from them in some points of speculation, or habits of action. For it is not easy to conceive that such a difference as this can be altogether prevented, unless the whole human race should partake of the same education, and be placed in the same condition of life; nay, unless they should receive the same constitutional temperament-to influence, as it always will, in some degree, the system of affections, passions, and original cast of thought. It is difficult to believe that this will ever take place in this world; and assuredly it is not necessary that it should. Imperfect as the feelings of Christian charity and benevolence now are, we notwithstanding witness a few rare but lovely examples, both of ministers of the gospel and private Christians, eminently pious, but of different denominations and of varying opinions on the unessentials of religion-loving each other with great cordiality; holding occasional intercourse with each other in delightful conversation on the great topicks of practical piety; rejoicing in each other's success in all efforts to promote the gospel; aiding those efforts, so far as they conscientiously can and their means will permit; and joyfully anticipating the happy meeting which they mutually expect to have with their Christian brethren, in the mansions of perfect concord, purity and peace. Only suppose mankind in general to have a good portion more than these exemplary Christians possess of their temper and spirit, and that additional approximation of sentiment which, without reaching to perfect union, such a temper and spirit would certainly produce, and we imagine a Millennium, as perfect probably, as any that will ever exist on earth. The preceding thoughts have arisen in the mind of the writer, in meditating on the question which is expressed in the title of this paper -how shall we maintain both truth and charity? It is believed that an answer to the question is intimated in the suggestions already offered. Let every individual hold firmly, every thing, essential or unessential, important or unimportant, which he believes to be truth; as no doubt will be done in the Millennial age. But let every man distinguish between what he considers as essentials and nonessentials, or as important and unimportant; and let him, with something like the charity of the glorious period to which Christians look forward, love those from whom he differs in smaller matters, rejoice in their joy, and wish well to their endeavours to promote the Redeemer's kingdom-In this manner he may maintain both truth and charity. It will readily be perceived that the writer is no friend to that misnamed charity which places all religious opinions on a level, and holds that it is no matter what a man believes. No truly; he is not only no friend to such a charity as this, but he can have no fellowship with any one who is. He believes that there are essential truths and doctrines in religion, and that he who rejects these rejects religion itself; and is entitled to no other charity than that which consists in praying for his conversion from the error of his ways, and in doing all that is practicable to promote it. The writer farther believes, that there are truths and doctrines in the re vealed system of Theology which, although they may not be absolutely essential to salvation, yet are highly important-so important that they must not, and by a truly conscientious person, cannot be compromised-They must be retained and provided for, in a system of church fellowship and ecclesiastical order. The writer believes it to be a very weak and superficial remark, however common, that we should be willing to have church communion on earth with all those whom we hope to meet in heaven. In heaven, we know that harmony It is undoubtedly true that good men must often "agree to differ," in regard to non-essential and unimportant points in a religious system; and that there may be, and frequently has been, a faulty extreme of narrow mindedness and tenaciousness, relative to things of little or no moment. As to this, no specifick rule can be given. The whole matter must be left to the influence which various degrees of knowledge, of a truly charitable and Christian temper, and of intercourse with different religious sects or denominations, will always have on different minds. Some will find it easy and pleasant to wave, as unimportant, what others cannot with a good conscience regard in this light. Still, it should be remembered, that no man is at liberty to treat as falsehood, any thing that he believes to be truth. He is to hold all truth as truth-Yet while he does this, and while he allows his brother the equal privilege of doing the same, the two may and ought to look out for the truths in which they are agreed, and if they find that these embrace all that they think essential, and much moreover which, though not essential, they deem important, so that the points which remain are comparatively of very inferior moment, they may and will cordially love each other; and will have with each other that fellowship, or communion of saints, which consists in cherishing the same holy affections, desires, pursuits and expectations. In