quick and the dead. For the apostle says, that "God | faith could have no power to bind the conscience. We may say, then, in one sense, that the elements of religi ous faith are as plain, patent, and palpable, as those on which we build our faith in the ordinary events of history; both of them depend, in the first instance, on facts ascertainable by evidence, but there is this mighty difference, that religious faith sists us at once before the tribunal of the Judge and Ruler of heaven and earth, and tells us, that we must be accountable to him for the deeds done in the body; whilst historical faith imposes no responsibility whatever; and if a man is not afraid of his sanity being called in question, he may deny, if he pleases, the best accredited events in human history. Is Christian faith, then, of easy acquisition, because its principles are so obvious, and its evidence so overwhelming? Nothing but the "evil heart of unbelief" could make it difficult; for there are no facts, in the ordinary history of the world, so well ascertained as the being, and providence, and sovereignty, of the Eternal Ruler; there is nothing so complete as the evidence for Christ's mission to save a lost world; and nothing but the determined bias of the heart to do evil, could make the mind reluctant to obey the holy law of God. This inaptitude for divine things, presented obstacles to the reception of Christian faith, which nothing but the prevailing influence of the Spirit of God can overcome. The spirit of the world, and the natural spirit of the human heart, are entirely opposed to the law of God; and, therefore, if man is intended for a spiritual being, and made capable of cherishing spiritual feelings and spiritual hopes, it is clear to a demonstration, that the principles of this spiritual life, must be derived from some other source than the influence of the world, or the natural tendencies of the human heart; and it might be concluded, that the Father of the spirits of all flesh could alone "create in man a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within him." But this is not left to inferWe may apply the same argument to those who ence; our Lord himself assures us, that God will give would call in question the facts of the Jewish or Chris- his holy spirit to them who ask it; and the evidence tian history; length of time makes no difference, pro- does not rest here; the fact was demonstrated by the vided the authenticity of the record be admitted. Were miraculous outpouring of the Spirit, first, on the aposa document tumbled into light, professing to give a tles, and then, on all those on whom they laid their hands. minute detail of the history and of the civil and religious Here, then, even the great author of our sanctificainstitutions of the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians, tion, the Spirit of grace and holiness, was rendered palwith which we had been till now entirely unacquaint-pable to the senses, so that the apostles could appeal to ed, scepticism would be wisdom, and it would be folly to pay any attention to the alleged facts, till the pretensions of the document itself wese discussed and settled. But, when we find a record containing a great variety of writings, the unquestionable productions of authors who lived at the time, and bearing to be the history of the migrations, settlement, and institutions of a people still existing, and though banished from the land of their fathers, still attached, with unconquerable partiality, to the religion and customs given to their ancestors, several thousand years ago; and when we find this record giving the only rational account of the very singular customs and institutions of this peculiar people, when we can trace it up to the remotest antiquity, and demonstrate that it is the origin of the customs and institutions in question, we may be sure, after this, that we have a genuine document, and a true history; and these marks of authenticity do not belong to any other history that ever was written, but the history of the Jewish and Christian Churches. his visible influence, and thus introduce him (if we may Let no TEMPORAL CALAMITIES A CALL TO REPENTANCE: BY THE REV. JAMES ROBERTSON, A. M., My object has been to show that the materials of faith rest upon facts recorded in unimpeachable history, and, therefore, that no man has any valid excuse for unbelief, but, on the contrary, is justly chargeable with culpable negligence, and sinful neglect of duty, if he does not believe. Will it follow, then, as a matter of course, that a candid examination of Scripture facts will produce the genuine fruits of Christian faith? No, but it will be an excellent preparation; faith without facts IT is not my intention, on this occasion, to insticould be no better than superstition, and facts without | tute a parallel between the sins of which we as a ciple on which he deals with man, as the heir of immortality, he is, at this moment, saying unto us, the long favoured inhabitants of this land, as he did to his ancient people, by his servant Hosea; "I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face; in their affliction they will seek me early." nation, generally, have been guilty, and those | race, among whom his name has been recorded. on account of which the divine threatenings In unison, therefore, with that established prinwent so often forth against the tribes of Israel. The authority under, and the object for which, we have this day assembled, in solemn humiliation before God, do not warrant such a range of discourse. No, my friends, this is no time for general declamation. I feel that it would be altogether out of place. While the Word and the finger of God point to the individual and collective sins of the inhabitants of these islands, as the cause of that awful chastisement which is now suspended over