order of beings as that in which the fallen archangel | should be vanquished, and the powers of darkness overthrown. As the Bible expressly mentions, "angels who kept not their first estate;" it cannot for a single moment be disputed that the angelic powers were acquainted with the existence of sin, and were, in some degree, aware of its nature and consequences. They could not but remember the awful day upon which the fallen angels were expelled from heaven and cast into the bottomless pit, nor could they be ignorant of the fact that the evil one still existed, and that he still possessed immense power and abilities. When, therefore, their delighted imaginations were picturing the future greatness of the last created child of God, how must they have trembled to behold the foot of Satan planted on our globe, and, as he advanced to the spot where the mother of mankind was tending her fruits and flowers, how eagerly must they have watched his fatal progress! I think I see them bending forwards to overhear that important dialogue upon which hung the destinies of countless generations. I think I see their agitation when the liar denied the words of Eternal Truth. I think I see the sad conviction which every countenance displayed of the inequality of the conflict between one so subtle, and one so weak and inexperienced; and my imagination paints those countenances turning with eager intent to the throne of God, to see whether some swift-winged messenger was not deputed to support the trembling woman-whether the Lord of all was going to behold unmoved the ruin of his new creation. But they look in vain-the act is done-the tempter is triumphant !

"She ate of that forbidden tree "Whose mortal taste brought death into the world "And all our woe."

Let it not be supposed that this is a mere fanciful idea of an occurrence not expressly recorded in Scripture. I believe it to be strictly correct in its main features-indeed the main features of it are to be found in the inspired volume. The point, therefore, to be impressed upon the mind is, that all the arrangements made by the Deity for the pardon of sin, must be such as maintain the holiness of his character, and the purity of his law, and such as do not afford the most distant encouragement to the commission of crime, such as will satisfy the heavenly host that God is just, and that he will never sanction sin, and that all disobedience is the object of his supreme displeasure.

Nor is this all. Men as well as angels are the subjects of the Divine government. It was therefore equally necessary to make them see that sin is opposed by God, and can never be committed with impunity. The point to be gained was not merely to pardon offenders, but to pardon them upon such principles as would ensure their future obedience, and attach them to the Almighty with more ardent affection, and more zeal for his glory than they would have manifested, had the banner of rebellion never floated over the once happy regions of earth.

Having thus endeavoured to give you an accurate idea of the true nature of redemption, I shall be able much more clearly to explain the great doctrine of the atonement.

1. The sufferings and death of Jesus Christ were the atonement, or the means of reconciliation between God and man. Jesus Christ, you are aware, existed anterior to the creation of all worlds, for we are expressly told that God created the worlds through the agency of his son. In this his pre-existent state, he had the form, or style and dignity of God, dwelling in the bosom of the Father, and possessing the

full fruition of his Divine love. As such, there can be no doubt that he was well known to every angelic being, and received the homage and adoration of all the glorious inhabitants of the realms of bliss. Now when Eve had sinned, and when these holy beings were expecting the messengers of wrath to consign the fallen creatures to the pit of destruction, they beheld a very different transaction. The Word left the bosom of his Father and appeared to Adam and his wife in the garden of Eden. Instead of executing wrath upon them he promised forgiveness, and declared that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head. The full import of this promise neither angels nor men could tell, and were alike anxious to behold this promised seed. One truth, however, they could at once perceive from the institution of sacrifices as preparatory to forgiveness, viz. that some provision was to be made for satisfying the claims of the law beyond the mere requirement of penitence, in which provision sinners were to place their confidence as the propitiation for their sins. And it was also clear that all who thus exercised faith in the seed, as typified by the sacrifices, thereupon became holy and virtuous, and strove to obey the law of their Maker. Under the patriarchal and Jewish dispensations, the same institutions of sacrifices, and the same requirement of faith in a Saviour, would teach them that an effectual vindication of God's law was to be made; while the obedience and virtue of all who accepted this mode of reconciliation, would serve to keep alive their belief in the moral equity of the still future atonement, and the unimpaired dignity of Jehovah and his righteous. law.

