any of the common bounties: of Providence have food to eat, or raiment to put on are refreshed by the purity of the surrounding air, regaled by the sweetened breath of spring, delighted with the beautiful colours of the garden-or feel their souls expand at the diversified scene. ry of Nature, the grateful vicissitudes of the seasons, and all the vast magnificence of heaven. It is only on the Mediator's account, through whom God is reconciling to himself a guil ty world, that mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace kissed each other"--that the Creator can be just, and yet the justifier of the ungodly-and that, lay ing aside the severity of a judge, and assuming the mildness of a father, he can, from amidst the glories of his throne, address rebellious creatures in the language of love, and say, "From this day will I bless you" I will smile upon you in providence, I will lift up upon you the light of my countenance, and grant you my peace.

It has pleased the Great Disposer of events, that the followers of Jesus should, like their Master, be conducted through various paths of duty, of suffering and tribulation, to glory. He has seen fit, that in the same world in which he had been dishonoured by sin, sinners, through his grace, should glorify him; and that where Satan had triumphed, he should also, by Jesus and his followers, suffer a defeat. These duties, trials, and afflictions, may be considered therefore, as a preparatory discipline for the enjoyment of bliss, and for obtaining the gracious reward. For this grand purpose, the world is continued, " in equal balance hung," on the divine power. For this purpose, generations of immortals start into existence, perform the parts allotted them, and quit the stage. For this purpose, the sun continues to perform his magnificent revolutions, the moon to brighten her silver sphere,

and all the wandering orbs on high," to obey the laws which the di vine power imposed on them. For this purpose, time was measured out to man, and marks his irrevocable course by moments, days, montlis, and years; for when the mystery of God is accomplished, a mighty angel descends from heaven-he places one foot upon the earth, and the other on the sea-he raises his hand toward the throne of the Almighty, and swears by him that sitteth thereon, that time shall be no longer. His voice of thunder shakes the universe, and unhinges the arrangements of the vast and magnificent system of the skies. The sun trembles in his orb

the moon is changed into blood→→→ the stars fall to the earth-the pow ers of heaven are shaken-and the heavens themselves pass away with a great noise. Days, months, years, and ages are no more, and time is lost in eternity whence it sprung.

Thus we see how much depends on the period of time allotted to us in this world. "Our lives are a span," but they determine our state for eternity; "our days are a shadow," but they are succeeded by eternal realities. "Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation." In this day, this day of life, we must obtain the favour and the reconciliation of our God, or it is lost for ever. Beyond the line of time, all is unchangeable. No more years and days of opportunity are allowed us to "make our calling and election sure." Here the work must be effected, or not at all; " for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither we go." Be alarmed then, O sinner, for thy safety. When the day of grace is past, without effecting our reconciliation with God, the sweet aspect of love divine is changed into terror too severe to be beheld, and the Almighty swears in his wrath, that we shall not enter into his rest. Now, if we come to the Lord Jesus Christ for

salvation from sin and punishment, we are assured by the lips of un changeable truth, that we shall not be cast out. Let us not then stifle convictions, but encourage them, till we are made to abhor ourselves, and repent in dust and ashes. Let us not repress the desires which may sometimes rise in our hearts for Christ and his righteousness, but increase and encourage them by fre quent and fervent prayer, till he ap pear lovely in our eyes, and be form ed in us the hope of glory.

EREMUS.

From the Christian Observer.

Ir is a melancholy circumstance connected with the revolutions of ages and empires, that many countries, on which the light of the true religion once shone, are now covered again with their original darkness, or with a feeble twilight that is scarcely better. The tendency to deterioration in every thing human is so well known and acknowledged, that the Christian world, especially, ought ever to be on their guard a gainst the very first innovations, either in purity and sobriety of doctrine or correctness of discipline and conduct. The case of modern Geneva relapsing into a cold heterodox creed, furnishes an awful and conspispicuous warning on the subject. The following facts have been just communicated to the public, and may be relied upon as authentic.

The Church of Geneva, as every person knows, was almost the cradle of the Reformation; and whatever may be thought of the peculiar and exclusive parts, either of the doc trines or the discipline of its illustrious founder, was certainly long distinguished for its orthodoxy on all the great subjects in which pious Protestants are agreed. How mournful as reverse has now begun to take place, may be inferred from the following circumstances.

The ancient catechism of Geneva taught expressly the doctrine of the Divinity of Jesus Christ. This catechism was withdrawn from the church some years ago; and its place has recently been supplied by anoth er catechism, which maintains a guarded silence with respect to that important and essential doctrine.

In 1805, the company of pastors introduced into the churches of Ge neva, a new version of the Bible; in the publication of which, they not only omitted the Confession of Faith of the reformed Churches of France and Geneva, which had been prefixed to all their former Bibles, but made also very many important alterations in the translation itself; particularly in parts relating to the Divinity of Christ, to Original Sin, and to the personality and offices of the Holy Ghost. This version is still used in their churches.

These acts were followed by a rule passed so recently as May 3, 1817; by which all candidates for holy orders are required solemnly to promise, that they will abstain from preaching, in the churches of the canton of Geneva, on the following subjects :-On the manner in which the Divine Nature is united to the Person of Jesus Christ; on Original Sin; on the manner in which Grace operates, or on efficacious Grace; on Predestination.

This rule has been already twice acted upon;-a candidate has been refused ordination, and a minister. prohibited from preaching, for ob jecting to subscribe to it.