us, something more practical, more heart-searching in its application, must be exhibited to the conscience, before it can be awakened to form a just estimate of the heinous nature of those sins, our abounding in which has called down the present chastisement of heaven on the inhabitants of this land. In speaking of sin as an evil, in reference to the bulk of mankind, in general, we are all but too apt to view it in a different light, when applied to our own case in particular. The accumulated and daily increasing mass of our common iniquity is an object too conspicuous entirely to escape the observation, or not occasionally to afford matter for serious apprehension to the most careless and inconsiderate sinner. It is not the amount of guilt, concerning which there is much difference of opinion, among those around us. No, the doubtful point seems to be how far they, as individuals, have incurred the guilt of contributing thereto. The sinner of the present day will reason, and reason well as to the odious and defiling nature of sin in general; nay, like David of old, may even write bitter things against himself, by denouncing those very sins, in others, of which he himself is, it may be, unconsciously guilty; while, in shewing him his own spiritual condition the minister of the Gospel, to his sad experience, finds that, unlike to David, the application "thou art the man," has often but little effect on a conscience hardened and at ease under the searing influence of sin. Now, when either individuals or communities have so far cast off the fear of God, as to cease to be affected by the threatenings of his Word or the warnings of his messengers, the Almighty, with a view to vindicate the authority of his government, and thus reclaim the sinner from the evil of his ways, instead of admonishing unthinking men, by the "still small voice" of his spirit striving with the conscience, not unfrequently arrests them in their downward paths, by withdrawing his countenance from them for a time, or chastising them with the removal of those creature comforts, on which, while their "mountain stood strong," they had placed too much dependence, without once lifting up their soul in earnest gratitude to the blessed fountain from whence these comforts flowed. It was thus he dealt with the house of Jacob, the rod of his inheritance; and it is thus he still deals with every individual whom he causes to approach him, and with every kindred of the human May the Spirit of all grace assist in inquiring what is meant by the Lord returning to his place; and also the object for which he does return thereto, with a view of improving this subject to our present prospects. I. "I will go and return to my place." In the record of truth it is declared of the Almighty, that "heaven is his throne, and the earth is his footstool;" and that He who, by his wisdom, created the universe, is daily employed in upholding it by his power, and superintending it by his providence; "that the eyes of the Lord are every where beholding the evil and the good." This returning of the Almighty to his place cannot, then, refer to his being present in one place and absent from another. Now, are we from this expression to infer, that this Infinite Existence actually removes his essential presence, even for the shortest assignable space, from any portion of the created universe? This would amount to a denial of one of those attributes, which he claims to himself in the character of the Omnipresent God, and, of consequence, would trench on his authority as the Sovereign of the Universe. Nay, by limiting the immensity of his essence, we would thus destroy what reason supposes, and revelation declares, inseparable from the very name and existence of Deity. The phrase, "my place," must be understood in a figurative sense, and refers to the complacency with which the Almighty beholds the particular abodes of his intelligent creatures, who love and serve him. Hence he is said to have fixed his throne in heaven, because it is the supreme delight of the inhabitants of that blessed abode to do his will, and enjoy his favour. In unison with this idea, he said to Moses, when giving directions respecting the setting up of the tabernacle, "and let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them." And to Solomon he said, “If thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them, then will I perform my word concerning thee, which I spake unto David thy father, and I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel." David himself also declares of Mount Zion, that it is "the hill where God desireth to dwell, yea, the Lord will dwell in it for ever;" and again, "For the Lord hath chosen Zion, he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest, here will I stay, for I have desired it." Now, the dwelling of the Almighty, here and elsewhere spoken of, must evidently refer, not certainly to his circumscribing the place of his habitation either to the tabernacle in the wilder- | ness, the temple at Jerusalem, the habitations of Jacob in general, or the mountain of Zion in particular, but to that complacency and favour with which he meets with his believing people, whether in their families, or when assembled, according to the ordinances of his appointment, to worship him in spirit and in truth, in those places where he has caused his name to be recorded; thus verifying the truth of his own living Word; "To this man will I look, even to him that is of a contrite spirit, and that trembles at my word." Whether, then, the countenance and favour of God be thus shewn to an individual, a family, a congregation, or a people, where, and under whatever circumstances the favour of God is thus exhibited, there, for the time being, is the place of the Lord. Whenever, therefore, an individual, a family, or a people, have had the enviable