The effect which I have just described would be produced alike upon the minds of angels and of men. The latter, when they lifted up the knife to slay the pure and harmless lamb, and beheld its blood flowing at their feet, would be taught that there was a great though, perhaps, an incomprehensible evil in sin, and though they might not understand the full import of the act they were performing, would at least feel that it afforded a solemn warning to them not to commit that abominable thing which God, they could see, so resolutely detested. It is thus evident that, although the typical religions could not fully explain the Divine intentions, they could and did satisfy both angels and men that God was the friend of virtue, and the unabated enemy of sin.

And

We may well suppose that the inhabitants of both worlds but especially of the heavenly, longed to behold the promised seed. Nor were the holy creatures disappointed. They beheld Him, whom they honoured as their Lord and Maker, whose dwellingplace was in the bosom of the Father, and whose majesty was beyond all compare, quit his ancient habitation, divest himself of all his glory, lay aside his dignity and state, descend to rebellious regions of earth, assume the bodily shape of the creature he had gone forth to rescue, and in that body perform all the duties required by the laws of God, and perfectly fulfil all the requirements of virtue. when they watched his footsteps and heard his voice proclaim that he was the promised seed, the Messiah, and the Saviour, and saw the sufferings to which the sins of man reduced him in his countless persecutions-when at the last they gazed upon their Creator and their King nailed to the cross, and heard his piteous groan declaring that God had forsaken him, perhaps they felt an earnest longing to rush forth in all their mighty legions to rescue himperhaps they felt their incompetency to understand the awful anguish under which he writhed, but certainly they were told in him to trace the evil and

the remedy of sin; and certainly they felt that such a procedure, so far from making them regardless of wanderings from duty, was calculated to tighten ten thousand times the cord that bound them to obedience, and declare to the universe the hatred that God has against all sin. At all events we know that they were satisfied and overwhelmed, and that when the Saviour had achieved his mission and was returning back to the bosom of his Father, they were at the portal of the heavenly city to greet his coming and welcome his approach, and now that he is exercising his office of Mediator, and in that character employs them to carry blessings to the fallen children of men, each ministering spirit as he returns from executing his commission, feels his love to the Deity increase, and his desire to be obedient become stronger.

I apprehend that I have now adequately shown that so far as the angelic beings are concerned, the forgiveness of sin was rendered safe and made to appear honourable and equitable by the mission and death of Jesus Christ. With respect to the sinners themselves, it will not be difficult to establish the same proposition. All that I have before stated as seen by angels, is revealed to men in the Gospels. When, therefore, they behold the victim on the cross, and learn the dignity of his character, its loveliness, its purity, its mercy and benevolence-when they learn that all the agony he suffered, and the death to which he yielded, were necessary as the consequences of their sins, they surely must feel on the one hand a firm resolution to avoid that which caused the death of their best friend, and on the other, they must feel the security and validity of those promises of mercy which are attested by his mission. When they behold him as the propitiation for their sins and rely on him as such, taking him for their guide and Saviour, they perceive that God is righteous in showing them favour, and so far from sinning that grace may abound, they feel fresh ties arise to bind them to obedience, and henceforward live only to the glory of him who loved them, and gave himself for them.

