SACRED POETRY. THE JOY. ADDRESSED TO A YOUNG FRIEND. Dosr thou not love, in the season of spring, Its glossy leaf and its silver stem, Oh dost thou not love to look on them? And dost thou not love when leaves are greenest, When in the silence of moonlight thou leanest To see by that gentle and peaceful beam When leaves are changing before thee, It should be thus at an age like thine, MISCELLANEOUS. American Prisoners.-It was stated, at a meeting of the American Prison Discipline Society, as the result of the examinations made by that institution, into the history and career of the various criminals confined in the prisons of the United States, that in almost all cases their course of ruin began in disobedience to parents. This was followed by intemperance, and that made way for all other crimes. The statement was made by the secretary of the society, the Rev. Louis Dwight, whose opportunities for observation have certainly been very great. Poor Sarah. Thomas Bradford, jun., Esq., in an address before the Tract Society of Philadelphia, related the following facts:-A lady, who is engaged as a teacher in a coloured Sabbath School in this city, some months since distributed among the children her usual supply of tracts. One of these, "POOR SARAH," was conveyed, by the providence of God, to a poor aged black woman, and as she could not read, it was read to her by the child. The contents of this precious tract affected her heart, and such was her eagerness to treasure up its interesting incidents in her memory, and to appropriate its divine consolations, that she was wont to crave often, of such as were instructed, the favour of reading it to her. It became her constant companion; When the freshness of feeling and heart were mine, and once, in particular, while journeying in one of our As they never more can be. Yet think not I wish thee to pity my lot, Pass'd carelessly by, nor turned again That scathed wreck to view. But now I can draw from that mouldering tree, Oh! smile not, nor think it a worthless thing, Who giveth, upbraiding not, That His light in thy heart become not dim; And thy God, in the darkest of days, will be THE ECLIPSE, A SONNET. BY W. C. ARNEIL, IN morning's life all seemed so bright, The disk of my young summer's sun, Its radiance mid the shadowing moon, Till all that first my soul had cheered, The Sun of Righteousness most bright, Again in glory full appeared, To fill my heart with truth and light. Delaware steam-boats, she was known to beg a similar favour of the captain, which was readily granted. On her return to the city, the herald of the mercy and grace which she then enjoyed was still with her. She was afterwards visited with sickness, which proved to be unto death; but she had received the good seed into her heart, and it had sprung up, bearing its fruits, faith, hope, patience, and charity, for her support in the hour when flesh and heart were failing her. For this seed, and those good fruits, she declared herself to be instru mentally indebted to the story of the poor Indian Sarah. She descended into the dark valley with songs of triumph, asking no other favour than that her much loved tract might be deposited in the narrow house with her then dying body. This was done; she now rests from her labours and her sufferings, and her released, redeemed spirit is, doubtless, rejoicing in the realms of light, with the glorious assembly and Church of the first-born, whose names are written in heaven. The Duke of Luxemburgh.-This illustrious man, on his death-bed, declared, "That he would then much rather have had it to reflect upon, that he had administered a cup of cold water to a worthy poor creature in distress, than that he had won so many battles as he had triumphed for." All the sentiments of worldly grandeur vanish at that unavoidable moment which decides the eternal state of men. The EDITOR of the SCOTTISH CHRISTIAN HERALD begs it to be distinctly understood, that no attention is paid to anonymous Contributions of whatever kind. Published by JOHN JOHNSTONE, at the Offices of the SCOTTISH CHRISTIAN HERALD, 104, High Street, Edinburgh, and 19, Glassford Street, Glasgow ;-JAMES NISHET & Co., and R. H. MOORE. London; D. R. BLEAKLEY, Dublin; and W. M'Coms, Belfast, and sold by the Booksellers and Local Agents in all the Towns an Parishes of Scotland; and in the principal Towns in England and Ireland. Subscribers in Edinburgh and Leith will have their copies delivered at their own residences regularly, by leaving their addresses with the Publisher, or with John Lindsay & Co., 7, South St Andrew Street. Subscribers in Glasgow will, in like manner, have their copies delivered, by leaving their addresses at the Publishing Office there, 19, Glassford Street. Subscription (payable in advance) per quarter, of twelve weeks, 1s. 6d.-per half-year, of twenty-four weeks, 3s.-per year, of fortyeight weeks, 6s.