the alteration here proposed would take up more room than can here be afforded. See Camp. Gos. vol. iv, p. 35.

V. 13. If the salt become insipid. It is worthy of remark, that the Greek word, like our insipid, means to become foolish or tasteless, though the former is the primary meaning.

V. 17. Think not that I am come to annul the law, or the hrophets; I am not come to annul, but to establish. It is not easy to find a single word in English, which shall convey the whole force of the word translated to fulfil in our common version. Perhaps it comprises, in this passage, the most important meanings of the words to establish, to ratify, to accomplish, to make full and perfect.

This verse has been greatly misunderstood to mean, that our Savior came not to transgress the law, but to obey it; whereas the true meaning of the passage is, that Christ, as the great moral lawgiver of mankind, came not to annul the law previously revealed, but to establish, confirm and ratify the same law, and, by explanations, to enlarge it, and make it as perfectly intelligible as it was universally obligatory. V. 18. Till all be accomplished. V. 19. Whosoever, therefore, shall transgress one of the least of these commandments, &c.

V. 20. Except your righteousness shall surpuss, &c. Dr.Campbell uses excel instead of exceed; because exceed relates to quanti ty, but excel to quality or kind. Surpass, like the original, may relate to quantity and quality and is therefore to be preferred.

Doctrines.

We are taught, in this passage of Scripture, that our Savior, seeing the multitudes, went up into a mountain, sat down with his disciples about him, and directed his discourse to them particularly; v. 1, 2; that the following classes of persons are happy; first, the humble, because they shall enjoy the kingdom of heaven; v. 3; secondly, the mourners, because they shall be comforted; v. 4; thirdly, the meek, because they shall partake of a spiritual inheritance, which was prefigured by the promised land; v. 5; fourthly, they who hunger and thirst after higher attainments in holiness, because they shall be satisfied; v. 6; fifthly, the merciful, because they shall obtain mercy; v. 7; sixthly, the pure in heart, because they shall see God; v. 8; seventhly, the peace-makers, because they shall be children of God; v. 9; eighthly,they,who are persecuted on account of their goodness, because they shall enjoy the kingdom of heaven; v. 10; that the disciples of Christ are happy when reviled, persecuted, and calumniated for his sake; v. il; that they ought to rejoice, in such circumstances, and be exceeding glad, because their reward will be great in heaven; v. 12; that the prophets were thus persecuted; that the disciples of Christ are the salt of the earth, the means of preserving the human race from a state of moral putrefaction; v. 18; that they are also the light of the world; v. 14; that it is the duty of Christians to let their good works be seen by others, so that they also may be brought to glorify God; v. 16;

of the Father, &c. are all susceptible of an explanation perfectly consistent with the purport of these questions. PHILALETHES.

THE RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE OF MRS. E. H. A SISTER OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS, EXTRACT

ED FROM HER DIARY.

In extracting the following passa. ges liberty has been sometimes taken to alter the phraseology, but not the sense. A large collection of private papers written by this lady is in the possession of one of her grand chil. dren.

In her youth Mrs. H. thus

wrote;

"God has been graciously pleased to be working upon my heart by his Holy Spirit from my childhood, and, especially at times, to be powerfully inclining me to the things of religion. In the latter end of the year 1712, I was made more sensible of the reality and greatness of the things of religion than formerly, and my chief concern was about my soul. I was stirred up to search the Scriptures with diligence, that I might know the will of God, and what was required of me in order to salvation. I was also made sensible of my danger of perishing, and that continually. I saw that I was condemned already, and hung over the pit of misery by the slender thread of life. was sometimes terrified,--sometimes encouraged,--sometimes made sensible of eternal things, and of the preciousness of my own soul, sometimes tempted to neglect prayer and every duty on account of my vileness. Thus I continued, till one day being

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under more than ordinary concern, I found my heart in a froward and evil frame; and, upon the arising of wicked thoughts in my heart, an uncommon horror seized me, with a more than usual fear that God would deal with me according to my deservings, which so increased in the evening that I was unable to attend to my work. A sense of my exceeding wickedness, and of the dreadfulness of the misery I had exposed myself to, increased till I had but little hope of escaping eternal punishment. About midnight I had an amazing breaking in of light into my soul; and though I would write it down, that the particular steps of God's dealings with me may not be forgotten, yet I know not where to begin, nor how to express what I then felt. I saw myself to be more vile and hateful than it is possible for tongue to utter, or for the heart fully to conceive. Sin appeared to be exceedingly sinful; especially, the sins against the Gospel, such as slighting the mercy of God, refusing an offered Savior, and grieving the Holy Spirit, seemed to me greater sins than any open immorality, or even murder. I saw myself lost and undone, and could see no way of recovery. The threatenings of God's word were like sharp arrows which pierced me through and through. I was made sensible of the greatness and holiness of God, and that the least breach of his commands deserves damnation. I saw myself to be under the law, a child of wrath; and felt that, if the threatenings of God were true, I must surely be executed. I found my heart harder than the nether