2. But the safety of pardon is still further secured by the life of Christ. I mean by the virtue and excellence which shine forth in every part of his character. Allow me here to remind you that Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God, the bright. ness of his Father's glory, the living representative of his perfections. Jesus Christ manifested God to the world, and displayed alike the attributes of the Eternal, and the mode of conduct upon which he bestows his approbation. You will readily perceive that the atonement was not a transaction which could have reference to a few; and that there is no idea more unscriptural, than that the death and blood of Christ were worth only a certain number of sins. It is immeasurable in its efficacy. It can have no bound. All sin forgiven through it must be consistent with the Divine perfections, and none who come unto God by Christ can possibly be rejected. Let these remarks lead every one to banish from his mind the idea that it is important to inquire whether his sins were atoned for on the cross. It was not the sins of this man or that man that were then ex

piated in the sight of God. It was SIN-the sins of the world-every transgression of our race-every act of hostility to God. Let, therefore, all uneasi ness on this subject be banished for ever. God hath fore-ordained Jesus Christ to be THE PROPITIATION. God was in Him reconciling ALL THINGS unto himself. Each particular case must, therefore, be inIcluded in the unbounded universal WHOLE.

My object in thus directing your attention to the

unbounded and universal extent of redemption, is that I may the more forcibly illustrate the practical efficacy of the doctrine of the cross. If it be true that none in particular were redeemed, it is manifest that all without exception are driven to the necessity of inquiring what the terms are upon which they can be received back again to God. We are expressly told that the efficacy or application of the atonement is through faith in his blood. It is therefore of the very first importance that the sinner should see and feel that the Son of God gave his life for sin. It will not, however, be enough for him merely to understand this doctrine as a part of a system of theology. He may possibly acquire much theoretical acquaintance with the subject by dint of study. But much more is needed in order to the possession of faith. Jesus Christ lived as well as died. Had his death been all that was required to atone for sin, there would have been no need for him to live for thirty-three years, and experienced every variety of suffering and temptation. Oh, no! there was as true and as powerful a necessity for his life as there was for his death; and the necessity was distinctly and simply, that he might give us an example of godliness, and attest the purity of the law of God. It is only the penitent-the humble-those who are striving against sin and are endeavouring to obey God and imitate Jesus Christ, that can ever hope to receive forgiveness through his death. Certainly none but such will be pardoned and accepted of God.

Herein, therefore, we behold the law of God maintained, and the forgiveness of sin rendered consistent with every attribute of Deity. In the redemption of the world by Jesus Christ, we have displays of the Supreme Being immeasurably lovely and adorable. Now the open sinner is forewarned that his eternal destiny will be wretched in proportion to the greatness of the love against which he rebels. There is no mercy for impenitence-there is no salvation -no peace-no hope-no joy until the arms of rebellion are thrown down-until sin is felt to be exceeding sinful, and until Jesus Christ is received into the heart and manifested in the life. To every claim which men make of (what they call) an interest in Christ-to every bold pretender to for giveness-to every penitent-to every being, I set forth Jesus Christ; and I tell each one not merely to look whether there is power in the Redeemer to bestow pardon, but also to inquire at their own hearts whether there is fitness to receive it. This fitness does not consist in theoretical acquaintance with the principles of mediation, nor in devoted attachment to any articles of belief, nor in the power to declaim loudly upon the misery of the fall and the pollution of our race; nor in a facility to detect the failings of others; nor in fancied whisperings of the Spirit; nor in mystical emotions of the heart; nor in ago nising pangs in the mind; but simply, solely, and entirely in the love of virtue. No more is needed, no less will be accepted. Unless, therefore, the man who desires forgiveness is ready and willing to follow the example of the Redeemer in all his meekness, gentleness, and simplicity, he may talk to me of visitations of angels and passages of Scripture applied powerfully to his mind-he may tell me how he weeps at the sufferings of Jesus, and how he hates the enemies of his faith-he may talk of communion with God, and revelations in the secret intercourse of his soul with its Maker, but I shall not believe him. Yea, though his language and his oratory should seem more sweet than human and partake of angelic eloquence, though I should hear his tongue proclaim the hidden things of futurity,

though he should explain to me the mysteries of the | Gospel, and should seem to have all knowledge at his command, though I should behold the mountains removed at his word by reason of his dependance on the truth of Jehovah; yea, though I should see him deal forth to the poor and needy every fraction of his substance and become penny less; yea, though I should behold his naked body hanging on the stake, and the curling flame consuming it, still would I declare all this to be no certain evidence that he was forgiven-no absolute proof that he could enter heaven. I must see the moral image of the Saviour —his virtues—his charity-his love, before I can feel authorised to declare to any man, Thy sins are forgiven thee, go in peace." Who now can doubt whether God is not just when justifying the believer in Jesus?