-Monthly Parts, containing four, Numbers each, stitched in a printed wrapper, price Sixpence. Printed at the Steam-Press of Ballantyne & Co., from the Stereotype Plates of Thomas Allan, THE SCOTTISH CHRISTIAN HERALD, CONDUCTED UNDER THE SUPERINTENDENCE OF MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OF THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH. "THE FEAR OF THE LORD, THAT IS WISDOM." VOL. I. No. 19. SATURDAY, JULY 9, 1836. ON THE MORAL END OF MIRACLES. PRICE 1d. prophecy foretelling miracle, and miracle fulfilling prophecy. sation, and as a preparation for it, and, therefore, the miracles of Moses had a remote, but very significant, connection with the establishment of Christianity. The prophets also foretold the fact, Ir is not our object, in this brief essay, to enter that the Messiah, when he came, should work into the philosophical discussion of what consti- miracles. And, accordingly, his doing so was a tutes a miracle. It is sufficient for our purpose fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy, as well as to know, that a miracle is a work entirely beyond a confirmation of his own claims to the character the reach of human power, and effected by the of the Messiah. Thus intimately connected toimmediate agency of God. And such undoubted-gether are the various departments of Scripture, ly were those mighty works performed by our blessed Saviour, such as giving the blind their sight, and restoring the dead to life, which are But to limit our attention to the miracles of recorded in the Gospels. To those miracles it is our blessed Saviour, which are at once the most that we chiefly refer; and our sole object is to numerous and the most interesting recorded in inquire into the useful and important ends for Holy Writ, let us consider the great moral ends for which they were performed. Moses and the pro- which they were performed. And these we find phets, indeed, and also the apostles, all wrought stated, by the Apostle John, in a very brief but miracles, as well as our Lord Jesus Christ. But expressive manner, after giving an account of the they wrought them, not in their own name, or by first miraculous work which Christ did :- "This their own power, as Christ did. They wrought beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galithem, too, in bearing testimony to Christ, and lee, and manifested forth his glory, and his discithat either prophetically as a Saviour promised, or ples believed on him." In other words, this first retrospectively as a Saviour come. The dispensa- of a long and splendid series of stupendous miration of Moses was ushered in by miracles, but the cles, which the Saviour wrought during the days end of that dispensation was partly to prefigure, and of his flesh, had, like every other of the series partly to prepare the way for, the "more glorious" which followed it, the double effect of manifesting dispensation of Christ. Moses and the prophets forth his own glory, and confirming the faith of wrought miracles by divine power and authority, in his disciples. These were the two grand ends confirmation of the doctrines which they taught. which his miracles were designed to subserve. But their doctrine had a special reference to In the first sense, they acted, so to speak, upon Christ; "for to him all the prophets bare wit- himself, by investing him with the glory of diviness," "they testified beforehand the sufferings of nity, and proving him to be the Son of God with Christ and the glory that should follow." And power. And in the second sense, they acted upthus all the miracles of Scripture, as well as its on his disciples, by inspiring them with faith in types and prophecies, met in Christ as their grand his divine original, and with full and implicit concentre. Although performed by different indivi-fidence in his perfect ability to save. But these duals, and in different ages, they had a unity of object, they all bore upon the same system of truth, they all tended to one great end. For, although the miracles of Moses had an immediate reference to the establishment of the ceremonial economy, they had also an ultimate reference to the Christian economy, inasmuch as the former was designed to be introductory to the latter, and but for the latter would never have been contrived, nor needed to have been established. It was established solely for the sake of the Christian dispen ends were promoted, not simply by the miraculous nature, but also by the moral character of our Saviour's mighty works. For besides being mighty, they were also merciful, besides being great, they were also good. They were all miracles of grace. Even the cursing of the barren figtree was fraught with a gracious warning to men not to rest in a barren profession of the Gospel, lest such a doom should befal them. And there was abundance of gracious instruction contained in the temporal calamity of the destruction of the herd of swine, had the blinding influence of ava- | we shall learn to confide in his disposition, as well rice only