Holy Spirit is the great efficient agent in the regeneration and sanctification of all who are saved, he invariably makes use of the truth which he himself hath dictated, as an instrument, in the whole process and accomplishment of his work. The word of God, we know, is "the sword of the Spirit;" we are "begotten by the word of truth;" we are sanctified by the truth." Here is the reason why we are, and must be, "valiant for the truth," the truth in its purity. It is because we love the immortal souls of our fellow sinners, and know that they never can be saved, but by the knowledge, and belief, and holy influence of "the truth as it is in Jesus." But for this, we would leave all controversy to those that love it: and we would let errorists and heretics take their course, without interruption from our interference. Were not the souls of men at stake, no one who is duly influenced by the principles of the gospel would ever be a polemic. But as the matter stands, silence is unfaithfulness; and a fearful responsibility rests upon us if we hold our peace-if we cry peace, peace, when there is no peace." We look over the world, and we see that it is full of false religion-We look around us, and we see spurious conversions, and spurious revivals of religion; and we tremble when we think how many are in danger of going into eternity "with a lie in their right hand." Let it be repeated then, and kept in mind, that a lively apprehension of the infinite worth of immortal souls, and a knowledge that if they are saved it will be by the instrumentality of truth, in the hand of the Holy Ghost-are to be the great moving cause of our zeal for the maintenance of sound doctrine, and gospel order. No farther than we are influenced by such considerations, can any very ardent controversy about matters of faith and practice be justified. But when these considerations really call us to controversy-even earnest controversy-provided earnestness be mingled with Christian meekness-we are criminally unfaithful if we refuse the call, and are laying up for ourselves a fearful account to God.

6. The true nature and proper treatment of revivals of religion, deserve a very serious consideration. This indeed is a copious topic, and happily it has lately received, in our country, the full, and able, and pious discussion, which it merits*-A few leading thoughts are all that can now be suggested. A genuine revival of religion is nothing else than the occurrence of many sound conversions to God of impenitent sinners, in a short period, and in the same place, or in contiguous places. That an occurrence of this kind must be greatly desired by every minister of the gospel, who deserves the name, is manifest at once; and that when it takes place, it must produce the most lively joy and gratitude to God, in every pious mind that witnesses it, is equally evident. At the same time, all experience shows, that great care and much discretion are necessary, to preserve even genuine revivals of religion from abuse, perversion, and decline. The great adversary of souls will, so far as he is permitted, use all his art and activity, on such occasions, to prevent his subjects from escaping from their thraldom. The feelings of the human mind, moreover, when much excited, and especially when a multitude feel the excitement at the same time, and freely communicate with each other, are almost certain to run to excess; unless this be prevented by great vigilance, and great prudence and firmness, mingled with great tenderness and forbearance, by persons of experience, influence and piety-The worst consequences

* See Lectures on Revivals of Religion, by WILLIAM B. SPRAGUE, D. D.

of all ensue, when those who take the lead in seasons of revivals, are themselves indiscreet, rash, and heedless. To cherish, promote, deepen, and extend good impressions, or, in other words, to keep up the revival, and give right directions to the awakened and inquiring; and yet to restrain excesses, and keep all within the bounds of sobriety and good order-this should be the object aimed at, but, as already observed, it is indeed a difficult object to compass. We know it required the authority of an inspired apostle, to correct the abuse even of miraculous gifts; and effectually to inculcate the truth that the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets; that God is not the author of confusion, but of peace; that women are to keep silence in the churches; and that all things are to be done decently and in order.* It must be remembered, that if the excesses that take place in revivals of religion are to be corrected at all, it must be at an early period after their first appearance; for when they have proceeded to a certain length, they become a conflagration which nothing can stop, till it has burned itself out. In the 10th volume of this Miscellany-the June number for 1832-there is a pastoral letter of the General Assembly, addressed to the churches under their care, which was drawn up by the present writer, and adopted without alteration or addition, to which, and to the excellent work already noticed, the reader is referred, for a detail of dangers to be avoided, and of duties to be performed, in revivals of religion. The sum of the whole matter is, that all scriptura! methods are to be used, that the Spirit of grace may not be grieved away, either by resisting his work, or abusing his gifts, or perverting his operations-The less of noise, and of all ostentation, in revivals of religion, the better. It would seem that on such occasions God often deals with his church and people, as he did with Elijah in Mount Horeb-" Behold the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord: but the Lord was not in the wind: And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire: but the Lord was not in the fire: And after the fire a still small voice: And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entering in of the cave." The consciences of careless and impenitent sinners, in a time of general awakening, may be awfully alarmed by the truths of God's word; but this is to gain their attention effectually to the still small voice of his Spirit, by which he shows them their duty, and melts and changes their hearts. Perhaps the most general and fruitful revival of religion ever witnessed by the writer, had not, for several months after it commenced, been heard of, at the distance of ten miles from the congregation in which it occurred. One additional remark must not be omitted, in closing this particular-It is, that in place of hurrying the supposed converts, made in a time of revival of religion, into the communion of the church, they ought, in most cases, to pass a longer period of probation, than those who are apparently converted at other times; because in the former case, there is more reason than in the latter, to apprehend that human sympathy has been mainly influential in producing the favourable appearances, and if so, that those appearances are likely to vanish, when the mind returns to a state in which the effects of sympathy are no longer felt.

