A WORD TO THE CENSORS. COMPLAINTS of the times are certainly as old as literature, and were no doubt abundantly poured forth before the use of either page or pen was known among mankind. Since that period not only poets and philosophers but ordinary people of every generation, have discovered that the times were out of joint, and, though by no means agreed on particulars, they have been unanimous in lamenting the fact. It is probable that some of these complaints were not without foundation, and very possible that many of the censors forgot their own errors in those of the age, which has served as a universal scapegoat. Generations, like the individuals of whom they are composed, have each their peculiar and prominent characteristics, and this truth is apparent to any student of history; but it is equally true that the character of an age, as well as that of an individual, is liable to mistake and misapprehension by the less thoughtful and more clamorous of its critics. For example, our own has been censured as a mean and moneyloving generation; much has been written, said, and sung regarding the prevalence of mammon-worship in these commercial times; fortunately popular education is now too far advanced to require a refutation of that traditional fallacy concerning the good old times, most people being aware that the old times were laden with preponderating evils, such as general ignorance, religious pers cution, and belief in witchcraft with all its deplorable consequences; but a glance or two backward is necessary to prove that, even in the matter under consideration, the world has progressed, and the article of mere pecuniary advantage was never brought as near its true valuation as at present. By the Saxon laws every offence against person or property had its fixed price; and the murder of a husband or father was believed to be sufficiently expiated by the payment of a certain amount, which was always regulated according to the rank of the deceased, and received by his nearest relations. About half-a-crown of our money was in those days a satisfactory return for the death of a serf or peasant of the lowest class. The early administration of Irish affairs seems to have been conducted in a similar spirit, as we find an old law of the English Pale, which designation then included the south and east of Leinster, being the only part of the country subject to England, by which the killing of a mere Irishman' was estimated at exactly half the sum payable for that of an English subject. Among the expedients practised by the monarchs of the Norman line for increasing their private finances, a chronicler of the times acquaints us with the following: The king let his land at as high a rate as he possibly could; then came some other person and bade more than the former one gave, and ye king let it to the man that bade him more; then came the third, and bade him yet more, and ye king let it to hand to the man that bade him most of all; and he recked not how very sinfully the stewards got it off wretched men.' All the predecessors of Henry I. exacted considerable sums for waiving their privilege to clip and adulterate the coin of the realm; and it is remarkable that in the last-mentioned reign the judges were publicly paid for permitting criminals to be tried by jury. At the same period, bishoprics, as well as important civil offices, were openly bought from the crown. William Rufus is recorded to have stated that he would hate the celebrated Anselm of Canterbury as long as he lived for offering him less than one thousand pounds for his see. In the midst of the age of chivalry, the renowned Coeur de Lion seems to have outdone all his ancestors in the art of raising money. An able historian remarks- Ilis presence-chamber was a market overt in which all that the king could bestow, all that could be derived from the bounty of the crown, or imparted by the royal prerogative, was disposed of to the best chapman.' One of the individuals meriting this description was Hugh Pudsy, who bought the office of chief justice for one thousand merks, though it was then occupied by a nobleman to whom the king himself acknowledged that his and England's obligations were immense, for he had served them for thirty years in court, and council, and in battle-field, and there was not a wiser nor a better man in the land. A subsequent mode of replenishing his coffers was to lose the great seal and have another constructed, on which all royal grants, offices, and bishoprics were once more reclaimed and sold to the best advantage. It is evident that all ranks of his subjects entered into their monarch's views of the current coin, as it is stated that at his Christmas banquet, given to the noblest peers and knights of the French and English armies in Palestine, Richard presented to each of his guests a sum of money, varying according to the rank of the