It is impossible that a son of so many prayers should perish. So may I say of grace,-It is impossible a child of so many, such fervent, such powerful intercessions in all circumstances, can ever, either totally, or finally, perish.Charnock.

be

THE SPIRIT AND THE CHURCH.

WHAT is the church of God when the Spirit is withdrawn and gone? What are they that call themselves of it more than other men? If the Spirit gone, what is it but an Aceldama? a Golgotha? a place of skulls, a place of carcases? Do we think that the divine glory shall only serve to adorn sepulchres? That the more glorious and pleasing aspects of providence shall only serve for that? You cannot long sever and keep off from death internal rottenness and corruption. And surely it is very unlikely, that God should take pleasure to discover himself and to display his glory among such, in the more remarkable works of his favourable pro

vidence. And to what purpose would it be, if he should? What should we be the better for a state of external tranquility and peace, if the Spirit be withheld? Surely you will think religion to be necessary, at least to the church; otherwise, what distinguishes that from another community of men? But what a sad frame of religion must there be, if the Spirit of God be not in it! We cannot call that state prosperous to the church wherein the Spirit breathes not, unless sensuality will be the felicity of the church; unless we think ourselves warranted to abandon all care of the soul, and the belief of immortality and of a world to come, as if these were only mistakes and delusions. For great external prosperity to the church without the Spirit accompanying it, commonly issues in irreligion. That alone deserves to be esteemed a good state of things for the church of God, wherein the people of God everywhere are working and framing for a blessed eternity, and that they will never be without much of the divine Spirit.-Howe.

THE YEAR IN PROSPECT.

We may consider the year before us as a desk containing three hundred and sixty-five letters, addressed to us, one for every day, announcing its trials and prescribing its employment, with an order to open no letter, but the letter for the day. Now we may be strongly tempted to unseal beforehand some of the remainder. This, however, would serve only to embarrass us, while we should violate the rule which our Owner and Master has laid down for us; "Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought of the things for itself.-Jay.

MARRIAGE.

When a believer marries an unbe

liever, what is it but reviving the old cruel punishment of tying the living and the dead together?-Toplady.

AFFLICTION.

scatters our path with sand, and ashes and gravel, in order to keep our feet from sliding.-Idem.

MINISTERIAL FAITHFULNESS.
The best clock in the world will be

spoiled if you are perpetually moving the hand backwards and forwards, and altering it, in order to make it keep time with a variety of other clocks; it will hardly ever go regularly and well. So a minister who shapes and accommodates his sentiments and discourses to the tastes, and humours, and opinions of other people, will never be happy, respectable, and useful.-Idem.

CHRISTIAN BOLDNESS.

Happy are they who dare venture out into the open streets with the name of Christ upon their foreheads, at a time when so many are ashamed of him, and hide him (as it were) under their cloaks, as if he were a stolen Saviour.-Ruther

FAITH.

Faith can support, when nature shrinks; faith can call God Father, when God frowns; and make some discovery of a sun through the darkest cloud.-Arrowsmith.

DEATH.

it resumed the inspiring theme; and when at length it expired, His name lingered on its lips.-Dr. Harris.

CHRIST ALL, AND IN ALL. Now he is the centre from which radiates all the splendour of the church; then he shall be the focus to which it

CHRIST AND PROPHECY.

His name was the first which prophecy had uttered; as often as it spoke,

only sound to which his church shall listen, his glory, the only object on which her eye shall fasten,-his grace, matchless and untold, the only theme that shall engage her tongue.-Idem.

ETERNAL PUNISHMENT,

SIRS,-It may appear somewhat out of date to offer any remarks now on an article which appeared in your number for July last; but my attention has been called to it, on looking over the number again. I refer to the article headed "Eternity of Future Punishments," and signed "Dr. Jamieson."

I am not a Universalist; but of one class of Universalists I know sufficient to assert that they are not guilty of the folly and presumption with which the Doctor charges them, and I think the tone of the article altogether too dogmatical, and the language used, unworthy of the cause of truth. The subject of the eternal misery of millions of our race, is one of overwhelming and fearful interest, and if there are persons who doubt, and even deny the doctrine, and allege that they have Scriptural authority for so doing, their arguments are worthy of most careful examination, rather than to be spoken of as "pretence," "absurdity," "blasphemy," as in the article referred to.

