on the Sabbath, that they may cheerfully pursue their vanities all the rest of the week; and, I fear, there are to be found in our religious assemblies, some who have no better motive for attending the Lord's Supper, than that they may more quietly indulge a life of presumptuous security. I dare not assert a Christian never felt any of these base motions in his heart: but he does more than others. His regard to religion is from principle; his eyes are enlightened to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ; the desire of his soul is to the remem brance of his name; he has an errand at the throne of grace; he comes with thanks for covenant mercies, with tears for manitold sins, with supplication for timely help, and with a sincere intention to surrender himself to his Redeemer and his God. Does he tread the courts of the Lord's house, where the treasures of divine wisdom are displayed? He is not the thoughtless unprofitable spectator there, to hinder, to perplex, and to grieve those who wish to benefit and be benefited; but he is the diligent merchant, "seeking goodly pearls:" he considers his wants, attends with expectation, hears with care, approves with caution, and, having found "the pearl of great price," makes it his own, and rejoices as one that has found great riches.

2d, He is sincerely dependent on the Lord Jesus Christ for the blessings of eternal life. All others have a dependence on some outward privilege, or internal qualification, something done for them or by them, on the purity of their party, orthodoxy of their creed, or the abundance of their revelations; or if, for decency's sake, they talk of the merits of Christ, their own good works are to entitle them to the claim of interest in Jesus the Mediator, and they are to be co-partners in the work. The genuine Christian differs here; he does not despise external advantages, holy dispositions, or uprightness of conduct; he regards the congregations of the upright, loves the truth as it is in Jesus, prays for the teachings of the Holy Spi rit; but he does not, he cannot, depend on any of these as the foundation of his trust, as the ground of his acceptance with an holy God. Christ and his complete righteousness is his only, his all sufficient plea; he comes as a guilty sinner, for a free, a full pardon, and though greatly desirous of vital holiness, it is not that he may make satisfaction for his crimes, but that he may be useful in the world, happy in his own soul, and glorify his God.

3d, The Christian is earnestly concerned for purity of heart; the Pharisee seeks for a fair outside only; the deluded Hypocrite runs after comfort; this is his chief good, though no more entitled to comfort than Amaziah was to peace. The Christian does more than others here; he is not indifferent to outward appearances, nor comfort of heart; but what he most ardently longs for, is an heart purified from sin: he feels, he laments the remains of a body of sin and death; it is the chief burden

of his life; he loves an holy law, an holy gospel, holy ordinances, and an holy heart, with desires after purity; he attends to the duties of Christianity, he hears, he reads, he prays, he communicates; nor will be satisfied till he awake up in the likeness of God.

4th, He lives to the glory of God. The Pharisee and the Hypocrite live to their own glory; to be seen of men, to be admired in the religious world for their good deeds, their judicious knowledge, their deep sorrow or high consolations. The Christian gives God the glory of all, while, with genuine humility, he takes the lowest place; this one object, the glory of God, teaches him when to be silent and when to speak, when to be active and when to rest. This teaches him where to hear, whom to hear, and when to hear; with whom he is to worship, and what connexions he ought to form; when he is to be liberal, and when to be fiugal; what cause he is to support, and what to suppress. He pursues his temporal concerns with the same mind. Is he diligent in business?-it is that he may live honestly; or if be look forward toward affluence, it is that he may better adorn his profession, better promote the gospel of Christ, and the best interests of mankind. The Christian then does more than others, and unless this mind be in us in some degree, and we are aspiring after greater degrees of it, our religion is doubtful, if not altogether vain. And yet, so deeply is the Christian sensible of his defects, so much does he see his obligations, so much love his God, that he cordially acknowledges himself "the least of saints, and of sinners the chief;" and were it not that grace reigns in the salvation of souls, he would sink into despair. Such are the distinguished excellencies of the Christian these are glories which the world does not discern; and could they see them, they would not properly appraise them. The Christian, like an unpolished diamond under the workman's hand, lies obscured from vulgar eyes; but he is brightening for immortality, and shortly death will deliver him from all defilement, and he will shine with celestial lustre in his Redeemer's crown.

Blockley.

Mr. Editor,

THE GOOD SERVANT.

S.

As the Good Master, whose portrait you have lately given, deserves a Good Servant, with your leave, I will sketch him the character of one. The Good Servant is made so by the grace of God, and is reconciled to his situation by the voice of God. "Art thou called, being a servant? care not for it; for he that is called being a servant, is the Lord's freed man." Knowing that it is not the station, but the manner in which we fill it, that makes us either honourable or despicable, he labours

so to serve God as to turn every thing he touches into gold, and make every common duty a spiritual sacrifice. Hence you may be sure he is not an eye-servant, as a man-pleaser ; but in singleness of heart, seeking to please that God whose eye is ever upon him, he never takes advantage of his employer's absence or neglect. "Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity," he adorns the doctrine of God our Saviour, by proving himself to be the faithful guardian of his master's property.