recipient, which proceeding, as was intended, greatly in creased his popularity. The same gallant sovereign paid to Philip of France two thousand marks a-year for his breach of contract with the latter's sister, which stands among the earliest damages on record. The history of the fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth centuries is indeed abundant in treaties broken and judg ments reversed, for what in our day would appear comparatively inconsiderable sums of money. As manners became refined and morals took a higher tone in the gradual improvement of ages, these transactions grew less frequent, or at least less public; but even so late as the reign of James I. of England, it appears that bribery was by no means rare among the highest officers of the state, and the justly celebrated Chancellor Bacon is said to have been brought to conviction rather through the malice of personal enemies than the extraordinary nature of his crime, which is believed to have been of common and customary occurrence. About the same time it is apparent that the custom of receiving bribes was but too well known in the jury box, and there is a curious anecdote of Sir Mathew Hale, chief-justice of the King's Bench, having detected a similar perversion of justice in the disguise of a miller at one of the county courts. Such proceedings would in our day he visited with a tempest of public indignation, but in those times they were looked upon only as things to be expected. Does not this fact of itself furnish conclusive evidence that men have learned to regard the means of getting as well as the gain, and that society has at least grown wiser in practically knowing steady industry and prudent enterprise to be the surest ways to wealth? It is truly wonderful how tedious mankind are in acquiring that simple lesson- Honesty is the best policy;' but, judging from past examples, they seem nearer it now than ever. Doubtless there are and will be, till the end of human history, some in whose estimation the circulating medium holds too high a place; our laws against bribery and corruption, the details of disputed parliamentary elections, and too many of the every-day transactions of private and domestic life, remain to certify that such are not wanting in our own generation. Let us, however, take into account the popular methods of acquisition now in vogue, compared with those practised by the highest ranks of former ages, the number and extent of those voluntary subscriptionlists for purposes of public respect or benevolence, whose very existence is among the peculiar features of this and the preceding century, previous to which no demands on the public were recognised but those enforced by civil or ecclesiastical authority-su ely these signs of our mercantile times evince that the love of money, which the Apostle denounces as the root of all evil, is not among their characteristic sins, as mammon-worship, in its worse sense, appears never to have been less practised. SANCTIFIED INTELLECT.* THE following beautiful reflections on a momentous and inspiring subject, which were called forth by the death of the gifted and good Rev. R. W. Hamilton of Leeds, we publish with the permission of the author, Mr Leask. Apart from the specially religious character of the reflections, the profundity of thought, brilliancy of style, catholicity of charity, and earnestness of purpose involved in A Serinon preached in Esher Street Chapel, Kennington, London, by the Rev. WILLIAM LEASK, author of Our Era,' 'The Footsteps of the Messiah,' &c. them, are sufficient to compensate even the merely int l-process of moral transformation, may become a bane and lectual reader for the time expended in their perusal. We refer the reader to No 117 of the INSTRUCTOR, for a critical review of the life and character of Mr Hamilton, and we introduce him without further comment to the following tribute to that species of intellectual greatness of which he was so distinguished an ornament. In treating of the theme of Sanctified Intellect, it is at once assumed that it is a thing which may be known; something the presence of which may be distinctly recognised, as a clearly defined verity possessing characteristics which lift it far above the regions of imposture or the reach of counterfeit; something, in short, which will enable the spectator to say regarding its possessor, The wise shall inherit glory.' The character, the work, and the reward, of sanctified intellect are suggested for contemplation. not a benefactor, a curse and not a blessing, to somery. Who have been the world's scourges, tyrants, and de stroyers? Who have wallowed in the blood of nations, and trod to the high places of iniquity amidst the curses of humanity, and the tears of agonised widowhood? And who have poured upon continents the acc .mulated horrors of war, famine, and pestilence? Let history answer, and, if there