dition of the human race, lies within the range of his choice; including, under the first of these, that which is of all the most prominent and the most important, namely, provision for the souls of men, through the instrumentality of the teachers of religion and the instructors of youth. The souls of men were the great objects of the Saviour's care, yet he did not forget their temporal necessities; he had compassion on the multitudes, and would not send them empty away; and the most frequent miracles which he wrought were for the direct relief of their corporeal wants or distresses. The field of the Christian, in like manner, though not in the same way, embraces both, and is extensive and diversified as the gifts and dispensations of God, whom he desires to serve. It comprehends all things which pertain to life as well as godlinessthe health and comfort of the body, the culture of the earth, the advancement of useful arts and knowledge, in their due order and subordination; and extends from self to the circles of family, of community, of nations, and of mankind. We are not "straitened in God," if we are not "straitened in our own bowels." Some withhold their hand, lest in ignorance they should bestow improperly. But the remedy is pointed out by the patriarch: "the cause which I knew not I searched out. It is not ignorance of fit objects for his beneficence, but unwillingness to discover them, which makes the covetous man thus jealous and fearful of giving amiss.-JAMES GLASSFORD, Esq. (Covetousness Brought to the Bar of Scripture.)

dignity of a man." In truth, the precarious tenure of this world's wealth is sufficient to suppress all immoderate desire of it. Has not the morning sun often seen thousands abounding in flocks and herds, and boasting of their large sums of gold and silver, who, before his going down, had nothing but a grave? Never let the opulent or the proud "mock the simple annals of the poor." Often interesting and instructive are these details, though apt to vanish before the eye which is only accustomed to contemplate the fate of nations and the revolution of empires. Brethren, be not too desirous of temporary distinctions, because you are not sure that you should be the better for them, nor seek to "fare sumptuously every day." Have you not seen, that the flourishing tree, when adorned with luxuriant foliage, or loaded with fruit, is most easily broken by the fury of the tempest? Have you not heard, that the summit of the loftiest mountain meets first the lightning of heaven? In like manner, when you multiply flocks and herds, you not only increase your cares, but present a broader mark to the shafts of misfortune. When "fed with food convenient for you," pay a becoming attention, on the one hand, to frugality, without which none can be long independent, and with which few would be poor. Beware, on the other, of spending your life in anxiety or ineanness, in order to increase your worldly store. Surely the wealth of this world is not the best blessing which your heavenly Father has to bestow. In a thousand ways which you do not foresee, He can promote the happiness of those who fear hin. In that night when he appeared to Solomon at Gibeon, and said, "Ask what I shall give thee," the answer of that young prince pleased the Lord. Imitating his laudable example, do not desire riches, but rather a spirit of true wisdom, which will direct you to enjoy, with propriety, the comforts of your condition to despise what is frivolous, and to detest what is base. Instead of panting after temporal honours, cherish a more lofty ambition, and direct your most vigorous efforts to the attainment of those which are eternal. Then, when the destined hour of your leaving the world arrives, like good old Simeon, you shall "depart in peace," esteemed by the wise and regretted by the worthy.-The Rev. DR LAURIE of Newburn. (Lectures.)

The Strength of the Christian Evidences.-Anxious as we are to put every thing that bears upon the Christian argument into all its lights, and fearless as we feel for the result of a most thorough sifting of it, and thinking as we do think it, the foulest scorn that any pigmy philosopher of the day should mince his ambiguous scepticism to a set of giddy and ignorant admirers, or that a half-learned and superficial public should associate with the Christian priesthood, the blindness and bigotry of a sinking cause; with these feelings, we are not disposed to shun a single question that may be started on the subject of the Christian evidences. There is not one of its parts or bearings which needs the shelter of a disguise thrown over it. Let the priests of another faith ply their prudential expedients, and look so wise and so wary in the execution of them. "I," says Christ, "will give thee Rest."-Man! But Christianity stands in a higher and a firmer atti- if thou wilt not be obedient to the voice of divine grace, tude. The defensive armour of a shrinking or timid convincing thee and calling thee to repentance, to conpolicy does not suit ber. Iler's is the naked majesty of version, and to a living faith, all thy rest is nothing but truth, and with all the grandeur of age, but with none a false and imaginary rest. It is not only vain and deof its infirmities, has she come down to us; and gather-lusive in life, but also at death. For the Spirit of God ed new strength from the battles she has won in the many controversies of many generations. With such a religion as this, there is nothing to hide, all should be above boards; and the broadest light of day should be made fully and freely to circulate throughout all her secrecies. But secrets she has none. To her belongs the frankness and the simplicity of conscious greatness; and whether she has to contend with the pride of philosophy, or stand in fronted opposition to the prejudices of the multitude, she does it upon her own strength, and spurns all the props, and all the auxiliaries of superstition away from her.-The Rev. DR CHALMERS. (Works, vol. vii., New Edit.)

