ple, after the manner of a rational, natural, and permanent instinct. This the Spirit of God calls a new man: — a man, as it resides in and influenceth the whole person: ;-- new, as it succeeds the corruption of our nature, which is defined the old man, as it is excellent and beautiful in itself, and, instead of fading, it increaseth in life and vigour. The Holy Ghost also comes in a divine nature; a phrase which marks that it proceeds from God, corresponds with his inimitable perfections, resembles his moral ones, and leads to the full enjoyment of him in Heaven. This principle serves to enable and dispose us to acts of holiness. The tree is good, and accordingly the fruit is good. Before, however, I call your attention to acts of holiness, you will permit me to observe, that the principle, while in itself simple and one, may yet be distinguished according to the different forms which it assumes, in suitableness to the faculties which are the subjects of it. For the understanding the principle of grace is a power and disposition of apprehending, thinking, judging, esteeming, devising, searching, and reasoning on divine things in a just and natural manner. In the conscience, it is a power and disposition of cleaving to the righteousness of Jesus, as the atonement for removing guilt and purging from dead works; a reverential regard to God and his holy commandments; and an earnest abhorrence of all wickedness, even the most spiritual. In the will and affections, it is an inclination and capacity to choose, love, and delight in God in Christ, as our God and portion; and in every thing good in proportion to its connexion with him; and in our ability and readiness to yield obedience to God's revealed will; and to hate, be grieved with, and flee from every thing displeasing to him. In the memory, it is a power and disposition to forget trifles, wickedness, and what tends to defile; and to retain impressions of the words and works of God, chiefly the most important. To joy no more in the body, for the body too is sanctified. It is a backwardness from serving Sin and Satan, and a readiness in being instrumental in righteousness. Perhaps, you are thinking I have said too much on the extensive nature of this principle; but my warrant to speak of it in this form is clear. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." Is this the whole of our sanctification? No; 1 hinted before, and must repeat it, that sanctification may be considered as it affects our practice. This is nothing else than the exertion of the holy principle in innumerable acts. This, in Scripture, is termed a keeping God's judgments; which imports a strict retaining of God's words in our hearts and memories, and a habitual attention to them in our conduct. It is designated a walking in his statutes; denoting that holiness of life is a deliberate, pleasant observation of God's love: it is named also a running of the race set before us; signifying that Christians, in the believing improvement of Christ as the way to the Father, and in the practical use of the commandments as the way of holiness, do, with vigour, cheerfulness, and constancy, press forward, from one degree of grace to another, till they arrive at perfection. If you would allow me here to make distinctions, I would observe, that the acting of the principle of holiness may be considered either as referring to what is required, or what is prohibited by the law. As to the precepts of the law, this gracious principle operates in our living to God, both in word and exercises; such as considering the things that belong to our peace, believing and embracing the promises, fearing the Lord in a filial manner, and possessing our souls in patience; and also in outward performances, as praying with all prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, searching the Scriptures daily, singing praises to God's name, &c. The same principle of grace prompts us to perform those duties which have his honour for their end, while men are their immediate object. This disposeth us to be kind parents, faithful masters, obedient children, and diligent servants: it inclines us to render to all their dues; or, as our Lord expresseth it, "to do unto others as we wish they would do to us." With regard to the prohibitions of the law, the gracious principle issues in our dying unto sin; it disposeth us voluntarily to maintain thoughts of the great guilt, vileness, and danger of what is opposite to the divine law; it inclines us to wish that God would heap tenfold vengeance on it; and to make a believing improveinent of Christ's cross, for the mortification of corruption, and especially of the sin which most easily besets us. Under its influence, a man denies himself, is crucified to the world, watcheth against the temptations of Satan, and habitually avoids the more gross crimes of profane swearing, Sabbath-breaking, drunkenness, &c. It is true, that, while here, no man is perfect; and if any say that he hath no sin, he deceiveth himself. But there are in the church persons who have attained much more holiness than others. There are, among the saints, children, young men, and fathers; and is it not a pleasing consideration, that those, in whom sanctification is begun, make advances, by degrees, in holiness, till at last they are pure as God is pure? I know you reckon this a comfortable doctrine; and have no doubt but you heartily unite with me, when I say, May the God of Peace make both of us perfect, working in us that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever! Amen. Yours, sincerely, A. B. REFLECTIONS ON TIME. WHERE is yesterday? It is gone for to-day? Its moments are on the wing! row? "In another world! To numbers this is certain; ever! - Where is Where is to-mor YOUNG. On what then are our hopes built? on time or eternity? on earth or Heaven? Is the creature or the Creator our chief good? the uncertain stream or the boundless ocean, our source of supply?