be not a lie in her right hand, she will affirin our proposition. From the peaceful regions of literature, also, unsanctified intellects have sent forth streams of moral pollution upon society. In proportion to the talent of the writer has been his power of evil, for men have been fascinated by genius, as by the eye of the basilisk, and the injection of the poison under the influence of that fascination has been certain. Turn we now to sanctified intellect-mind devoted to God, set apart to the service of its Creator, and cous antly under the purifying influences of divine truth. By contrast with what has been said, its value may be rendered more conspicuous. Glorious sight is that of a great intellect exhibiting the teachableness of the child, at the feet of the Man of Sorrows, and the humility of the saint amongst the poor of the flock! The noblest picture in the world is that of a great genius, or a profound philos pher, on his knees, adoring the Redeemer of the world! A man of gigantic intellect pleading for an interest in the blood of atonement comes up to the scriptural idea of true greatness. In view of such a picture, we lose sight of all material grandeur, and behold intellectual greatness making itself greater by communion with its Author, and putting itself in that position whence it will derive fresh additions to his treasures. The house of the forest of Lebanon, the gorgeous palaces and glittering retinue of Sowe look upon as mere tiusel; but when we gaze on the philosopher-king standing before the altar of the Lord, in the midst of his subjects and fellow-worshippers, and, with his hands spread forth towards heaven, pouring out the devout prayer and earnest intercession, we are arrested by the majesty of the scene, and feel that Solomon was truly the magnificent.' Moses refusing, with profound reverence, to be made the father of a great nation, on condition of the destruction of the Israelites, and ear 1. Its character. Intelligence-mind-reason, is that power by which the supremacy of man over the beasts of the earth is asserted. It is his patent of nobility, his title to distinction It guides the hand of the labourer, the mechanic, the artist, the author. It moves the thoughts of the pleader at the bar, and those of the senator in assembly. By it the philosopher excogitates knowledge, and the prince wields his sceptre. Art, science, discovery, literature, philosophy, civilisation-government, law, order-commerce, husbandry, navigation, national intercommunion are its trophies. It has felled primeval forests, tamed the ferocious inhabitant of the jungle and the desert, cultivated the wild waste, covered the fields with corn, exhumed the treasures of the earth, and caused those of the ocean to immerge. It has built towns, cities, and palaces; framed laws, organised governments, collected the riches of museums, filled libraries with living thought, and instituted the ten thousand conveniences and com-lomon, with royalty itself doing homage in his presence, forts of civilised life. It has circumnavigated the globe, analysed the properties of matter, sounded the depth of the sea and ascertained the height of the atmosphere. It has discovered the laws of nature, proclaimed the principle by which systems are kept from rushing into confusion, predicted the eclipse of suns and the return of comets. It has brought electricity to its service, and made the sunbeam its artist. It has commanded the fire and the winged winds to aid its purposes, and the evening breeze has become its musician. And it has stepped be-nestly imploring Jehovah to forgive the idolatrous people, yond the boundaries of the mundane system to religions from which our sun and all his planets are invisible, and brought back truthful intelligence about the stars of hea ven. But whilst, other things being equal, the greatest minds have been Christian, all this may be predicted of intellect, irrespective of the moral character of its possessor. All that we have said may be true of men who are not only ignorant of the true God and of his Son Jesus Christ, but who are also indisposed to receive information regarding the infinitely wise Creator and Author of that intellect which they possess, and which, with all its surprising achievements, is but a feeble ray imparted and kept alive by Him. With the information which revelation yields, we understand the reason of this indisposition; we are enabled to account for this anomaly. This being, this mighty thinker, this earthly sovereign, this controller of matter and revealer of secrets, has sinned against his Maker, and fallen from his high moral estate; and his dislike to the doctrine which restores him, his indisposition to be taught of God, is, among others, a most convincing proof that he bas sinned and fallen. Now, it must be obvious that a great intellect thus dissociated from the moral control arising from