versified scenery charmed his sight; | mised Messiah. It shewed her the varied sounds of its inhabitants faith in the promise of God, but were melody in his ears; and its fruits were pleasant to his palate. The companion that God had created for him was all he could wish her to be, and what was better than all this, he was on terms of friendship, and held constant communion with his Maker.

she did not then know, that before the deliverer appeared it was necessary that the awful effects of sin should be made fully evident, and that the providential arrangements of Jehovah would take four thousand years to accomplish his designs, and bring "the fulness of time" for the appearance of Christ. Eve little imagined that her belov

so depraved a heart, that would lead him to rebel against God, distress his parents, and murder his brother.

Well might the wise man check an inordinate joy at the birth of a child, and ask"Who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool?"

But, alas! while we indulge ourselves in the contemplation of this delightful scenery, we are re-ed child had brought into the world minded of the awful change that has taken place. Man has offended God by rebelling against his laws, and now the divine favour is withheld; angels look at us with pity, and devils with triumph; the earth is cursed for the sin of man, and its various inhabitants rise up in opposition to him; and man himself is awfully degraded, the energies of his mind are contracted, and his prospects of future glory are obscured. Unless a Mediator is found, to reconcile him to God, he must perish without hope, and unless his soul undergoes a new creation, he cannot dwell in the future paradise of bliss.

There can be little doubt but that Cain and his brother Abel were both instructed in the knowledge of God, so far as their parents possessed that knowledge. But valuable as is a religious education, and powerful as are its restraints, it is not always that it preserves its possessors from the the most awful crimes. Depravity is deep rooted and inveterate, and when all may appear amiable and

The awful consequences of the fall of Adam were soon seen in the barrenness of the earth, the wild-promising without, feelings and ness of the brute creation, and the bad passions, the diseased bodies, and the dying frames of the human race. The first-born of our parents is introduced to our notice as a sinner and a murderer. Let us enter on the short and affecting history, and be concerned to derive improvement from it.

dispositions of the most sinful nature may be rankling within the heart. Cain presented an offering to the Lord. He did not slight the forms of religion; but, alas! that offering was not composed of the proper materials, nor was it accompanied with suitable feelings. Hence, while the offering of It is perfectly natural, when pa- Abel, of the firstlings of his flock, rents are blest with children, to presented in humble dependentertain the highest expectations ence on the promised Messiah, was of their future excellence and hap-accepted, the sacrifice of Cain was piness. When our first parents rejected by that jealous Being, had sinned, Jehovah graciously who not only requires us to pay promised a deliverer; and when him homage, but expects it to be her first-born entered the world, done in the way of his own apEve imagined that he was the pro-pointment.

Persecution, or opposition to | What must have been the feelings of our first parents, as they surveyed the remains of their beloved son! Well might they call him Abel, and mourn; well might they say that "man, at his best estate, is vanity."

those who serve God in an accept able manner, seems inherent in the human heart. As men are naturally haters of God, they must hate those who enjoy his favour, and are concerned for his honour. When the fire from heaven descended, and shewed the divine acceptance of Abel's offering, and the same token was withheld from Cain, it called into exercise all the strong feelings of jealousy and hatred to his brother. The affection he bore him by nature seemed to be gone, and revenge, however unreasonable, to have taken its place; and as he cannot shew his opposition to God in any other way than injuring his brother, he selects the most hateful methods to shew the malice that reigned in

his bosom.

On the supposition that Abel was the first who entered the realms of felicity from our world, we cannot but imagine that feelings of delight would fill the breasts of each of the angels on his account, while they would, if indeed it were possible, feel a momentary horror at the means by which he was dismissed from earth. But his sufferings are now over, and he shall for ever enjoy an infinite reward, for his attachment to the service of God; angels hail him as delivered from the sufferings and persecutions of a sinful world, and as being their companion for ever; and Jesus must view him with holy delight, as being the first fruits of that harvest of immortal souls, given him for the reward of the sufferings he had engaged to endure.