pursuing the train of thought which is now before the reader, the writer has had constantly in his eye, the ultimate resolution of the following questions-Ought Christians of different denominations, who regard each other as holding the essentials of religions-and especially if they mutually consider each other as holding almost all that is important to endeavour to amalgamate with each other, so as to break down all visible distinctions, be called by one name, and act together as one body? Or will they better consult their own peace and edification, and more promote the cause of God in the world, if, while they retain and carefully cultivate the spirit of brotherly love, and aid and encourage each other in doing good, they maintain their separate standings, and distinctive characters as religious denominations? The writer answers decisively in the negative, to the former of these questions; and in the affirmative to the latter with a reservation for some distinction or explanation. He explains thus-If the differences between religious denominations 1826. BISHOP KENN'S MIDNIGHT HYMN. The sole possession of me take; MY GOD, now I from sleep awake, From midnight terrors me secure, pure. Bless'd Angels, while we silent lie, are found, on examination, to be From the Christian Observer for April, only nominal and not real; or if in any respect real, still in the estimation of all concerned of very small practical import, the amalgamation of such sects may be advisable. Yet even in this case, there should be no precipitancy, no forcing of a union—The parties should continue separate till they, in a sort, imperceptibly fall into one: otherwise alienation, and not genuine harmony, will probably be the result. The human mind cannot be forced, it must act spontaneously: and this is more sensibly true with conscientious persons than with any other; and on the subject of religion it is the most sensible of all— In regard to the expediency of amalgamation, there is likewise another consideration that deserves a very careful attention. It is, whether amalgamation will not produce a body too large for the greatest efficiency. It is unquestionably true that, to a certain extent, " Union is strength." But it is equally true, that beyond a certain extent, "Union is weakness." The Roman empire fell by its own weight, and the Romish church-happily for the world-lost much of its influence, because it could not act with energy from its centre to its extremities-"Fas est ab hoste doceri." When any church, however pure, extends over such a range of terri. tory that it cannot act with vigour, it would be advantageous to divide the body-To divide it, not as to doctrine, discipline, forms or feelings, but so that each part should act separately. In this event, a provision should be made for correspondence, and, in certain cases, for concert and co-operation. Correspondence, concert and co-operation, among religious bodies where there is unity of sentiment, may be carried to any extent whatever; but amalgamation, to be efficient, must be limited. (To be concluded in our next.) may I always ready stand, Which will eternal be above? Shine on me, LORD, new life impart, Miscellaneous. FOR THE CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE. The importance of speculative opinions upon religious subjects, is much greater than is generally imagined. Men possessed of a revelation from God, are evidently under obligation to believe the truths which that revelation contains. Apart from this consideration however, the nature of some of these truths, and our deep interest in them, render correct opinions concerning them, peculiarly important. The character of God, for instance, is a subject which demands our most careful attention, and concerning which, no error can with propriety be esteemed slight or unimportant. As God is possessed of every possible perfection, surely it is no light matter to entertain any notion which is derogatory to his character. Voluntary ignorance and careless misconceptions upon this subject, are incompatible with that reverence for God which right reason dictates and true religion inspires. Upon this subject, however, solemn and important as it is, men are peculiarly prone to err. Here the weakness of their minds and the wickedness of their hearts, conspire to lead them astray. The idea of a being of immaculate holiness, and of inflexible justice, to whom we are accountable, is too alarming to the sinner conscious of his guilt, to be cordially received. The natural man does not like to retain God in his knowledge. And besides this unwillingness to conceive aright of God, men labour under a mental debility, with regard to this sublime subject of contemplation. To conceive of a real existence, infinite and immense, possessed of no form and confined to no place, requires a vigorous mental effort an effort from which the human mind is prone to recoil, and to rest upon something more palpable and commensurate with its powers. The history of our race, even when placed under circumstances the most favourable to mental elevation, affords lamentable evidence of the truth of these remarks. The world by wisdom has never