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In conclusion, I have but two observations to make upon a review of the whole subject.

1. You are not to suppose that the description I have given of the man who will receive the forgiveness of sin, is intended to convey the idea that none but the eminently virtuous can be saved. On the contrary, my design is simply to remind you that an honest and sincere desire to become like Jesus Christ in all his sublime perfections is absolutely necessary. I must take it for granted that to every human heart, no question appears more important than that which refers to his security on the great subject of final acceptance in the sight of God. The only mode which I can suggest as infallible, in order to the attainment of satisfaction on this point shall now be stated. But let me first ask what mode you are now adopting? Does your mind dwell with satisfaction on the regularity with which all the external duties of religion have been observed, and the constancy with which you have adhered to the system of your church? If it does, although I cannot for a moment say you are no Christian, I have not the least hesitation in saying you are not pursuing the proper course to find out your real character in the sight of God. Instead of this ask yourself, do I love Jesus Christ, the simple, undisguised, unperverted, plain, intelligible, and adorable Jesus Christ whose history I read in the Four Gospels? And am I honestly endeavouring to imitate him in all his actions? And do I behold in him the propitiation for sin, and for all uncleanness ?" Remember his words, "I am come a light into the world," to show men the path of moral rectitude. "He that believeth in me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the heavenly light which will conduct him to eternal life."

2. In Jesus Christ sinner may every find peacebut the peace possessed will, to a very great extent, depend upon the degree in which he is able to see in his Redeemer such an atonement made for sin, as renders it honourable on the part of God to pass it over for ever. Let this consideration induce all those who feel an interest in the matter, to take up the investigation of this subject with diligence and intelligence; meanwhile let them rest assured that no obstacle impedes their reception of mercy, save that of their own unwillingness to seek it. No barrier prevents their approach to the throne of grace, save that of their own unbelief. All are welcome. Infinite benevolence can now look forth over every child of its creation, and yearn over each one with unrestrained affection. All are redeemed, all are invited. Great as were the obstacles that were in the way of salvation, they are all removed. And God is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto him by Jesus Christ, whom he foreordained before the foundation of the world to be the propitiation, that through faith in his blood, the children

of sin and of sorrow might receive the promise of future happiness, and an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, secured for them among the heavenly hosts. B. Z.

SCRIPTURE LIGHT ON IMPORTANT SUBJECTS.

(Continued from p. 189.)

Death.

"It is appointed unto all men once to die" (Heb. ix. 27).

"For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living" (Job xxx. 23).

"And when they shall be afraid of that which is high and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets" (Eccles. xii. 5).

Judgment.

"And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men every where to repent. Because he hath appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead" (Acts xvii, 30, 31).

"Behold I shew you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality" (1 Cor. xv. 51, 52, 53).

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For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Cor. v. 10).

"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God and the books were opened; and another book was opened which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things, which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead, which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them and they were judged every man according to their works" (Rev. xx. 12, 13).

SUCCESS OF THE GOSPEL.

THE REV. Mr. Berridge having formed a resolution to preach Jesus Christ, and salvation by faith, addressed himself in a very pointed manner to his hearers. Having preached several sermons in this way, many of his parishioners were somewhat alarmed in their minds. One day one of them went to his house with a view to console her mind by conversation with him on the subject. Being introduced, he said, "Well, Sarah." " Well, not so well I fear," replied she. "Why, what is the matter, Sarah ?" Matter; I don't know what's the matter. These new sermons. I find we are all to be lost now. can neither eat, drink, nor sleep. I don't know what's to become of me." The same week two or three more came with similar complaints; and so confirmed was he in the opinion that God was working a great work in his parish, that he determined in future" to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and him crucified." The church soon became crowded, and God gave testimony to the word of his grace by the frequent conviction and conversion of sinners.

