of its nature, or of the particular object in which it is to be found, are as various as their country, customs, or constituWith all, however, happiness is "the one thing needful," but were men deeply convinced that righteousness is the only introduction, the proper earnest, and even a degree of real happiness itself, what a change would be produced in their characters and conduct! Such a conviction would turn this vale of tears into the region of peace and prosperity! But, alas! were we to traverse the globe, in many of the nations we should find some of the inhabitants, and in most of them, all, who, from the early dawn of life to the last decline of old age, are crying, "Who will shew us any good?" These men, therefore, are the greatest friends to mankind who discover a concern to have them enlightened by the "ministrations of righteousness" and of salvation. Already, Paganism has stretched its devices to the utmost extent; Popery has introduced its pictures and images to amuse the minds of men; and Mahometanism has held forth its sensual paradise to allure the voluptuous: but nothing short of the pure, unadulterated gospel of Christ can shew men the way to righteousness, or insure to them the inheritance of perfect happiness! This is a lesson of which men are awfully ignorant: but, - Thirdly, God is the effectual Teacher of this truly interesting lesson, although he sometimes employs the severe method of his judgments to impress this truth upon the mind. If he lift up his hand, he expects us to take notice of it; his judgments are neither to be despised nor trifled with. Should men, therefore, resolve to shut their eyes when his hand is lifted up; and stop their ears, that they may not hear the voice of his rod, they shall feel the smart of the one by the weight of the other. By his judgments now in the earth, God has opened a school to impart instruction to men. "These judgments are intended to warn the careless, to alarm the thoughtless, to rouse the secure, and to quicken the dull." He then that is wise will observe these things; but no man will learn this lesson properly, but he that is taught it of God. He smites one nation to instruct another: "because they have no changes, therefore, they fear not God *." When prosperity keeps a settled course, the earth is at rest and quiet; but when extraor dinary turns of Providence, or judicial changes occur, then judgments produce fear; fear, repentance; repentance, prayer; and all of them issue in the bringing forth of righteousness. The cry is then heard, "Who would not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name; for thy judgments are made manifest!"To this school of judgment, God sent his own Son, to learn what that righteousness was which was requisite to justify the ungodly. Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and by what he suffered, we ↑ Heb. v. 8. * Ps. lv. 19. + Rev. xv 4. are taught the holiness of the divine law, the evil that there is in sin, the rights of justice, and the riches of grace and mercy. By his judgments now in the earth, we also are taught the necessity of repentance, of personal and national reformation, and of immediately breaking off iniquity by righteousness. The present voice of his rod, now laid on the nations, addresses both our crimes and consciences, saying, "Shall I not visit for these things? Shall I not be avenged on such a nation as yours?" To learn righteousness, is the only way of averting ruin. May God write his instructions on our hearts! - for, Fourthly, Sooner or later, the grand end of all God's judgments shall be accomplished in the inhabitants of the world learning righteousness. We seem, at present, to have made little progress in this divine science; yea, have let slip things which we have learned; but this divine Teacher fainteth not, neither is he weary. A great work is now before him: much he has to bear from the untoward disposition of his scholars; but he keeps adding line to line, and precept to precept: if one class receives not instruction, he dismisses that with displeasure, and introduces another. Thus will he go on to instruct, to correct, to dismiss, or to introduce, till the people become all righteous, and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ; and ignorant, wicked, yea, rebellious as the world is at prosent, the day will come, when, from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, his name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place, incense shall be offered to his name, and a pure offer ing; for his name shall be great among the Heathen §." We may not live to see the day when God does this; - but, Fifthly, It is a blessing to individuals, and may prove of advantage to many, if even a few are brought to say, "With my soul have I desired thee in the night, when others seek their rest or pleasure; and with my spirit within me will I seek thee early, when in the morning others return with eagerness to the world."-The vehemence of desire is here expressed by retired thoughtfulness; for when the soul is said to do, what nothing but the soul can do, it supposes the most ardent exertions of the soul put forth in seeking the Lord. To desire with the soul, evidences the sweetest delight, and the highest expectations in the object desired. It is in effect, saying, Teach me, Lord, by the voice of thy judgments, - cause me to learn righteousness, make me humble and holy, -hide me in thy pavilion, in the secret of thy tabernacle bide me, set me upon the rock . Thus will the Christian seek to hide himself; pleading also for the peace of the place, and for the prosperity of the nation in which he dwells. He will give the Lord no rest, night nor day, till he establish Zion, and make it a praise throughout the world! AGNUS. Sir, REMARKS ON 1 COR. XV. 24, 25, 28. [Extracted from the late Dr. Erskine's Sermons.] To the Editor. To the subjects of the King of Zion, every thing relative to his kingdom is deeply interesting: the more clearly they understand the nature, laws, immunities, and duration of this kingdom, the more are they struck with the exalted glory of their King, and of their own inexpressible felicity as ranking among his subjects. Whatever is calculated to throw light upon passages of Scripture connected with the subject of the Redeemer's kingdom, unquestionably merits attentive regard. Of this description is that noted passage 1 Cor. xv. 24, 25, 28, confessedly difficult; upon which, it is hoped, the subjoined Remarks of the late pious and learned Dr. John Erskine will be found to throw some light; and of course will prove acceptable and