bath of all mankind; it is a peculiar knowledge-so to speak, it is a favourable knowledge-a knowledge that includes in it, and has for its end and object, great good-will and abundant loving-kindness; a knowledge which, as a fountain, sends forth one precious or grateful stream, spoken of by the Psalmist (Ps. ix. 10), "They that know thy name will put their trust in thee;" and again (lxxxix. 15), " Blessed are the people that know the joyful sound."

And, reader, with this blessed Bible in our hands, recording as it does the numberless movements of Israel during its wilderness passage, can we not set our seal to the truth of Moses' statement? When, or under what circumstances, did the Lord ever lose sight of Israel? Was there ever a moment in which He forgot the chosen tribes? In his chastisements, and for special ends and purposes, He might, in measure, have left them to their own frowardness and to the power of their adversaries ; but where or when did He utterly forsake them? Did Israel overcome, and did she reach the promised land? Did she not overcome, and did she not reach the promised land?

Readers, dearly beloved, are you not of the spiritual Israel, and may not the same encouraging language be applied to you? "He knoweth thy walking-through this great wilderness." It is a great wilderness, and there are many paths, and trying paths too; but He knoweth them, and, what is more, hath appointed them. You may, and doubtless, often do, imagine that the path is of your own devising, but it is not so. The darkness you encounter-the fears of which you are the subject—the opposition you meet with-the stumbling-blocks that are thrown across your path-and the many enemies with which you have to contend, argue not that the path is not of the Lord's appointment; but the contrary. Were it an easy path-a smooth-a pleasant path; were it attended with sunshine all the way; did no clouds come over-no darkness intercept; then indeed you might have cause to fear. But, situated as you are, you are treading the good old beaten road to the kingdom, for upon the chart it is distinctly noted down, in characters too plain to be mistaken, "Through much tribulation." Again, had you plenty of wisdom, sufficient strength, and abundant supply, do you think you would be going to God-looking up to Him-waiting upon Him? Surely, you would not be waiting upon any earthly personage without an errand. Fancy yourself going to some nobleman's house-obtaining an interview-and, when so favoured, having nothing to say; not knowing what you came about, or whether you had anything to wait upon him for. Certainly you would appear not a little ridiculous. Suppose, then, as we just now hinted, that you had everything both temporally and spiritually that you wanted, under such circumstances what conld possibly induce you to wait upon the Lord? "Love," do you say? Ah, that is a vain argument. We will not deny that God could bless you with every temporal favour, and keep many of the graces of the Spirit in sweet and lively exercise; but remember his general method is by trial-trial; we do not-we cannot-particularize what trial,

"But

whence it is to come-what its magnitude-or how long its duration; but we do say it must be trial; vexing, annoying, perplexing; something that you cannot manage yourself, and hence, sooner or later, you are compelled to go and ask the Lord to manage for you. Now this is your errand--this your motive-this the reason why you wait npon the Lord. is there no love?" do you ask? Oh, yes, certainly; but it is overlaid-it is wrapped up, almost out of sight-in the coverings of this poor flesh. It is when we are disembodied, when we drop this clay tabernacle, and are set free from this earthly tenement, that we will talk of love, not merely in its essence, but in its glorious-its full development.

Therefore, be it yours, dearly beloved, and ours, to reckon every trial -every sorrow-each new perplexity, as a message from our Father, our kind and loving Father-coming to us as messengers did in the days of our natural childhood, saying, "Your father wants to see you, child.” Did we then stop to parley-to multiply questions? Was it not "up and off," in a moment? Oh, that it were so now with each and all of us spiritually. Not to stop parleying with Satan, sin, and unbelief; but the moment trial came, or seemed to be on its way, to flee at once to our tender-hearted Father. Are we frightened! Father, Father, help, help?" Ignorant. Father, teach me." Weak? "Father, strengthen thy weak child." Were it under all our trials and perplexities but a simple LOOKING UNTO JESUS," instead of at those trials and perplexities, considering how we should manage them, bear with them, or get rid of them; how much more should we realize one very encouraging fact spoken of in the text-the progress-the walking onward and homeward.