reverence towards God, may become a scourge and a terror. We speak not of the certain danger to which the individual himself is exposed; although, if there be truth in the doctrine that God ought to be feared by all that be round about him,' and in that which proclaims that accountability is proportioned to the amount of talent bestowed, an unholy intelligence must be exposed to the most fearful danger; but we say, a man of great intellectual powers, if he be a personal stranger to the gracious appears to us far greater than the same man when summoning the plagues of Heaven upon the land of the Pharaohs. The historian of creation, and lawgiver of Israel, is always great; but when engaged in prayer and intercession, his greatness is invested with true subliity. When the royal reformer, Hezekiah, falls upon his knees, and lays the blasphemous letter of Sennacherib open before God; and when the great-souled patriot, Nehemiah, implores the God of his fathers to move the heart of a heathen monarch to allow him to visit the place of his fathers' sepulchres; and when the eloquent prophet, Daniel, knowing that the decree of death had received the royal signature, calmly, as aforetime,' goes into his chamber, whose windows were open towards Jerusalem, to adore the only living God-we see pictures of moral greatness, specimens of what we mean by sanctified intellect. We have mentioned the scriptural idea of true greattiess. That this is it, let two facts determine. The first relates to the prophet just named. Whilst he was speaking in prayer, the angel Gabriel was sent to answer his suppli-* cation, and to assure him that he was greatly beloved." The second relates to the persecutor of Tarsus, regarding whom, after the great change had taken place in him, it was said by the Lord of Glory himself, 'behold he prayeth!' These are only specimen facts; but they are enough to show the estimation in which sanctified intellect is held by unerring wisdom. To be holy is to be great. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God. The wisdom that cometh from above' is true wisdom. A cultivated understanding and a regenerated heart surpass in value the treasures of earth. The wise shalt inberit glory.' Lu. in, icts is folly, and sin is madu.ss, II. We examine the work of sanctified intellect. It is, in short, the glory of God. But this, by the merciful arrangement of the Father of mercies, involves the good of min. Consequently there is no subject to which intelligence can devote itself but may be made to minister to both. The father, the master, the citizen, the statesman, the philosopher, the poet, and the divine, may labour harmoniously in this great field. There is room for all; and the issues of the toils of which will be glory to God and good to man. The amplitude of the region invites competitors; and the features of the eventful era in which our lot is cast form no insignificant attraction to honest and vigorous effort in the right direction. The times demand workmen. The voice of providence concurs with the spirit of prophecy in summoning men of thought, men of light, and men of love, to enter the arena of conflict with the antagonist powers of folly, darkness, and sin. The work to be done is the subjugation of the whole world to the righteous sceptre of the Son of God. The conflict ceases not until this complete victory be declared. Nothing short of this will satisfy Him who travailed in soul to redeem men. Angels wait impatiently with song and trumpet to proclaim the triumph throughout the universe. The day is not now distant which shall reveal to the awestruck nations the mysteries of the seer of Patmos. The symbolic apocalyptic thunders, lightnings, and earthquakes, will soon be read in historical light. The mystery of the tripartition of the great city, the vintage, and the battle of Armageddon is about to be explained by an unerring commentator. The hand of God will shortly write the meaning of all, and every intelligence will be called to read it. And now, men of intellect-thinkers-bear with me! Are you serving Christ? If not, I warn you: beware! I counsel you: consider! I invite you: come to the Saviour! Christian men! Let the least among the brethren speak. Though weak, he gathers strength from his subject, and boldness from his theme. His seniors in years and experience, in intellect and piety, will show their greatness by forgiving the trespass. It is time to work. The Most High is thinning our ranks, but the battle must be fought and won, and the laurel placed on Messiah's brow--the same brow that was pierced with thorns on our Let us work. llow P account. 