tiring zeal to disseminate principles of universal benevolence, to ameliorate the condition of man, and soften the asperities of existence-are they not ours-ours indissolubly, the household deities, there shrined for ever? Ages on ages have rolled into the abysses of the past since some of these have blessed earth with their presence; ages on ages, yet distant, shall follow in their course, but the memories of such die not.

"Till the future dare

Forget the past, their fate and fame shall be
A record and a light unto eternity."

Another feature of moral beauty is the universality of its language. There are some whose dull perceptions can little discern the charms of nature; there are intellects which cannot appreciate depth of thought in others; but where shall we find "the human face divine" from which the stamp of that divinity hath so totally passed, that the mind within is insensible to gentle treatment and deeds of kindness? Moral beauty is a language of nature that cannot be misinterpreted. Who cannot distinguish between the harsh tones of anger, and its contortions of countenance, and the sweet music of the gentle voice, and the benevolent smile of affectionate solicitude? It possesses yet another qualification. For an appreciation of its excellence it depends not on adventitious circumstances of time and place. The unsubstantial foundation on which the fame of the philosopher has perhaps been reared, future discoveries in science may overturn. Creeds and dogmas, devoutly believed in one country, or at one period, are treated with contempt in another clime, or a different age. Customs and institutions, hallowed by time, and sanctioned by extensive usage, share the same fate. But beauty-seraphic, engaging moral beautyit passeth not thus, nor is thus limited. It depends not on the voice of antiquity, or the authority of modern opinion, for the magic of its power. African and Laplander, Hindoo and Canadian, the pilgrim exile from the vast prairie lands of his fathers, in the vale of the Missisippi, equally with the civilized European, acknowledge its divinity, and bow before it. They may, and do vary somewhat in their capacities for under

standing its excellence; but all feel its penetrating influence, all regard it as a pearl of price.

One other feature of the virtuous in character, we would here advert to, though not strictly falling within the limits of our subject. Under certain circumstances, it ceases to be merely beautiful; it becomes sublime. When banded oppression would crush that high independence of moral principle, of thought and feeling, which only yields to the promptings of its own pure nature, acknowledging no superior save the Being whose voice in these utterances of the heart it recognizes,when error and superstition strive to suppress truth, to enslave and debase the free spirit of its propagators, and when the object of their malignant hostility, true to himself, to man, and to man's Maker, braves, with undaunted soul, the storm of power that raves around him; braves universal reproach, imprisonment or death, for the cause of his heart,—what is wanting in the picture to make it a scene of moral grandeur, commanding our deepest sympathy and reverence? Many are those deathless ones, who have thus fought, struggled, died to effect the emancipation of humanity from personal, and yet more from mental bondage. Verily, they have their reward. The proud consciousness of unbending integrity, which worlds could not purchase, nor human power destroy, cheered them on, and sustained them in the past; and a name of honourable mention, traced in the scroll of eternity, and the deep gratitude of myriads,-that shall be their future. One illustrious example under this head, and we have done. When the all but unanimous voice of a nation rejected, scorned, defamed, condemned him to death; when it ceased not to pour contempt upon him, even in the hour of his wrongful and legalized execution, adding ignominy to injustice; and when he, the meek Galilean, the transcendent lustre of whose character proclaimed the divinity of his mission, looking unto heaven, breathed thitherward his last prayer, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do," then was witnessed a moral spectacle of sublimity unparallelled in the annals of time.

But we have as yet dealt only in generalities. De

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scending into detail, we find that moral, like material beauty, has not only various general characteristics, but is also capable of subdivision of parts, of being analysed. By this means, we learn the relative proportions and value of each part of the fair whole. For barren, aimless declamation, abstract terms suffice; but if we would penetrate down deep into the inmost recesses of our moral nature; if we would address ourselves to it in language, clothed in the utmost vitality which it is possible to convey to the silent medium of human intercommunion; if we would stir it up to a wakeful energy, and, as we pass in array before it the lights of our race, would say to it, with a voice of power, "Go thou and do likewise," we must pourtray the elements of moral beauty, charm by charm, lineament by lineament, giving unto each a vivid individuality. This part of our task, however, we must reserve for some future occasion.

HOMO VERITAS LIBERTAS.