experience, that the favour of God has made their habitation or assembly the place of his rest, if they are desirous that the God of Jacob should continue his outgoings and incomings with and amongst them, let them be jealous over themselves, lest, by unmindfulness of former deliverances, ingratitude for past or present mercies, or an habitual indulgence in known sin, they should provoke the Lord to remove his tabernacle from among them, and prepare himself a sanctuary in the midst of a people who will evidence the fruits of righteousness in their lives and conversation. We conclude, then, that at whatever time the Lord withdraws the light of his gracious countenance from an individual, making him to feel his ingratitude or unworthiness in time past, and the spiritual darkness with which he is now surrounded; or when he withholds from a people the usual supply, whether of spiritual comfort, or of temporal blessings, thereby shewing them that there is no dependence on an arm of flesh for procuring even the least esteemed of former mercies, now denied,—at such a season that individual, or this people, will be but too keenly alive to the import of the words, "I will go and return to my place," to require any lengthened comment thereon. II. Let us inquire, then, into the object for which the Lord does return to his place, with a view of improving this subject in reference to our present prospects. It would appear, from certain expressions of the Word of God, that the Almighty, after long striving, by his Word, and his messengers, to reclaim sinners from their evil ways, sometimes, with a view, no doubt, of deterring others from persisting in similar transgressions, gives over the incorrigibly wicked, and impenetrably hardened, to be filled with the fruits of their own doings; in which case they are said to be given over to judicial blindness, the measure of their iniquity being complete; and when once brought to this state, so far have sinners removed from God, and, in reference to them, so completely has the Lord 66 returned to his place, that he is represented in thə From these words, moreover, we are to infer, From this view of the text we remark, that how much soever men may have neglected or forgotten God in the day of peace and prosperity, they are still warranted to seek after him in the day when he seemeth to hide his face from them; for, says the Almighty, "in their affliction they will seek me early." Thrice blessed be his holy name, it is that sinners may be turned early from their iniquities, from their false refuges, and their deceivable idols, that the Almighty brings them into the furnace of affliction. Do you inquire what were the sins of which the house of Jacob had on that occasion been guilty? You will find them particularly enumerated at the beginning of the fourth chapter, where, after the emphatic announcement, "Hear ye the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel; for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land," the prophet brings forward the reason for which this controversy was maintained: "Because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land, By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they | break out, and blood toucheth blood." How far ye, as a congregation, or as individuals, have to answer for the particular sins thus enumerated, I inquire not this is a matter between God and your consciences, and to his mercy, through the atoning blood of Christ, I commend you. But if similar sins have been always visited with similar punishments, great reason have the inhabitants of this land to tremble, lest at this moment they stand conspicuous in the sight of God as guilty of those very sins, so sternly reprehended in the people of Israel. For the afflictions with which we have been visited, during the past and present seasons, are so completely identified with those threatened judgments proclaimed by the prophet against Israel, that the bare enumeration of them must make the hearts of all who now hear me, when communing with their God, thus confess: "Whatever may have been the transgressions for which thou, O Lord, art now contending with us, these are the very chastisements with which the rod of thy displeasure is at this day lifted up against us." points out the only means in the exercise of which either comfort or relief can, with certainty, be depended on. With prayer and supplication turn unto the Lord your God. Seek him early in this the day of your affliction. Search and try your hearts. Confess your offence. Approach the throne of grace through Him who is the alone way of access to the guilty soul. Before this throne unreservedly pour out a confession of all your wanderings, all your backslidings, and all your offences in his sight. The earlier ye humble yourselves before him, the sooner ye may expect an answer in peace. In faith, grounded on the many, the blessed promises of his own everlasting Word, make known to him all your wants. Be assured, that He who giveth to the beasts their food, and the young ravens that cry unto him, taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that " hope in his mercy." Yea, hath he not said, that "he will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer." [This sermon was preached in the Parish Church of Mid Yell, upon Thursday, 9th Feb. 1837, being the day appointed by the Pro vincial Synod of Shetland to be observed throughout their bounds, as a day of solemn fasting and humiliation before God; on account AN INDIAN BRAHMIN. THE following brief but interesting narrative, is extracted from a letter, dated 30th May 1836, received from the Rev. Dr Wilson, one of the General Assembly's Missionaries at Bombay. " Who, in reflecting on the extent to which that bounty has been withdrawn, with which the Lord of the famine impending over the inhabitants of those Islands.] was