1. By prayer. A devotional spirit is the first essential element of piety. The most complete knowledge of the system of redemption will only realise the letter that killeth, if there be no self-approbation of the benefits of that system, no heart sympathy with its principles, and no soul-beseechings for communion with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The blessings enumerated in the Gospel must be highly valued, and in proof hereof earnestly sought. An intelligent recognition of the good things of the everlasting covenant which the Father hath promised to them that ask him,' and a conviction of their adaptation to his individual wants, will prompt the petitioner. Feeling his need, he will pray that it may be supplied. Aware of his weakness, he will pray for strength. Alive to his danger from Satanic and worldly temptation, aud from the uneradicted evils of his heart, he will pray for succour; knowing that his business in life is to glorify the Redeemer, he will pray for light, grace, and direction; remembering his transgressions, he will pray for pardon; remembering his constant need of sanctifying influence, he will pray for the Holy Spirit; and, remembering the med.um of communication between heaven and earth, he will pray in the name of the only Mediator between God and man. Listening to the dictates of a sanctified heart, he will pray for his brethren, his kinsinen according to Wi the flesh, and for his fellow-disciples of every name. dening the field of vision. his sympathies will be excited for a world without God,' and he will pray for the speedy diffusion of the everlasting Gospel throughout the nations; and feeling confident that the claims of the Redeemer require unprecedented accessions to His spiritual kingdom, he will pray with earnestness of faith, and the animation of hope. The influence of prayer in the formation of character is far greater than the petitioner himself may know. We speak not now of what is generally understood by 'answers to prayer;' but of the moral and intellectual influence which the habit of prayer-real, believing prayerfor nothing else deserves the honourable name-exercises on the petitioner. In relation to the intellectual influence of prayer: think of the exalting associations of communion with the Father of lights' through the divine Messiah, and by the aid of the Holy Spirit; think of the high privilege to which the petitioner is advanced in being permitted to adore Him before whom the principalities and powers of heaven prostrate themselves with profound reverence; think of the honour which surrounds that mediatorial throne on which man's elder brother and representative is seated; think of the sublime promises which are made to the believing petitioner, and of the glorious prospects which are before him; and you have ideas whose influence on intellect is expanding, elevating, ennobling. Communion with light imparts light. Fellowship with greatness produces greatness. Contact with the spiritual creates spirituality. Access to the source of knowledge increases the desire for knowledge. He that follows Jesus shall not walk in darkness. He that visits the throne of grace meets with the Great Teacher. The sanctified intellect enlarges at the feet of the Sanctifying Prophet. In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Great thoughts rush unbidden into the mind of the earnest pupil. He eats the bread of life and is nourished. He drinks of the perennial river that issues from beneath the throne of God, and is quickened. He basks in the Sun of Righteousness and draws vitality. He meddles with all knowledge, and advances in the understanding of the holy. The books of the law, the prophetic scroll, the evangelic record, the apostolic letters are patent to him. The seals are broken off The mystery gradually vanishes. The true light plays around the head of the devout petitioner until he is changed into the image of Christ, who is the image of God, and, advancing from glory to glory, in due time the summons is issued for his removal from the region of faith to that of sight, and he has that promise fulfilled, 'What thou knowest not now thou shalt know hereafter.' That the light of the glorious Gospel, which the devotional alone value, facilitates the acquisition of all knowledge, is as certain as that the light of the sun exceeds that of the moon, and as the greater includes the less. Intellect without piety may burn for a time, but its light, like that of the meteoric stone, will be flickering and er ratic, and, like the meteor, it will sink in darkness, a scorched and deformed thing; but the light of sanctified intellect will shine with attractive and increasing radiance unto the perfect day, when, removed to a higher region, it will shine as the stars for ever and ever. We might point for illustration to those stars that now shine in the mental firmament, either in the literary, the philosophical, the metaphysical, or the theological constellation. Could a prayerless Milton have written Paradise Lost ?' or an undevotional Cowper The Task?' or an impious Young, Night Thoughts?' or an infidel Pollok the ، Course of Time p