Dr. Jamieson's first charge is, that the opponents of eternal torments offer an insult to the divine perfections. In answer to this, I would reply, that the doctrine, as I have heard it explained, rather exalts them, by showing divine justice as eternally satisfied, and the divine law magnified in the obedience

and death of Christ, as the second Adam, for the whole of the race of Adam the first, receiving, as the foundation for this doctrine, the Scriptures (inter alia.) "The Lord hath laid upon him the iniquities of us all." "He gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." "He is the Saviour of all men, especially of them that believe." "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, to destroy the works of the devil," (sin being one of the works of the devil,) and, in perfect consistency with these passages, the whole of the doctrines relating to the present and eternal salvation of an elect people, to whom the Lord will manifest himself in time, are held.

I cannot see, in this view, any insult or violence offered to the divine attributes. His love and mercy are shown to be without limit; his justice satisfied upon the cross, and his holiness vindicated, in the eternal destruction and extinction of sin from the universe.

I will only now allude to one other objection of Dr. Jamieson's to this doctrine, which is, that it has a tendency to encourage men in sin. This being merely an opinion of his own, unsupported by any Scripture or fact, I might content myself with expressing my own opinion to be contrary; but I will do more. I assert that the fact of man sinning with a high hand and stretchedout arm, in all ages, notwithstanding

FAITH.

Faith can support, when nature shrinks; faith can call God Father, when God frowns; and make some discovery of a sun through the darkest cloud.-Arrowsmith.

DEATH.

it resumed the inspiring theme; and when at length it expired, His name lingered on its lips.-Dr. Harris.

CHRIST ALL, AND IN ALL.

Now he is the centre from which radiates all the splendour of the church; then he shall be the focus to which it

CHRIST AND PROPHECY.

His name was the first which prophecy had uttered; as often as it spoke,

only sound to which his church shall listen, his glory, the only object on which her eye shall fasten,-his grace, matchless and untold, the only theme that shall engage her tongue.-Idem.

ETERNAL PUNISHMENT.

SIRS,-It may appear somewhat out of date to offer any remarks now on an article which appeared in your number for July last; but my attention has been called to it, on looking over the number again. I refer to the article headed "Eternity of Future Punishments," and signed "Dr. Jamieson."

I am not a Universalist; but of one class of Universalists I know sufficient to assert that they are not guilty of the folly and presumption with which the Doctor charges them, and I think the tone of the article altogether too dogmatical, and the language used, unworthy of the cause of truth. The subject of the eternal misery of millions of our race, is one of overwhelming and fearful interest, and if there are persons who doubt, and even deny the doctrine, and allege that they have Scriptural authority for so doing, their arguments are worthy of most careful examination, rather than to be spoken of as ""ab"pretence," surdity," "blasphemy," as in the article referred to.

Dr. Jamieson's first charge is, that the opponents of eternal torments offer an insult to the divine perfections. In answer to this, I would reply, that the doctrine, as I have heard it explained, rather exalts them, by showing divine justice as eternally satisfied, and the divine law magnified in the obedience

and death of Christ, as the second Adam, for the whole of the race of Adam the first, receiving, as the foundation for this doctrine, the Scriptures (inter alia.) "The Lord hath laid upon him the iniquities of us all." "He gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." "He is the Saviour of all men, especially of them that believe." "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, to destroy the works of the devil," (sin being one of the works of the devil,) and, in perfect consistency with these passages, the whole of the doctrines relating to the present and eternal salvation of an elect people, to whom the Lord will manifest himself in time, are held.

I cannot see, in this view, any insult or violence offered to the divine attributes. His love and mercy are shown to be without limit; his justice satisfied upon the cross, and his holiness vindicated, in the eternal destruction and extinction of sin from the universe.

I will only now allude to one other objection of Dr. Jamieson's to this doctrine, which is, that it has a tendency to encourage men in sin. This being merely an opinion of his own, unsupported by any Scripture or fact, I might content myself with expressing my own opinion to be contrary; but I will do more. I assert that the fact of man sinning with a high hand and stretchedout arm, in all ages, notwithstanding