Beloved, be your trials what they may, however great or numerous, you are on the march; you may be, in your own apprehension, but a poor walker," but your steps are sure, though slow. They all tell up; weeks, and months, and years roll on; and, oh blessed consideration! "Nearer to your Father's house,

You every moment come."

This is such a precious thought, that we are never weary of quoting it. It is a truth that grows in its interest. There is a freshness about it that makes it most precious. Walking-not standing, not resting, not losing time nor ground, but walking-going forward-getting nearer to that blessed inheritance, which is reserved in heaven for them who are kept by the mighty power of God, through faith, unto salvation. And very sweetly is this walking spoken of by the Apostle (Phil. iii. 13, 14), "Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

As we occupy considerable other space in the present Number, we must defer any further reflections upon the passage until next month, when, if the Lord will, it shall again be our subject. Meanwhile the Lord graciously bless what has been advanced, for His great name's sake. Amen and amen.

Ireland, Jan. 15, 1847.

THE ETORDI.

true church, for his monkish superstitions, and his prelatical pride, seem clearly to exclude all pretence of grace in his heart. Milner calls him "pious," and according to the general acceptation of the word in the present day, he may deserve the epithet, since to be "piously disposed," and to be "led by the Spirit," are often as opposed to each other as darkness is to light. Numerous ridiculous miracles are ascribed to him. With reference to him, Anthony, and monkery in general, I will add the remarks of Dr. Haweis.

"The Platonic philosophy, so highly revered, having established the maxim of the necessity of abstractedness of spirit from body, in order to come into communion with God, every bodily mortification became prescribed to attain this desirable end. In order to this, celibacy and virginity, fasting, poverty, nakedness, self-inflicted punishments, solitude, became recommended as the first attainments, and essential to eradicate everything human from the heart. The great St. Anthony figures highly in this line, and his life, by Athanasius, is as mortifying a proof of the spirit of the biographer, as of the hero of the tale, and an afflicting evidence of the piety then had in highest estimation. I turn from it in disgust, and am amazed that a man of Mr. Milner's spirit can affect to gloss it over with lines of palliation, if not of approbation. The pride and self-righteousness of the human heart ought not so to be treated. To exalt such a character, even Athanasius can report miracles the most absurd, ridiculous, and contemptible; whilst Anthony pretends to live without food, and to enjoy such visions of God, and conflicts with demons, as excite at once our horror and risibility; but he had one virtue paramount, he and the Coenobites were the determined foes to Arianism, and friends to Athanasius. From these all the ragamuffin orders of friars and nuns, black, white, and grey, have since sprung. But even La Trappe is distanced in austerities by Anthony and his associates. Monastic piety grew into the highest reputation, aud as ambition of clerical honours was not among the things excluded from monasteries, their presumed sanctity afforded a rich supply for the prelatical corps, from these enthusiastic ascetics. Vices and scandalous practises cannot but creep in, even amidst every outward restraint: they have been proved to exist in a fearful manner among these abstracted beings. But I must give the first monks credit for the purity of their conduct, and suppose the generality of them honestly exercised all the mortifications which they believed so meritorious, however some feebler brother might be reduced by temptation.

It would be loss of time to recount the other eminent men in this way I think Anthony the best of them. Paul, Martyn of Tours, and all the herd of these ornaments of monkery, afford an unvarying tissue of these pious frauds, false miracles, debasing superstition, and the most insolent pride. It must be a dark church indeed that can challenge these for its luminaries,

Stockwell,

J. W. GOWRING.

A FEW REMARKS UPON SOME SENTENCES IN PAGES 191-193, OF A BOOK, ENTITLED, "THE ETERNAL:" BY ROBERT PHILIP, MINISTER OF MABERLY CHAPEL, KINGSLAND.