permitted their owners rightly to consi- as in his perfect ability, to deliver us from all the der and improve the event. The act of destroy-spiritual maladies which sin has entailed upon our ing the herd was not an exertion of the power of nature; to cure us of our moral blindness; to Christ, but an exertion of the malignant power of cleanse us from our moral leprosy; to raise us Satan, who thus abused the permission which from the state of spiritual death and condemnation Christ granted him to enter into the swine; and in which all are by nature involved. In short, we it ought to have convinced their owners, and all shall feel encouraged to apply to Christ for the rethe people of the region, that Satan's power was lief of all our spiritual wants; to go to him in all employed only to do evil, while Christ's power, as our impotency as sinners, that he may impart they had just witnessed it in the cure of the fierce divine strength to our souls; that he may heal demoniac, was employed only to do good! our withered hands, and fit us for spiritual activity; that he may feed our fainting and famished souls with the bread of life; that he may loose us from every bond of Satan, and render us spiritually and completely whole. The miracles of our Saviour, then, considered as works of supernatural power, were designed to affix the seal of the divine testimony to the glory of his character; but, considered as works of benevolence, they were intended to illustrate the genius of his Gospel. They were signs, not only of the truth, but also of the tendency of his doctrine. It was on a spiritual mission that Christ came into the world, and all that he did, as well as all that he taught, was connected with that mission, or had reference to it; and thus a miracle has its moral, as well as a parable. The cures which Jesus wrought upon the bodies of men, were emblematical of what he came to accomplish for their souls. Like many of the prophecies, and of the types of Scripture, the miracles of Christ had a double end to fulfil. And, therefore, we are warranted to look beyond their literal and immediate consequences, in search of some moral and spiritual instruction, which they are calculated and designed to convey to the mind. To suppose that they were intended only to attest the truth of the Gospel, in the way of external evidence, would be to overlook a great deal of their actual use, and to lose the impressive lessons which they bring home to the experience and the heart, by admirably illustrating the excellent nature and tendency of the Gospel, considered as a spiritual salvation. In what we may call their attestative character, the miracles of the New Testament have all one and the same object; they are so many distinct witnesses, concurring in one and the same testimony, and the language of one is the language of all. But, in what we may term their illustrative character, they afford a diversity of lessons, bearing on the different doctrines of the Gospel, and on the varying condition of sinners. And it is in this latter view that they are most interesting and edifying, as the subjects of Christian instruction and consolation; so that, unless we spiritualize our Lord's miracles, we can neither see all their force, nor feel, perhaps, any of their practical application. But, if we keep this important end steadily in view, we shall be enabled to reap much spiritual benefit from the contemplation of every miraculous work which our Divine Redeemer performed. We shall see, in each and all of them, so many instances of his infinite grace and compassion, as well as of his glorious power; we shall see, that if ever that power is put forth to destroy, it is not only "to destroy the works of the devil," but at the same time to save and to bless mankind; and BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF JOHN BUNYAN. Author of the " Pilgrim's Progress," &c. FEW men have acquired a more lasting and imperishable fame than John Bunyan. From a state of poverty and wretchedness, wretchedness aggravated by immorality, he rose to the highest honour in the Church of God, so that it is scarcely possible to point to an individual his writings, than the subject of the present sketch. who has been more eminently and extensively useful by John Bunyan was born at Elstow, within a mile of Bedford, in the year 1628. He is well known to have been descended of humble parentage, and he himself acknow ledges that his "father's house was of that rank that is meanest and most despised of all the families in the land." His education, in such circumstances, could not fail to be scanty, and the little knowledge he did acquire was speedily lost, amid the follies and crimes of an illspent youth. His early character, in fact, appears to have been of the lowest and most abandoned description. "From a child," we learn by his own confession, "Le had but few equals, both for cursing, swearing, lying, and blaspheming." Even then, however, the