and shuddering horror :-but, that Ahab, with the knowledge he possessed, and the advantages he enjoyed, should be seduced by his idolatrous queen to murder the prophets, and to extirpate the worship of Jehovah, and substitute in its place the service of Baal, is a very surprising circumstance:-it is a melancholy proof of the weakness and wickedness of man, when drawn aside from his obedience to the laws of God:-it shews the danger of an intimacy and close connection with those, whose religion is false; and it proves the truth of the historians remark, that "there was none like unto the son of Omri, who, seduced by his wife Jezebel, sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord;-and commit"ted the greatest abominations, by going afσε ter vile idols, according to the doings of the "Amorites, whom the Lord had expelled from "the children of Israel."

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(7)---MORE HATEFUL TO GOD.--

Will the prophecies of the author of the christian dispensation be fulfilled?-Will his religion ultimately prevail, and be universally adopted? I answer in the affirmative to both these questions, not only because I believe the scriptures, but because many of Christ's prophecies have already been accomplished, and because his religion is now, according to his words, making rapid progress throughout the world, and "drawing all men unto him."-In

what light, then, will the numerous obstacles, raised by the "man of Sin" against the establishment of truth, be regarded by him, who intends that truth to produce general peace and happiness?—The Mosiac dispensation was confined to one family-it was never intended to be the universal religion.-The idolatry, therefore, of the nations immediately in the neighbourhood, only proved injurious to the true worship, when an association and familiar in- ́ tercourse took place between the Israelites, and the people, "who knew not God":-and, as it was not commanded the Jews" to go and teach "their religion to all the world," external idolatry opposed no active resistance to the keeping alive and perpetuating the truth in Israel.No doubt, the worshippers of wood and stone, would look upon the servants of Jehovah with a jealous, perhaps proselyting eye; and would take every opportunity of intruding amongst them, blessed, as they saw they were, with all the good things of a country flowing with milk and honey, and wonderfully successful in all their undertakings:-and, when Israel was weak enough to listen to their fair and enticeing speeches, and to admit them into their habitations, and to suffer their "evil communi"cations" to corrupt their minds, and debase their understandings, then, both parties experienced the anger, and vengeance of God; but, Israel, more especially, on account of his superior information, his unexampled favours,

and exclusive divine communications-The deity permitted, at that time, the existence of idolatry, as he still permits it, in many nations of the earth:-but St. Paul says, he looks at its existence now, in a very different light, from that, in which he viewed it formerly.-When liberty was proclaimed to the captive, and "the opening the prison to them that were bound," then also was sentence of " condemn"nation and the vengeance of God pronounced

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against the oppressor and the enemies of "truth"--then, also, were men in every place commanded to shake off and renounce their former errors, to turn from idols, and to worship God. If Pharaoh, with all his host, suffered in the red sea, when endeavouring to prevent the Hebrew people from worshipping their God, in the place appointed them, and whilst he was ignorant of the will of heaven concerning idolatry, can any man expect to escape the wrath of God, who knows his commands, and threatnings against this sin, and yet practises it himself, and "has pleasure in them that do the "same?"-Sins committed in ignorance, and sins committed in knowledge, are universally allowed to be of a very different die. Every one capable of reading the gospel, knows that God alone is to be the object of the christians worship. Who, then, are the greatest enemies of pure Christianity?-Not heathens who never heard of it—not ignorant idolaters, who set their faces against it, when first proposed to

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them, and refuse to admit it amongst them, becanse they do not understand it's nature and design;-but men, who have apostatized from the religion of Christ, and fallen back into the habit of breaking the second commandment. and by their example and power, compel millions of others to do the same-Is not such an apostacy, and the false worship beloaging to it, more hateful in the sight of God, than any of the idolatry of old, which was the effect of ignorance and barbarism?—If the scriptures are "searched," their tenour and instructions upon this question, will be very evident ;—and, as the more I observe the moral government of God, and those events which could not take place unless he was constantly attending to it, so, the more I am convinced the sacred writings contain his will and divine communications, and that every word of inspiration will be exactly fulfilled; and also that some signal calamity will befall the great idolatrous apostacy of Rome and corrupt Christianity, sufficiently striking to bring the learned man of the world, out of his field of fanciful speculation concerning spiritual matters, and sufficiently obvious to make the superficial reader of the bible, and the common observer exclaim, 'this is certainly the 'execution of the righteous sentence of God, against the man of Sin, and his corrupt prac'tices, and abuse of his knowledge-this messenger of woe and destruction, is certainly 'the destroying angel of God'.

(8)---THE MEEK AND HUMBLE FOUNDER OF IT --

If the bible is allowed by all who are acquainted with it, to contain the purest system of morals that was ever seen, and the only revelation that was made to man, a referenceought to be made to this high authority for information, in all controverted religious points, and in all cases connected with spiritual affairs-A decision formed, after proper consideration, upon the principles laid down in that wonderful book, can never be wrong.-Ought not, then, the question, respecting the admission of Roman Catholics into situations, where they must necessarily have a greater intercourse with Protestants, than they at present have, and where the affairs and interests of the protestant church may occasionally call for their attention, to which they cannot be considered friendly, to be settled by a reference to the manner, in which Christ treated persons, whose religious opinions he condemned, and who in consequence conspired against, and put him to death? He shewed the greatest affection and regard for persons of all descriptions, who, witnessing the mighty works that he did, believed him to come from God; but, it will no where be found in his history, that he chose people for his disciples, or associated with them as particular friends, whose religious opinions, he was sent by his almighty father, to over