* 1 Cor. xiv. Chapter throughout.
3 Y

Ch. Adv.-VOL. XII.

7. Finally-The importance of early religious education, rightly conducted, and of the preaching of the gospel and the administration of its ordinances, regularly and faithfully dispensed, can scarcely be overrated. Here, after all, are the sources to which the church of God must look for her permanent support and prosperity; for the supply and increase of the members of her household-of members (not indeed exclusively, but yet generally) of the greatest steadfastness, maturity of enlightened piety, exemplary deportment, and preparation for active usefulness in every good work. A knowledge of human nature, the word of God, and the experience of the church in every age, concur in teaching, that in religion, as in every thing else, early and well conducted instruction, and regular, skilful and uninterrupted training, must be chiefly relied on, for forming men of the best qualifications, both for exemplifying and extending the influence of the gospel. Some exceptions there certainly are, of men of shining piety and prominent talents and usefulness, who lacked an early religious education, and were not pious, perhaps were vicious, till they were considerably advanced in life; but these are exceptions to a general rule-So they regard themselves, and so others should regard them. Revivals of religion, and extraordinary means, instruments and efforts, may, also, at times, greatly increase the members of the church militant. Still, we must look to early religious education in the families of the pious, and to the stated and faithful ministrations of the word and ordinances of the gospel, to prepare and keep up the standing army of the faithful-the veteran and well trained host, to whom the others may rally, and from whom they may take lessons of experience, and learn perhaps to excel their teachers, in the spiritual warfare, under the great Captain of salvation. Indeed there seems reason to hope, that if early and well conducted religious instruction, and devoted fidelity in ministerial labour, were carried to a practicable, but alas! indeed to a very unusual extent, a perpetual revival of religion, (if this language be proper in such a case) might be witnessed, in congregations where these efficient means were employed. Baxter, without intending it, seems to have drawn his own character, in his Gildas Salvianus, or Reformed Pastor. His labours in his parish at Kidderminster, were so remarkably blessed, that before he left it, there was not a household in his whole charge, in which family worship was not regularly maintained. This probably occasioned his memorable remark, to this effect-that if suitable pains were taken in the religious instruction and discipline of children, the preaching of the gospel would not be the ordinary means of converting sinners-meaning that they would generally be converted, before they were of age to receive their first saving impressions from public discourses. Without adopting this opinion in its strictness, what Baxter found, will, on experiment, doubtless, be found by others, that family devotion and government, catechetical instruction, reading and studying the word of God, conference meetings conducted with prayer, tender and judicious personal addresses to individuals by their pastor, and abundant labour in preaching the gospel publicly, and from house to house, in family visitations-will never fail, in a greater or less degree, to be attended by the blessing of God-will generally be accompanied with such a blessing in a pre-eminent measure, and be productive of what may, in the now current language of our religious community, be called a constant revival. The conversions, also, that take place under the employment of such means will, in almost every instance, wear well; there will be few apostacies, and little demand for

the discipline of the church. Whatever extraordinary means, therefore, may be used for the promotion of religion-and till our churches are more fully and extensively supplied by stated pastors, such means must be used-let the Presbyterian church look eventually to such an order of things as has been here indicated, as that which is, of all others, the most desirable-Let this system be acted on without delay, in every congregation that is blessed with a faithful pastor. Let the ruinous plan of being, by voluntary choice, served by transient, instead of permanently settled labourers in the vineyard of the Lord, be utterly abandoned; and in the religious instruction and training of children and youth, let no fancied improvements, or substitutes, ever be permitted to exclude the catechisms of our church-the sheet anchors of the minds in which they are fastened, to save them from the rocks and whirlpools of error, and from being carried about with every wind of doctrine.