"Feed me with food convenient for me."-Anxiety for more is vain and unprofitable. All the solicitude indicated by the most care-worn countenance could never yet alter the course of future events, or change the determination of Providence. When a celebrated philosopher in former days contemplated the splendid accommodations of life, far from coveting the goods of fortune, he only observed, "How many things do I not want."-"I am only solicitous about one thing," said another of the ancient sages, "and that is, lest I should fail in some part of my duty, and not act up to the

says, "There is no peace to the wicked." Isa. xlviii. 22. That is, during their lives, they cannot have a tranquil heart, and much less so when they come to die. It is vain and delusive for an unconverted man, who has never been obedient to the call of God, nor suffered himself to be led by it out of the Egypt of his sinful nature, to let himself be consoled, on his dying bed by miserable comforters, and be persuaded, that after his decease, he shall perfectly attain to the promised rest. Alas! it is all a deception! No Peter, nor any one else, who may pretend to have the keys of the kingdom of heaven in his hand, will be able to open heaven for thee, or to give thee the promised everlasting rest in heaven, as far as thou dost not let thyself be brought, by the convincing voice of grace, to true repentance and amend ment of life, and be led forth, out of the Egypt of this world, to Christ, the true Joshua; even as he himself invites thee, when he says, "Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden. Come unto me, and I will refresh you; take my yoke upon you, and ye shall find rest unto your souls." It will never be attained in any other way.-GERHARD TERSTEEGEN. (Spiritual Crumbs from the Master's Table. Translated from the German by Samuel Jackson.)

THE

SCOTTISH CHRISTIAN HERALD,

CONDUCTED UNDER THE SUPERINTENDENCE OF MINISTERS AND MEMBERS OF THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH.

ILLUSTRATIONS OF FAITH.
BY THE REV. JOHN CORMACK, D.D.,
Minister of Stow.
No. II.

FAITH VIEWED SIMPLY AS A PRINCIPLE WITHOUT
REFERENCE TO ITS OBJECTS.

In a former paper (p. 401,) some observations
were made on faith, or belief, as a simple opera-
tion of the mind, with the nature of which every
one is perfectly acquainted by his own conscious-
ness in the act of believing. It is so simple, that
it neither needs nor admits of explanation. In so
far as faith itself is concerned, nothing farther
remains to be said. But what was wanted, was
not explanation, which it rejects, but disentangle-
ment from the manifold mysteries, in which it was
shrouded and concealed from the view. It is
hoped that the reader will bear this in mind, in
the perusal of what remains to be said under the
head of "Illustrations of Faith." Much may be
said of the objects of faith, and of their influence
upon the heart and life, the necessity to the Chris-
tian of believing the things proposed to his faith
in the Scriptures, and of the blessed and glorious
result of so doing, as well as other things of deep
interest and importance to the true disciple; but
still in all this, it will not be faith strictly so called,
as the simple operation of the mind in the exercise
of belief, of which we shall have occasion to speak,
but of the objects and influence of that principle.

PRICE lad.

some that are purely speculative, and be they in themselves true or false, they are equally without influence upon the heart and life; while other things are practical in their nature, and cannot be believed without producing good or evil in the moral conduct, according as they are true or false. Thus, with regard to things of a speculative nature, we may believe the false notion, that the planet we inhabit is an extended plain; or we may hold the true doctrine, that it is in form a spheroid; and our conduct remains uninfluenced and unaltered, whether we believe truth or error on this subject, or whether we ever heard of the one notion or of the other. This arises out of the very nature of the case, which is so plain as to render any farther remark upon it unnecessary.

But how different where the things believed are practical in their nature, and cannot be believed without exerting a good or evil influence upon the moral conduct, according as they are true or false! We need be under no hesitation in laying it down as an axiom, or position to be admitted without discussion, that truth believed will have a good moral influence, while the belief of error will be productive of evil. Thus the poor deluded Papist believes that his priest can give absolution from sin, and that, upon payment of a certain sum, proportioned to the means of the individual, he will do it. No one can be blind to the effect of such a tenet upon the moral conduct. The individual is left to determine for himself between the love of his sin, and the love of his money. We may just glance at the yet more desolating doctrine of indulgences. I speak historically when I say, that in papal times, a rich family in Scotland built The object of faith is something believed, and, a church in honour of one of the saints, and in as was formerly remarked, the exercise of the requital for the pious deed, the Pope granted an mind in believing, is as different from its object" Indulgence" to the members of the family, as the agent is from the material, on which he and to their relatives to a certain specified degree operates. That the thing proposed to the mind of consanguinity, for several succeeding centuries; be believed, is essential to faith, and is all that is and the period during which they were authorised essential to it. The thing believed may in itself to sin, without remorse or compunction, is not be true, or it may be false; but all that is essen- yet expired. Happily the light of the Reformatial to it as a matter of belief is, not that it be tion dispelled the delusion in this case. true, but that it be held to be true. Thus there shall calculate the crimes, of which it was producmay be faith, and that too as strong in a false, as tive before the "mystery of iniquity" was unveiled, in a true system. and all its abominations, in all their loathsomeness, Again, among the things believed, there are exposed to view? The same system authorises VOL. II.