When a servant of a different cast once said to him, "Why, you are as saving of every thing as if it were your own;" he replied, So every honest servant will be.' The same principle makes him resolve never to leave the house in his master's absence, and never to admit into it improper persons. As he knows the scripture has commanded him to please his master well in all things, he pays great attention to his own tempers. He would not allow himself to be surly, nor to answer again when rebuked, nor to mutter, nor to go away in a passionate air. Once, indeed, he was overcome; but it made him afterwards so unhappy, that he could not rest till he had begged his master's pardon for his unbecoming behaviour; and has ever since excelled in the meekness which adorns his station. He was formerly in an ungodly family, where he suffered very much on account of his religion; but dreading the Saviour's reproof, "What do ye more than others," and pitying their awful state, he prayed earnestly for them in secret, avoided increasing their guilt, enmity, and disgust, by "casting pearls before swine;" and displayed such a superiority of temper and conduct, that he won to Christ the soul of a fellow-servant, and obliged his master to say, "I had resolved I never would have a Methodist; but I did not think they were such people as this; for I would give any money to have always such servants as William."

But as our good servant could not enjoy proper opportunities for religion, nor keep the Sabbath in this family, he determined, though he should not have so high wages, to seek a serious master. This he soon found; and from the first hour of entering his service, resolved to pay strict attention to the apostolic command, 2 Tim. vi. 2. " And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved partakers of the benefit." Hence he always keeps a respectful silence and distance, and never insists upon going out to public worship, but obeys his master's will. In this situation he formed an attachment to a fellow-servant, whom he honourably solicited in marriage; and as soon as they knew each other's mind, they intimated it to their master and mistress, who, though grieved at the thought of losing them, were pleased with the connection. What gained his affections? He was stricken with

the cleanliness of her person, and the plainness of her dress; for he had always resolved he never would marry a girl who forgot, or was above her station, and squandered all her wages upon her back, to make herself ridiculous by mimicking her mistress. But he was especially charmed with her modesty, with which she was so completely armed, that the most licentious dared not, in her company, to violate the laws of decency. He knew also that she rose early to worship God in secret, and was always early at her work, that she loved keeping at home, and abhorred gossipping. She was kind and obliging to her fellow-servants, careful of the children's happiness and morals, and such a peace-maker, that she would often do what did not devolve upon her, rather than suffer contention. Once, when her mistress was ill, she watched her with the affectionate solicitude of a daughter, by which she contributed greatly to her recovery. These are the qualities which won our Good Servant to say, "This shall be the wife of my bosom."

Sir,

OBSERVATIONS ON PSALMS XV. AND XXIV.

To the Editor.

I AM not much disposed to find fault, nor qualified to criticize, yet cannot help noticing gross absurdities and downright perversions. I was led to the following thoughts on hearing Dr. Watts's xvth Psalm, long metre (lately sung in public worship) which describes a Perfect Character, and closes with an added verse expressive of a dependence on grace alone for Acceptance; which is an absurdity.

On giving the Psalm, as it stands in our translation, a close reading, and seriously searching into its true import, I was grieved to find the sense of it so much lowered (not to say quite altered) by that great and good man, whose name will ever be justly revered for his inimitable compositions; nor am I the less partial to his Psalms and Hymns, though I endeavour to set one of them, too much accommodated, in its true light. Making this abatement, I think they are the only human poetie compositions, taken together, that are fit to be used in public worship. This by way of apology for the bold attempt I now

make.

Let us first take a view of the Psalm in its moral and accommodated sense, and as the xxivth Psalm treats of the same subject, I shall consider them as one. Ques. Lord, who shall be admitted into thy earthly courts as a worshipper of thee? and who shall stand as a member of thy visible church?'

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Ans. "He who maintains a rectitude of conduct, just in his dealings, whose tongue is the messenger of his heart, without mental reservation; he who is tender of his neighbour's name and character, and hopes the best of every one; he who shuns the lewd and prophane, and highly esteems the sober and religious; he who has not given himself to idolatrous worship;he who scrupulously abides by his engagements, though it be attended with loss to his hurt;-he who taketh no advantage of others necessities, nor can be bribed to pervert judgment ;-he who doeth these things shall maintain his standing in the visible church, esteeined of men, and blessed of God." This truly is an amiable character, worthy of the greatest respect, as an honourable member of civil and religious society; yet has it been exemplified in the lives of some who have been destitute of that faith which purifies the heart; therefore this cannot be the character so justly celebrated in the xvth Psalm; the qualifications just described in an accommodated sense does not entitle him to appear in the presence of God on the ground of his own obedience, which the person really described is entitled to, as will plainly appear on taking a view of the subject in its true light.

The Psalms before us do not describe a character which is applicable to many; but they treat of one certain identical person, whose character they delineate:-'Who shall ascend into the presence of the holy Lord God, and stand before his face, whose eyes cannot behold iniquity? -"He whose thoughts, words, and actions, correspond exactly with the unerring rule of righteousness;-he who bindeth himself, as sponsor, by an oath, to suffer the evil consequent on his responsibility, and changeth not, but fulfils the whole of his undertaking. He that doeth these things, that makes good his engagements, he shall stand the test of the holy law, and receive the reward of righteousness; for him the heavenly gates lift up their heads, to give him entrance; the everlasting doors are lifted up, through which this glorious person has entered, in his own right, as Head and Representative of those for whom he became responsible for, to take possession of those mansions prepared for them from the foundation of the world."

But, lest I should extend this paper beyond due limits, I will only add, that if these remarks shall induce any to study a book so little understood as the book of Psalms, they will be amply rewarded in their work; nor will my poor attempt have been made in vain. "Search the Scriptures (the Law, and the Prophets, &c.) and they are they which-testify of me." "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." "To Him give all the prophets witness."

Lambeth.

H. H.