It has often been remarked, that religious disputes rise higher than any other; and we see it exemplified here. True, Abel has imbibed much of the spirit of that world to which he is rapidly hasting, and he shews the meekness and the affection that adorn the saintly But what are the feelings of the character; but this spirit increases wicked fratricide? Who can dethe rage of Cain, who is fully in-scribe the agony of his conscience, fluenced by Satan. His anger or represent the horrors of which knows no bounds, and he is care- he is the subject? The scene is less as to the consequences of viewed with interest by the Sushewing that disposition. Wearing the mask of friendship, he invites him to the field, where they had probably often held brotherly intercourse, and in an unguarded moment he deprives him of life.

What a series of reflections rush into our minds, as we contemplate this awful fact! Perhaps death before had never entered our world; and how affecting the thought, that the first departure of a human being from our world was occasioned by a murder, and that murder the result of eminent piety in the person of its subject!

preme Governor of the universe, and it is not long before he calls the sinner to account for his crimes, Cain acts the hypocrite before his Maker, denies a knowledge of his brother, and impudently asks"Am I my brother's keeper?”— We are shocked at such conduct on his part, but do we never exemplify his spirit? Do we never profess that before God, which we never felt? Do we not willingly remain ignorant of misery that we could readily relieve? Do we not, towards perishing sinners, cherish the feelings of Cain, and make but

little exertion for their salvation? | the load from his mind by building And will not God surely visit us a city and engaging in business; for these things?

The despair of Cain, when he is sentenced by Jehovah, was indescribably awful. Jehovah, by some mark, distinguished him from all other men, and threatened the most tremendous punishment to the man who should take away his life. Thus did he long continue him in the world, shewing men the dreadful effects of sin, and suffering the vengeance of divine wrath. What distinguishing mark he bore, we cannot say perhaps it was, as Saurin suggests, a garment different from those worn by others; possibly it was some mark on his forehead, as some have thought; or might it not be the agony of despair, as depicted in his countenance? His feelings must be most acutely harassed, or he would not have exclaimed, "My punishment is greater than I can bear!"

but all was in vain. He lived a life of misery, and is exhibited as an object of infamy to the end of time.

"His life is an oppressive load,

That hangs upon him like a curse;
For all the pleasure-thoughts -that
glowed,

Are now extinguish'd by remorse!
And death! oh, death! 'tis worse! 'tis
worse!

How dreadful in the grave to lie,
Yet sleep not! Evermore to nurse
The worm that will not, cannot die!"
ΚΝΟΣ.

Let it ever be our anxious concern to guard against those risings of anger that are displeasing to God, and lay the foundation of unhappiness to ourselves and others; let us see the impossibility of concealing sin from the eye of God, and let the consideration that all our actions and thoughts are open to his view, preserve us from transThe question has been asked, gressing his law; let us reflect on Who could take vengeance on Cain Abel as a type of the holy Jesus, for the death of Abel, when we who manifested the spirit of love read not of his having any other and of meekness when murdered relatives, his father and mother by his enemies; let us see that sin excepted? A moment's considera- will be followed by the stings of tion must convince the inquirer, conscience, that faithful witness that, though Moses has not men- for God in every human breast; tioned the fact, there must have and let us recollect that God will been many inhabitants on the globe avenge himself on every transgresbesides them. A very learned wri- sor. The day of punishment may ter, referred to by Saurin, sup-be long deferred, but a period will poses the melancholy event to have come when we shall receive the occurred in the year of the world 128; and shews, that by this time there might have descended from our first parents not less than 421,164 persons. Among such a number, Cain might well imagine there were many who would be disposed to revenge the death of such a man as " righteous Abel."

We will not attempt to describe the misery that Cain felt through life. He travelled from place to place; then attempted to banish

reward of our doings before an assembled universe. The last great day will bring to light many transactions that have hitherto been concealed from human view, but which Jehovah will finally disclose. "For there is nothing hid that shall not then be revealed."

Folkestone.

J. B.

wakeful. But the interposition of Providence is one thing, and divine revelation is another. For there can be no reasonable doubt, that angelic agency still forms a link in many a mysterious chain of Providence: but angelic agency has already formed the last link of divine revelation, and through the medium of that agency the Divine Spirit has said, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book." Rev. xxii. 18. If, therefore, we embark on the trackless ocean of dreams and

may wander far from the truth, and never see land again. Nor is any temptation to such departure to be listened to for a single moment. "Though we,' says the Apostle, "or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." Gal. i. 8. The misguided, therefore, are not to be followed. "To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isa. viii. 20.

