WORLD.

CONFORMITY TO THE Jo the last Magazine, an appeal was made to Christians against conformity

to the world, on the ground that it would greatly dirvinish their usefulness. The following, addressed to their regard to personal happiness, may not be less appropriate or beneficial.

On a former occasion we made our appeal to the most disinterested principles of the Christian's nature. We now address his selflove, and assure him that conformity to the world must inevitably deprive him of spiritual joy and prosperity. Peace and joy are found only in the path of honorable obedience. He who tampers with the temptations, and sips the vain enjoyments of the world, may seek, but shall seek without success, the pleasures of religion. It is a law of our spiritual nature that ihe soul which wanders from God must be restless and unhappy. How can it be otherwise ? “In his favor is life,” and without sense of its enjoyment, the utmost which this could afford must fail to give us satisfaction. The Christian, in proper frame of mind, sings with the poet,

Let others stretch their arms like seas,

And grasp in all the shore;
Grant me the visits of thy face,

And I desire no more. Yes, this is indeed sufficient-a good which always satisfies but never satiates, lasting as immortality itself, and whose real worth shall only be known amid the desolations of expiring nature. But can the favor of God and the pleasures of the world be enjoyed by the same mind ? Impossible! Worldly conformity, wherever it exists, tends to quench the benign and cheering influence of the Holy Spirit, incapacitates the soul for prayer and every heavenly delight, and thus disqualifies us for that fellowship with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ which constitute the life and felicity of every real believer. Are you willing then, my brother, to forego these secret and sacred pleasures with which the Lord graciously cheers his pilgrims while travelling here below-an antepast of still more exquisite enjoyments preparing for them in the mansions above-are you willing to forego these, for the sordid and empty delights of a present evil world ? “No; you are ready to say, "in my best moments the world, with all its parade of vanity, vanishes from my view as a morning dream; and I feel that in religion, and in religion alone, the correspondence of the soul with its Creator and Redeemer, true and stable happiness is to be found.” Cherish these convictions--yield your heart to these sacred impressionscultivate communion with God. The allurements of the world will then be deprived of their power to ensnare ; its wealth will appear but contemptible dust, and its applause as the noxious breath of the devouring pestilence.

Finally, we remark that conformity to the world diminishes the future glory of the Christian. He is placed here in a state of trial. This implies the existence of danger and difficulty; and one design of his heavenly Father, in leaving him in such a situation, is his own ultimate benefit. To be surrounded by enemies, or beset with temptation, seem at first sight far from pleasant; but it must be remembered that the christian, by the influence of faith and constancy, can make these enemies his friends; and, from the real or apparent evils by which he is encompassed, draw a large revenue of heavenly glory. This interesting truth appears to be involved in the following passages of sacred Scripture :-Our light afflictions, which are but for a moment, work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”—“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations— Blessed is the man that endureth temptation."

“That the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, might be found unto praise, and honor, and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” Is not this principle contained in these passages, that if the Christian endure afilictions with patience, or overcome temptations with firinness, or sustain trials with fortitude, bis future bliss will be enhanced, in proportion to the frequency, the extent, or the poignancy, of these various tests of his fidelity ? Now the existence of such a world around us is a permanent test of our attachment to Christ-is a trial which we have continually to sustain. And the only way to educe good out of the seeming evil is to keep at a distance from the world, or to preserve ourselves unspotted from its pollutions. Thus shall the trial of our faith be found to our praise, and honour, and glory, at the appearing of Jesus Christ. But, if the future bliss of the Christian is increased by a steady endurance of temptations, the necessary consequence is, that it must be diminished if he falls under its power. By his worldly conformity, and the meagreness of his Christian character, he not only mars his present happiness, but casts a gloom over the prospect before him. By every unholy action he dashes a jewel from his crown, and extinguishes in darkness those rays of glory that might have encircled his head! Let us then, like Moses, choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, and esteem the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of the world, supported and animated by the prospect of a glorious reward. If any one can be satisfied, merely with such a degree of holiness as he imagines will secure his safety, and can with unconcern leave the higher stations in glory to the pursuit of others; let me warn him, that, by such a feeling, he betrays his utter destitution of vital godliness. . Such is not the cold and calculating nature of Christian obedience. No, the man who has a spark of heaven's love, burning within his bosom, feels that he cannot be too holy and too devoted in the service of Him “who died for his offences, and rose again for his justification. He feels that he is not his own, but bought with a price, and therefore aims at “standing perfect and complete in all the will of God."

