death is the alone and sufficient cause of our being accepted with God. . But, if we love Christ we shall keep his commandments, because it is just, right, and reasonable so to do. They are all good and lovely; nor can we see a beauty in his obedience, without longing to imitate his amiable example. Keeping his commandments is naturally productive of many happy consequences. It promotes our own happiness to love God and man; it is advantageous to our fellow-Christians and our fellow-meu*. Good works must be maintained, because they are good and profitable to men. The practice of them tends to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviourt; and to silence the cavils of foolish men. Keeping the commandments of Christ is necessary, to shew the sincerity of our faith and love, and the reality of our union with Christ. "He that saith he abideth in him, ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked ‡." May we not safely infer, That if any suspect or charge minis ters with not preaching the gospel, merely because they teach believers to observe Christ's commandments, they act very unjustly. Ministers must preach the law to sinners, to shew them their need of Christ; for by the law is the knowledge of sin: and they must explain it to believers, that they may know how to shew their love to Christ by keeping his commandments. If ministers should omit enforcing the observance of Christ's commands, they would be justly suspected of disloyalty and disaffection §. And if any professors cannot bear to hear of Christ's commandments, their love is greatly to be suspected. It is the carnal mind which is enmity against the law, and cannot bear obligation to obedience. And if that which Christ magnified and made honourable is treated by us as odious and contemptible, we are still carnal, let our enmity be cloked or disguised how it may. * See Til. iii. 8. + Tit. ii. 10. Job ii. 6. § Mat. v. 19. Mr. Editor, ON FALSE JUDGMENTS. In reading the public papers I am often struck with the fulsome panegyrics paid, and the confident assertions made res cting characters who, however eminent as warriors, statesmen, -lawyers, &c. have little, I apprehend, in a dying hour to engage them to look into an eternal world with any prospect of satisfaction, if the Bible is to decide the eternal state of men. such men should die happy," and "go to another and better world;" how even divines can strew their bier with adulations, and celebrate their apotheosis, because falling the victims of How ON FALSE JUDGMENTS. pride and ambition in the service of their country, amazes me; and appears nothing short of a daring attack upon every principle of that religion of Jesus, which these great men either avowedly disbelieved, or, if they affected to believe, their lives gave the lie to their professions. It is an awful thing to die and fall into the hands of the living God, with whom is no respect of persons. The distinctions among men carry no recommendation in their favour to the bar of judgment; contrarwise, if real goodness has not adorned their greatness, their elevation only tends to precipitate them deeper in the abyss that yawns before them. Whatever, therefore, may be the rank, the abilities, the courage, the political eminence of any man, if we see him lead a life of impurity, inebriety, impiety, profane, passionate, profligate, a Sabbath breaker, gamester, and the like, we must aflirm, in correspondence with the oracles of God, "That they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Gloss over as they may the vices of their patrons, and blazon their virtues with all the colours of the rainbow, God, in the day of his wrath, will pat these lying lips to perpetual confusion, and cover them and their deified heroes with everlasting shaine and contempt. That they may receive and deserve from their country all the outward honours that pomp can pay to the dust, this wild not cast a grain in the balance of eternal judgment, or prevent the scale from kicking the beam when they are weighed and found wanting. 1 regard this as a matter of serious importance. Dazzled with the splendor of fame, men seem to forget the essential diffèrence between vice and virtue, between Christ and Belial, between him that believeth and an infidel; and where the Iging prophets conspire to flatter, not to follow the stream of popular applause, will often be treated as religious singularity, perhaps be branded as disaffection to government. But the Book must speak, and its testimony of eternal truth remain unimpeached: "Not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble are called." There is but one criterion to judge the real state of men,-The conformity of their lives, tempers, and pursuits with the word of God, or Whoever, therefore, justifieth the their contradiction to it. wicked, or condemneth the righteous, they both are an abomiPLAIN SPEECH. nation to the Lord. THOUGHTS ON THE OPENING OF A CHAPEL. Is watching the progress of improvement, either local or intellectual, the Christian has frequently occasion to rejoice in the over-ruling wisdom and power of the great Head of the church; and it is bis privilege to trace how, from apparently adverse causes, God is sowing the good seed of eternal life, and making that, which to our finite view appears like a grain of mustard-seed, spread and flourish like the cedars of Lebanon." I am led to make this reflection by having been present at the opening of a small but neat chapel for divine worship, which has been lately erected at a village by the sea-coast, where the scattered fishermens' huts have, within a few years, been almost obscured by elegant buildings and accommodations for health and pleasure. A large and excellent hotel, billiard rooms, taverns, theatre, library, baths, &c. were at first erected, and, for several years, the gospel was attended by the serious few in a small and rather meanly accommodated room; but at length, like the leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal," it has pleased the Lord, in the midst of temptations calculated to stille divine truth, "to strengthen Zion's stakes, and lengthen her cords." The services of the day, to which I allude, will doubtless be detailed in your ustful miscellany; I shall not, therefore, dwell upon their excellence, utility, or sound solemnity; nor is it my design to censure those who, with different perceptions of happiness, have been enger to promote the usual routine of fashionable