the scales may fall from their eyes, and their enraptured sight be delighted with a view of what I have done for their souls. But if men will love their darkness, and tell me they know enough, and that the lamp of unsanctified reason is all they want to guide them to eternal life, they have no part in me. I came to "preach the receiving of sight to the blind," but they tell me, they are not blind, how then can I recover that which was never lost? If they were really blind, they "should have no sin, but now they say, we see; therefore, their sin remaineth."

'Another purpose, however, for which "the spirit of the Lord is upon me," is that I may "set at liberty them that are bruised." It often happens, that when I have anointed my people's eyes with eyesalve so that their sight is recovered, and have put the mark of the renewed mind upon them, to show that they are delivered from captivity; that their souls are buffetted and bruised and tried with many and sore temptations. Their prayers are too cold to be heard; their sins are too great to be forgiven; wicked thoughts too often come into their hearts, for Christ ever to make his habitation there; so that even though I have assured them, that their ransomed souls are safe in my Father's keeping, they are plagued with groundless fears lest some one should pluck them out of my father's hands. These I must set at liberty, I cannot allow them either " through fear of death," or of that which should follow death, to be " all their life time subject unto bondage." No: I am sorry for their want of faith, to think that I should ever leave them or forsake them; but this is " temptation's hour" and darkness' short lived reign, but the "even-tide is coming, and then, "there shall be light" again; and there by its later beams shall they read the everlasting promise, "Fear not, O Israel, for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by my name; and thou art mine. When thou passeth through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." Turn then unto me, ye bruised and tempted souls. I must not prevent Satan from distressing you; but I will prevent him from destroying you. Ye are in "heaviness now through manifold temptations," but there is a needs-be for all this. The trial of your faith is precious, and your soul has to pass through this purifying furnace in order that it may shine the more brightly on the Redeemer's diadem at the great day of his appearing.

Once more, the Saviour says to us, "the spirit of the Lord is upon me, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." It is a solemn thought, that to each man is given his day of grace, his year of acceptance, his appointed period, during which alone he has the power to embrace the gracious offer of salvation. But he knows not how long his day of visitation lasts; and this ignorance becomes an excuse for his wasting it. Oh, how often, have I had to weep over the ruins of a perishing soul, just as I wept by anticipation over the prostrate ruins of Jerusalem ! I have looked upon some spell-bound and procrastinating spirit, I have seen the precious moments of his spiritual visitation gliding swiftly by, the last remonstrance of my spirit slighted, the last appeal of an expiring conscience drowned, and as I drew near to that lost soul, I have wept over it, saying, "Oh that thou hadst

known, in this thy day, the things that belong unto thy peace; but now they are hidden from thine eyes," and shall I have to weep over you,' I think I hear the Saviour saying, is it in vain that I proclaim unto you, that to you "the acceptable year of the Lord" is nownow whilst mercy warns, and a Saviour pleads, and gravestones speak, and each knell that tolls says, "Another of thy friends is gone!". O work then "while it is called to-day; " while the sun is yet in the heavens; and the gray twilight has not passed over the brightness of your evening sky; for then my anointing will be of no use to you, and though "the Spirit of the Lord be upon me" I can preach no acceptable year to you. My voice will reach the tomb to be sure; but it will not be to preach; it will be to awake, to summon, to command you to appear before "the great white throne" and answer why, when I preached the "acceptable year of the Lord" it was not acceptable to you?

66

THE INFANT IN HEAVEN.

"THIS affords, we think, something more than a dubious glimpse into the question that is often put by a distracted mother when her babe is taken away from her- when all the converse it ever had with the world amounted to the gaze upon it of a few months, or a few opening smiles which marked the dawn of felt enjoyment; and, ere it reached perhaps the lisp of infancy, it, all unconscious of death, had to wrestle through a period of sickness with its power, and at length to be overcome by it. Oh! it little knew what an interest it had created in that home where it was so passing a visitant-nor, when carried to its early grave, what a tide of emotion it would raise among the few acquaintances it left behind it! on it, too, baptism was impressed as a seal, and as a sign it was never falsified. There was no positive unbelief in its bosom-no resistance yet put forth to the truth-no love at all for the darkness rather than the light-nor had it yet fallen into that great condemnation which will attach itself to all that perish because of unbelief, that their deeds are evil. It is interesting to know that God instituted circumcision for the infant children of Jews, and at least suffered baptism for the infant children of those who profess Christianity. Should the child die in infancy, the use of baptism as a sign has never been thwarted by it; and may we not be permitted to indulge a hope so pleasing, as that the use of baptism, as a seal, remains in all its entireness-that He who sanctioned the affixing of it to a babe, will fulfil upon it the whole expression of this ordinance? And when we couple with this the known disposition of our great Forerunner-the love that he manifested to children on earth-how he suffered them to approach his person-and, lavishing endearment and kindness upon them in the streets of Jerusalem, told his disciples that the presence and company of such as these in heaven formed one ingredient of the joy that was set before him-tell us if christianity does not throw a pleasing radi