In conclusion, let us seriously review the baneful effects of worldly conformity, whether on the church at large, or on the individual Christian ; its direct opposition to the ultimate design of the Redeemer's sufferings : its tendency to amalgamate two bodies so essentially distinct as the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of Satan; to frustrate the great end of the conversion of the soul to God; to extinguish the spiritual joy and peace of the mind; and to diminish the Christian's glory in the world to come; and then shall we feel the reasonableness, the imperious necessity of the sacred command, “Be not conformed to this world." [Bap. Mag.

BIBLE DICTIONARIES.

A Dictionary of important Names, Objects, and Terms, found

in the Holy Scriptures. Intended principally for Youth. By Howard Malcom, A. M. Second edition. Boston: Lincoln &

Edmands. A Pocket Dictionary of the Holy Bible. Containing a historical

and geographical account of the persons and places mentioned in the Old and New Testaments: and also a description of other objects, Natural, Artificial, Ciril, Religious, and Military : together with a copious reference to terts of Scripture, under each important word. Prepared for the American Sunday School Union, and adapted to general use. By ARCHIBALD ALEXANDER, D. D. Professor of Didactic and Polemic Theology, in the Theological Seminary at Princeton, N. J. Revised by the Committee of Publication. Philadelphia. American Sunday School Union. 1830.

In this age, characterized by the most universal dissemination and study of the sacred Scriptures, it is not strange that Bible Dictionaries should be multiplied. The convenience of such manuals for frequent and easy reference, gives to the principle of their arrangement a decided preference to most of the helps, which in such variety, abundance, and excellence, have been furnished within the last few years. Less adapted by their nature, and the narrowness of their limits, for thorough and original investigation, than for the humbler, but no less important purpose, of readily recalling what an unfaithful memory has let slip; and for giving a wider extension to the circulation of truths and facts, which had been previously evinced to the entire satisfaction of competent judges, the evident design of such a compilation should be, the benefit of the many, rather than the entertainment of the few. Such was the opinion of the great English lexicographer, Johnson, who very justly remarks, that “it is not enough that a Dictionary delights the critic, unless at the same time it instructs the learner.” To bring forward embodied and arranged, the results of criticism and thorough investigation, without the parade of learning, and the minuteness of detail, is the point of excellence which should be constantly kept in mind by every one in this department of Biblical production.

To us it seems no less obviously important to be remembered, that those for whom a Pocket Dictionary of the Bible is now desirable, are uniformly those who already possess the proper and necessary Defining Dictionaries of the English language, and also the Bible itself. To what purpose is it that we have in a Bible Dictionary the simple definition of such words as afar, affect, affinity, affirm, afflict, affrighted, afresh, and after, which follow each other consecutively, and occupy half of a closely printed page, without furnishing a single idea not equally as well given in our ordinary school Dictionaries? Nor can any better reason be furnished for occupying very many pages by repeating what is certainly as well said in the Bible of such men as Cain, Noah, and many others, of whom we know nothing beside the simple and sufficiently connected sketch furnished by inspiration. Even an abridgment of this sketch, in a Bible Dictionary, is of doubtful utility; and mere conjectural enlargements, with various alterations of the language in which the amplified and hypothetical biography is presented, has a positively pernicious influence. It is neither paraphrase, nor preaching, nor Scripture; and its tendency is, to cause the early and simple records of Revelation to be regarded as interesting fables, which may be appropriately rehearsed, with such variations and additional coloring, as each wayward taste prefers.

