in a small assembly by the sadness of their countenance, audible expressions of grief, or the style of their praying; but when the assembly was a large one, it was thought better to invite them to the stand or altar for instruction, and to be made a special object of prayer by the whole assembly of Christians; from this arose the use of the "mourner's bench." No one supposed there was any real virtue in this arrangement, yet it was soon noticed that those who came forward seemed to be greatly benefited; the simple act of coming forward separated the sinner from his old associates, and was accepted as a declaration that he had chosen to be "on the Lord's side;" and, better than this, he was surrounded by hearts having confidence in the power of prayer. So it became the usual custom, when the sermon was concluded, an invitation was given to all "seekers," and they were exhorted in the strongest language to use this means of grace. When they came forward to the altar the whole interest of the services centered at this point. The hymns sung were selected with care, with the design of encouraging and instructing the seeker in the way of mercy. Many of the hymns in this volume are especially designed for this service, and they thoroughly refute the charge that the penitent was instructed to place more confidence in this than any other means of grace. The crucified Saviour is invariably presented to the soul as the only and the all-sufficient aid to salvation, "the Author and the Finisher of faith." Here are two selections from Granade:

"Think on what the Saviour bore,

In the gloomy garden,

Sweating blood at every pore

To procure thy pardon;
See him stretch'd upon the wood,
Bleeding, grieving, crying;
Suff'ring all the wrath of God,
Groaning, gasping, dying!

"Pore not on thyself too long,
Lest it sink thee lower,
Look to Jesus, kind and strong,
Mercy join'd with power.
Ev'ry work that thou must do,
Will thy gracious Saviour
For thee work, and in thee too,
Of his special favor."

""Tis done! the dreadful debt is paid,

The great atonement now is made;

Sinners, on me your guilt is laid,

For you I spilt my blood;

For you my tender soul did move,

For you I left my courts above,

That you the length and breadth might prove,
The depth and height of perfect love,

In Christ your smiling God."

Taylor is no less bold in the offer of mercy to the penitent soul, pointing to Jesus:

"Mourners, see your Saviour stand

With arms extended to receive you;

See, he spreads his bleeding hands!
Come, venture on him, he'll relieve you;
Cast your fears and doubts aside;

The door of mercy opens wide;

The fountain flows that saves from sin,
Come, now, believe and enter in ;

Don't distrust your blessed Saviour,
Now believe and live forever."

We find here also a class of hymns of almost unprecedented popularity forty and fifty years ago, which are not now thought proper for praise in public worship-hymns containing the personal religious experience of the writer. Taylor, having been educated in the Roman Catholic faith, gives one of several hymns of this class the quaint title of "The Converted Roman." From one of Granade's we learn that, having been converted, he became careless, was led astray through temptation, and was for a time in despair, but at length was enabled to rejoice again in his Saviour.

Both Granade and Taylor were men of bodily affliction. Granade several times, led on by his intense zeal to save souls, nearly destroyed his life. Each of them dictated lines to their weeping friends, as they stood in the presence of death. The verses of Taylor have no lack of confidence in God, the good Shepherd, who goes down with him into the valley of the shadow of death; but they are tinged with his usual melancholy. But Granade rises on wings of faith, and seeing no terrors in the dark grave, exults in the prospect of heaven. He describes himself as

"A pilgrim on his dying bed,
With glory in his soul;

Upward he lifts his longing eyes

Toward the blissful goal;

While friends and children weep around,

And loathe to let him go,

He shouts with his expiring breath

And leaves them all below."

There are a few of these songs which contain such animated descriptions of the scenes at the altar that there can be no doubt

they were composed on the ground. The language of these descriptions rather falls below than above the reality, if we accept the statements of many who were present. Taylor described such a scene in the following verses:

"Sinners through the camp are falling;
Deep distress their souls pervade,
Wond'ring why they are not rolling
In the dark, infernal shade.
Grace and mercy, long neglected,
Now they ardently implore;
In an hour when least expected
Jesus bids them weep no more.

"Hear them then their God extolling,
Tell the wonders he has done;
While they rise see others falling!
Light into their hearts hath shone.
Prayer, and praise, and exhortation,
Blend in one perpetual sound;
Music sweet, beyond expression,
To rejoicing saints around."

