found only in the ways of God; worldly pleasure is compared by Solomon to the crackling of thorns in the fire: they blaze and sparkle for a moment, but are soon extinguished. It is the invariable tendency of sin to produce misery: "There is no peace, saith God, to the wicked."

And what was the plan which the prodigal proposed to himself, to remedy his distresses? Was it to return to his father, and to confess and forsake his evil way, that he might find mercy? No: he was still too proud, or thoughtless, or impenitent for this. He therefore "went and joined himself to a citi zen of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine." Thus any expedient is resorted to by the sinner for comfort, rather than the only one that can really meet his case a return to the service of God. He needs something to sustain his heart; but it is often long before he can be persuaded to place his happiness where alone true joys are to be found. The prodigal would gladly have satisfied his hunger with the husks which the swine did eat, because no man gave to him any better sustenance. But such food was unfit for the purpose of sustaining human life; and he must shortly have perished, had he not determined upon the only plan which could restore him to his long-lost tranquillity. This plan was to return, as a penitent, to the bosom of his father, and to implore his forgiveness and reconciliation.

3. Thus we are led to consider the prodigal's repentance. He had deeply experienced the folly of his conduct; degraded from ease and affluence to a menial station in a foreign land, and overtaken by abject poverty and famine, he began to estimate his crime by his punishment. Thus it is that God often overrules affliction for our good, and employs the troubles of life to bring us nearer to Himself. In youth, and health, and

prosperity, we often think we can live happily without the hopes and supports of Religion, because we do not love its restraints. But when the season of distress arrives, we find how vain every other comfort, if we have not a reconciled God, a compassionate Saviour, to whom we can resort in our extremity. When nothing else can support us, we begin to discover the value of him whose mercy is everlasting, whose long-suffering extends even to the most ungrateful of his creatures, and "who willeth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he should be couverted and live.”

But to proceed with the narrative-It is added: "And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's house have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!" He came to himself; he had been hitherto, as it were, in a state of delirium: giddy pleasures and riotous living had unfitted him for serious reflection; and it was not till he had lost all, and was driven to the extremity of famine, that he recovered his reason, and began to discern objects in their right aspect. What a picture is this of a sinner while in an unrenewed state! He is, as it were, beside himself: he sees every thing in a wrong light: he is unacquainted with the only true happiness: his pleasures are but a short-lived delusion; and were he to open his eyes to his real condition, he would find that amidst his supposed peace and prosperity, he is, in a religious point of view,

poor, and wretched, and miserable, and blind, and naked."

And what was the resolution of the prodigal when he had thus returned to his right mind? It was, "I will arise and go to my father, and I will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son!" Here was genuine repentance. We do not find him dissembling his crime,

change of life. We also must arise from our natural state of sin and indifference to God: we must shake off our spiritual sloth, and begin with active step the journey towards eternal life.

We are not informed what were the feelings and reflections of the returning prodigal during his journey homewards. Doubtless, hope and fear by turns prevailed in his bosom. He had offended deeply: he was returning in disgrace and indigence, and had no claim whatever to urge to an indulgent reception. Yet he whom he had offended was still his parent: it was to a father that he said he would arise and return; by that tender name he determined to address him, even while he acknowledged that he was no more worthy to be called his son. And such is our encouragement; for our justly offended Creator has seen fit to represent himself under the same endearing relation to every sincere penitent. Thus of Ephraim it is said by Jehovah, "I have heard him bemoaning himself: thou hast chastized me, and I was chastized as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou to me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the Lord my God. Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore I am troubled for him: I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord."

But, however favourable might have been the hopes of the returning prodigal, they were more than fulfilled by the kind reception of his father, who, "while he was yet a great way off, saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him." Not one word of reproach fell from the lips of the parent; not one word of excuse from those of the son. The former was all mercy, the latter all self-abasement. While the son is uttering his humble confession, "Father! I have sinned

against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son," the father is commanding the servants to bring forth the best robe, and to put it on him, and to put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet, and to prepare an entertainment as a token of his joy at the return of his now penitent and obedient child. "This, my son, was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found."