Such faults—and we do not think them small-abound in the Dictionary sent forth by the American Sunday School Union, with the sanction of their Publishing Committee's revision. The work is stereotyped, too, which almost forbids the hope of such alterations and improvements in the future editions as the other work named above has received in this second impression-improvements which in our estimation materially alter its character, and increase its value. Justice seems to require, that the claims of the author to public gratitude should be measured by the excellencies of the amended and greatly enlarged edition. Of this edition it was our purpose to present to the readers of the Magazine, some interesting extracts as specimens of its value. But we learn on inquiry, that the public are beforehand with us,-and though six months have scarcely elapsed since the work was first offered, such has been the demand, that besides exhausting the first, very nearly all the copies of the second large edition are also taken up. This will quite supersede the necessity of any quotations on our pages.

We may more profitably occupy the space allotted to this article, by instituting some comparison between the two works mentioned at its beginning.

In attempting this we would carefully avoid all invidiousness, and only perform a duty which we owe to the Compilers, to the public and to ourselves.

Keeping in view the legitimate objects of a Pocket Bible Dic. tionary, as above described, we think the one published by the American Sunday School Union, suffers materially by the attempt to crowd into it much that is nearly useless. Brown's Dictionary of the Bible, which Dr. Alexander made his guide, has often, we think, misled him. To this cause are we inclined to attribute the insertion, especially through the first half of the volume, of many words with a mere English definition. And to the same cause it is probably owing, that so much of the Bible narrative, a little diluted or condensed, is found in the pages of this Dictionary, by those who, having the Scriptures in their hands, do not desire articles of this character. Most of the large Dictionaries of the Bible, and Brown's among the rest, seem to have been based on that of Calmet, which was published a century since, and in a Roman Catholic country, where the Bible itself was not generally accessible. This fact, while it accounts for the extensive transcriptions from the pages of revelation, with which they abound, should certainly suggest to an Editor at this day, the propriety of many alterations, in a work founded on such a basis.

Such alterations were expected from Dr. Alexander, by the public; but, though very considerable improvements have been made, we cannot but think they are less, both in the plan and execution of the work, than they should have been. So far as the wants of Sunday School Teachers are concerned, we are quite sure that the plan of Mr. Malcom's Dictionary will be decidedly the most acceptable. It is not a body of divinity which the Teacher wants; but concise and clear definitions, with Scripture references; and brief, pertinent illustrations. Information of this character, the Teacher can easily make available, with great benefit to hinself and his class; while an article like that under the name Hebrews, in Dr. A.'s Dictionary, extending through thirty-two close columns, would repel him from the attempt to make the information it contained, of use to his pupils. What would be the surprise of a teacher, in turning from this disproportionately long article, to the word parable, (a most useful and satisfactory article in Malcom's Dictionary,) to find only a meagre definition of four lines! Numerous words of importance which in Mr. M.'s book are suitably explained, such as, anathema, calling, holy, hope, humility, mystery, Nicolaitans, praise, prayer, pride, reproof, foc. foc., Dr. A. has entirely omitted.

Another point of comparison, in which we think the public will award the preference to Mr. Malcom's Dictionary, is the size and price of the books. Were the value of these works to be estimated by the number of pages or words contained in each, that of the Society, notwithstanding its higher price, would undoubtedly be the cheapest. But when the adaptedness of the matter for general usefulness is considered, and especially when it is known that in order to compress the greatest possible amount into a portable sized book, a type and margin so small have been resorted to, that it will be found quite impracticable for ordinary optics to read the longer articles especially, without a severer trial than comfort will allow, we think the above estimate of their relative value will be reversed. Still we feel bound to suggest to the publishers of the smaller work, that if another large edition of their Dictionary shall be soon called for, the public will expect, either that the work shall be considerably enlarged, without altering its plan, or the price reduced to one half that of the larger Dictionary. AUGUST, 1830.

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