And before proceeding to what more immediately concerns the Christian's faith, it may be profitable to throw together a few brief remarks of a miscellaneous and preliminary nature.

But who

the doing "evil that good may come." The all-
comprehensive good, for which every thing is to
be sacrificed, according to the Papal system, is to
bolster up the "BEAST,”—the "Man of Sin,"-
"that Wicked,"—" even him whose coming is
after the working of Satan, with all power, and
signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceiveable-
ness of unrighteousness in them that perish, be-
cause they received not the love of the truth that
they might be saved." (See 2 Thes. ii. passim.)
Here is the effect of error believed! There is no
other system so rich in illustrations of our present
remark. We might show how it sanctions per-
jury and murder, and therefore tends to the disso-
lution of society, and the extinction of all that
can sweeten it, under covert of the leading maxim
that "no faith is to be kept with a heretic," who,
if circumstances admit, is to be punished with
confiscation and death. What a striking illustra-
tion of the Saviour's prediction, "yea, the time
cometh, that whosoever killeth you, will think
that he doeth God service!" John xvi. 2.

It is of importance for us to bear these things in mind. We have seen that there may be faith as real and strong in what is false, as in what is true. This the Apostle Paul calls "believing a lie;" and the corruption of the "carnal mind, which is enmity against God, and which is not subject to his law, neither indeed can be," so long as it continues carnal, strongly favours the " believing the lie ;" and in the same proportion indisposes a man to believe the truth. The cause of all this is the love of sin, which the lie favours and the truth condemns.

I now proceed to consider what is presupposed in believing anything whatever, so that we may be said to have faith concerning that thing. And for the sake of distinctness, I observe,

1. That faith presupposes knowledge. It would be evidently absurd to say of a man, that he believed what he did not know; and equally absurd for any man to say, that he disbelieved what he had never carefully considered. If you were asked, for instance, whether you believed the tenets of a particular philosopher? you are supposed, from the very terms of the question, to be intimately acquainted with these tenets, and to have examined the nature and tendency, as well as the truth, of each of them separately, and to have weighed the justness and consistency of the whole as forming a system. Such a question, in short, supposes you to have sifted, and pondered, and decided, in your own mind. The judge who gives a decision ought to have examined the case.

These illustrations are demonstrative of the fact, that all that is essential to faith is, that the things believed be held to be true. They may, as in the instances adduced, be directly the opposite of truth; but being practical, or things that cannot be believed without influencing the conduct, they have as strong-I would say stronger-sway over men's actions than the opposite truths. And the reason why I would ascribe stronger sway to "error believed," is that it is in accordance with all the evil passions of our corrupt nature, which gives acceleration to the evil tendency; while "truth In the same manner, he who believes the Bible believed," has to encounter, and resist, and to to be a divine revelation, or who has any right to overcome these passions, as antagonist forces im- say whether he does, or does not, believe it, is pelling us in the opposite direction. Hence, also, necessarily supposed to be intimately acquainted we may distinctly see how it is that believed truth with its contents, and therefore to have read it can triumph only through the power of God frequently and with care; to have considered miworking in us both to will and to do of his good nutely its doctrines, and duties, and facts, and pleasure." Thus, also, we see how readily men their bearings upon one another as forming a will adopt erroneous doctrines leading to corrupt whole. The man who, without all this knowpractice, and how, by being simply left to them-ledge, and all these processes of thought, either selves, without the "strivings of the Spirit," they may attain to the very consummation of moral turpitude. "Judicial blindness," accordingly, is the most awful judgment with which men can be visited, and with which they have been often visited for their pertinacious resistance of the truth. Thus, it is said, "Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone." Hosea iv. 17. And of the deluded votaries of the man of sin, "because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved; for this cause, God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned, who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thes. ii. 10-12. It is this "having pleasure in unrighteousness," that facilitates the rejection of the truth and the reception of those doctrines, which are subversive of good morals; while, if there be an inclination to do the will of God," the true doctrines of the Gospel will present no difficulties. John vii. 17.

receives or rejects the sacred volume, acts irrationally. What can be more contemptible in the eye of reason itself, than the man who, in these circumstances, rejects, or affects to despise, Christianity? And he who professes to believe it, without a sufficient knowledge of its nature and conviction of its truth, is apt to indulge in false hopes, and can experience no solid peace and joy in believing. Doctrines, which he does not understand, cannot form his principles; and precepts, of whose spirituality and extent he is not aware, cannot regulate his conduct. The probability is, that he will dishonour God, and bring reproach upon the holy religion, which he ignorantly professes to believe; or if he abstain from the grosser vices, he can at best have but a name to live while he is dead. Let every professing Christian then remember what is implied and presupposed in believing, "for," as the Scripture says, " faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." But farther in order to believe rationally,

it is not enough that a man understand what is | book which has been ascertained to come from proposed as the object of his faith:

2. It is necessary, also, that he be convinced of its reasonableness and truth. He must be satisfied in his own mind, and be "ready to give every man that asketh him a reason of the hope that is in him."