Now, though the mere circumstance of a limitation on the public, and perhaps intemperate discussion of some of the points just alluded to, might have been conceived to have sprung from other causes than systematic heterodoxy in the majority of the company of pastors; yet the whole of the circumstances taken together, can leave no doubt on the mind, that the Church of Geneva has

essentially departed from the orthodoxy of its predecessors. Indeed, in point of fact, it is credibly stated, that of the twenty-five persons who constitute the Company of pastors," only five hold the orthodox faith; while all the remainder unite in opposing it. The important consequences likely to arise from this circumstance may be inferred from the consideration, that Geneva is a University in which young men from various parts of Europe, and particularly from the Reformed Church of France, are educated in theology; and that the professors are chiefly, if not exclusively, selected from the company of pastors. Far the greater part of the students have imbibed the doctrines of their instructors; and by them the evil, it is to be feared, will be extensively diffused.

The origin of this unhappy revolution of opinion may be traced to Rousseau; whose mischievous writings, while they excited, in no ordinary degree, the alternate praises and execrations of Europe at large, could scarcely fail to produce a powerful effect on his immediate fellow citizens. Independently of other causes, a sort of perverted patriotic pride would naturally conduce to this result; though as Calvin was a great man also, his authoritative name and celebrity, would doubtless tend to check the progress of the infidel opinions, or of those more plausible heterodoxies which are the half-way house to them. The consequence is, that the Genevese clergy are halting between Calvin and Rousseau; and, by the inconsistency of their real, with their professed creed, have exposed themselves to the attacks of several writers, who have been lately engaged in a controversy which has arisen in consequence of the ordinance already mentioned. The attack on the pastors is said to have been commenced by a young Genevese minister who had attended some of Madame Krudener's religious meet

ings. His letter gave rise to the or dinance prohibiting the discussion of the topics just enumerated. Among other persons, a Scotch gentleman, who happened to be at Geneva, took up the cause of the young minister, and published several tracts explanatory of the Calvinistic opinions.Another Scotch gentleman has since addressed a letter to the pastors, accusing them of having deviated from the laws of their own Church: on account of which communication they endeavoured, but as yet in vain, to procure his expulsion from the territory. This gentleman is now happily employed in superintending a faithful edition of the Scriptures in opposition to that of the pastors, which has been already mentioned as mutilated and incorrect in many leading passages.

In hopes that the publication of these statements may not be useless, either to the parties immediately concerned, or to the Christian world at large, they are tendered for insertion. The spectacle of a once pure and spiritual Church denying some of the leading doctrines on which the salvation of mankind depends, is at once a painful and a monitory spectacle. It is not yet too late for ma ny of the leading individuals concerned in so unhappy a change, "to repent and do their first works," and return "to the Lord that bought them." May this be their happy lot! At all events, their sad example will not be lost upon the members of our own scriptural Establishment, if it more forcibly remind us to guard against the first recurrence of worldly temptation and philosophical pride; if it show us how fatally easy it is to blend a highly spiritual and orthodox creed with an unrenewed heart, ready to swerve at the first evil suggestion; if it make us individually walk more humbly with our God; if it excite us to new activity and perseverance in our efforts for instructing the ignorant, confirming the wavering,

and sending to all parts of the Christian as well as heathen world, that blessed volume which is the surest guide to a rising Church, and the best preservative for a falling one.

Conversations on Infant Baptism, and some popular Objections against the Church of the United Kingdom. By Charles Jerram, A.M. Vicar of Chobham, Surrey.

[Republished by R. P. & C. Williams, Boston.) WERE we to give an opinion what principle it is, diffused amongst the mass of the Christian world, which facilitates the schismatical labours of sectarian reformers, and enables them to multiply, almost ad infinitum, the divisions of the Holy Catholic Church, already numberless, we should not hesitate to pronounce it, a want of competent knowledge, on the part of the people, of the scriptural and historical arguments which lie at the foundation of the commonly received doctrines of faith, and ecclesiastical government and discipline. It is on this ignorance that innovators build their chief hopes of success; and they are not often disappointed. They find the people unprepared "to give a reason" of their belief in this or that particular doctrine, and of course, ill qualified to meet objections of a popular nature, which, although possessing more of speciousness than of solidity, are yet sufficient to stagger the faith of one not fully instructed in the subject. It is inconceivable with what force objections to a received doctrine fall upon a mind, not previously qualified by a knowledge on the point at issue, to separate truth from error; and how slow and difficult is the process by which a mind so circumstanced is extricated from its embarrassments, and re-established in the truth.

We believe there are many now living, whose first theoretical speculations on Christianity, were suggest

ed by a once popular work of a man, whose ashes no longer pollute our shores, but whose deadly spirit will be felt, till the present generation of men has passed away; and we might appeal to these men, whether the ef fects of the principles they imbibed from that polluted source, have not in some degree kept their ground in defiance of their reason, when better informed by the triumphant refutacontained in the " Age of Reason," tion of what little of argument was from the pen of Watson, or the more copious illustrations of Paley and Lardner. The fact is, let the mind be once preoccupied with erroneous convictions, or poisoned by skepticism, and the inlets to truth are closed-the labour of conviction is doubled-the fortress is held by an enemy, instead of being open to the entrance of its lawful possessor.

These remarks will not be understood to insinuate that there is, in the objections of any religious sectary, any approach to the black malignity of this" enemy of all righteousness;" but the case may serve to illustrate the difficulty of obliterating erroneous impressions, which have been made in the absence of a knowledge of the whole subject, and the ease. with which an uninstructed mind may be led astray. It is matter of joy, however, to a pious mind, that the doctrines absolutely essential to salvation, are embraced by every denomination of Christians; and the fact ought not to be lost sight of by: the enemies of our faith, when they. would draw some consoling deductions from our want of Christian unity. Still, there are points of difference too important to admit of compromise; and amongst them we have no hesitation in ranking the practice of Infant Baptism. Whether we regard the antiquity of the customcoeval as it is with the time of the Apostles; its universality-rejected only by a very small proportion of Christians; or the rights and privi