I

REVIEW.

Library of Ecclesiastical Knowledge. The History of Protestant Nonconformity in Great Britain: including Biographical Notices of its more Eminent Martyrs and Advocates. Vol. II. Historical Series, 12mo. cloth, pp. 228. London: Westley and Davis.

"NONCONFORMITY is identified with most of the greatest events in the history of Great Britain. America, also, identifies her colonization, her institutions, and her glory, with British nonconformity. And, when we remember that it numbers among its advocates, John Wycliffe, William Tyndal, Myles Coverdale, John Fox, John Milton, Isaac Watts, Philip Doddridge, John Howard, and many others, the greatest and best that ever adorned Christianity, or blessed our country-especially when it is considered that the origin, progress, and prosperity of Missionary, Bible, and Tract Societies, are the natural fruits of British nonconformity-it cannot fail to be a subject most deeply interesting to all classes of the community."

This striking paragraph from the "Preface" to this volume may be regarded as exhibiting the great principle of the work. Nonconformity" is commonly dated no higher than the "Act of Uniformity," passed at the commencement of the reign of queen Elizabeth: but this volume traces and illustrates its history in England from the middle of the fourth century, when "Germanus, bishop of Auxerre, in France, in his missions to Britain, about A.D. 431 and 449, came to oppose Pelagianism, and brought over a profusion of pretended relics of the apostles and martyrs, and introduced various new rites, besides prevailing on the British clergy to adopt the ceremonies used in the Gallic churches." Chap. II.

This volume contains a large and valuable mass of the church history of Britain, condensed into a small compass, written in a good spirit, and well adapted as an introduction to the religious history of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and suited for village, Sabbath-school, and vestry libraries, and for families. It contains twenty-seven chapters, bringing down the synopsis of the history to the present

time.

"TIME IS SHORT." (1 Cor. VII. 29).
TIME On Swift wings pursues his rapid course
Thro' months and years with unabated force;
Bearing vast millions in his hasty flight
To realms of bliss, or everlasting night.
Yes! Time is short, whatever we may do
Our grave-yard monuments pronounce it true;
And generations that have passed away,
The flight of time and power of death display,
Are we pursuing pleasure, honour, wealth,
With anxious minds, warm'd by the pulse of health?
Yet time is short, and health will soon decay,
While like a leaf, our bodies fade away.
Time flies! Death strikes! Eternity appears,
Rich with immortal joys, or fill'd with tears!
With joy to all whose lively hopes rely

On Him whose word produc'd the earth and sky;
They take the prize their Heav'nly Father gives,
And mounting upward, each in glory lives.
But! O my soul, look not behind that cloud
Where dwells a sad, a large despairing crowd,
Who, while on earth, the Gospel-call refus'd,
And the soft voice of mercy oft abus'd—

Now lost for ever! and in darkness bound,
Their dreadful groans thro' the deep caverns sound.
Sinner, be wise! remember time is short,
Lift up thine eyes from earth and count it nought.
Christ is the way to God-his Word believe,
Then shall thy soul eternal life receive.

THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE.
WHAT was the PAST? 'Twas but an airy dream,
A fleeting vapour, or an empty shade,
Yet how we ponder on each transient scene,
Where hope's blest smile its earliest charm dis-
play'd;

And resting there, fond memory would evade
Those darksome seasons of untimely woe;
But oft our brightest fairest scenes are made
To teach how vain are all things here below,
That for a better world our zeal may glow.
What is the PRESENT? Oh! how false the view
Which fancy pictur'd to our dazzling sight;
Still does the lapse of time our woes renew,
Nor is the present than the past more bright.
Each moment as it flies, to use aright,
This is our great concern, our wisdom this
To improve the day, ere death's approaching night
Shall bid us sleep in undisturbed peace,
And wake our raptured souls to ecstasy of bliss.
What is the FUTURE? 'Tis from man conceal'd;
And yet, vain man! he ventures to explore
Its hidden mysteries, to none reveal'd,
To all unknown, till time shall be no more.
Enough to know there is a smiling shore,
Far, far beyond the sublunary sphere;
Enough to know that when this life is o'er,
There is a rest from sorrow and from care,
And all who live for heav'n shall meet in triumph
there.