Such are the valedictory suggestions, counsels and monitions of the editor of the Christian Advocate; the result of much reflection, attentive observation and long experience, and offered to his readers, in all sincerity and affection, in the near view of his last account. May He who alone can give to truth its desired efficacy, condescend to bless what has now been written, and all that is contained in the work which now terminates, so far as it is accordant with his holy revealed will; and may every error and oversight be graciously pardoned, and their injurious tendency be prevented: And O, most merciful God and Father! may the church in which thy unworthy servant has long imperfectly ministered, be effectually and speedily reformed; and be most abundantly blessed and prospered, when the dust which now writes shall have returned to the dust as it was, and the spirit by which it is now animated, shall have returned to God who gave it, and shall have been admitted to the rest which remains for his people, through the atoning death, finished righteousness, and prevalent intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ-to whom, with the eternal Father and the Holy Spirit, the one living and only true God, be glory and praise, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Philadelphia, Dec. 10, 1834.

Religious Communications.

A CHRISTMAS SERMON.

Christ the Desire of all Nations.

HAGGAI, ii. 7, middle clause." The Desire of all nations shall come." The occasion on which these words were uttered by the Prophet was as follows:-After the return of the Jews from their captivity in Babylon, they began to rebuild the house, or temple, of Jehovah, the God of Israel. Before they had proceeded far, their undertaking was interrupted by a prohibition from the Persian monarch, to whose authority they were still subject. It was not long, however, that this obstacle needed to have hindered their proceeding in their design. But in the mean time their inclination to proceed had subsided; and it was not till several severe judgments had been inflicted on them for their negligence, and the prophet on whose words I discourse had been sent to awaken them to a sense of their duty, that they could be induced again

to engage in the work which they had relinquished. At length, however, it was resumed with spirit; and yet it was soon after retarded, anew, by another discouraging circumstance. Some of the persons concerned in rebuilding the temple were old enough to recollect that which had been destroyed; and all of them, no doubt, had been informed of its magnificent appearance and costly furniture; and it was obvious, at once, that the edifice they were engaged in erecting would be far inferior, in point of splendour, to the one in place of which it was to stand. This thought damped the ardour of all those who were concerned in building it; for nothing is more discouraging than to know that after every effort, we must rest far short of what others have performed, and of what we ourselves are desirous to achieve. To remove this new difficulty, the same prophet who had been employed to stir them up to the enterprise, was sent with a new message to encourage them in its prosecution. He, accordingly, informed them, by the command of Jehovah, that although the temple they were erecting would, in external grandeur, be inferior to that which had been built by Solomon, yet, in another, and far more important particular, it should be superior-That a great and glorious personage, who should be emphatically "the Desire of all nations," should enter and make his appearance in it; and by his presence there, put an honour upon it, unspeakably greater than any which had been conferred on Solomon's "I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hostsThe glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts; and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts."

In discoursing farther on the passage, thus illustrated, I will endeavour to show,

I. That our Lord Jesus Christ is the personage here spoken of, as the Desire of all nations.

II. In what respects he might with propriety be thus denominated, or described.

III. Improve the subject.

In showing that our Lord Jesus Christ is the personage intended or described in the text as the Desire of all nations, the chief consideration is that the truth of the whole passage with which these words are connected, is incapable of vindication, unless we admit that the Messiah was the subject of the prediction; and this being admitted, it must appear incontrovertible that our Lord was the only person, during the period to which the prophecy refers, who can be imagined to have possessed that character. If the advent of the Messiah, so long expected by the Jews and foretold by their prophets, was not contemplated in the text, as the circumstance or event which was to render the second temple more glorious than the first, it is impossible to say what was intended, or to clear the prediction from the charge of falsehood. For in every respect, except the presence of the Messiah, the glory of the latter house was not greater, but incomparably less, than that of the former. The nation and the individuals who respected and offered their devotions in it, were less important in the eyes of the world, and much more inconsiderable in number, than in the days of Solomon. The temple itself, although very much enriched and adorned in the time of Herod, yet never was, at any period, either as large or as magnificent, as that which preceded it: And as to that which might be called the spiritual furniture, the first temple possessed the honour and advantage, probably of the Urim and Thummim, certainly of the ark of the covenant, the fire from heaven, and the glorious Shechi