willingly given where a degree of assimilation is produced in the feelings, by which active affection is brought into exercise, and a willing homage substituted for a slavish submission.

دو

The heart of man is opposed to a holy, pure, and spiritual Lord; for the nature of that heart has been described by One who "knew what is in man: "All these evil things," said the Saviour, come from within, and defile the man." Mark vii. 21, 22. And true it is, that from within, out of the heart of man, come all those evil things, which like a desolating torrent, have

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swept over our beautiful earth, and defaced even the outer form of a creation which was altogether peaceful, only so long as sin was excluded. This mind of enmity has separated peace from man, by separating man from God. The blessing of peace was lost, when Adam said to his Maker, "I heard thy voice, and was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself."

To shun the presence of God is to depart from the way of peace; and from the hour that Adam sinned, and hid himself from the presence of God, to that awful one when sinners shall call on the mountains and rocks to fall on them, and hide them from the presence of the Lord, sin has produced, and will continue to produce, the same effect; it will separate between us and our God, and lead us like Cain, go out from his presence.' In Adam's mind, all the fatal consequences of sin were in a moment produced terror, "hard thoughts of God," aversion to his holy presence; he was afraid because

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he was naked; knowing that his robe of righteousness was gone, he shrunk from an eye that was too pure to look on iniquity, and what he did and what he felt then, have just been a partial exhibition of what his children have done and

felt since. "There is no peace, saith the Lord, to the wicked."

The voice of the Lord, while Adam was holy, conveyed only sounds of peace, and among all the sweet sounds which filled the bowers of Eden, "in the cool of the day," this must have been the sweetest to his grateful and loving creatures. But when holiness was gone, when the mind of enmity was implanted, that voice, although its tones of mercy and love were unchanged, only created terror: "Let not God speak to us lest we die:" soon became the request of fallen man.

Love pervaded all the works of God, but man once become sinful would no longer believe that "God is love," the first doubt that was ever felt was a doubt of the unlimited love of God, when the tempter insinuated it into the mind of Eve, in the question," Yea, hath God said, thou shalt not eat of every tree in the garden?" It has been felt ever since when any suspect that God has withheld from them something they should have.

And should we seek for the cause of this feeling we find it in the implantation of "an evil heart of unbelief;" through which we turn aside from all the provisions of God's love, and direct our restless desires and bend our wayward wills on the pursuit and attainment of what is contrary to the mind of God respecting us. Thus the ways of God are always grievous to us; a mind at enmity with God can never be really at peace with itself, unless conscience be seared, and the soul have ceased those immortal aspirations which still tell of a heaven-descended original, and are directed to a happiness beyond what this world can ever supply.

To be carnally-minded, says the Scripture, is death; and few are the Scriptural truths to which the world bears longer exemplification than it does to this. While man

was holy, his will was in unison with that of his Maker: the same mind was in him; a mind attuned to heavenly concord, where opposition was unfelt and counteraction unknown; sin introduced discordancy, and the human mind no longer vibrated to the harmonies of heaven. The carnal mind sought another happiness than God provided, and forsook the post of simple obedience to follow the dictates of its own reason, and chose that which seemed good to itself. To the natural reason and natural will the fruit of the tree was pleasant, desirable, and good, therefore the mind of Eve rose in opposition to the command, "Thou shalt not eat of it." This same mind has ever since sought its happiness in the gratification of its own will and pleasure; and it is therefore opposed directly to that state of peace which existed when man knew no will but God's; for a spirit of resistance is maintained where there is no power to overcome; a fruitless warfare is carried on, while the unsuccessful rebel murmurs at the rod of the oppressor, which by submission he might convert into a sceptre of love.

We may indeed refuse to do, but we must bear, the will of God -we may chafe and strive as a wild bull in a net, and a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke, but what saith he whose kingdom ruleth over all, to man's impotent efforts against his power? "Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult is come up into my ears, therefore will I put my hook into thy nose, and my bridle into thy lips, and will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest. Woe unto him that striveth with his maker." And the woe extends to all in whom the carnal or natural mind exists unchanged; for if the real

feelings of that mind were often breathed, they would reverse the Saviour's prayer and say, "Not thy will, but mine be done."

Thus is the world generally found to be equally far from being at peace with God, and from maintaining the apostolic precept, "be at peace one with another." The truth contained in the latter assertion is more readily admitted than the former; and there are those who while venting in poetry or prose the morbid feelings of hearts they would depict as having wandered over a world covered with violence without being able to gather one olive branch above its troubled waters, involuntarily add a commentary to the words of inspiration. St. Paul delineates the cause of temporal as well as eternal misery in describing men as "full of envy, murder, deceit, debate, malignity, whisperers, inventers of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful.” These evils soon usurped the place of peace on the earth. Sin attained its full growth almost at once: the first-born son of the first sinner was a murderer; and as soon as 66 men began to multiply in the earth,' the whole earth was covered with violence; because men would follow the devices and desires of their own hearts.* Man was alienated from God, and the sanctions of the Divine Law, tremendous as they were, could not bind him to obedience. The sounds of peace were not heard from the awful top of Sinai, where amid "blackness and darkness and tempest," the Lord proclaimed in the tenor of his righteous Law, "The soul that sinneth it shall die."

BARSABAS.

* Gen. vi. 1, 2.