-These are momentous enquiries. May we lay them to heart! May Reflection feed upon them! May Grace improve them! Of what infinite value is time! "Tis the space given for repentance, or to fill up the measure of our iniquities; - 'tis the prelude, the forerunner of Heaven or of Hell; and yet, how short, how uncertain its duration ! "How, like the dial's tardy moving shade, Yet soon the hour is up, and we are gone!" YOUNG. How small a part of time elapsed, has been given to our God! - how much to vanity and folly! The world has claim-. ed its portion, and we have acceded to its demand. Business bas required its allotment, and we have granted its request. Our wearied bodies have asked for their share; and hours have been allotted to sleep which might have been more profitably employed in praise and prayer. Sinful diversions, in our unconverted state, have stolen from us, day after day; and midnight has frequently not ended our thoughtless revels. These, and nameless other objects, have, at one period or another, engrossed our attention, our affection, our esteem; but how small a portion have we reserved for reflection, for prayer, for soul concerns! Well may we adore the clemency of our God, and, with the prophet, exclaim, "It is of the Lord's mercies we are not consuined; and because his compassions fail not: blessed be his name, they are new every morning! But what are now our thoughts, our views, our dispositions? Have we profited by experience; and can we say the time past of our life has sufficed us, to have wrought the will of the Gentiles; to have served divers lusts and passions. Are we now obeying, from the heart, the divine injunction, "Come out from among them, and be ye separate; and touch not the unclean thing?" Are our thoughts, our desires, our pursuits, such as become those who are called to glory and virtue, such as are suited to the dignity of the followers of Christ, and heirs of his kingdom? Can we throw down the gauntlet with our divine Saviour, and say, Which of you convinceth me of sin? Alas! we cannot our experience tells us that, in many things, we offend; that in all we come short of that glory, in which it is our privilege, and should be our ambition, at all times to shine. How circumscribed are our views of God, of his word, and of ourselves! How much dross is still mixed with the fine gold of the kingdom! How often does a deceitful heart betray itself, and tell us we have not yet attained, neither are already perfect! What reflections should these convictions produce? May they not briefly be these: A new period of time is begun; another year (perhaps my last) is commenced. Lord, let it be devoted to thee! let our hearts, our lives, our all, be thine! We desire to love thee! Make us ashamed that we are still so cold; make us glow with divine ardour; claim us as the purchase of thy blood, as the conquest of thy love, and henceforth "Be thou our all, Our theme, our inspiration, and our crown, Our strength in age, our rise in low estate ; Our souls ambition, pleasure, wealth; our world, Our light in darkness, and our life in death !" Amen. YOUNG. G. R. HINTS FOR DOING GOOD. I WAS a good deal puzzled, Mr. Editor (for that I suppose is your name, as every body calls you so) with something you put in your Magazine about a year ago, That there is no Christian who cannot do somewhat for the cause of God and religion.' This is all true, said I, if he means the great and rich people who live where he does; but I am sure he is not so wise as I thought, if he says so of such poor folks as we are in our village. In spite of this, your saying followed me day and night, till I was quite vexed about it; and I resolved to go to our minister, to get him to tell you how wrong it was. What can I do, said I? He talks a great deal about Missionary Societies, Tract Societies, building meetings, Widows' Funds, and such things; but let me do my best, in these hard times, with the little my precious husband left me when he died, I cannot afford more than 5s. a year to my dear minister and his large family; and I am sure I cannot spare any thing for these. He says Sunday-Schools are a fine way of doing good. That may be; but my eyes are so bad, and my cough so troublesome in winter, that I cannot do that. But all this would not do; your words stuck in my heart like a nail; so that I was forced to go to our minister to talk to him about it; and complain that a good man, like you, should say such things to hurt poor people's minds. He tried to comfort me, by telling me that he was sure you did not mean to do that; and that you had some of the great folks in your eye when you wrote, who did not do so much as they ought; but spent their money in fine clothes, and such things. And next Sabbath-day, dear man, he preached such a sermon on the Parable of the Talents, as made us poor people satisfied with Providence for not giving us the means of doing so much good as we wished; and I am sure, if your rich people had heard it, they could not but have parted with their money, whether they liked it or no. Indeed, my neighbour Mr. Flight, the schoolmaster, told me in confidence, that it was as elloquacious and argufactory a sermon as one of your Missionary discourses, which he had just read; and he had some thoughts of writing to the Secretary to get our minister appointed to preach next year; and if so, he would help him to find a Lattin motter + for the title-page, when it was printed. * Some weeks after this, I went to take a little broth to my neighbour Betty Jones, who has a large family of seven children, and was lying-in of the eighth, and to talk with her; for when she is able, she comes to our meeting, although her husband will not come with her. I said, “ Betty, I am sorry to see your children running about so on the Sabbath-day.' "Ah said she, " so am I too; but what can I do? their father won't take care of them; and when I am well, I sometimes see them to the meeting myself, and come back again; but now I cannot do it. I fear they will all be ruined!"- and with that, cried till her heart was like to break. Upon this, a thought came into my mind; and, said l to myself, Well, I have now found out what has been perplexing my mind for these months past, -a little way of doing good. Without telling Betty what I was thinking about, I said to her, Betty, would you be glad if somebody would take your children to meeting on the Sabbath-day, and bring them home to you when it was over? "O how thankful should I be !" said she. Well then, Betty,' said I, let the eldest girl wash them clean, and bring them to my house next Sabbath, and I will take them.' I was not satisfied with this; but away went I to another neighbour, Sarah Black, who has also a great family, and to several others, and made the same offer; which they all accepted with joy; so that in a short time I had upwards of twenty children, little dears, who came to me, morning and afternoon on the Sabbath-day, and walked before me to meet ing as regularly as a flock of sheep. What is more, our dear |