Holy Spirit can transform the lion into a lamb, and give to a serpent the harmlessness of a dove. They may have friends, who are groping in darkness at noon-day, or who are blind lead ers of the blind, utterly ignorant themselves of the path in which they are attempting to lead others. The Holy Spirit can enlighten the darkest mind, and free from error the most bewildered and perplexed soul, Who that has the least spark of grace can hesitate to pray for the necessary influences of the Holy Spirit, so far as he regards the happiness, temporal and eternal, of his friends?

3. The world around us needs the influences of the Spirit. Christians daily behold vast multitudes who are walking the downward road to perditionprofane swearers,Sabbath-breakers, the openly vicious and immoral, as well as other multitudes of more decent appearance, who are going the same beaten way. Nothing can save these multitudes but the exertion of divine power. Downward they all go every day of their lives, and downward they will continue to go, unless arrested, awakened, and converted, by the Holy Ghost. The further we extend our view, the more of sin and misery do we behold. If we cast our eyes across the Atlantic, and penetrate the heart of the eastern continent, or take a survey of our own, we see little but the evidences of depravity, error, and a general exposedness to the wrath of God. A vast variety of nations bowing down to idols; others following in the train of a bloody impostor; oth

ers sunk deep into infidelity and atheism; others abusing the privileges of the blessed Gospel, fill up the melancholy prospect. What is to be done for this guilty world? Christians, pray for the Holy Spirit to be poured out on all mankind. Unless this great gift is bestowed upon men, they will continue to sin and suffer till the world comes to an end, and will then enter upon a state of increasing sin, and unmitigated, increasing, and eternal suffering. O the awful thought of a world containing several hundred millions of immortal beings, all in need of deliverance from sin by the Holy Spirit, all perishing unless such deliverance 1S afforded in this life. Of these immortal beings millions die annually; many thousands every day. The world is now reeling to and fro like a drunken man; the moral elements of the universe have appeared to be dissolving; without divine interposition things will become worse and worse, and mankind will soon be without God and without hope. Blessed be God, there is a remedy for all these moral disorders, there is a method of deliverance from the sin under which the earth is groaning. The remedy is Christianity. All other professed remedies have been tried; they have never reached the seat of the disease; there is no hope from them; even to propose them would be a sinful trifling. Christianity is the only remedy; and this can only be applied by the Holy Spirit. Until thus applied it will be a remedy utterly disregarded. How urgent then is the duty of Christians to be continually praying for the arrival

of the time, when the Spirit shall be universally poured out, and all men shall be made willing in the day of God's power.

4. God has laid before Christians the most powerful encouragements to perform this duty. He has made a direct and express promise, that he will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him. Who will dare to question the veracity of God? Besides, this promise has been fulfilled from generation to generation ever since it was given. The Holy Spirit has been shed abroad in the hearts of many redeemed sinners. The experience of the Church has also proved, that for Christians to supplicate the out-pouring of the Spirit upon sinners, has always been the most successful method of promoting their salvation. In vast numbers of instances, when individual churches have set apart a regular season for the purpose of praying for this greatest of gifts, their prayers have been remarkably answered. In other instances, prayers made for friends and relatives have, after a long interval in some cases, been as remarkably answered.

5. The duty of praying for the Holy Spirit can always be performed, if there is a disposition to perform it. Many other duties are much more difficult. It is our duty to admonish and reprove sinners. But we may be timid, and doubtful of our ability to discharge a duty of this kind usefully to them and acceptably to God. It is our duty to comfort mourners, relieve the wants of the poor, and visit the sick. But we may be destiute of the time, or the property, or

the talents, which would be necessary in these cases. There is no obstacle in the way of praying to our heavenly Father, except it consists in our want of disposition to pray. The pious soul can daily mount up as on eagles' wings; it can plead earnestly for the compassion of God to be exercised towards guilty men; it can use weapons more efficacious than any which this world can afford; and, when other means have proved vain and unavailing, it can succeed in drawing down spiritual blessings upon the enemies of the cross of Christ.

How kind and compassionate is God, in thus making the most important of our duties the easiest to be performed at all times and by all persons! Let us never ccase to praise him for this expression of his wonderful love to the fallen children of Adam.

And is it true that Christians have it in their power to draw down upon themselves, and their fellow creatures, such inestimable and eternal blessings as are included in the gift of the Holy Spirit? How, then, can we account for their criminal apathy, their deadness, their languor, in this respect? Let each one examine himself as to the state of his own soul. Let him awake, and call upon God, While he leaves no other duty undone, so far as his ability to perform it is afforded, let him above all apply himself carnestly, without intermission or weariness, to the great business of asking for the Holy Spirit. Who, that has a heart of flesh, would not gladly relieve, if he could, the sick who are now suffering under a fatal epidemic? What excuse, then,

can a Christian frame for not doing all in his power to promote the healing of his fellow creatures from the malady of sin, when this can be done by asking for the gift? Who would not gladly open the prison doors, and let the immured victim go free? How pressing, then, is the obligation upon Christians to intercede day and night for the deliverance of sinners who are led captive by Satan at his will, and are preparing under his malignant influence to be his miserable slaves for ever?

