His living and life-giving Spirit worketh always in his people, and happy are they who eagerly drink the vivifying stream, and turn not away from the waters of life. The Spirit fatigues none by his sanctifying influences. His operations are as a still small voice, and, through strength communicated by him, it is not difficult for a soul, justified in the blood of Jesus, to rise upon the wings of faith and love. To the humble, the Lord is friendly; for the graces of the Holy Ghost are richly dispensed to contrite hearts. But true humility is grounded and rooted in that justification which proceeds from grace. While the sinner acknowledges no merit in himself, but finds all in Christ, his soul will be filled with heavenly peace; he will be quickened and strengthened in God; but as soon as his heart is puffed up, and whenever he ceases to seek and find his happiness exclusively in the divine atonement, he treads a path of error, strewed with anxiety and danger. Nevertheless, God has his appointed seasons for the trial and humiliation of his people; and although the believer may not depart from the right way, he must expect to pass through many temptations and tribulations, that the secret depravity of his own heart may be revealed to him. But, ah! how readily we deviate from the right and narrow way! how speedily objects occur to the mind, by which the believer, before he is aware of his danger, is drawn from the simplicity of his filial exercises! while he flatters himself with having obtained a better frame of mind, he often slides back imperceptibly from the gospel to the law. The gospel has a divine simplicity; and infuses into the soul of a believer a benevolence towards all men, arising out of his temper and privileges as a child of God. The gospel is perspicuous; it is a shining light, a pure stream of peace; it gives rest from our own righteousness; it introduces us to the enjoyment of God, and puts us in the possession of his salvation. Blessed is the man who is not made ashamed of his hope; a shame which they must experience who do not look alone to Christ for redemption, while they follow the doctrines and examples of men instead of the Saviour. A shame that will assuredly be experienced whenever, with lofty flights the unwary believer indulges in spiritual pride, and esteems his growth in grace greater than it actually is. No man, by any pretensions or efforts can add one cubit to his stature; and the new man has also determinate dimensions. Nature prefers her own way, and discerns no other for obtaining happiness and perfection, than by our own works, exertions, and righteousness: but the way of God is directly the reverse. He brings down our pride, reduces our sufficiency to nothing, that he himself may be all in all. All this is comprised in that one word: he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. Lord Jesus! lead me by thy good Spirit in a plain path. ON THE EXTENT OF CHRIST'S SATISFACTION. There are many who hold in great contempt, and treat with much asperity, the kindred doctrines of particular election and partciular redemption, as embraced by the Calvinist. They, on the contrary teach, that Christ died for the sins of all and every man in the whole world; and yet they admit that multitudes, notwithstanding his dying for them, do eternally perish. Without pressing any general argument on this subject, we offer, for their consideration, the following dilemma, from Dr. OWEN'S treatise, entitled, Salus electorum, sanguis Jesu; or, the death of Death in the death of Christ: book i. ch. 3. p. 22, 23. Edinburgh 1755. 12mo. "God imposeth his wrath due unto, and Christ underwent the pains of hell for, either all the sins of all men; or all the sins of some men; or some sins of all men. If the last, some sins of all men; then have all men some sins to answer for, and so shall no man be saved; for if God should enter into judgment with us, though it were with all mankind, for one sin, no man living should be justified in his sight. Psalm cxliii. 2. If the Lord should mark iniquities, who shall stand? Psalm cxxx. 3. We might all go to cast all that we have "to the moles and to the bats; to go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty." Isaiah ii. 20, 21. If the second, that is which we affirm; that Christ in their stead, and room, suffered for all the sins of all the elect in the world. If the first, why then are not all freed from the punishment of all their sins? You will say, because of their unbelief; they will not believe. But this unbelief, is it a sin, or not? If not, why should they be punished for it? If it be, then Christ underwent the punishment due to it, or not: If so, then why must that hinder them more than their other sins for which he died, from partaking of the fruit of his death? If he did not, then did he not die for all their sins. Let them choose which part they will." The work from which the above is selected, we take this opportunity of recommending to all those who wish to see that weighty argment concerning the "redemption and reconciliation that is in the blood of Christ," handled with much ability and scriptural learning. They will meet, as in almost all the volumes of that pre-eminent divine, with a happy illustration of difficult passages in holy writ, and the most conclusive reasoning on the side of those precious truths for which he was the advocate: as well as the most close discussion of objections. We recommend the perusal of his doctrinal and expository works, the rather, as of late years, some men, very little acquainted with them, have permitted themselves to speak contemptuously of Dr. Owen.