ON DREAMS AND SPIRITUAL AGENCY. EVERY one knows with what facility objects can be presented to our contemplation by means of the imagination. In this way, a prisoner in his gloomy cell may transport himself into regions of light and liberty, and may view, in every clime, the wonders of creation and the busy scenes of life; and thus, though encumbered with heavy chains, he may travel with more rapidity than light itself. In such an excursion, however, if the mental faculties in general are not dormant or disorganized, he is con-phantoms of the imagination, we stantly attended by consciousness, a monitor that reminds him at every step that his flight is ideal only. But when slumber steals upon the captive, consciousness is silent; and then the varied scenes presented to the mind are viewed as realities so that, instead of suggesting the actual state of things at every step, consciousness reserves the information till the moment of waking, when the whole is disclosed at once, and the supposed reality is found to have been a dream. Insignificant, however, as dreams in general are, there are doubtless In the second place, from the two classes of agents that have declarations of Scripture concernaccess to our minds when sleep ing temptation, and from the invihas, in a great measure, impaired sibility of the tempter, we are led our own agency. In the first place, to the conclusion, that evil angels holy angels are "ministering spi- also effect their purposes by havrits, sent forth to minister for them ing access to the human mind; who shall be heirs of salvation:" and if they can find their way to and as God, in his wisdom, has, our imagination when the other in the present age, hidden their mental powers are in lively exerbenevolent operations from our cise, there can exist no doubt review, we cannot conceive of their specting their access to an excited having any influence with mortals, imagination, when reason and conbut by invisible access to the mind.sciousness are not on the alert. In the dispensations of Provi- Under such circumstances, theredence, therefore, angelic agency fore, Satan's captives are never may induce a Laban to act the part of a friend instead of acting otherwise; and such agency may affect the slumbering as well as the

safe; as he who is the tempter one day, may facilitate the discovery the next. For, in the absence of other means, a thought suggest

ed by the great Accuser may lead for the Lord your God proveth to a certain line of conduct, which you, to know whether ye love the otherwise would not have been Lord your God with all

pursued; and this line of conduct may bring to light some hidden work of darkness. Thus it may be inferred, from the operations of both classes of spiritual agents, that if human means fail, there is no lack of agency to verify God's declaration to the sinner "Be sure your sin will find you out." Numb. xxxii. 23. While the guilty, however, have so much reason to tremble, the faithful follower of Christ has nothing to fear. "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord." Ps. cxii. 7.

your heart and with all your soul." It was not, however, in the nature of false prophecies, to have any material portion of truth in them; and hence a false prophet was easily detected. "If thou say in thine heart," says Jehovah, “How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him." Deut. xix. 21, 22.

out of his way. It was a good saying of our forefathers, that "what comes from God leads to God again." It is, therefore, a very suspicious circumstance, if we have dreams and impressions that excite such a joy as sin will not extinguish. For it is in the nature of all sin to grieve the Holy Spirit, and if he withdraw his sensible presence, the joy of the Holy Ghost must necessarily cease to be the joy of the fallen professor.

But, however familiar wicked If such be the state of things, spirits may be with some of the let the Christian professor be on most secret of past transactions, of his guard against any ignis fatuus, which they have been the instigat-or delusive light, that may lead him ors, and concerning which they can make suggestions, either amid the gloomy silence of midnight, or in the bright effulgence of noonday, yet futurity is a province never subjected to the powers of darkness. All presumptuous prophecies, therefore, have been destitute of the divine signature. For even if some things predicted in such prophecies have actually taken place, the predictions themselves have been entitled to no more credit than the shrewd guesses of sagacious politicians, or those random assertions which occasionally coincide with ultimate facts, ac-pluck out, no right hand to cut off, cording to the doctrine of chances. Hence, in Deut. xiii. 1—3. we read, "If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams:

There is also great reason for alarm, if we profess a religion in which we have no right eye to

and no cross to take up. In fact, if dreams and impressions divert our attention from the wholesome words of Jesus Christ, and induce us to form high expectations of heaven, while the world is the master we serve, we only call the Saviour, Lord! Lord! and identify ourselves with those of whom he has said, "Every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and DOETH THEM NOT, shall be liken