profitable to your readers, as they have to others, and to yours, &c. Leeds. W. F. "CHRIST'S power over all flesh shall appear in ruling his church in Heaven, and imparting to them the blessings of his glory. "He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." It seems absurd to suppose that he, who is emphatically termed the Prince of Peace, shall enjoy his power only while wars and oppositions remain; and shall be divested of it when enemies are conquered, and peace established by their destruction. No; he shall for ever continue the king of his church, the channel thro which all their bliss is conveyed, the bond of their union with God, the medium of their access to him: the spring and security of all the happiness of saints in Heaven, is shortly this: "The Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and lead them unto living fountains of waters." Every enjoyment will be enhanced to them, and doubly relished, when received from the hands which, for their redemption, were nailed to the accursed tree. Scarcely could Christ be said to give eternal life to as many as were given him by the Father, if he only bestowed on them the first fruits of that life, not the full harvest. Imagine not that when Christ conducted you to the palace of the Father, his relation to you as a Mediator, and his acts of kindness to you in consequence of that relation, cease. No; he ever liveth to make intercession for His throne is for ever and ever; and it is the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, into which an entrance shall be ministered abundantly. Christ is called our life ; which, as is evident from the context, must mean, That as he now imparts to us the blessings of his grace, so, hereafter, he will impart the blessings of glory. When the marriage of the Lamb is come, the church will not receive less from her heavenly Husband than when she was only espoused to him; and when the redeemed shall reign for ever and ever, surely the Redeemer shall not cease to reign! "I know that many learned and pious divines have taught a different doctrine, and argued speciously in support of it, from 1 Cor. xv. 24, 25, 28. But in matters of faith, calling no man Father, we ought to bring every opinion to the touchstone of the sacred oracles; and to explain what is more dark and obscure in a way consistent with what is more clear and explicit. Christ shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; but as the Father did not cease to reign when all power was given to Christ in Heaven and in earth, so neither shall the Son cease to reign when he delivers up the kingdom to the Father; as the Father's reign shall not then begin, so the Son's reign shall not then terminate. The kingdom, therefore, in this passage, means The Subjects of the Kingdom. Christ having completed the salvation of every one of them, shall present them all to the Father, saying, "Behold I and the children which God hath given me." He shall give an account of what he did on earth, in consequence of the trust committed to him; and shall claim, that the purchase of his blood and the conquests of his grace, may inherit the kingdom to which they are thus entitled, and for which they have been thus prepared. "The King of Zion must reign till he hath put all his enemies under his feet; but to infer from this, that he must reign no longer, is as absurd as it would be to infer from Michal, the daughter of Saul, having no child unto the day of her death, that after her death she had a child! David says, "The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." Lest this should lead to false notions of the duration of Christ's kingdom, we are told "He for ever sat down on the right hand of God §." "We are informed, that " when all things shall be subject to him, then shall the Son also himself be subject to him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." But this neither proves that Christ's power over all flesh ends, or that his subjection to the Father commences with the general resurrection. Both in the purchase and application of salvation, Christ always acted as the Father's righteous servant; and in the Scripture, things are often said to happen when they are * 2 Sam. vi. 23. Col. iii. 3. Heb. x. 12. known and made manifest. We have three instances of this in one chapter: "Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar" i. e. Let God be acknowledged true, and every man accounted a liar who arraigns the divine faithfulness: -" What things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God;" i. e. May appear to be guilty, may have their guilt manifested :-" That God might be just;" i.e. That he might appear to be just.-Let me apply these observations to the present subject. The apostle to the Hebrews having told us, that " God hath put all things under Christ's feet, yea, left nothing that is not put under him t," immediately adds," But now we see not yet all things put under him :" in like manner, if we know the Mediator's subjection to the Father, it is now by faith, not by sight; but, after the resurrection, when Christ shall give an account of all he hath done for the salvation of those given him by the Father, that subjection shall be more fully manifested to the whole rational creation. Thus the spirits of the prophets are said to be subject to those other prophets who judge what they have spoken §. Indeed, the Son, as Head of the redeemed, shall, through all eternity, acknowledge that, in the glorious scheme of man's redemption, all things are of God; and shall lead the worshippers of the higher house, in their expressions of reverence, love, and subjection, to his Father and their Father, his God and their God! Thus there is nothing in this passage inconsistent with the clear declarations in other passages of Scripture, that Christ's mediatorial relation to his people shall continue for ever; and that he shall eternally exert his power, in consequence of these relations, for their benefit; and if this is indeed one branch of the Redeemer's revealed glory, doubtless, it concerns us to ascribe it to him." *Rom. iii. 4, 19, 26. 1 Cor. xiv. 32, compared with ver. 29. + Heb. ii. 8. No. II. Dear Sir, ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF YOUR enquiry, as to the Present State of the School at St. Florance, encourages me to send you the following pleasing account; but I cannot proceed without saying, that nothing but your kind solicitations would have induced me to give you the information I have received, fearing it might appear too much like a spirit of boasting. I trust, however, I shall not incur |