WISDOM IMPLORED.

"Wisdom is the principal thing: therefore get wisdom." Prov. iv. 5.

O, WISDOM! thou treasure divine,
The brightness of cherubs on high,
Thy riches, how shall they be mine!
Descend from thy source in the sky!

Wise sages and prophets of old,
Enrich'd with the beams of thy light,
Proclaim it more precious than gold,
And YOUTH to obtain it invite.

It flows from the "Father of lights;"
It comes through the Saviour, my Lord:
To seek it my days and my nights

I'll devote to the searching his Word.
Hail! Spirit of wisdom and love,

Illumine and quicken my mind!
Replenish my soul from above,

And give me thy knowledge to find!

ILLUSTRATIONS OF SCRIPTURE NATURAL HISTORY.-No. III.

NATURAL HISTORY OF THE UNICORN OR RHINOCEROS. PAINTERS have given representations of the unicorn such as exist only by the creation of their ingenious pencils. Their skill has generally been altogether at variance with the description of Holy Scripture.

This extraordinary animal is called in the Hebrew DN, reem: Num. xxiii. 22; xxiv. 8; Deut. xxxiii. 17; Job xxxix. 9, 10; Psa. xxii. 21; xxix. 6; xcii. 10; Isai, xxxiv. 7. The Greek is ovoxspws, single horn, or unicorn, being Latinised.

Dr. Young, in his "Paraphrase on Part of the Book of Job," preserves the Hebrew word,

"Will the tall REEM, which knows no lord but me, Lowe at thy crib, and ask an alms of thee? Submit his unworn shoulder to the yoke, Break the stiff clod, and o'er thy furrow smoke? Since great his strength, go, trust him void of care, Lay on his neck the toil of all the year, Bid him bring home the seasons to thy doors, And cast his load among the gathered stores." Mr. Browne, in his Travels," says, that the Arabians call the rhinoceros abu-kurn, "father of the one horn." Bruce says, "the rhinoceros in Geez is called arwé harish, and in the Amharie, auraris, both which names signify the large wild beast with the horn. This would seem as if applied to the species that had but one horn. The Ethiopic text

YOL. V.

renders the word reem, arwé harish, and this the Septuagint translates μovoxepws, or unicorn. If the Abyssinian rhinoceros had invariably two horns, it seems to me improbable the Septuagint would call him povoxEpws, especially as they must have seen an animal of this kind exposed at Alexandria in their time, when first mentioned in history, at an exhibition given to Ptolemy Philadelphus, at his accession to the crown, before the death of his father. But this is by no means so well founded, as to be admitted as the only argument for establishing the existence of an animal, which never has appeared after the search of so many ages. Scripture speaks of the horns of the unicorn (Deut. xxxiii. 17; Psa. xxii. 21): so that even from this circumstance, the reem may be the rhinoceros, as the rhinoceros may be the unicorn."

Dr. Mason Good, in a note to Job xxxix. 9, 10, in his learned translation of the Book of Job, says, "The original reem, by all the older translators rendered rhinoceros, or unicorn, is by some modern writers supposed to be the bubalus, bison, or wild ox There can be no doubt that rhinoceros is the proper term; for this animal is universally known in Arabia, by the name of reem to the present day."

The natural history of the rhinoceros is perhaps less understood than that of any other Asiatic quadruped. With its anatomy we have long been sufficiently acquainted; but in regard to its habits, its powers, and many other very interesting points, little

EE