known God. The light of science, which burned so brightly in ancient Greece and Rome, served only to render more distinctly visible, the moral darkness which brooded over those polished nations. The genius of Homer, which upon most subjects soared with a vigour and glowed with a brilliancy seldom equalled, and perhaps by uninspired man never surpassed, was bewildered amid the mazes of their mythology, and has wrought into immortal verse the most childish and impious fables. The finest productions of the chisel and the pencil, although they were evidently conceived by minds tenderly alive to the sublime and beautiful of nature, and were almost quickened into life by the magic touches of genius, were executed by gross idolaters; and many of them were consecrated to an impious and grovelling superstition. The Bible has ever been the only source of rational religion. The character of the Deity as it is drawn in the holy scriptures, exhibits the sublimest conception that the human mind ever formed. To the Supreme Being the sacred writers have attributed every excellence, natural and moral, and from him they have removed all imperfection, even in its slightest degrees. Men destitute of this revelation from God, have not only been prone to misrepresent his character or attributes, but have almost universally misapprehended his very nature or essence. The traces of the notion of the spirituality of God, which are discoverable in the various systems of Paganism, are few and faint; while the grossest idolatry forms the leading feature of the most of these systems. The most refined nations "have changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things." Even the chosen people of God, whom he awed and instructed by the solemn scenes of Sinai, were strangely inclined to this gross and fundamental error. Scarcely had the thunder of the second commandment died upon their ears, when they were stupid and presumptuous enough to attempt to represent by a golden calf, that being of whom they had seen no similitude, and whose very voice had thrilled them with insupportable terror. And during the succeeding period of their national existence, their faithful historian has recorded their repeated relapses from the true religion, into the idolatry of the surrounding nations. There have also been men, who under the still clearer light of the gospel, have adopted and promulgated erroneous opinions upon the spirituality of God. Even Milton, as appears by his lately discovered work, notwithstanding his familiarity with the lofty representations of the scripture, was led by a very fallacious principle of interpretation, to adopt the views of the humanitarians, and to conceive of the Deity as incumbered with materiality, and limited by form. Still, however, the spirituality of God, is evidently a doctrine both of natural and revealed religion. The opinions of the anthromorphites, or humanitarians, are plainly at variance with all our notions of the absolute perfection of God. For surely it is rendering God imperfect, to ascribe to him any of the qualities of matter. If God is possessed of a bodily form and of material limbs, he is not in his essence immutable. It is true that his omnipotence might secure him from being affected by any external cause. This, however, would be to make his immutability the re sult of his power, and not one of the properties of his essence. The opinions in question are also irreconcilable with the immensity and omnipresence of God. As impenetrability is one of the essential properties of matter, if God is possessed of a body, he cannot be present in that portion of space which is occupied by any other body. To form a conception of God, therefore, as possessed of a bodily form, is profanely to limit and circumscribe his immensity. The spirituality of God is taught in the scriptures, both implicitly and expressly. Many of the perfections which are therein ascribed to him, necessarily imply this doctrine. And the apostle Paul distinctly announced from Mars' Hill to the idolatrous Athenians, that "forasmuch as they were the offspring of God, they ought not to think that the Godhead was like to gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art or man's device." He is styled the "invisible God." "Who only hath immortality-dwelling in light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen or can see." 1 Tim. vi. 16. And our Saviour, according to the record of the apostle John, expressly asserted that "God is a spirit." John iv. 24. It is true that Socinus has attempted to pervert this plain assertion, but his crude criticism has been ably exposed by De Moore. Holy men of old, are indeed said to have been favoured with visions of God. God at times seems to have manifested himself to them by sig. nificant emblems; or to have impressed upon their minds an ecstatic sense of his immediate presence and of his exceeding greatness. At other times, the Word which was God, which was made flesh and dwelt among us, appears to have assumed a human form, and to have given intimations of his future incarnation. A scene of this kind is recorded in the thirteenth chapter of Judges, where Manoa is expressly |