ance around an infant's tomb? And should any parent, who hears us, feel softened by the touching remembrance of a light that twinkled a few short months under his roof, and at the end of its little period expired, we cannot think that we venture too far, when we say that he has only to persevere in the faith and in the following of the gospel, and that very light will again shine upon him in heaven. The blossom which withered here upon its stalk has been transplanted there to a place of endurance; and there it will then gladden that eye which now weeps out the agony of an affection that has been sorely wounded; and, in the name of Him who, if on earth would have wept along with them, do we bid all believers present to sorrow not even as others which have no hope, but to take comfort in the thought of that country where there is no sorrow and no separation. DR. CHALMERS.

THE RIGHTS OF THE POOR.

(FROM SADLER'S IRELAND.)

THE poor have a sacred claim to relief, founded on divine reve

lation.

In the institutions of the Jewish legislator, which, as MONTESQUIEU somewhere observes, were to the Israelites positive laws, though we read them only as precepts, the legal provision for the poor holds a conspicuous place, and has, probably, been the foundation of all similar institutions throughout Christendom. The tithe of every third year, stored for the purpose; the remnant of the crops of every year (fixed at one sixtieth part); the share of the entire produce of every seventh year; independently of sundry other benevo lent ordinances, of much importance, made in their behalf,-formed a provision for the poor of ISRAEL which has, as yet, never been equalled in any country of the world. On the lowest possible computation, were that institution transferred to England, it would treble the amount now raised amongst us. And this ample provision was carried into effect and penally enforced. Besides all this, it ought to be remembered that the fundamental institutions of the Theocracy, such as the minute division of property, and its restoration to the original owners, or their descendants, every fiftieth year, preserved, perhaps, a vaster mass of the population in equal and easy circumstances than was ever the case with any other people. The learned SELDEN has written on the provision for the poor of Israel, and to him I must refer for further information on this interesting subject. I shall not however, omit confronting by this divine institution a modern objection to our own Poor Laws, and certainly the most absurd, notwithstanding its prevalence, of any that has hitherto been advanced. It is now said that a public provision for the poor is totally subversive of the very principle of nature and of charity. Such might as well affirm that the voluntary fulfilment of those other duties of social or public life, which happens to be recognized and enjoined by law,

(and they are many,) likewise loses all its value. But to the point. Is not voluntary charity connected with this public provision for the poor, in these sacred records? Let those who doubt it turn to the laws and exhortations of MOSES and the prophets, and they will soon be satisfied on this head. Notwithstanding the legal relief prescribed, still the duty of personal charity, the liberality with which it should be dispensed, and the generous feelings with which its exercise was to be accompanied, are solemnly dictated:" Thou shalt surely give him; and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy GOD shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.-For the poor shall never cease out of the land.-Therefore, I command thee, saying; Thou shalt open thine hand wide, to thy brother, to thy poor, and thy needy in the land." (Deut. xv. 10, 11.)