dissipation in the bosom of retirement and rural simplicity. My wish is rather to congratulate the Christian upon the superiority of his pleasures, and to trace the consolation of those reflections which result from exertions calculated to promote vital religion and correspondent holiness. Perhaps the believer seldom engages in a pursuit more congenial to his renewed nature than when he enlarges the Redeemer's kingdom: to this end a new place of worship opens a fair prospect of success. Can he enter such an one (reared, it may he, amidst opposition) without adoration? Will God in very deed dwell with men upon the earth?" is the language of his lips and of his heart. When he sees the assembled multitude, and traces in some the perception of divine truth; in some the early dawn of grace; in others ignorance, contempt, or ridicule, and the most part not knowing why they come together, ― love and prayer embraces all; and he silently and fervently hopes the Great Shepherd of the flock will number some amongst the sheep of his foll. When the service is over, and the remembrance of prayer and praise, and exhortation mingles in his mind how sacred fervour is awakened, how calmly he reviews the scene, without the accusations of remorse or the hurry of dissipation; nor will he fear to recall the sweet impression should he hear it said, "This night is thy soul required of thee." We do not hastily condemn the promoter of worldly pleasure, or the proprietor of the theatre, we would only contrast the probable cffects of such pursuits to elevate the tone of the Christian's happiness, to enfore the superiority of his privileges, and the RELIGIOUS HAND BILLS. 553 solace of his reflections. The promoter of the gospel establishe a school of sacred discipline, where souls are trained for immortal happiness. The reverse may be safely attached to theatrical entertainments. Is God in all their thoughts? Yes; sometimes he is. But, alas! it is for the purpose of invocation, or to add pathos to false sentiment! The Christian's motive is to win souls to virtue, upon the pure principle of gospel obedience; the votary of pleasure seeks to loosen the restraints of religion, by substituting mirth in the place of seriousness, and levity in the room of devotion. -- One aims to prepare the mind against the power of misfortunes, to impart a solace in suffering, to unveil the glories of immortality, and remove the sting of death. The other unfits the mind for reflection, removes the consolations of hope, despoils the treasures of memory; and ah! adds tenfold horror to the prospect of dissolution. But enough; let the Christian pursue the contrast through all its extended varieties; and he will add another wreathe to bind around the brows of Piety and Truth! M. G. Dear Sir, RELIGIOUS HAND-BILLS. To the Editor. THE salvation of the immortal soul is a blessing of infinite value; and I rejoice that various means are now employed to attract the attention and affect the consciences of perishing immortals: yet, when we look at this vast city, and behold, from the filthy habitations of Wapping to the splendid buildings of Cavendish Square, the same awful indulgence of vice, though under very different garbs, are we not constrained to exclaim, O! how much remains to be effected! The motive of this address will, to your mind, operate as a sufficient apology for the intrusion. Viewing the walls of every street crowded with the efforts of players, lottery-office keepers, and speculators, to excite attention and to seduce the public mind, I have thought, Why may not the same mode be resorted to for exciting regard to a better cause? Our divine Master employed the meanest instruments to accomplish the great object of his mission, disregarding the charge of being a companion of publicans and sinners, when their salvation was to be effected. Why then should we leave so popular a mode of address as the above unemployed in the eause of Christianity? Annexed is a sketch of a hand-bill for the purpose; it may be ex 4 B XIV. ceptionable; but may not something of the kind be fixed up over the town every Saturday night, to catch the eye of the passenger on Sabbath morning? May it not prove the mean, under the blessing of God, of leading many to places of worship, and of impressing on their minds divine and saving truth? It is true, its novelty might at first excite in some unfavourable effects, as field-preaching used to do; but the blessed result, which in many cases followed the one, may be an attendant on the other. It will be expensive; but, blessed be God, the religious public of the present day only wait to have gospel plans presented, in order vigorously to support them. Yours faithfully, C. Should any steps be taken in the business, I shall be happy in forwarding, through your hands, 51. 5s. STAY! STAY! Where is the man of any observation who can doubt that the human mind is awfully sunk in depravity and sin? Are we not surrounded with abundant proofs that the inclination of the will is to the indulgence of dispositions and passions which reason itself condemns? What are the consequences 2 Go from house to house, go from one hunian being to another, ask them, and ask yourself, if happiness is to be found in any of the pleasures which you and they are so eagerly pursuing? The answer must be, No! No! WHY IS THIS? Did the great Creator form his creatures with insatiable desires after a happiness never to be obtained? Did he create them only to be the subjects of wretchedness? Impossible! There is a work which explains the mystery, and which says, "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin." But has the good Supreme, who clotheth the earth with food both for man and beast, made no provision for the recovery and permanent felicity of his fellow-creature? Are we abandoned to our fate? Are we left to eat, drink, sleep, and indulge in excesses, and die in misery, and hopeless despair? O! no! READER, Have you not heard of a book called the BIBLE? There, you will find the true way of obtaining happiness,-lasting happiness: a happiness which, if you do not forsake, will never forsake you. There all your enquiries will be answered; there you will learn how to live well, and to die happily! You have not a moment to lose. To-morrow's sun may shine, but your eyes may not behold its light-your pulse may have ceased to beat. Read, and thou shalt know; prac tise, and thou shalt be blessed. Farewell. Thy friend, BENEVOLUS |