he has commenced to teach them, until they shall be understood, believed, and obeyed.

What other cause will be assigned for the fact, that notwithstanding the anxious efforts made to bind more fast the cords of sect, there is exhibited in many of the books and other productions of the press, on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as in the conversations of the most exemplary Christians, and every where except in assemblies for sectarian purposes, a growing intensity of desire that the partition walls in the church of Christ may be broken down? Who would not have been astonished a few years ago, at a public avowal like that recently made in the city of Durham, in England, of a plan for reuniting all the Protestant churches of Great Britain and Ireland, on the broad ground of the Trinity? What meaneth the offer of a premium by a Bible Society in one of our own cities at the south, for the best Tract on a closer union of Christians in their prayers for the spread of the gospel? In our religious newspapers we meet with frequent expressions of desire by Christian writers of the increase of brotherly love, and for an intimate union among the friends of God. Many of the published sermons of the day breathe the same spirit. They do not indeed advocate the abolition of sects, but they notwithstanding present us with strong evidence of an increasing uneasiness in the minds of Christians, under the existing divisions of the church. Two recent publications of an exalted Christian character do explicitly express the conviction of the authors, that the church ought to be restored to its original unity, and intimate their belief that the work is practicable. We would also mention another most important fact which

may not be known to many among even general readers. One branch of theological study in the university of Leipsic is Irenics, (things relating to peace and tranquillity,) the ultimate aim in which is the union of all sects and parties. How shall we account for all these indications, otherwise than by admitting the fact that the spirit of unity is at work on the hearts of God's people?

8. Another encouragement of a somewhat different character, is presented in the increase of general knowledge and its diffusion among the people. Much has been done of late in this country, but more has been done we apprehend in Great Britain, in this department of benevolence. Valuable improvements are now in progress which are giving a more universal spread to the blessings of intellectual improvement, and are greatly elevating the standard of education. We are happy to witness such noble institutions as "The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge," in England; and we hope that our own country will not consent to be left behind in this race of benevolent effort. The noxious plant of sectarian bigotry finds a congenial abode in the dark shade of ignorance, but droops and dies in the sunshine of intellectual improvement. The influence of knowledge to liberate the mind from the narrowness of sectarian prejudice, is the more apparent when we advert to the fact, that among pious laymen it is very rare to find a man who has acquired extensive information, and yet sets a high value upon the peculiarities of the denomination to which he may belong. But among the clergy this incongruity discovers itself more frequently; and this, when it does occur, may be attributed to his peculiar disposition, or the circumstances in which the

individual is placed. He may be naturally or from habit rigid or intolerant. His domestic or theological education and training may have been of a very exclusive character, and the scene of his labours may not have presented a favourable opportunity, or may have failed to improve his facilities for acquiring a more liberal cast of mind. He may be the pastor of a people who under a former incumbent have drunk in a sectarian spirit, and he may, through lack of firmness or some other cause, have become moulded into their views, instead of having ameliorated their state of mind; or it may be that he occupies a position in which the whole of his influence and consequence or emolument depends upon his being a high-toned partizan. But, as a general proposition, how easy is it at the present moment to gather into one society Christians whose minds are enlarged with general information; how much more are they now one in heart, counsel, and action, than those whose limited knowledge contracts their minds and precludes the entrance of liberal views and feelings. "Light in the understanding is the source of all reformations, the detector of all evils and abuses, the corrector of all errors and misconceptions." And "knowledge and liberality of sentiment almost uniformly go hand in hand."

9. All these indications, it is true, may fail, and we should not derive so much encouragement from them as we do, had we not "a more sure word of prophecy," of which we hope the accomplishment is near at hand, and the day of its fulfilment dawning upon the world. The fields seem to be whitening for the promised harvest. The fold of Christ is now broken into numerous divisions, but the time must again return when there shall be but one fold, as there is but one shepherd. The

church of Christ is now rent into parties, that envy and vex one the other, as Judah and Ephraim of old; but the time must come when Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. The watchmen on the walls of Zion are now, in the divided state of the church, each one speaking with his own trumpet, and oftentimes with the trumpet of contention and war; but the period must come when the sweet sounds of the gospel shall proceed harmoniously from all the preachers of that gospel, for thus saith the Lord of his church; "Her watchmen shall lift up the voice, and with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion." The intercessory prayer of the Saviour is itself virtually a prophecy; for the Father always heareth him, and will perform his request; and he asks " that they all may be one as we are one." Hath the Lord spoken, and shall he not do it? It is also foretold that in the happy state of the world which is coming, "they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." And again, "The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid.” "They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain." These and other prophecies of the like tenour are by some interpreted to apply to the church; but admitting that to be doubtful, can it be believed that the nations and the world of mankind out of the church will sheathe the sword of war and contention, while the church shall remain the victim of controversy and division? Will the world be reformed before the church? Then we may not call Christians the salt of the earth, but the world is the salt

of the church, and the city set on a hill, and the leaven to be diffused through the mass of believers. If the pacification of the world is to be effected by the children of God, is it to be supposed that they will exert their influence to hush the world into peace, and make no effort to establish peace and union in the church? A peace society for abolishing the practice of war has indeed been formed, and it has in its composition the spirit of Christianity, and embodies many of the best friends of religion; but while we express our fears that little will be effected towards stopping the effusion of blood, while war or division is raging in the bosom of the church, yet do we view the formation of this society as the earnest, with the means that are already in operation to restore, or the tendencies already in motion towards restoring union among Christians, that the reign of sectarianism is short.

The Lord has not uttered his prophecies with the view of exciting expectations which he does not intend to fulfil. He will perform all his promises, and verify all his predictions.

Yes, we can already perceive that the way is preparing for the Lord to bless the effort to collect his scattered friends, and encompass them with the bond of heavenly love, and clothe them with the beauty and strength of unity. The flight of the lottery system, upon the bare exposure of its evils, and the deep wounds exhibited by the monster intemperance, almost as soon as he was touched with the spear of truth, are the earnests of what God is waiting to do, as soon as his people are willing to act for the purification of his church from the evils that oppress her.

In fact, the throne of sect is evidently affected with