I shall not refrain from going further into the subject, as it respects the institutions of MOSES. We have seen that the RIGHT of the poor, and their business to be where they were,' are there fully recognized even the term itself is sanctioned in holy writ. And only suppose that the DEITY has the same merciful consideration for an Irishman as for an Israelite, and then some of the passages may, perhaps, be found striking. GOD is represented there as the bestower of this RIGHT:-" Behold, GOD is mighty, and despiseth not any; He is mighty in strength and wisdom: He giveth RIGHT to the poor, (Job xxxvi. 5, 6.) As the upholder of it: The LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the RIGHT of the poor," (Ps. cxl. 12.) As its awful vindicator :-"Woe unto them that take away the RIGHT of the poor," (Isa. x. 2.) The ground of this RIGHT is likewise revealed to us; and an awful and unalienable one it is!" The land is MINE, and ye are the strangers and sojourners with Me!' (Lev. xxv. 23.) It is founded on the sufficiency of Divine Providence: - Thou, O God, bast prepared of Thy bounty for the poor!' (Psa. Ixviii. 10.) On the feelings of human kindred :—' Thy poor brother!' (Deut. xv. 7.) On respect for human misery:- Thou shalt not vex him; thou shalt surely give him!' Deut. xv.) On the vicissitudes of human life: Love ye therefore the strangers, for ye were strangers !' (Deut. x. 19.) On the greatful remembrance of past mercies :—' It shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless and the widow and thou shalt remember that thou wert a bondman in the land of Egypt,' (Deut. xxiv. 21, 22.) On the certain prospect of human suffering: Blessed be the man that considereth the poor and needy: the LORD will deliver him in his time of trouble; will preserve; will comfort; will strengthen him, when he lieth sick upon his bed,' (Psa. xli. 1-3.) It is guaranteed by the promises of GOD :- For this thing the LORD thy GOD will bless thee,' (Deut. xv. 10.) By his denunciations :If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto Me, I will surely hear their cry; and My wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall be widows and your children fatherless!' (Exod. xxii. 23, 24.) It is further represented as a RIGHT, for the neglect of which the observance of no other duties, however sacred, will atone :- Incense is an abomination to Me!Relieve the oppressed; judge the fatherless; plead for the widow !' (Isa. i. 13, 17.) 'Is not this the fast that I have chosen ?—to deal

thy bread to the hungry! and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house! when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh!' (Isa. lviii. 6 7.) And lastly, and above all, the Deity has connected this RIGHT of the poor with the highest and most distinguished attributes of His nature, and placed His pity for them amongst His brightest perfections and sublimest titles:-Sing unto GOD, sing praises to His name, extol Him that rideth upon the heaven, by His name JAH, and rejoice before Him.-A father to the fatherless, a judge of the widows, is GOD, in His holy habitation,' (Ps. lxviii. 4, 5.) Hear Moses' last sublime description of him :- The Lord your GOD is GOD of gods, and LORD of lords, a great GOD, a mighty and a terrible !-He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger in giving him food and raiment! Love ye therefore the strangers!"

Institutions like these, and so guaranteed, had doubtless a wonderful effect on the people on whom they were imposed. We are told, now, that this care and preservation of the poor would increase population; this, however, was regarded by the divine philosopher and legislator of ISRAEL as a signal mark of the divine complacency and experience proved it such. Hence he exultingly adds to the passage last quoted.-Thy fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons, and now the LORD thy GOD hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude!'

And can a question be started whether the Christian religion lessened the claims and RIGHTS of the poor, and relaxed the duty of attending to them? or placed them upon a yet broader foundation, and fenced them round by the deepest motives that time or eternity could inspire? It would be an insult upon the spirit and letter of that religion to pursue such an inquiry. Even BOLINGBROKE saw clearly enough that general benevolence and universal charity are the distinguishing badges of Christianity.' A regular provision for the poor was amongst the first of the apostolic institutions, was established wherever Christianity was spread, and will never cease until its spirit shall be utterly extinguished.

In closing these observations upon the sacred RIGHT of the poor to relief, as further confirmed by divine revelation, I must remark, that this title does not rest upon the foundation of individual worthiness, nor, indeed, does personal demerit abrogate it, though such cir cumstances may, properly enough, be taken into due consideration in its ministration. It is placed upon a very different basis-upon human suffering, and the pleasure of GOD that it should be relieved. Indeed, if there be one point more pre-eminently clear in our religion than another, it is, that we are totally prohibited from making merit the sole passport to our mercy; the foundation of the modern code. Every precept touching this divine virtue instructs us to the contrary, and I do defy those who hold the opposite notion to produce one in their favour. A feeling that has to be excited by some delicate sentimental touches, some Shandean scene, and is to be under the guardianship of worldly policy, may be the virtue of political economy: but this fancy-charity has nothing in common with that disinterested, devoted, unbounded benevolence, which, as TERTULIAN says, is the