wont to bless your labours on the deep, or on that mortality with which he last year visited your stalls and your folds, or on that famine with which he is now wasting the countenances of many amongst you-who, I ask, in reflecting on these, can deny, that our land is at this moment, mourning under the very chastisements denounced against the people of Israel? "Therefore," says the prophet, "shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea shall be taken away." And again, "For they have sown to the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. It hath no stalk. The seed thereof shall yield no meal. If so be it yield, the stranger shall devour it." Now say, my friends, is this your case, or is it not? Assuredly it is to the very letter. O look not, then, in the day of your affliction, to man, in whom there is no stay! Lock not unto the hand of your neighbour for supply. Gaze not on his countenance to move his compassion towards you. You may add to his distress, by laying before him your own tale of want, or of woe; but his circumstances are too kindred to your own to admit of his affording you that relief which his heart would bestow. The text, my brethren, During the past seasons of 1835-36, such has been the failure of the herring fishing, that the gross amount of earnings derived there from, could not have covered the necessary expenses of those engaged in prosecuting it. Last year some of the poor fishermen did not measure a single cran. In many instances, the ling fishing was equally unproductive. In the winter and spring of 1836, the loss in horses and black cattle did not amount to less than 300, nearly a fifth of the whole stock; while the loss in sheep exceeded 3,000. But our great calamity is the failure of last year's crop, from which there was not sufficient reaped to serve the inhabitants for more than four months. Even at this moment there are scores of families, whose daily preservation from absolute starvation can only be attributed to the continued interposition of God in their behalf, by sending them a merciful supply of smail fish, on which for months pest they have entirely subsisted, It was my expectation that yesterday, I should have also been privileged to baptize a respectable Brahmin, He has been called, however, to appear before an assembly, where his professions have been submitted to a scrutiny, infinitely more solemn and searching than any practised on earth,-even that of the unerring Judge himself. During his attendance on me for instruction, he was seized with fever; and, that he might enjoy the benefit of a change of air, I sent him to his native village about forty miles from Bombay. I visited him there a short time ago, that I might ascertain how he acted in the presence of those best acquainted with his circumstances; and do every thing in my power to mitigate the prejudices which they might entertain against him. Though very weak, he boldly declared in my presence, to all the Brahmins of the place, that they were following delusions to their own destruction; and that Christ Jesus is the only and all-sufficient Saviour. Some of them gnashed on him with their teeth, and others assumed a most malignant scowl. He, however, continued unmoved. He spoke to me with deep humility respecting his long resistance of the truth, often declared to him by the American Missionaries and myself; and with fervent gratitude to that grace which had led him, when far removed from the public ordinances of the Gospel, to determine to forsake all and follow Christ. He was affected to tears by the perusal of an account of the last moments of my dearest partner; and greatly encouraged by it, he said, to trust in that Shepherd whose sceptre and staff are mighty for defence against every assault which may be made in the dark valley of the shadow of death. Before I left him he appeared to be convalescent; but he soon had a relapse, and he died on the fourth day after my departure. The Brahmins refused to dispose of his body; and they have thus, to their own detri ment, advertised his having died in a faith different from that of his fathers. They have greatly persecuted the members of his family, who have consequently a large share of my sympathy. Two of the villagers, having had their curiosity excited by what has taken place, have come to me for instruction. The following is a literal translation of a petition addressed to me by the Brahmin now referred to, on his offering himself as a candidate for baptism:-" To the renowned missionary, Mr Wilson,-Bápú, by the will of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, the Creator and Redeemer, respectfully represents :-I have been seized with the greatest distress on account of my sins; and in the prosecution of the inquiry, What must I do? I have looked to the means of salvation prescribed by the Hindú religion, ablutions, pigments, invoking the names of the gods, burnt-offerings, and pilgrimages; but I have found them altogether useless and ineffectual for the putting away of sin. I am thoroughly convinced that they are calculated only for the deception of the world. From the perusal of the Christian Scriptures and meditations upon them, I have seen the necessity of loathing sin, and repenting, and obtaining baptism; and having repented, I now come to you soliciting baptism, and acknowledgment by the Christian Church. I will provide for my own livelihood, as I am a Maráthá Kárkun (clerk ;) and I do not even wish to remain in Bombay, as it does not agree with my health. Trusting in the righteousness of the Lord, and taking refuge in the grace of God, and expecting to escape the eternal punishment of my sins, and unceasingly to glorify God, I come to you with joined hands, and with desires which continue day and night. Reject not my request, but let me be acknow ledged by the Christian