millstone, full of enmity against God, rising up in rebellion and fighting against him. I seemed to fall down slain before him, in despair of mercy. I thought myself as sure of going to hell, as if I were there already; for I saw the truth of God's threatenings, but the way of the Gospel was hidden from me. When I was thus in the greatest distress, these words came to me with great power; Lam. iii, 29. He putteth his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope; which made a great, and I thought a glorious change, in my soul. My enmity and hardness seemed to be taken away, and my heart melted into admiration of God's infinite goodness and mercy. I then saw the way of salvation by Jesus Christ, and his glory in his mediatorial office. I saw it was a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners; and his love therein appeared wonderful and glorious; and the consideration that my sins had a hand in his sufferings pierced me to the

great sense of God's goodness to me, not only in the above mentioned instance, but through the whole course of my life. I was now in a manner wholly taken up about the concerns of my soul; and things of a spiritual nature were to me things of the greatest excellency and of the last importance. I had not a thought that I was converted, but was stirred up earnestly to desire conversion. I had a great sense of the happiness and dignity of a child of God. The reasonableness of Christianity was made so clear to me, that had there been neither command, reward, nor punishment, I could not have withstood it. I had God always before my eyes, and walked under an apprehension of his wisdom, holiness, and goodness. I' not only believed, but was sure; which wrought in me a pleasing and profitable view of the Divine Majesty, whereby I was obliged to do my utmost to please him, not from fear of punishment, but from regard to his infinite excellency, which was the sweetest and most powerful help to holiness. I think I may say, my conversation was much in heaven: these were the objects of my desires and the subjects of my thoughts and meditations; and indeed I seemed, for half a year together, not to live in the world. The loss of all outward things, even of the nearest friends and relatives, and of life itself, did not seem grievous to me, provided the loss might be made up in God. It seemed that, with the presence of God, and the manifestation of his love and favor, I could freely burn at the stake. It did not appear at all strange to me, that the martyrs

cheerfully and joyfully suffered. In meditation, I was filled with such transports of joy and thankfulness, as are altogether inexpressible; and indeed I never experienced the like before nor since. But I little thought that these were my best days. I thought that if I believed I should see greater things than these. "After a while, I began to lose something of my lively sense of divine things, and to grow discouraged. I was very much afraid of backsliding; and dreaded nothing so much as having my portion in this life. The loss of God's favor was insupportable. I summed up all God's threatenings against backsliders and applied them to myself; and, being once fixed in meditation on them, I had a more than ordinary sense of the punishments of the wick ed, and of the strictness of God's tribunal. As I was thinking how awful it would be if hell were my portion, these words came home to me; I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it; which had a very discouraging effect upon me; and, if any thing of a contrary nature was offered, it would be immediately suggested, that God had told me he would damn me, and that it would signify nothing if all the divines in the world should encourage me. Thus I was under the power of discouragement a long time. But my fear of hell soon wore off in a considerable measure; yet a sense of my loss daily increased upon me. The world looked like an empty place. I could find no comfort in creatures. They were all empty and vain to me. These words of our Savior were always in my mind; No man having

tasted the old wine straightway desireth new; for he saith, The old is better. The thoughts of living without God in the world broke my heart. I went mourning all the day long. Tears had now become my drink., I dwelt in darkness, as those that had been long dead, My soul was shut up in a deep pit, that I could not come forth, and enclosed in Egyptian darkness; but now and then a gleam of light appeared, which kept me still waiting upon God in ordinances, with assured hope that he would at last shine in upon my soul. Thus I continued for a year and a half. Every place, every enjoyment, and every ordinance being empty to me, I could see no happiness but in the light of God's countenance, nor any miscry like being shut out of his presence.

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"While I was in this condition it pleased God to move my parents to send me to Boston, where the preaching of the Rev. Mr. Colman and Mr. Cooper was blessed to me. I found God's ordinances very precious, and began to have a sensible sweetness upon my spirits when. ever I drew near his house. went to Mr. Wadsworth, who to my surprise treated me as one of God's children, and convinced me that the foundation of my present trouble was temptation. By this I was much helped, as also by the words of Christ, My grace is sufficient for thee. Also the consideration, that Christ had undertaken for them that are his, afforded me much relief. But I was not suddenly let into light, but by degrees; many sermons contributing thereto, as also many books. I had some thoughts