that the nation consists of families; that one of these is committed to his care; that this he can improve; that this he ought peculiarly to regard, even for the sake of the public. He that provideth not for his own, especially those of his own house, hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.' "a If, then, the reader be asked what would he wish to be the intellectual and moral character of his country and the world, and he replies that he would it were intelligent, holy, and happy, let it be his concern to make his own family so. Let him rule his children, and his servants in the fear of God; let him conduct them to the family altar; let them hear him pour out his ardent petitions to the throne of mercy on their behalf, and he may then hope that the blessing of heaven will rest on him and his household, even for ever. In order to this let him be careful to maintain religion in his own heart; let him seek to be lively and ardent in the service of God; and let it be seen by the evenness of his temper, and the cheerfulness of his life, that he is regulated by evangelical principles. (a) Jay's Lectures, Lect. IV. I have been led to these remarks by thinking over the conduct and the happiness of a christian family, with whom I have the pleasure of living on terms of christian friendship. It would be of no importance to tell my reader the name of my esteemed friend, his residence, or the denomination of christians with which he communes. All these things then I shall omit, and hasten to what may, by' the divine blessing, prove of more advantage. In the proper government of a family there needs a considerable share of decision of character, and of prudence; and in the maintenance of domestic worship the mind must be impressed with the importance of perseverance in the holy employment. These excellencies have been displayed in the house of my friend, and to them in a considerable degree has been owing the success which it is my pleasing employment to record. It has never been his wish to force religion on his children or servants; he would rather have it seen than heard; yet he takes care to omit no favourable opportunity of dropping an appropriate hint, of making a suitable enquiry, or of conveying an impressive remark, looking up to that God who can accompany such means with his blessing, and of making any one of them "a word in season." I will relate to my reader one little incident which had a considerable effect on the mind of the person most nearly interested in it, and which appears to me to place the character of my friend in a light worthy of imitation. Some few years ago, a young man was received into his family as an assistant in his business. He had previously lived for some years in a family where God was not feared, and where in the concerns of business a system of falsehood in the transactions of trade had been greatly practised. A day or two after he had entered on his new situation, my friend informed him that it was a standing law in his house to permit nothing like an untruth to be told to his customers, with a view to induce them to purchase his goods; and that however common the practice might be, he was persuaded that business might be much better transacted without it. The young man was astonished; he could not suppose the world had scarcely contained a man who would have such a regard to truth; he supposed it impossible to do business to any extent without falsehoods; however, he obeyed the request of his employer, he saw the blessing of the God of truth rest on the house, and the advice thus given, connected with the holy consistency of his master and his family, was not without its advantages to him. But, when I took up my pen, it was to tell my reader of some of the good effects resulting from the constant attention, in my friend's family, to the duties of the domestic altar. My space will only allow me to advert briefly to two cases, where the blessing of heaven rested upon it. And even this I cannot proceed to do, without entreating my reader to permit me to introduce another beautiful extract from the author I have already quoted, because it is so admirably illustrative of my subject. "God has revealed himself under a domestic relation, and calls himself the God of all the families of the earth.' And will you refuse him, in this endearing character? Will you rob yourselves and your families of your greatest mutual honour and blessedness? An angel, in his intercourse with this world, sees nothing so uninviting and dreary as a house, though rich as a mansion, and splendid as a palace, devoid of the service and presence of God! But what so lovely, so attractive, as the family altar, garlanded by the social feelings,' and approached, morning and evening, by the high-priest of the domestic temple, and his train of worshippers? There the master's authority is softened, and he feels respect for the servant who is kneeling at his side, and free indeed.' There the servant's submission is sweetened, and he loves, while he obeys, a master who is praying for his welfare. Here the father, worn down with the labour of the day, is cheered and refreshed. Here the anxious mother hushes her cares to rest. 'If any thing in the day has been diverted from its course, now all finds its place, and glides along in its wonted channel. If the relative affections have declined during the day, the evening service, like the dew of heaven, revives and enlivens them. If offences have come, they are easily forgiven, where all are asking for pardon for themselves. Every angry word-every wrong temper-every petulant feeling, flies before the hallowing influence of social devotion.”” I may, perhaps, be allowed to go even a step farther than the admirable author just quoted, and remark, that the religion of a pious household has often been blest to the conversion of an impious inmate. It is to a circumstance of this kind, that I briefly advert. In the first instance, a thoughtless and gay youth, had been introduced to my friend's family; he manifested no opposition to its regulations, but it was evident he had no love to them. He attended the public worship of God on the Sabbath, but he had no wish to be present at the devotions of the social circle; in a word, he proved himself to be a Christian in name only. My friend embraced an opportunity to invite him to the Lord'sday morning early prayer meeting; and, finding that he was not indisposed to listen to his admonitions, he told him of the declaration solemnly made by a christian minister now in heaven, who, when exhorting a congregation to the duty of prayer, assured them, that if any of them who had never sought the mercy of God, would only undertake to pray with their whole heart for three months, if their prayers were not answered, he would give up even the profession of religion. The words penetrated the heart of the young man-he began to pray-he found the mercy which he now felt he needed, and at present he lives as an ornament to Christianity. The other case to which I shall allude, is that of a female servant, the daughter of pious parents, but who came into the family prayerless and thoughtless, but who will ever, I trust, adore the good hand of God, who directed her footsteps to the house of his servant. In the order of domestic reading, on the first evening after her arrival, her master read the tenth chapter of the prophecies of Jeremiah, which contains this solemn