I SHOULD marvel that the covetous man can still be poor, when the rich man is still covetous, but that I see, a poor man can be content, when the contented man is only rich the one wanting in his store, while the other is stored in his wants. I see then, we are not rich or poor, by what we possess, but by what we desire. For he is not rich that hath much, but he that hath enough: nor he poor that hath but little, but he that wants more. If God then make me rich by store, I will not impoverish myself by covetousness: but if he make me poor by want, I will enrich myself by content.

Hypocrisy desires to seem good rather than to be so: honesty desires to be good rather than seem so. . . . It shall more joy me, that I know myself what I am, than it shall grieve me to hear what others report me. I had rather desire well without praise, than do ill with commendation.

Each true Christian is a right traveller his life his walk, Christ his way, and heaven his home. his wrath painful, his way perfect, his home pleasing. I will not loiter, lest I come short of home. I will not wander, lest I come wide of home, but be content to travel hard, and be sure I walk right; so shall my safe way find its end at home, and my painful walk make my home welcome.

As is a wound to the body, so is a sinful body to the soul... Now as the smart of the wound is recompensed by the cure of the body, so is the punishment of the body sweetened by the health of the soul. Let my wound smart by dressing, rather than my body die; let my body smart by correction, rather than my soul perish.

It is some hope of goodness not to grow worse; it is a part of badness not to grow better. I will take heed of quenching the spark, and strive to kindle a fire.

There is nothing to be gotten by the world's love; nothing to be lost (but its love) by its hate. Why then should I seek that love that cannot profit me, or fear that malice that cannot hurt me? If I should love it for loving me, God would hate me for loving it. If I loathe it for hating me, it cannot hurt me for loathing it. Let it then hate me, and I will forgive it; but if it love me, I will never requite it. For since its love is hurtful, and its hate harmless, I will contemn its hate, and hate its love.

Its no marvel that man hath lost his rule over the creature, when he would not be ruled by the will of the Creator. Why should they fear man, when man would not obey God?

No affliction for the time seems joyous, all time in affliction seems grievous. I will compare my miseries on earth with my joys in heaven, and the length of my miseries with its eternity; so shall my journey seem short, and my burden easy.

It is the greatest of all sins always to continue in sin. For where the custom of sinning waxeth greater, the conscience for sin grows the less it is easier to quench a spark than a fire; I had rather break the cockatrice's head, than kill the serpent.

When I see the fisher bait his hook, I think of Satan's subtle malice, who sugars over his poisoned hooks with seeming pleasures. Thus Eve's apple was candied with divine knowledge, Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

When I see the fish fast hanged, I think upon the covetous worldling, who leaps at the profit, without considering the danger. Thus Achan takes the gold and the garment, and never considers that his life must answer it. If Satan be such a fisher of men, it is good to look before we leap. Honey may be eaten, so that we take heed of the sting: I will honestly enjoy my delights, but not buy them with danger.

I cannot see two sawyers work at the pit, but they put me in mind of the Pharisee and the Publican. The one casts his eye upward, while his actions tend to the pit infernal; the other standing with a dejected countenance, while his hands and heart move upward. 'Tis not a shame to make shew of our profession, so we truly profess what we make shew of: * but of the two, I had rather be good, and not seem so, than seem good, and not be so. The Publican went home to his house justified rather than the Pharisee.

When I think of the eagle's carrying up of the shell-fish into the air, only to the end he may break it by the fall, it puts me in mind of the Devil's costly courtesies, who without the bounty of his subtlety, is still ready to advance us to destruction.

It is not good to speak evil of all whom we know bad it is worse to judge evil of any, who may prove good. To speak ill upon knowledge, shews a want of charity to speak ill upon suspicion, a want of honesty. I will not speak so bad as I know of many I will not speak worse than I know of any. To know evil by others, and not speak it, is sometimes discretion; to speak evil by others, and not know it, is alway dishonesty. He may be evil

*This expression is liable to misconception; in the author's mind it probably meant, to let appear.

himself, who speaks good of others upon knowledge, but he can never be good himself who speaks evil of others upon suspicion.

He that spends all, is an unthrifty prodigal: he that spends more than is his own, is a dishonest unthrift.

There's many a good divine, that cannot learn his own teaching. It is easier to say, This do, than to do it.

There are two things necessary for a traveller, to bring him to the end of his journey; a knowledge of his way, a perseverance in his walk. If he walk in a wrong way, the faster he goes the farther he is from home: if he sit still in a right way, he may know his home, but never come to it. I will first then know my way, ere I begin my walk the knowledge of my way is a good part of my journey. He that faints in the execution, loseth the glory of the action. I will therefore not only know my way, but also go on in my way: I had rather my journey should want a beginning, than come to an untimely end. If heaven be my home, and Christ my way, I will learn to know my way, ere I haste to travel to my home. He that runs hastily in a way he knows not, may come speedily to a home he loves not. If Christ be my way, and heaven my home, I will rather endure my painful walk, than want my perfect rest.

As I see in the body, so I know in the soul; they are oft most desperately sick, who are least sensible of their disease: whereas he that fears each light wound for mortal, seeks a timely cure, and is healed.

I would willingly be at quiet with the world, but rather at peace with my conscience. The love of men is good, while it lasteth: the love of God is better, being everlasting.

J. M.