Are not Christians loudly called upon at the present day to unite in meetings for the express purpose of praying for the Holy Spirit? And is not every individual Christian called upon to bring all his faculties into action, and to intreat his heavenly Father, in the name and for the sake of Christ, to send down the Holy Spirit to purify believers, awaken, convince, and convert sinners, and renovate a guilty suffering world? A. B.

XLIII. A short Biblical Catechism, containing questions,historical, doctrinal, practical, and experimental; designed to promote an intimate acquaintance with the Inspired Volume. By HERVEY WILBUR, A. M. Second edition, with the Assembly's Catechism. Exeter; C. Norris and Co. Samuel T. Armstrong, Boston. 1812. pp. 48. Price 12 1-2 cents.

THE plan of this little publication is different from that of any catechism which we have seen. It is simply this: instead of inserting answers to his questions, the writer has placed a set of references to Scripture after each question, so that the learner is obliged to turn to his Bible and collect an answer thence. The questions are 188 in number. The references are of two classes: those of the first are to be committed to memory; the others are to be consulted. The

questions embrace most of the great doctrines and duties taught in the word of God. The references to be committed to memory after each question are from two to ten in number; generally four or five.

We give the five following questions as a specimen of the work.

"47. What is the tenor of the cove. nant of grace?

"Is. lv. 3. Heb. viii, 10. || Jer. xxxi, 33; and 1, 5. Gen. xvii, 7. Ps. ciii, 17, 18.

"48. Who is the Mediator of the new covenant, or covenant of grace?

"Heb. viii, 1, 6, 8, 10, 12. 1 Tim. ii, 5, 6. Gal. iii, 19, 20. Heb. vii, 22; & xii, 24, 25. Is. xlii, 6.

"49. Is Christ both able and willing to save penitent sinners of every de scription?

"1 Tim. i, 15. Heb. vii, 25, 26. Col. ii, 9. Rom. iii, 25. | John i, 1, 14; and x, 25, 30. Is. xlv, 22, 23. Rom. iii, 24-26.

*We presume this reference should be x, 25-30.

"50. Why was it necessary, that the Mediator between the Father and sinners should be man?

"Heb. ii, 14 & vii, 24, 25; & ix, 13 -15. Gal. iv, 4,5. Heb. ii, 16; & iv, 14-16.

"51. What is the Scripture doc. trine of the Atonement?

"Heb. ix, 11-14. Is. liii, 4-6. 1 John ii, 1, 2. John i, 29. Heb. x, 19-24. 1 Pet. ii, 24; & iii, 18."

The references before the parallels are to be committed to memory. We give another question, and extract a part of the answer at length from the Bible.

"93. Will the cause of Christ fi nally prevail throughout the earth? "Ps. ii, 8. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession; & lxxii, 8-11. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him; all nations shall serve him. Is. ii, 2. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the

Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all

nations shall flow unto it. Mal. i, 11. For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles, and in every place incense shall be offered, and a pure offering; for my name shall be great among

the heathen saith the Lord of Hosts.

Is. xlix, 6. And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth; & xlii, 4. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have

set judgment in the earth; and the isles shall wait for his law; & lx, 1 -12; & lxii, 2. Mat. xxiv, 14. Rev. XX. 2-4."

The four last references would occupy more room than can be spared for the purpose. The pious reader will derive profit by consulting these interesting passages of Scripture.

Mr. Wilbur has executed his

plan in such a manner, as to deserve the approbation of the Christian public. Improvements might be made, some of which we shall point out; but the questions are important, the texts referred to generally apposite and suited to impress the true answer on the mind, and the effect of teaching this catechism to the young, or rather inducing the young to teach themselves by the use of it, can hardly be otherwise than good. We have examined all the references which are intended to be committed to memory. They form a precious treasury of jewels taken from the inexhaustible mine of Scripture. To have them deposited in the memories of young persons must be a most desirable reward for the labor of collecting and arranging them.

The principal design of the author in composing this Catechism, was to benefit young persons, associated for the purpose of studying the Scriptures together in

Catechetical Socie ties, a constitution for which is prefixed to the work. Twenty such societies have been formed, we are told, and have experienced essential advantage by consulting this little manual. A large portion of the members have produced answers to ques