conscience of Bunyan was not altogether seared; a gloom of despondency occasionally overshadowed his mind, and he was visited with fearful forebodings of coming wrath. Often in these dark moments did he earnestly wish that there were no heaven, no hell. He nevertheless continued to pursue a course of the most reckless and abandoned profligacy. At length Bunyan enlisted as a soldier, in the Parlia ment army, and in the discharge of his military duties he experienced some wonderful instances of the divine goodness, in the preservation of his life. Yet, neither allured by the kindness nor awed by the judgments of heaven, he persevered in his rebellion against the Most High. In the midst of this career of ungodliness, it pleased the Almighty to guide him to the selection of a wife, who, sprung of godly parents, was herself disposed to pay at least an outward respect to Religion. Her father had bequeathed to her at his death two excellent tracts, "The Plain Man's Pathway to Heaven," and "The Practice of Piety." These she highly prized; and "in these two books," says Bunyan, “I would sometimes read with her, wherein I also found some things that were somewhat pleasing to me, but all this while I met with no conviction." These tracts, combined with the pious influence of his wife, were the means, under Providence, of awakening his mind to some All this while, I was not sensible of the danger and evil of sin; I was kept from considering that sin would damn ine, what Religion soever I followed, unless I was found in Christ: Nay, I never thought of him, nor whether there was such a one or no. Thus man, while blind, doth wander, but wearieth himself with vanity, for he knoweth not the way to the city of God. "But one day, amongst all the sermons our parson made, his subject was, to treat of the Sabbath-day, and of the evil of breaking that, either with labour, sports, or otherwise. Now I was, notwithstanding my Religion, one that took much delight in all manner of vice, and, especially, that was the day that I did solace myself therewith, wherefore I felt in my conscience under this sermon, thinking and believing that he made that sermon on purpose to shew me my evil doing. And at that time I felt what guilt was, though never before, that I can remember; but then I was, for the present, greatly loaden therewith, and so went home, when the sermon was ended, with a great burthen upon my spirit. "This, for that instant, did benumb the sinews of my best delights, and did imbitter my former pleasures to me; but hold, it lasted not, for, before I had well dined, the trouble had begun to go off my mind, and my beart returned to its old course. But Oh! how glad was I, that this trouble was gone from me, and that the fire was put out, that I might sin again without controul! Wherefore, when I had satisfied nature with my food, I shook the sermon out of my mind, and to my old custom of sports and gaming I returned with great delight." 66 taken place in the whole deportment of this once abandoned sinner was now quite apparent. His acquaintances thought him decidedly religious, and he himself was quite satisfied with their approbation. The change, however, was merely superficial. He was going about to establish his own righteousness," in utter contempt of the righteousness of the Redeemer. Such a course, if persisted in, must have terminated in his utter ruin; but, in the all-wise arrangements of God, this man was destined to be a burning and a shining light in the Church of Christ. He was not suffered therefore longer to walk after the sight of his own eyes. The Almighty interposed and plucked him as "a brand from the burning." It may be interesting to state the manner of his conversion, in. his own words : 66 Upon a day, the good providence of God called me to Bedford, to work at my calling; and in one of the streets of that town, I came where there were three or four poor women sitting at a door, in the sun, talking about the things of God; and being now willing to hear their discourse, I drew near to hear what they said, for I was now a brisk talker of myself, in the matters of Religion; but I may say, I heard but understood not, for they were far above, out of my reach. Their talk was about a new birth; the work of God in their hearts; as also how they were convinced of their miserable state by nature. They talked how God had visited their souls with his love in the Lord Jesus, and with what words and promises they had been refreshed, comforted, and supported against the temptations of the devil. Moreover, they reasoned of the suggestions and temptations of Satan in particular, and told to each other by what means they had been afflicted, and how they were borne up under his assaults. They also discoursed of their own wretchedness of heart, and of their unbelief, and did contemn, slight and abhor their own righteousness, as filthy, and insufficient to do them any good. And, methought, they spake as if joy