MR. PHILIP's work, lately published, called "The Eternal;" or, "the Attributes of God," contains some good things; but the good things it contains are not new,-they are collected with considerable diligence, from the works of others. Indeed, he does not profess to write things new, but thinks that some may read his smaller work, who would not be likely to read a larger one upon the same subject, (vide preface). So far he may be right. There are, however, many very exceptionable passages which met my eye, as I went over the pages; but wishing to give plenty of latitude for difference of opinion, and modes of expression, I passed them over without making any particular remark, until I came to pages 191-193, in which he is treating upon the sovereignty of God, and where he thinks he has discovered the rule by which God, in his sovereignty, works. He says, "Grace is never bestowed apart from the knowledge of the truth," for which, no doubt, Scripture may easily be found, for believers are said to be "chosen to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth (2 Thess. ii. 13). But I am a little inclined to think that Mr. Philip means, that God bestows grace upon a person when he has first obtained the knowledge of the truth; though he does not tell us what degree of that knowledge is necessary, to the obtaining of such grace. If that be his meaning, then, no Scripture is to be found to support his proposition; for the spiritual, experimental knowledge, and belief of the truth, in the smallest degree, is grace itself bestowed; so that grace, and the knowledge of the truth, can never be apart from each other. The latter, is present grace, and is also God's pledge of future grace, and must end in glory. But when I came to another sentence, I was greatly astonished, for he says, "Those who neglect the Gospel, are never converted by grace." Mr. Philip will be sure to admit that Paul was converted by grace, and that he is now in heaven; but did he, or did he not, neglect the Gospel, before his conversion? If it be said that he did. neglect it, then he stands forth as one case of the real conversion of a sinner who neglected the Gospel; and let it be observed, that this cannot be called an exception to the general rule, for Mr. Philip allows no exception. He says, 'they are never converted by grace, who neglect the Gospel."

F

If it should be said that Paul did not neglect the Gospel, then it must be answered, that he only attended to it, to provoke and destroy it; and surely that cannot be called attending to it, in Mr. Philip's sense of the word. A thousand other cases might be mentioned, of sinners being converted, who despised, and rejected the Gospel, and who even did all they could to secure their own damnation; but this one is sufficient for the purpose of showing, that Mr. Philip has not found out the exact rule of God's sovereignty, in this great matter. Indeed, converting grace is absolutely needful, to produce in us a teachable spirit, and also to lead us sincerely to attend to the Gospel. Hence it was the Lord who opened the heart of Lydia, "that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul" (Acts xvi. 14); so that God began with her, and not she with God. And so he must begin with every poor sinner, by quickening grace, or he will still be "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph. ii. 1); and when he quickens a soul, and draws him to Christ, then that soul will not neglect the Gospel, nor will he use the means of grace in vain-for God has appointed the means for a special purpose, and they infallibly accomplish the certain end; but God does not quicken a soul because of his use of the means, or any other thing seen, or foreseen in him. He not only has no "ascertainable rule" of that sort, but he has no rule" whatever, of

that sort.

دو

to save

Again, Mr. Philip says, "God never goes out of his way to save those who neglect his great salvation." It may be a little difficult to tell what Mr. Philip means by "His way," but if the sentence be taken in connexion with the preceding one, it must mean, that God converts those, and those only, who prayerfully, and correctly attend to his great salvation. If that be what Mr. Philip means by "His way," I beg to say, that God very often goes out of "His way sinners; for from the first step until now it will be found that he went, and is still going out of "His way" to display his mercy to perishing sinners. Was it in "His way to call and convert publicans, harlots, the adulterers, and thieves? many of whom He sought out himself, and made the objects of his mercy, and subjects of his grace? Was that in "His way," in Mr. Philip's sense? Certainly not! Even if He, by his good providence, sends them his Gospel, none ever will value it, till God " goes out of his way" to show them, by his Spirit, its infinite importance. But since he made the marvellous step, and deigned to take upon himself human nature, and was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, then none of the after displays of divine grace can be called, going out of His way," however wonderous they may be. It may have been just in "His way to call Mr. Philip, in his imagination, but it was very much "out of His way to call me, in Mr. Philip's sense of the word. It reminds me of the anecdote of the poor negro woman, which Mr. Philip must know, who, when asked if she did not think it was a wondrous thing that Jesus

66