Is the wonderful discovery of the greatest of philosophers, Sir Isaac Newton, diminished in value because he studied the prophecies of Daniel and John, and reverently adored the God who made the starry host of heaven? Who would cast aside Locke and Bacon because they sat at the feet of the Nazarene? Are the imperishable writings of Edwards, Howe, Owen, Bunyan, Lardner, and an army of others, tarnished because the writers entered their closets, and prayed to their Father who seeth in secret? Why, these men are openly re 6 warded' already. The civilised world has heard of them. that Exalted One to his fellow-inhabitants of earth. Is it The monuments of the Pharaohs, and Cæsars, and Alex- heard? Well. Is it disregarded? Take heed, for he must anders, and Napoleons, and Wellingtons, are miserable speak. Necessity is laid upon him. He is under law to mole-hills compared with the undying renown of the Tin- | Christ. He is impelled by love. There is the constraint ker of Bedford alone. When you think of the intellectual of admiration. His Master's unapproachable character, influence of prayer, just recal John Bunyan. I would as and ineffable majesty, and unparalleled wealth, and marreadily believe that the Pilgrim's Progress' was written vellous work, and inexhaustible merits, and unequalled by a prayerless man, as I would the proposition that to be compassion, and irresistible claims, urge his thoughts. the enemy of Jesus Christ is both wise and safe. Let us They must find utterance; be cannot but speak; it is es work, sential to his happiness. Wo unto him if he preach not || the Gospel! 2. By the press. God has put this great agent into our hands, like all other providential agents, to be employed for His glory. It is wise' to avail ourselves of its tremendous power, and to wield it for the good of man, and the honour of the Redeemer. Let sanctified intellects write for it, and let devout minds, who have not been entrusted with this talent, circulate their writings. The amount of spiritual good effected by the instrumentality of benevolent Christians in circulating Baxter's 'Saint's Rest,' Bunyan's Pilgrim,' James's 'Anxious Inquirer,' and similar books, will be discovered in eternity to have been amazingly great. But before all, above all, and always, circulate the BOOK OF GOD-that book which is destined to purify the world's literature, and to disperse the world's darkness, and to dethrone the world's tyrants, and to liberate the world's slaves, and to still the world's groanings, and to dry the world's tears, by bringing the world under the benign and righteous sceptre of its Redeemer-King. Here is employment for the wise,' work for sanctified intellect. Let us work, 3. By the pulpit. I hesitate to step on this field. There is danger of being misapprehended. I shrink from being thought a teacher of others, at whose feet I would gladly sit. There is conflict between duty and inclination; but the former may not be disregarded, and, though trembling under the weight of its imperative command, I must endeavour to obey. The GOSPEL! At this word we pause. It is in rela- │ tion to questions started in connection with this word that complaints reach us. Those complaints take various forms. The intellectual bearer complains that much of the preaching of the day is uninteresting. It wants animation; it is not rousing. It wants power; it is not impressive. It wants nerve; it is not arresting. The ex- !' perienced complain that it is not edifying. It wants spiritu- || ality—it is not quickening. It wants discrimination-it is not appropriate. The young complain that it is mere iteration. It is an old matter-it wants novelty. It is stereotyped—it wants diversity. The aged complain that it is fatally changed. They cannot recognise it in its new dress; the plumage is foreign. Neology neutralises its power; fashionable pantheism destroys its distinctive character; learned allusions mar its simple beauty; mysticism veils its noble features; transcendentalism diffuses it into thin air. The evangelic fervour is gone; the Cal- ! vinistic pillars are broken; the Puritanic unction is lost; the Nonconformist simplicity is a 'glory departed.' From these premises the conclusion is easy. No wonder that the intellectual forsake us, that the young seek other pastures, that the aged sigh in secret, and that conversion is a strange work. If the premises are sound, we admit the conclusion. But are these premises sound? Are the alleged weakness, dulness, insipidity, and heresy, matters of fact? If so 'Ichabod!' The Lord help us! Judgment will begin at the house of God, and alas for the day!' The pulpit, or rather the preaching of the Gospel, is Christ's chosen agency for the accomplishment of his benificent purposes. We may not quarrel with His election. But let us look this matter right in the face, for it is of He has given it the pre-eminence. We dare not