prayer of the prophet," Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy name." In the petitions he presented at the footstool of mercy, my friend expressed thanksgiving that they were not in the case of those who were ignorant of God, and who never sought his favour; and prayed earnestly that she who had that day been directed to their dwelling, might feel the importance, and prize the privilege, of drawing nigh unto God. The family separated for the night, its affairs passed on as usual, and no idea was entertained that a change had so soon occurred in the heart of the new servant. It is a gracious promise of Jehovah, that his word shall not return to him void, but shall accomplish the purpose for which he has sent it. "Though seed lie buried in the dust, The precious grain can ne'er be lost, And so it proved in the instance now under our review. Some weeks elapsed before the fact was disclosed, that the prayers of her pious parents, which, for many years were presented to God for her, were now answered, and that the first time she had knelt at the family altar, under her master's roof, she had learned to pray for pardon and salvation. With holy rapture she could bless the name of Jehovah, for the mercy she had received -mercy which was almost more than she could sustain, and which, indeed, for a season, was found greater than the weakness of her animal frame could bear. calm and holy serenity soon pervaded her mind, and she is now engaging, with her whole heart, in the service of God. A Let the infidel and the formalist ridicule our statements; we will rejoice in the works of the Lord, and praise him for ever and ever. Let each who may honour these pages with a perusal, resolve on the erection of a family altar, and there shall the favour of Jehovah be enjoyed; for "the curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked, but he blesseth the habitation of the just." CRITICAL NOTICE. ON AND AN ESSAY THE PHYSIOGNOMY PHYSIOLOGY OF THE PRESENT INHABITANTS OF BRITAIN; with reference to their origin as Goths and Celts, &c. By the Rev. T. PRICE. London: J. Rodwell. pp. 123. Price 6s. THE tendency of the mind to hasty generalization was noticed by the great Bacon as one of the idols which ought to be destroyed. That it has produced incalculable mischief, both in theological, physical, and mathematical science cannot be doubted, when we refer to the extravagant systems which have from time to time been framed and advocated by men of enlarged minds and extensive erudition. In order to reduce things to order, and to produce harmony where it is often clear none was designed to exist, the most preposterous theories have been Far propounded and defended with a pertinacity which leaves the reflecting mind perfectly astonished at the infatuation of men of genius. There is, however, but little cause for alarm when those systems are set up by good men in the integrity of their hearts, for the purpose of promoting and establishing truth, which do not involve questions of eternal import to the happiness and wellbeing of their species. Then, indeed, we may survey them with complacency unmixed with supercilious pride; we may smile at their ardour in pursuing things non-essential, but we shall not have to deplore the desecration of holy principles, and the denial of eternal truths. different, however, is the case when men hostile to the claims of divine revelation, and opposed to the true happiness of their species, seize upon this tendency of the mind to hasty generalization to set up systems and propound theories, which in their ultimate consequences involve the destruction of all that is dear to us as men, and consoling as Christians. That this is the case in the present day will at once be seen, when the intelligent reader refers to the writings of Cuvier, Bichat, Sir Thomas Morgan, Lawrence, and others. Their theories of the origin of mankind; of the organization of matter and mind; of the physical and generic varieties which exist among the different races of men upon the face of the earth, however ingenious, or apparently supported by arguments drawn from facts, have really no foundation in truth. Nay, they are directly, violently, and hostilely arrayed against the authority of divine revelation. And yet there have been men, professed believers in the truth of revelation, and some bearing the sacerdotal character, who have espoused the theories set up by the French school of physics, because they have not reflected upon the ultimate consequences to which the adoption of those theories lead. It is, however, to the want of reflection, rather than to a sceptical mind, that we must attribute the adoption of theories (apparently innocent, but in reality dangerous,) by men whose conduct on other occasions is irreproachable. Mr. Lawrence, the celebrated surgeon, in his lectures, delivered at St. Bartholomew's, which excited so much interest, some time since, adopted a theory which had long been prevalent amongst physiognomists, "that there was an essen tial distinction, and a physical difference between nations and tribes of men;" and to illustrate and enforce it, he examined minutely the mental powers and physical structure of men born in various countries. That this examination tended much to confirm his theory cannot be doubted, but he proceeded further, and by a process of reasoning, apparently simple, and ostentatiously candid; he said, he had proved that there was 'original national distinctions, and generic diversities of the human race." Thus striking at the very foundation of revelation, and denying the doctrine of the fall and redemption of man, and the truth of the declaration, that God "hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth." To refute this theory, and to shew its pernicious tendency as opposed to revelation, is the object of the invaluable essay before us; and we must in justice to its learned author say, that he has triumphantly established his positions. He proceeds first to remark upon the opinions advanced by the prejudiced Pinkerton, as to the unchangeableness of human nature, and then proves from an immense variety of facts, which have come within the range of his own observation, and which are confirmed and illustrated by other writers, "that the difference of physiological character in the human race is altogether the result of external and accidental causes, and not of any original generic variety." Of these causes our author enumerates two, climate and habit; with regard to the former he says, "In the first place, it is a well understood fact, that within the fortieth degree of latitude, the inhabitants are of the dark complexion, being dark haired and dark eyed, except in those mountainous districts where in consequence of the elevation of the land, the climate becomes more temperate; and there it is not unusual to meet with the light complexion. From the fortieth degree northward, the complexion becomes fairer, until it is again influenced by the extreme of cold. "But in whatever portion of the torrid zone any nation is found, which has existed there for a few generations, the complexion invariably partakes of the dark or melanic character, even though it be among the descendants of the blue eyed Goths and Vandals. The Xanthous warriors of Genserri cannot, at this day, be recognised among their descendants in Africa, and yet it is hardly credible that they should all have been extirpated. |