did make them speak, they spake with such pleasantness of Scripture language, and with such appearance of grace in all they said, that they were to me as if they had found a new world; as if they were people that dwelt alone, and were not to be reckoned among their neighbours.' "At this I felt my own heart begin to shake, and mistrust my condition to be naught, for I saw that, in all my thoughts about Religion and Salvation, the new birth did never enter into my mind; neither knew I the comfort of the word and promise, nor the deceitfulness and treachery of my own wicked heart. As for secret thoughts, I took no notice of them, neither did I understand what Satan's temptations were, nor how they were to be withstood and resisted," &c. 66 Thus, therefore, when I had heard and considered what they said, I left them, and went about my employment again, but their talk and discourse went with me; also my heart would tarry with them, for I was greatly affected with their words, both because by them I was convinced that I wanted the true tokens of a truly one. Thus it is, that in too many instances "the dog returns to its vomit, and the sow that was washed to its wallowing in the mire." An outward reformation may take place; nay, we may lead a life of decency and blameless respectability, and yet all the time the heart may be at enmity with God, and the soul unpardoned, unpurified, and unsaved. In this condition Bunyan remained for a considerable time; but, at length, in the wise providence of God, he began to be partially awak-godly man, and also because by them I was convinced of the happy and blessed condition of him that was such a ened to the necessity of leading a life of holiness. The circumstance which, on this occasion, led to a considerable improvement in his character and conduct, was the conversation of a poor man who spoke strongly of the happiness connected with Religion. Bunyan now took great pleasure in reading the Bible, chiefly, however, the historical parts; "for as for Paul's epistles," to quote his own words, "and such like Scriptures, I could not away with them, being as yet ignorant, either of the corruptions of my nature, or of the want and worth of Jesus Christ to save us." The change which had Therefore, I would often make it my business to be going again and again into the company of these poor people, for I could not stay away, and the more I went among them, the more I did question my condition; and, as I still do remember, presently I found two things within me, at which I did sometimes marvel, especially considering what a blind, ignorant, sordid, and ungedly wretch but just before I was. The one was a very great softness and tenderness of heart, which caused me to fall under the conviction of what, by Scripture, they asserted; and the other was a great bending in my mind, to a continual meditating on it, | Gifford. He felt that he had now openly professed himself and on all other good things, which at any time I heard or read of." In this state he continued for upwards of two years, eagerly inquiring the way to Zion, reading the Bible with a strong desire for instruction, praying and meditating much, and seeking, by all possible ways, to attain a saving acquaintance with the truth, as it is in Jesus. At length his prayers were heard; his soul was enlightened, and he who had been sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, now sat in the light of God's countenance, and in the full experience of God's love. His feelings were from this time entirely changed, and he enjoyed the liberty wherewith Christ makes his people free. "I cannot now express with what longings and breathings in my soul I cried to Christ to call me. Thus I continued for a time, all on a flame to be converted to Jesus Christ; and did also see, at that day, such glory in a converted state, that I could not be contented without a share therein. Gold! could it have been gotten for gold, what would I have given for it! Had I had a whole world, it had all gone ten thousand times over for this, that my soul might have been in a converted state. "How lovely now was every one in my eyes, that I thought to be converted, whether man or woman! They shone, they walked like a people that carried the broad seal of heaven about them. Oh! I saw the lot was fallen to them in pleasant places, and they had a goodly heritage.' But that which made me sick, was that of Christ, in St. Mark, He went up into a mountain, and called unto him whom he would, and they came unto him. This Scripture made me faint and fear, yet it kindled fire in my soul. That which made me fear was this, lest Christ should have no liking to me, for he called whom he would. But Oh! the glory that I saw in that condition, did still so engage my heart, that I could seldom read of any that Christ did call, but I presently wished, would I had been in their clothes; would I had been born Peter; would I had been born John; or, would I had been by