make it solemn import. Nothing exceeds it. Clearly those comsecondary. He has made it conspicuous; we will not plaints cannot be all true of the same man or class of men; lower its position. Is it deemed weakness? It is a stronger for they are contradictory allegations. The evils complainvantage-ground from which to throw the King's arrows ed of are of various types. Again, the persons who comthan any which the skill of man has formed. Is it brand- plain are of various classes. Again, there always were ed foolishness? The schools of philosophy have instituted murmurers in the assemblies of the people. The giant nothing like it for the diffusion of that knowledge which men of a past age, the men of sanctified intellect, who felt meets the intellectual wants of man. It is the watch themselves glorified in glorifying Christ, and who are held tower, from which the approach of the enemy is descried, up to the younger portion of the ministry of this day as and the alarm sounded. Where were Protestantism, but examples to be imitated, were annoved, misrepresented, for her pulpit? What has made England great? An evan- and complained of in their day. We hear not of this. gelical pulpit. Let heresy find its way here, and we are No; for the murmurers are dead and forgotten, and their undone! The pulpit is the last refuge of light, liberty, and little exploits are shrouded with them. These complaints benevolence. It is the place, pre-eminently, for sancti- are therefore destitute of the virtue of novelty. Again, fied intellect. It affords scope for the highest order of there are many persons who imagine themselves perfectly purified imagination-for the deepest soundings of thought competent to judge of the qualities and qualifications ne-for the warmest gushings of zeal-for the intensest out- cessary for the pulpit, whose first business it should be to pourings of feeling-for the amplest range of literature-learn the lesson, Take heed how ye hear; so that it is for the loftiest flights of eloquence. Its theme is vast as a small matter to be judged of their judgment. And, the being, and attributes, and works, and ways of Godonce more, many of the disaffected are persons who would as the character, and life, and death, and resurrection, and do well to undertake and perform the task of self-examiascension, and reign of Jesus Christ-as the person, and nation. To be reminded of the beam and the mote' might operations, and prerogatives of the Holy Ghost-as the be beneficial in their case. Common honesty required creation, fall, redemption, and destiny of man-as life, these remarks, which I have merely thrown out, although death, and immortality-as time past, present, and fu- they are susceptible of much amplification. ture-as earth, heaven, and hell-as the universe of matter and mind-and as the awful or joyful conditions of endless existence. Where holy angel has soared, or demon wing has swept, the minister of the Gospel may dare. He is a freed citizen of his Master's dominious. The breadth of Immanuel's land is his field of vision. Grasp ing the cross with one hand, and pointing with the other to Him who sits upon the throne, surrounded by the adoring principalities of heaven, he utters the message of On the subject of preaching, the writer may be allowed to refer to his remarks in the tenth chapter of The Footsteps of Messiah,' entitled The Messiah as a Preacher.' Still the question recurs-and we have no intention to evade it-Are these complaints well founded? Perhaps they are, to some extent, allowing for the exaggeration to which all rumours of a depreciatory character are liable, and especially when those rumours relate to ministers of the Gospel; and what then? There is great diversity of gifts. Uniformity of attainment in the pulpit would be an exception to the ordinary procedure of the Creator of mind. All men have not the pathos of Isaiah, nor the fire of Ezekiel, nor the brilliance of Daniel, nor the love of John, nor the zeal of Simon, nor the energy of Peter, nor the polish of Luke, nor the eloquence of Apollos, nor is at the doors!' Its light streams through our cham- 80. the intellect of Paul; but each accused one, who really But, admitting these complaints, we ask once moreWhat then? Are the faults traceable to our Gospel? Is it dull, uninteresting, insipid? Is it not the glorious Gospel of Christ ? Is it not the wisdom of God in a mystery ?' Is it not the power of God unto salvation P' Is it not love and light in harmony? Is it not mercy and justice combined P Regarding it, may we not exclaim, from the centre of admiring hearts, Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his riches, and his ways past finding out!' We vindicate our theme. We hurl back accusation from our thesis. We learned not indifference from Paul, nor coldness from John, nor deadness from Jesus. Shall we be uninteresting, when God's plan for rescuing