us for immortality. And regarding it thus, who does not tremble at the thought of possessing it? It cannot be bestowed in a single instance in vain. The obligations under which it lays us are great, unending, and ever augmenting. We cannot escape them, and not only so, but the account of our stewardship will shortly be de manded, when a voice will proclaim, "Unto him that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath."

Long Melford, Suffolk.

J. BURGESS.

If

TEST OF SPIRITUAL INERTIA. SITUATED as we are, by a gracious Providence, in this land of peculiar. Gospel privilege and blessing, where the beams of Divine illumination centre, as it were, in a focus of light and liberty, unequalled upon the surface of our globe,-here, surely, we must look for the bulk of those God-fearing, world-despising, redeemed ones, who, as the bulwarks of truth and righteousness, embody alike in principle and practice all that is Christ-like, heavenly-minded, and spiritual. here, in the hearts of those who form the mass of our churches, these Divine lineaments are wanting or stinted in their development, we shall vainly search for them on other shores. If here the plant of holiness flourish not in full vigour and maturity, in this clime, rich in every property of soil and sunshine suited to its growth, cheered by the rays of the Spirit, quickened by the breath of Heaven's ambassadors, refreshed by every respiration of that atmosphere in which Christian communion exhales its invigorating perfumes, and watered with the showers of Divine grace and consolation-if here the fruit of the Spirit be not found in full perfection, whither shall we turn? But to prove if the hypothesis be justified by actual observation, we must consider where we shall find the evidence of these fruits of holiness in the conduct of believers. How gladly we may suppose, after six days' wear and tear in contact with the world, do they hail the return of that season of rest, the gift of their Divine Benefactor and Lord-the Sabbath. What value must attach to its hours; and with how much delight do the tribes

of our spiritual Israel repair to the place where prayer is wont to be made, and God, in gracious return, diffuses his graces down. There the Christian catches a breath of the gales wafted to refresh his weary spirit from that land where his best affections lie, his heavenly home, for the realization of whose perfections and joys he pants; here he catches a sweet foretaste of future bliss, while for a time the pursuits, trials, and perplexities of life are left at the foot of the mountain, and he ascends to worship and hold communion with his God. What value must and should attach to such seasons! how should their return be antedated with eager desire and all-pervading anticipation!

The Christian's home being heaven, and this world only his scene of probation, a mere vestibule to a brighter and nobler sphere of being, an outer court of the inner temple, where all is holy and undefiled, while much of impurity and taint mixes with all the scenes and circumstances of earth; a fitting realization and appreciation of present disabilities and hindrances by the renewed mind should tend to make all sublunary scenes and associations sink in his esteem, while viewed in comparison with the paramount attrac tions of that better life, towards which his hopes aspire and his steps are continually tending.

The world, and the love of it, should be conquered, brought into subjection, and made in all circumstances subsidiary to the grand aim of the Divine plan in man's being (in which the renewed subject must inevitably participate), the enjoyment of its Creator, Sanctifier, and Redeemer, here and hereafter, in a steady striving after an advancement of his glorification. This would create the Christian's attribute of deadness to secularities, and contrariwise, vigour and energy in all that relates to his spiritual well-being, personally and relatively.

Admitting, then, that all this may be included in his value of, and delight in, the privileges of the Sabbath, that his conduct and demeanour bespeak such a state of heart as we have endeavoured to describe, we may naturally conclude that the early recurrence of such a season, with all its blissful realizations and anticipations, its antiworldly spirit, would be a cherished object of desire. View, then, its ap

proximation in the intervening services of the week-day, where, as being more restricted-would that they were far less so than the great miscellaneous congregation, a holier spirit pervades the assembly, strength and vigour are instilled into the sinews, and the armour burnished, destined to battle with the armies of the alien. Where, at these seasons, are the majority of our church-members? In the exercise of the utmost degree of Christian charity, can we grant them a lawful cause of absence from these springs of consolation by the way? How must the heart of a devoted pastor, earnest and anxious for the spiritual advancement of his flock, sink within him, when at the prayermeeting or lecture he views the numbers who waited on the words of life as they fell from his lips on the past Sabbath, now diminished to the small remnant his eye might easily number! Here, we aver, without injustice, is the occasion from which to estimate the spiritual vitality of the times in which we live, to test the strength of Zion's stronghold; alas! that it should so betray her weakness.

The pastor of one of our most flourishing churches has confessed his inability to account for the mysterious fact that the increase of attendance at weekly services does not nearly keep pace with the proportionate extension of his church-members-a humiliating fact of our day. And if this indifference is visible to the outward means of grace, what must we augur of the relative interest maintained in those social and more private acts of devotion in the due estimation of which is manifested the vigour of that inner and hidden Christian life which springs forth from a close and consistent walk with God? If prayer be estimated by the saint as it truly should be, the vital spring of action as regards his spiritual life, surely the house of prayer should be dear to him, cherished by ten thousand ties of sacred obligation and invaluable privilege. In neglecting it, he manifests a culpable indifference to all these; an undervaluing of the means of grace, the special divinely-appointed means of man's conversion and edification; he inconsiderately fails in duly upholding his pastor's hands, and in lending his aid, by his presence, in cheering and animating him in his