— Had they lived in his time, or he in theirs, and had they been so unhappy as to engage him, they would probably have found, what their superiors both in talents and literature who made the experiment, found, that in most cases, his grasp was death.— Christian's Magazine. Select Religious Entelligence. ALBANY COUNTY BIBLE SOCIETY. At the Anniversary meeting of the Albany Bible Society, held on the 13th of March, 1827, the Board of Managers Presented to the Society the following Report: It is to be regreted, that in reviewing the proceedings of the Society during the past year, there are not those indications of vigour and extensive usefulness which the local situation of the Society might encourage a friend of the distribution of the Holy Scriptures to expect. This consideration is, indeed, in part relieved, by the reflection, that in the number of copies of the Bible actually distributed, some good has been done in promoting the salutary and holy designs of that book. It appears that during the past year, $300 have been remitted to the American Bible Society, and 267 copies of the Bible entire, and 105 copies of the New Testament separately, have been distributed. To this circumstance, also, it may be interesting to add, that the whole number distributed since the organization of the Society, amounts to about 6,000 Bibles and 2,500 Testaments, a fact of a consolatory nature, when it is remembered, that, but for the aid thus afforded by the Society, nearly a corresponding number of families and individuals would have remained destitute of so important a means of religious instruction. The very fact indeed of the necessity of such institutions and their utility in staying the progress of ignorance, error and vice, presents a painful and lamentable view to our minds. It indicates an extensive prevalence of want of knowledge on the most important of all subjects, and in a large proportion of instances, a criminal and dangerous indifference, with respect to the attainment of that knowledge; a trait in the moral character of society, wherever it exists, in a high degree affecting. This circumstance, together with the comparatively limited influence of the Society, the Board offer as an apology for closing their Report with the suggestion of the importance of adopting some measures to add to the numbers of the Society, and by increasing its influence in that direction, to extend the sphere of its usefulness. The Albany Bible Society in acc't with E. F. Backus, Treasurer. 1826. Feb. CR. By balance in the Treasury from last account, July By collection in the North Dutch Church, Albany, (Carried forward.) $410,80 67.18 By donation from H. Truax, By 3 do. from Knox Auxiliary Society, Aug. By donation and annuity, Sept, By interest from Am. Bible Society for 2 years, By do. $477.98 62.00 2.00 9.00 2.50 126.00 94.00 78.01 10.00 1826. Total, DR. $861.49 July, To the amount remitted to American Bible Society, Sept 1, To cash paid for Bibles, $300.00 2.90 84.00 1827, Jan. To cash paid for freight, cartage, and postage, SUPPORT OF THE METHODIST CLERGY. It is very popular among certain denominations to declaim with great vehemence, both in public and private, against what are called "salary ministers;" and to show them off to better advantage, they are frequently contrasted with Methodist Preachers, who receive only a hundred dollars a year. They must, of course be "greedy dogs, these salary ministers, who require of their congregations four or five hundred dollars a year for doing little more than preaching two sermons a week! while their brethren preach five times as many sermons for a fifth part of the sum. ." This is a most glaring inequality. How do these poor men live? The following will throw some light on the subject, and show how a man, with a family, can live on a hundred dollars a year. A writer in the first volume of the Philadelphian proposes, for consideration, as a regular plan for ministerial support, in the Presbyterian church, "the liberal system of our Methodist brethren in this respect, concerning which," he says "there is much ignorance in the world, many believing or supposing that their servants in the sacred ministry are much