are in support of what I imagine to be the Gospel doctrine, they will be drawn entirely from the Gospel; and if I should be so happy as to prove to you the necessity of remembering our Creator in the days of our youth,' you, I hope, will reject the shallow, sophisticated excuses of worldlings, and conform yourself to the dictates of reason and religion."

(He then proceeds to quote at large and comment upon St. Paul's exhortation to the Eph. v. 1-7, and 11-20; adding, 'One would think that ninety-nine young men out of an hundred had never heard these verses.') "Should I quote to you St. James's words, you might perhaps, though without the least reason, think me bigotted: Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend (wilfully) in one point, he is guilty of all:' and he then proceeds to give the reason of this: 'For,' says he, 'He that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.' By this time, without my troubling you with any more quotations, you cannot but see that the positive injunctions of the Gospel clearly prove it our duty to live continually as in the sight of God; and so far from allowing ourselves in the fashionable vices, we are not to grieve the Holy Ghost, whose temple our body is,' by impure actions, words, or thoughts. Is the practice of mankind conformable to this doctrine? If not, would you wish me to involve myself in the common error; nay, in the common ruin too, rather than walk in the straight path? Will not you, my dear Jack, rather follow the Gospel, whose ways are pleasantness and peace,' than the world, which is at enmity

with God? You seem to think that we are too

young as yet to dedicate ourselves to the service of God, and that it would be better if deferred to a more advanced period of life: but will any one insure us the possession of our lives and senses till that time? Fix when that time shall be; that being fixed, are we sure that our minds, which have not yet lost the facility of receiving new impressions, will be able to throw off the yoke of sin, after having so long submitted to its baneful influence? Cicero, I think, tells us inveterascunt vitia;' and who is there that has not found it so? Who, at the first commission of a criminal act, hath not trembled?-hath not felt the poignant checks of conscience? Yet by use he will not only commit the same crimes without fear, but even with boasting and ostentation. Hence it is evident that conversion to a religious life becomes more difficult, in proportion to the time it has been deferred; and that a habit, settled by time and practice, can scarcely ever be eradicated. The truth of this, I think, you cannot doubt. But suppose death should lay his cold hand upon us unexpectedly, and call us to the Bridegroom, will he let us in when the door is shut against us? It will be in vain then to knock, for it shall not be opened unto us. Let us therefore take the advice of the prophet Isaiah, Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon him while He is near.' I need not say much to prove that 'the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God.' Hume, Voltaire, and many others, were men of deep learning, and what has that profited them in their scriptural researches? They trusted to their own sagacity too much, instead of looking up to God to enlighten their minds, as every diligent enquirer after truth

L. S.

Ꭰ

should do. The knowledge of the Scriptures has been withheld from the wise and prudent, and revealed unto babes and sucklings.' I do not mean by this to decry the study of polite literature, because I am sensible that we cannot enter into any critical investigations without having laid a good foundation: but surely we may know them sufficiently without the aid of mathematics*; because the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth;' so that I am under not the least apprehension of not understanding all the parts which are necessary, either for the guidance of myself, or the instruction of others. If we would read the Testament on that day which has been set apart from the beginning of the world for the cultivation of spiritual knowledge, with an earnest desire of finding out our duty and practising itif also we neglect not to seek God's enlightening grace by fervent prayer-we shall not long remain ignorant of it. And for want of this the cleverest men are often filled with the most absurd ideas of religion and indeed I think that not only on that day, but on every other, we may, amidst the multiplicity of worldly business, pay some attention to the one thing needful;'

"Which done, the poorest can no wants endure,
And which not done, the richest must be poor."

Mr. S. was by no means indifferent to the acquisition of human learning, and was always a diligent student. He has recorded "the peculiar delight" he found in studying Pearson On the Creed, and Aristotle's Ethics, on which lectures were given in his college, "for the clearness with which they conveyed religious and moral truth to his mind." Mathematics were not at that time subjects of lecture or examination at King's College.

"We may, and should always look forward to, and have, as the scope of all our actions, that crown of glory, which Christ has purchased for us by his blood-that inheritance in heaven, which is apolaρtos, not perishable, but lasting as eternity; quartos, not tarnished, but free from every circumstance of alloy; apaparтivos, not fading, but always in the fullest bloom of perfection, glory, and joy.

If any

"You seem to be apprehensive of my becoming a bigot to my religion, and that I should not follow it too far, you quote me an heathen author, which I hope you will not put in competition with sacred writ. But I agree with you entirely in that point. one will point out to me a better religion than that which I now profess, even if it is Mahometanism, I will upon being convinced embrace it, and am determined always to give up my own opinions when better are suggested. We need not be afraid of pursuing virtue too far if we keep entirely to the precepts of the Gospel. I will allow you that there is such a thing as Enthusiasm, but not amongst those who have a deep sense of their own unworthiness, and a clear conviction that they can never be saved by their works, even if they lived to the utmost extent of human perfection; because we are all abominable in the sight of God, we are all dead in the law, and can only be raised to life eternal by the all-sufficient sacrifice of our Redeemer. As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive.' But you think that a strict and early attention to religion would be pernicious to one's character, and that the thinking and sensible part of mankind would look upon one as a zealot or an hypocrite. Pray, brother, let this never discourage us. Our blessed Saviour foreknew that

this would be the consequence of following his commandments, and hath strongly guarded us against it: 'Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake: rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven.' So far from being diverted from what is right by the censures or even the persecutions of mankind, they become stimulatives and encouragements to our perseverance; they are, you see, to excite joy, exceeding great joy, not grief, disappointment, and melancholy. But will the world judge us at the last day? No: the same Saviour who took upon himself our infirmities, He who suffered for us, shall also judge us, and we know that his judgment is true. Let us therefore so purify our hearts that we may become acceptable in his sight, and then we shall have little reason to regard the praise or censure of the world. I am very sensible that we must strike first at the great vices, and proceed 'gradatim et pedetentim,' if we are really desirous to take the best method of bringing people to a sense of their duty; but surely you will not call that advice, which recommends even to the most obdurate sinner abstinence from fleshly lusts and constancy in prayer, you will not call this, I say, a caustick. Here are none of the refined duties of Christianity; none which the most ignorant and unenlightened may not easily practise. But you will not think any one a Christian for advancing thus far, unless he endeavours to proceed to those sublimer duties of loving God with all his soul, and his neighbour as himself. Will you not allow that a clergyman is to be an example to the best as well as the worst in his parish? How then is this to be, if he does not endeavour to live 'perfect