than it was originally used, you may adopt the beautiful exclamation-"O præclarum illum diem, cum ad illud divinum animorum concilium cœtumque proficiscar atque ex hac turba et colluvione discedam!

"And now, without redemption, all mankind
Must have been lost, adjudg'd to death and hell
By doom severe, had not the Son of God,

In whom the fulness dwells, of love divine,

His dearest mediation thus renew'd.

Father thy word is past, man shall find grace;
And shall grace not find means, that finds her way,
The speediest of thy winged messengers,

To visit all thy creatures, and to all
Comes unprevented, unimplor'd, unsought?
Happy for man, so coming; he her aid
Can never seek, once dead in sins, and lost;
Atonement for himself, or offering meet,
Indebted and undone, hath none to bring.
Behold me then; me for him, life for life,
I offer;

*

wrath shall be no more

*

Thenceforth, but in thy presence joy entire."
O Thou in heaven and earth the only peace
Found out for mankind under wrath! O thou
My soul complacence! well thou know'st how dear
To me are all my works, nor man the least,
Though last created; that for him I spare
Thee from my bosom and right hand, to save,
By losing thee awhile, the whole race lost.
Thou, therefore, whom thou only canst redeem,
Their nature also to thy nature join;

And be thyself Man among men on earth, Made flesh, when time shall be, of virgin seed, By wondrous birth: Be thou in Adam's room The head of all mankind, though Adam's son As in him perish all men, so in thee,

As from a second root shall be restored

As many as are restor'd, without thee none. * * * O unexampled love.

Love nowhere to be found less than Divine ! Hail, Son of God, Saviour of Men! Thy name Shall be the copious matter of my song. Henceforth, and never shall my harp thy praise Forget, nor from thy Father's praise disjoin.”

No. 12.]

THE WAYS OF PROVIDENCE JUSTIFIED TO MAN.

"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

9th Ecclesiastes, 11th verse.

THIS is the conclusion at which Solomon arrives after having gratified every desire of his heart, and beheld the vanity and vexation which attend all men, more or less, the strange results which are sometimes wrought beyond man's comprehension, and which in fact neither wisdom, nor understanding, nor skill can account for. It is well said, "God works by means, and we cannot always discover the end" thus what we most anticipate, frequently ends in disappointment; and that which we least regard, ultimately proves of advantage: showing that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong,

but time and chance happen to us all. Take for instance a man, who, according to appearances, is setting out in the world with every prospect of success; friends to assist him, personal merit to aid him, and yet every step he takes, some invisible power will propel him back: he knows not what, and wonders what obstacle it is perpetually rising in his way, and he will live to see another happier man, with less pretensions than himself, in every respect soar above him, whilst he remains motionless to the end of his days. But we will take another picture to view :-here we behold an individual without any earthly privileges and blessings whatever, friendless and poor, without talents, and his appearance even without attraction: the wide world is before him, he stands almost a stranger in it, but he surmounts his difficulties, time and chance open him a way, and subsequently without almost the least trouble or forethought, we find him in an elevated position in life, looked up to, honoured, and beloved. History too affords many examples of this kind, and shows that the wise who most need bread, are not always to be satisfied; or that men of understanding are to acquire riches, or men of skill to enjoy favour; but that there is a power which is justified to Man, some secret and unseen workings in human affairs which baffle the keenest imagination, or the most penetrat

ing eye! And that this is right, is certain: for unless there was a superior intelligent power to cross our plans, to check our progress, and to overrule our conduct through life, our fancies would be always indulged, and every plan and desire would be carried out according to our own intentions. What more consistent to human nature than that the race should be to the swift, and the battle to the strong; yet how contrary the operations of the Divine will, for "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise: because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God." Though indeed men complain of this promiscuous distribution of God's blessings to the good and the bad, the just and the unjust, the deserving and the undeserving, still the sovereign Lord of all is looking on, and some eagerly enquire, why does he permit such strange amalgamations, such prosperity to the wicked, and misfortune to the good?

This is answered by contemplating a future state of rewards and punishments, where every mystery shall be made clear, the hidden things of darkness brought to light, and then shall every man have praise of God. If there were to be no distinction hereafter, between the man of this world loaded with vain rich