DIVINE JUSTICE AND MERCY NOT INCOMPATIBLE.

Ir there be any one truth more clearly revealed than another in the Book of life it is, that " God is love,"that he is "the Lord God merciful and gracious, who forgiveth iniquity, transgression, and sin;"-that "if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." In truth we depend not on Revelation solely for proofs of the infinite goodness of the Deity. The genial breezes of heaven, the beauty and fertility of earth, man's physical and moral constitution, and, in short, Nature with her ten thousand voices, clear as proofs of Holy Writ, proclaim that goodness. But the sin-pardoning mercy of the Deity, on man's repentance, required to be more particularly revealed, and revealed it is in every page of God's sacred word. Yet, notwithstanding, the whole spirit and tenour of what is popularly called orthodoxy, is a direct negation of this great truth. Christians who hold the Bible to be the word of God, refuse to mould their faith according to its teachings in this particular, While de

crying the use of reason on religious subjects, they assert that reason is opposed to this doctrine of the divine benevolence;-that an act of free forgiveness is incompatible with the holiness of God's character;— that his justice shuts the doors of mercy on mankind, which could not have been opened save by the infinite satisfaction made by Christ.

Let us for a moment examine this orthodox assumption. It represents the attributes of the Deity as incompatible, opposes attribute to attribute as the doctrine of the Trinity opposes infinite to infinite, and what is this but to divide God? If the Deity cannot perform an act of mercy without trenching on his justice, or an act of justice without limiting his benevolence, then is there no harmony in the divine character; it is a house divided against itself;—it is two opposing forces which mutually counteract and destroy each other; and in short, according to this supposition, God is neither infinitely just, nor infinitely benevolent. Such a supposition, therefore, is evidently unworthy the character of God, and must result from a wrong idea as to the true nature of justice, or the end it aims at in the divine government. What, then, let us ask, is the great object of the divine administration? The aim of God's government is just that which should be the aim of all governments, the production of the greatest happiness of the greatest number,-of the greatest good that circumstances will permit. In the exercise of that government, he manifests, as we say, two attributes, the attribute of justice, and that of mercy. He manifests justice in punishing transgressors; he manifests mercy in conferring favonrs. If transgressors are not punished, it is said, either in person or by substitute, justice suffers; its exercise is limited ; God's holiness is implicated; but here rests the error, for this is not the case. What is the object of those punishments that justice may inflict? Are they vindictive in their nature, or are they meant for the reformation of the offender? Does God act from cruelty and wrath, or does he not in mercy chasten us to lead us back to virtue? The latter only can be the case under his wise and righteous administration. Thus the very punishments

which divine justice inflicts, have for their aim the purposes of mercy. God always, as man sometimes, punishes the criminal with the view to his correction. What is there then incompatible in the exercise of these two attributes? If the criminal may be reformed without having recourse to the strict exercise of justice, is God compelled by any invincible fate or necessity of his own nature, still to exercise it? If the sinner's heart may be more touched by the goodness of the Lord than by the severe execution of his laws, what is there to prevent God, like earthly rulers, from suspending the rigorous sentence even though pronounced, and softening the sinner's heart by the rays of divine mercy There is then no incompatiblity betwixt divine mercy and justice in their exercise.

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Is it still said that divine justice must be satisfied if deprived of its lawful victim? I reply is justice a God, superior to God, that it should control the will of God? No justice, whether divine or human, if it be justice at all, can demand a recompense for the criminal's release. That would be for justice itself to demand a price for acting unjustly. It rests with the king to substitute mercy for justice, if he please; and every wise and merciful governor will do so where he sees reason to believe that it will be attended with a more beneficial effect. But if justice be preferred, she must, and on the criminal alone, execute the sentence. And as the very

object of the divine justice is to reform the criminal, it would be at once inconsistent in it to demand a recompense, and opposed to its own design to execute the sentence after that reformation had actually taken place. When the sinner is reformed, the punishment of justice is no longer needed. And hence it is said in scripture that if we repent of our sins, God is merciful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Let us illustrate this abstract reasoning. Earthly parents punish their children. For what purpose? Is it to gratify their own passions, or to reform their children's conduct? To reform their conduct, it is granted; and do they not think it prudent sometimes to temper their justice with parental mercy? If it appear from the dis