A number of these "spiritual songs" still find a place in various collections of hymns designed for the social worship of Christians; but we have never seen an instance in which the authors' names seem to have been known to the compiler. It would be no more than justice to them to have that credit which an author may always claim. Some of them have been mangled, others improved, by compilers, until the writers themselves would be puzzled to recognize them. Although but few of these songs have been accepted by the Church, they are not to be despised nor forgotten, for they assisted in a great revival, the influence of which is clearly discerned after the lapse of half a century. Then they brought comfort to many a bleeding heart; they made vocal thrills of joy and groans for redemption, which else had been prisoned voiceless in the heart. To some of these songs thousands of voices have given musical utterance, in unison, until the hills and valleys seemed also to waken and join in the strains of praise to Jesus, the Redeemer of earth. Those who delighted in their words now sing a "new song," in unbroken melody and faultless accents, to which song all hymns of man's composing shall at last yield.

ART. VI.-THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS.

To develop the most important truths of Luke xvi, 19-31, its discussion will be conducted with the following general divisions: 1. The objections which have been urged against interpreting it as teaching a consciousness of punishment after death answered. 2. The expositions of it which regard it as not teaching such a consciousness refuted. 3. Additional evidences that it teaches such a consciousness presented.

I. The objections which have been urged against the considering of this passage as teaching a consciousness of punishment after death answered.

1. One of those objections is, that such a consciousness is contrary to justice. It cannot be proved that the Omniscient Governor does not see that a greater aggregate of moral advantages will, in his interminable government, exist if all men of a certain reprehensible character shall be everlastingly "tormented," than would in it exist if even the most reprehensible should be exempt from everlasting "torments." It also cannot be proved that he does not see that that involves no injustice from which can arise, in that government, the greatest possible aggregate of moral advantages. An inability to see justice in the pain inflicted by the government of the Infinite Governor on an innocent lamb is alone sufficient to show, in no small degree, that no human being is authorized to say that nothing that appears to him to be contrary to justice can exist in that government. Accordingly, to infer from an inability to see justice in everlasting "torments," that a guilty creature who, throughout at least the last part of his earthly existence, refuses or neglects to "repent," will not be everlastingly "tormented," is at least more hazardous than it would be to infer, from an inability to see justice in the temporal sufferings experienced by infants that die before they have arrived at years of accountability, that no such infant has ever suffered. Besides this, to say that the Infinite Creator is more obliged to prevent the deserving of everlasting "torments" than that of temporal ones, is absurd; since, if a creature's disobedience against him could deserve only temporal "torments," then by enduring the deserved temporal "torments," the creature would no sooner merit his release from them than he would impose on the Creator an irresistible obligation to give him that release; and thus the Infinite Creator would become an involuntary debtor, not to obedience, but to the creature's

endurance of the consequences of disobedience. That the effecting of the voluntary excellences which an innocent moral creature at any time of his existence owes to the Infinite Creator requires all the powers then possessed by the creature which he can without guilt exercise, is obvious from the fact that if he had any such powers that are not so required, by no use of them could he sin, and in respect to them he would consequently be independent of the Creator. Accordingly, if it were not just that a certain delinquent should for his delinquency against the Creator be everlastingly "tormented," it would not be just that he should for it be at all "tormented;" since, even if temporal "torments" could make reparation for that delinquency, by the use of his powers for their endurance, he would be prevented from effecting the voluntary excellences which he, if not "tormented," could effect, and which cannot relinquish their claims upon him, because he, by a prior delinquency, has prevented himself from at least timely effecting them; and consequently with no temporal endurance by him of "torments" can he ever become a less delinquent than he is when he is first "tormented." That all the disobedient do not deserve only one and the same degree of punishment is obvious even from the facts that of two, according to John xix, 11, one "hath the greater sin," and that to some, according to Luke x, 14, "it shall be more tolerable" than to others. As then temporal "torments" experienced by a delinquent cannot diminish his desert in the Creator's government, and as an everlasting state of unconsciousness or annihilation could be at least no greater punishment to the most debased sinner than to others, it follows that such "torments" and such a state cannot be the penalty of disobedience against the Creator. To pardon without regard to such an unconstrained acceptance of the conditions of a divine atonement as even the word "repent" implies, is to dishonor or to annul government; and consequently it is absurd to say that the Infinite Creator is obliged to pardon the culpable because they cannot by supererogatory acts of obedience, or by an endurance of the consequences of disobedience, render themselves innocent. If a creature's inability to make restitution for his disobedience imposes on the Creator an irresistible obligation to pardon him, then the greatness of the desert of that disobedience irresistibly requires and secures the extinction of that desert; and thus the Creator can have no claims against disobedience, because his claims against it are too great! If the greatness of the desert of human disobedience against the Creator irresistibly secured the extinction of that desert, then every voluntary endurance of even temporal " torments," on account of that desert, would