arduous and difficult work. By his absence he helps to dispirit the hearts of his fellow-members, and in a measure to bring discredit upon the consistency of his profession; yea, he does what in him lies to tempt God to remove that blessed light of Gospel truth which now shines so brightly, but which, if not appreciated at its just worth, may, in righteous judgment, be again withheld, and cause us to feel the value of the blessing in its loss. Because the opportunity is easy of access, and no reproach attaches to the disciple of the cross, but rather to the avowed unbeliever, the barrier separating the Church from the world is lowered, the spirit of the latter encroaches on the former; and while commerce and secularities are allowed to assert their undisputed right to absorb the thought, attention, and activity of the six days of the week, in too many instances the seventh alone has to serve the double purpose of impairing the exhausted faculties of the frame, and furnishing space for the higher claims of religion and godly consistency. Speaking as unto Christian men, to those to whom it applies, Christians and brethren, ought these things so to be? S.

STOP AND THINK.

"I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto Thy testimonies."

THE want of reflection is the fertile cause of serious and incalculable misery. Thought is expended on the visions of the moment, the dreams of time, the uncertain future. Thousands pass on to eternity, and to judgment, and never stop to think or make the inquiry, Where am I going? The salvation of the precious soul is buried beneath the rubbish of earthly care and the unceasing pursuits of life. There is a constant, uniform, restless activity, a concentration of the noblest powers of the mind on the shadows of time. The revelations of God, the threatenings of the Divine vengeance against sin, alarm not, or suffice to arrest the torrents of iniquity which everywhere abound. There is a magic spell in life's pleasures, which decoys only to destroy. Fearful, indeed, is the condition of all who never pause to reflect on the consequences of a sinful course. The want of serious

thought is the real cause why so many live destitute of real religion. The neglect of a diligent reading of the Scriptures is inevitably followed by a righteous retribution. God never can bless that soul with light, and love, and heavenly influence, who despises or treats with indifference the Divine revelation. Wherever prayerful study of the Bible is diligently pursued, it follows, as a consequence, that the mind becomes enlightened, converted, sanctified. The use of means to insure a harvest of spiritual blessings, is as imperative as the diligent sowing of seed in the ground to produce its natural fruits. How astounding is the fact that the careful, attentive search after Divine truth is lost sight of, because there is no moment for reflection on the great aim and end of life! God has endowed his creatures with the highest faculties, given them reason, judgment, and understanding-all, indeed, for the sole purpose of advancing their happiness, and promoting his own glory; and yet these powers are prostituted to the most debasing pursuits, sinful pleasures, and endless follies; and what is more striking, is the uncertainty written on all which hourly transpires, either in the accumulation of wealth, personal aggrandizement, elevation in society, or aspiration to honour. Death may come with every fleeting breath, and bury for ever the mirth and gaiety of the careless, thoughtless, trifling heart. There may exist conviction of the danger of continuing in the routine of earthly schemes, and maddened delight in a sensual and debasing course; but how often is the voice of conscience drowned by excuses frivolous as they are sinful. The absence of reflection on the awful realities of the invisible world, personal accountability, the judgment to come, is the source of endless ruin to thousands. My object is, to lead to the conviction, to fix the thought, to fasten the truth on the conscience and the heart, that no one can ever expect a change of character, a preparation for death, a meetness for heaven, until there is formed a settled determination, a decided, earnest resolution to reflect on the momentous question, Am I saved, or am I not? There is no time to be lost or frittered away, lest by the mere act of delay for another hour, the opportunity should pass away for ever, and the

soul be irremediably lost! My reader, have you ever solemnly, carefully gleaned a few moments of that precious time which God has given you, to deal honestly, truthfully, and faithfully with your own conscience? Have you sat down in the silent chamber, and taken the Bible, and opened the sacred leaves, and lifted your heart in fervent prayer to God for the help and influence of his Holy Spirit, to enlighten your dark mind to comprehend the glorious truths which are there wondrously unfolded? Have you urged your prayer to Him who is the Hearer of prayer, that he would bless you, and shed the light of his countenance upon you? Have you weighed the important truth, that you are bound to love God as much as the bright angels in his immediate presence? Have you considered deeply and thoughtfully that without holiness you never can enjoy the bliss of heaven? Have you pondered the solemn words, The soul that sinneth shall die? Have you read that none shall be admitted to share in the glory to be revealed, except those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life? Have you understood that unless you are washed from your sins in the blood of the Lamb, justified by faith, and sanctified by his Spirit, you can never see the face of God and live? Have you been mindful of the one thing needful? Have you wept over your sins, which have pierced the heart of the Saviour, and deeply repented of past transgression? Have you fled to Jesus for salvation from the wrath to come? Have you stood in fear lest the judgments of God should overtake you while yet unconverted, and trembled in the thought of appearing before a holy God? Have you regarded the Sabbath as a day of delight, and rejoiced to go up to the tabernacle of the Lord, and keep holy his day? If not, you have never reflected on the momentous question of your personal salvation; you have never adopted as your own the language of the Psalmist, "I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto Thy testimonies. Well may it be said unto you, Stop, and think, before it be too late; before the approaching tempest of Divine vengeance overtake you, and you die in your sins, a Christless, lost soul! "The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent taketh it by force; " in