a world of mind from moral pollution and mental degradation is our text-when the groanings of creation for the adoption of the sons of God fall upon our ears-when the presence of the Holy Ghost assures us of success-when the Almighty Head of the Church beckons us to the glorious reward-when demon hosts are struggling to defeat us-and when holy angels are waiting to report in heaven the issue of our fidelity? Shall we be dull, when the light of the Sun of Righteousness plays upon the open page of inspiration the sacrifice of Calvary within sight, the fruits of righteousness to the glory of God clustering around us, the hymns of heaven falling upon our ears, and the great white throne of judgment, with its wonderful occupant, and the angelic procession, exulting in his train, just before us? And shall ours be mere iteration when the light which streams from the Redeemer's cross points to eternal joys as its issues; when sun, moon, and stars-earth, air, and water-spring and summer, winter and harvest, day and night, cold and heat, serve us for similitude, parable, and illustrationwhen the conscience of every man seconds our appeal, and the inductions of right reason accord with our conclusions -when the church of the living God, to which we are to teach knowledge, wisdom, and spiritual understanding, is the great training establishment for the employments of eternity-and when the principalities and powers in heavenly places learn from that church fresh lessons regarding the manifold wisdom of God? No! if there be coldness and sameness, we bear the blame. Our glorious gospel is vindicated. It is fitted to quicken the dead, and to arouse the attention of all intelligencies in all worlds; and the day is dawning when it will do both! Behold! it III. Mark the reward of sanctified intellect, thus working. It shall inherit glory.' There is 'glory to be revealed.' There is to be a new revelation, to consummate that of grace, as that of grace consummates that of law. These three will complete the mystery of God. All flesh shall see this coming glory; but the lovers of the truth as it is in Jesus, the regenerated disciples of the Son of God alone, shall inherit it. For them it is 'reserved.' It is their inheritance of joy, their portion in their Father's house, their unfading treasure. Assembled worlds shall witness its transcendent characteristics; but to them only will the King say, 'Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.' Others shall look on, but they shall 'go in,' and become 'pillars in the temple of God, to go no more out.' They shall receive the palm, the crown, the welcome. Fulness of joy' awaits them in the presence of God. Angels will hail their arrival, and conduct them to their mansions of bliss, with songs. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light upon them, nor any heat; for the lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.' Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father.' Then there shall be no more curse; but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall serve him, and they shall see his face, and his name shall be in their foreheads; and there shall be no night there, and they need no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign for ever and ever. Then they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.' And then the subjects of our text shall inherit glory.' 'He who testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly; Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.' CHARING-CROSS. CHARING-CROSS is one of the great geographical points of London, and is better known to mankind generally than are the Himalayan Mountains. There is not a cad, cabman, or 'bus-driver, from Blackwall to Richmond, but would weep, if he were an exile, and heard the endearing name breathed on a foreign shore. There is not a public vehicle that passes the Bank on its southward career, or plies from Hungerford, Piccadilly, or Pimlico in its cityward progress, but has its sides emblazoned with its name; and there is not a Cockney in Christendom who would be hardy enough to dream that it ever was suburban. Charles Lamb and the author of the 'Rejected Addresses' have sunned themselves upon its delicious pavement, or have stood beneath its drapers' calico window-screens and gazed upon the newest patterns of baby-clothes, and listened to the enchanting music of those who vend shrimps and periwinkles. If you wish to hear the thundering reverberations of wheels and horses' hoofs, and to behold the bustle and energy of life, combined with the power and wealth of London, there is not a more eligible point for your purpose than at the monument which stands upon the spot where stood old Charing-Cross. Look down towards the river and you will see Whitehall, from one of the windows of which the 'man Charles Stuart' was led forth by the Cromwellian homicides to |