And is not this a forcible comment on the conduct of the Almighty towards his fallen creatures? "He looketh upon men; and if any say I have sinned and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not, he will deliver his soul from going down to the pit, and his life shall see the light." Or as it is said of Manasseh," who did evil in the sight of the Lord;" "when he was in affliction, he besought the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed unto him; and he was entreated of him, and heard his supplication." Indeed, so far does the Almighty extend his compassion, that while we are yet a great way off," he beholds with complacency our intended return, and gives effect to the holy resolutions which he enabled us to form. His promise is, "Before they call I will hearken; yea, while they are yet speaking I will hear." And upon our return we are received according to the full meaning of that compassionate assertion of our Lord, that "whoso cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out."

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Thus every thing, when rightly viewed, ought to draw us to God; our own guilt and misery, and his offers of pardon and reconciliation, are both strong reasons for imitating the conduct of the returning prodigal. We surely shall not plead that we do not need this while we constantly, in public worship, adopt his humble confes. sion as our own. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive

ourselves and the truth is not in us; but if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." These two effects always follow together: we are both pardoned and cleansed, jus tified and sanctified. How anxious would the prodigal son be, after this bountiful reception, to love and obey his indulgent parent! Having been forgiven much, he would love much. And shall we

be less grateful to our Father which is in heaven; to him who has borne with our wanderings so long, and is willing to receive us on our return? No: let it be our constant study and our earnest prayer, to perform his commands, to live to his glory, and to give ourselves wholly, both in body and soul, to that Saviour who so loved us that he gave himself for us, to purify us unto himself, as a peculiar people zealous of good works. Amen.

REMARKS ON SCOTTISH SCENERY AND MANNERS IN 1819.

(Continued from p. 784.) THIS chapel (St. Andrew's, Glasgow,) was built partly by the contribution of weekly pennies from the Irish Catholics, so thickly hived in that town. Its erection became the cause of unexpected good. A merchant in the place, offended by its rising splendor, expressed his sensations in one of the newspapers. Answers and rejoinders followed; and hence originated "The Protestant;" a cheap journal, published weekly by this lay-divine, which has been so extensively patronized, that the printer found it most economical to meet the public demand by stereotyping the early Numbers. It has received the written sanction of the Bishop of St. David's; and though too local in its allusions, probably, for general circulation, continues to dilapidate the glories of St. Andrew's chapel.-Glasgow contains other sources of disquiet to the powers of darkness;-an Auxiliary Bible Society in full action; and many exemplary ministers, who, though not indeed all gifted with the splendid talents of one among their number, are influenced by the same spirit, and co-operate to the same results. I am happy to inform you,

that the new church of St. John's (not yet finished), to which Dr. Chalmers is appointed, will contain nearly two thousand persons.

Glasgow is the grand northern arsenal of steam-boats. Four-andtwenty of these popular vessels muster at the Broomielaw. Many of them are distinguished, with the true nationality of the country, by the names, for example, of the Fingal, Argyle, Rothsay Castle, Wal

* In July, I went on board, at Liver

pool, the American steam vessel Savannah, the first which has crossed the Atlantic. She carries about 340 tons, 200 of them being occupied by the machinery. Her paddles are placed in the midway between stem and stern, and are so constructed that they may be unshipped in twenty minutes. Her accommodations are of the first order; and the whole vessel,which is completely rigged as a three-masted ship, and only uses the engine when the wind is in a wrong quarter, is generally admired as a pattern of naval architecture, in respect both to beauty and mechanical skill. As she steered up the Mersey, on her arrival, she passed by all the sailing vessels then working up the river; but on her departure for Russia, in August, she was decidedly beaten by the Waterloo (British) steam-vessel, which has two engines, each of thirty-horse power, and is, besides, rigged. The Savannah's engine is between seventy and eighty horse power, and on this occasion, applied its whole strength,