and had heard him when he called them, how would I have cried, O Lord, call me also! But, Oh! I feared he would not call me.'' on the Lord's side, that he had vowed to be the Lord's, and by that vow he must abide. Still he often experienced strong temptations from the wicked one, that roaring lion who goeth about seeking whom he may devour. On one occasion, in particular, when he was seized with symptoms which threatened a consumption, the tempter took advantage of the weakness of his body, to harass and torment his soul. A vivid consciousness of indwelling sin, a dread of falling into the snare of the devil, and a thousand indescribable feelings bore down and depressed his heart. Or to quote his own simple and affecting language : "At the apprehensions of these things my sickness was doubled upon me, for now I was sick in my inward man, my soul was clogged with guilt; now, also, was my former experience of God's goodness to me quite taken out of my mind, and hid, as if they had never been, or seen. Now was my soul greatly pinched be tween these two considerations, live I must not, die I dare not. Now I sunk and fell in my spirit, and was giving up all for lost; but as I was walking up and down in my house, as a man in a most woeful state, that word of God took hold of my heart, ye are justi fied freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.' But oh! what a turn it made 1pon me! "Now was I as one awaked out of some troublesome sleep and dream, and, listening to this heavenly sen tence, I was as if I had heard it thus spoken to ine:'Sinner, thou thinkest, that because of thy sins and infirmities I cannot save thy soul, but, behold, my Son is by me, and upon him I look, and not on thee, and shall deal with thee according as I am pleased with him. At this I was greatly enlightened in my mind, and made to understand, that God could justify a sinner at any time; it was but his looking upon Christ, and imputing his benefits to us, and the work was forthwith done. “And as I was thus in a muse, that Scripture also came with great power upon my spirit, not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to his mercy he hath saved us,' &c. Now was I got on high, I saw myself within the arms of grace and mercy; and though I was before afraid to think of a dying hour, yet, now I cried, Let me die. Now death was lovely and beautiful in my sight, for I saw, we shall never live indeed, till we be gone to the other world.' Oh! me thought, this life is but a slumber, in comparison with that above. At this time also I saw more in these words, heirs of God,' than ever I shall be able to express while I live in this world. Heirs of God!' God himself is the portion of the saints. This I saw and wondered at, but cannot tell you what I saw." About this time Mr Bunyan was introduced to Mr Gifford, who was an excellent and efficient Baptist minister in Bedford, and from his private intercourse, as well as public ministrations, he seems to have derived much benefit. His pious resolutions became more confirmed, his conscience more tender, and though his soul was sometimes overclouded, the peace of God generally flowed into his heart, with all its refreshing and invigorating influences. Amid all the strange and fitful fluctuations of Christian experience, to which he was ex- It has been often remarked in the course of the Lord's posed, he was evidently, in a peculiar sense, a child of dealings with his people, that those are subjected to peprovidence. The Almighty was ever and anon inter- culiar trials who are intended for the fulfilment of pecu. posing in his behalf, to deliver him from those seasons liar duties. And this observation was remarkably exof doubt and even despondency, to which he was occa emplified in the case of John Bunyan. As a private sionally subject. At such seasons of sore temptation he Christian, the Lord tried him long severely, that he derived great advantage from Luther's work upon the might be fitted for much usefulness in the Church of Epistle to the Galatians, a book which he accordingly Christ. No sooner did he become settled and establishpreferred before all the books that he had ever seen, ex- ed in the belief of the truth, than he burned with an cepting the Bible, "as most fit for a wounded con- ardent anxiety to make it known to others. In the science." Still it was at the fountain of truth itself, the year 1656, accordingly, he began publicly to preach the inspired Word of God, that Bunyan sought and found everlasting Gospel, at the request of the congregation those refreshing streams which were afterwards in and the pastor of the church to which he belonged, him a well of water, springing up into everlasting The appearance in the pulpit of one who had formerly life." At length, when nearly twenty-five years old, been so notorious for his wickedness, excited considerbe joined the Church under the pastoral care of Mrable sensation in Bedford and its neighbourhood. The |