But here it is necessary to distinguish. I do not mean to say that it is either necessary or possible for the Christian completely to comprehend, and clearly to explain, every doctrine which the Bible contains, and which he rationally believes. This, however, is no contradiction of what has been already said. Let us take some familiar illustrations.

God, it is not only rational to believe them, but it would be irrational not to believe them.

The evidence upon which men receive the Scriptures as the Word of God, will vary both in kind and degree, according to the capacity, the learning, and the endowments of the individual. But whatever satisfaction the man of learning and leisure may derive from extended investigation, it is pleasing to reflect, that there is one class of evidences which is level to every capacity, and which of itself may form the basis of a rational faith. These are what are called the "Internal Evidences," which are exhibited in the book itself, and its blessed effects on those that believe it. In the daily transactions of life, there are many It is to this that our Lord refers when he says, things with which we are conversant, which it is "if any man will do "—that is, be inclined to do as impossible for us not to believe, as it is to com- the will of God-" he shall know of the doctrine prehend them. The grass grows, the trees put whether it be of God." Let a man of candour forth leaves and blossoms, and these last are in read the sacred record, and he will own that due time matured into fruits. The fruits, again," never book spake like this book—it hath told being used as food, are changed into animal sub- me all that ever I did ;" and when I look at the stances, and various other processes follow. We holy lives of its votaries, I see in their " transknow that these changes take place. They are formation by the renewing of their minds," the familiar facts, indeed, of which no man can enter- fulfilment of the promises which it contains, and tain a doubt. But in what manner, and by what the effectual working of the Spirit of God, to agency, the Great Creator and Upholder of all whose irresistible agency it ascribes all the moral produces them, are things that are utterly inscrut- good that can ever be found in polluted and reable and unknown to the greatest philosopher on bellious man. earth. Even of our own nature, how little do we know! There are a few facts, by which we perceive that we are 66 fearfully and wonderfully made;" but our knowledge is much more than counter-balanced by our ignorance; or rather, it is just enough to show us our ignorance. We know that the human soul, that part of us which we more properly call ourselves, is united to the more gross and earthly substance called the body. But the nature of the soul, as a substance, and of its union with the body, lies so distinctly, and so far beyond the reach of our powers, that all men of true wisdom have long ago abandoned the investigation as utterly hopeless.

Since there are many earthly things, then, which it is impossible to understand, and equally impossible not to believe, may we not expect that it shall be yet more so in respect of heavenly things? If every thing in us, and around us, be mysterious, shall we wonder that "great is the mystery of godliness?" Do not reason and analogy prepare us for finding much that shall transcend our powers in the economy of divine grace, and in the nature, character, and work of Jesus Christ, as "God manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory?"

But while we rationally believe doctrines, which we cannot clearly comprehend, we still may, and ought to have good reasons for our belief. The Bible being once ascertained to be a divine revelation, the truth of all it contains follows as a matter of course. Some of its doctrines may be far beyond our comprehension, but being in a

With much less evidence than is

here supposed, namely, a single conversation with the blessed Jesus, the woman of Samaria was convinced of his divine mission. And how striking was the effect of this conviction! Transported with delight at the discovery she had made, she left her water pitcher at Jacob's well-an instructive fact recorded by the sacred historian-and forgetful of meaner interests, she ran in eager haste to communicate to her townsmen the evidence that convinced herself, that she had seen the promised Messiah. "And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, he told me all that ever I did. And many more believed because of his own word, and said unto the woman, now we believe, not because of thy saying, for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world." John iv. 39.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF

THE REV. JAMES KIDD, D.D.,
Late Minister of Gilcomston Church, and Professor of Oriental
Languages in Marischal College, Aberdeen.

THE subject of our present Sketch was born of humble,
county of Down, Ireland, on the 6th November 1761.
yet respectable parents, near Loughbrickland, in the

Soon after his birth, he had the misfortune to lose his father, and his mother then removed to Broughshane, in the county of Antrim, where James received the first rudiments of his education. From the first leaf of the Shorter Catechism, he was taught the alphabet by his mother; and after spelling and reading each question in rotation, he committed the whole to memory. Thus was he grounded, in the early years of childhood, in the doctrines of that Church of which he became so