stinted and straitened in their supplies, whereas, on the contrary and much to their credit, no denomination of Christian ministers, it is believed, are on an average better supported or receive more for their services, as will abundantly appear from the following statement made in the Religious Intelligencer of May, 1823, by one who preached among them. It shows what would be the salary of a preacher having a wife and four children, in his own words: "My wife, $100; Myself, $100; Board $5 per week, $260; Four children, $17 each annually, $68-$528; In addition to the above I should have rent and firewood, worth at least $100 ;-Total $628. Supposing instead of four children he should have six, half of them above seven years of age and the remainder under that number of years, then according to the liberal provisions of their discipline, which says "each child of a travelling preacher shall be allowed $ 16 annually to the age of seven years, and $24 annually from the age of seven to fourteen years,' then instead of an allowance of $68 for children, it would be $120. The sum total in this case would be $680. This is at least equal to the support received by the Presbyterian ministers, and in our churches generally it is doubtful whether it would average $500." DEATH OF MINISTERS OF THE CHUUCH OF SCOTLAND. It is remarkable, that the following ministers of the church of Scotland, have died at so advanced ages, within a few weeks of the 1st of December, 1826. age. year of ministry.' Rev. Dr. Peebles, (Newton Air,) 74, (Nigg,) Rev. Dr. Dobbie, (Linlithgow,) Rev. Mr. M'Gowan, (Dalry,) 80, 81, 83, 80, 49. 51. 57. 54. 54. 43. These clergymen, were the fathers of their respective Presbyteries, and highly esteemed as useful and respectable ministers. Summary of Religious Entelligence. Our most important intelligence for this month, is furnished by letters from Mr. Goodell, dated from Beyroot in the end of September and beginning of October last two months later than any previous intelligence. Asaad Shidiah, was still alive and in prison, where he had been confined and ill treated for more than six months on account of is strong evidence of his steadfastness embracing the Protestant faith. This his profession, when his youth is considered, and that a mere verbal acknowledgement of the Catholic faith would set him at liberty. A long and very interesting statement has been made by him, containing the history of his acquaintance with the Missionaries, the means by which he was brought to renounce the Catholic religion and embrace his present sentiments, and the efforts made, as yet in vain, to bring him back to the church of Rome. We give the following extract from the close of this statement, from which it appears, that this church, long ago drunk with the blood of the saints, is as much a persecutor as ever where she has it in her power. "One day after this, he [the Patriarch Joseph] called me to his presence and began to threaten me in the most unusual manner. I said, 'What do you wish of me, your reverence? What have I done, and what would you have me do? What is my sin, except that I conversed with some individuals, shewing them the errors of the church of Rome?" Then he requested me again, to say, that 1 believed as did that church, and said, grasping me firmly by the chin, see how I will take you if you do not repent.' I begged him to appoint some one to shew me the truth, by way of discussion, but he would not, and continued expressing his own sentiment, that we are bound to hold fast to the church, even to such a length, that if she should even reject the Gospel, we should reject it too. And here I wish to say a word to every reader that regards and loves the truth; how does such doctrine appear to you? and how could I believe in all which the Romish church holds, without knowing all of it? and how could I say without a lie, that I believe, when I do not believe? When I saw the Patriarch breaking out with an exceeding loud and unusual voice, I was afraid that I should be found among the fearful,' (Rev. xxi. 8.) and rose to depart. When I reached the door, I turned and said to him, 'I will hold fast the religion of Jesus Christ, and I am ready for the sake of it to shed my blood; and though you should all become infidels, yet will not I;' and so left the room." "" Mr. Goodell also states, that when Mr. King set out on his return to this country, on account of his feeble state of health, "he left a Farewell Letter to the people of Syria. This contained a testimony to the great truths of the gospel. A translation of this letter was sent to Constantinople, with copious marginal references to scripture proofs prepared by Mr. Goodell. This letter excited great commotion among the Armenians, 100,000 of whom reside in that city and neighborhood. A general meeting of the monks, priests and patriarchs of that church was held; attended also by the Greek patriarch of |