Church! Amen." ON CHARITY. By THOMAS BROWN, ESQ., "Author of the "Reminiscences of an Old Traveller." THE act of assisting a fellow-creature in distress, of giving way to our sympathies in favour of the infirm, the helpless, or the destitute, is one of the most delightful sensations which can possibly animate the human breast. Its reward is in our own feelings, and has a reference to the past, the present, and the future. As moral and responsible agents, it approximates us more and more to the great source of benevolence and goodness, the Almighty Creator and preserver of all things, whose tender mercies are over all his works, and by whom we are enjoined to be united in love, and to do unto others that which we would wish them to do unto us. The pleasure of being charitable and kind, is no doubt greatly enhanced, when we know that we bestow our bounty on deserving objects, and when they display, by their words and actions, a just sense of the blessings and benefits they have received; but should they be totally insensible of our kindness, and repay us with indifference, coldness, and ingratitude, which, alas! is too often the case, we ought, by no means, to relax in our endeavours to do as much good as we can in the way of charity and kindness, or to remove, as far as we are able, the causes of human misery and suffering. It is somewhat curious to observe how this principle operates in different countries, and the views which mankind take of its tendency and effects on the objects for whose relief it is intended. In several parts of the Continent, but particularly, amongst a people constituting one of the most formidable powers in Europe, the human mind is kept in a state of ignorance and bigotry, and the strangest notions of the nature of charity, both as a moral and religious principle, are entertained and sedulously inculcated upon the people. In the country I am alluding to, an act of charity becomes an act of selfishness, and is founded upon some ultimate prospect of advantage to the donor, without the least feeling of sympathy or commiseration for the object on whom the charity is bestowed. For example, felons, who are confined to prison for the commission of crimes of the first magnitude, such as robbery or murder, are allowed to perambulate the streets, their hands and legs bound in chains, so as to enable them to make use of both without the possibility of escape. These felons are accompanied by a guard, and in their endeavours to excite the feelings of the multitude, they ask for alms in the name, and" for the sake of Christ." This has a great effect with the people, who bestow their charity without any reference to the characters they are relieving, and who know perfectly well, that the money thus collected is divided between the guards and the felons; or rather squandered by them in the prison over the gaming-table, or in scenes of riot and intoxication; so that here the principle of charity is perverted to the worst purposes, and completely subversive of all morality and order, instead of promoting, as it is intended to do, the happiness and well-being of society. The donors, in this state of things, think, that by bestowing alms for "Christ's sake," they are securing the salvation of their own souls, and that it is not incumbent upon them (in compliance with the injunctions of our blessed Saviour) to love one another," and to consider the great family of mankind as a field on which to exercise the kindest and most benevolent feelings of our nature. How much such superstitious practices and mistaken views of the nature of charity, tend to degrade and demoralise the human character! How lamentable it is to see a cruel, false, and unchristian policy, persevering in a system so destructive of the true happiness of mankind, and tending to impede the march of civilization and refinement! Let us see what means are taken in more favoured countries, to spread the benefits of knowledge, and the blessings of rational piety and benevolence. Let us dwell for a while on our own native land, and see what liberty, and knowledge, and good laws have done, towards promoting the interests and happiness of all. These tend to nourish and keep alive a spirit of independence, a laudable desire to get through the diffi culties and trials of life, by continued exertions and habits of industry, and which, in their turn, in almost every instance, are productive of substantial comforts and happiness to the individual. As illustrative of my argument, and as an encouragement to others to follow his example, I shall describe the conduct of a poor individual which I witnessed last August, and whose manly and noble disinterestedness called forth and excited my feelings of admiration to an inexpressible degree. The incident is a trifling one, and may appear to some of too little importance to merit the slightest attention. But every one who can hold up to public view acts of merit or virtue, is bound to do so, that the influence of good example may spread far and wide, and mankind at large be thereby benefited. In the month of August last, I passed some days at a watering place in Perthshire. It was usual at the boarding-house where I took up my quarters, for the company assembled at dinner on Sabbath to make afterwards a contribution for the relief of the poor and infirm persons who came from a distance to benefit by the waters. The number of these destitute people when I was there, was about ten or twelve; their names were registered in the book at the inn, taken from medical certificates granted to them at their respective places of abode, and they assembled on the Monday morning in front of the house, to receive the money contributed for their relief, the amount of which, of course, depended upon the number of contributors then residing at the house. On the first Monday morning after my arrival |