endeavour to remove, by explaining to you the ideas which I and others, who have thought more than you, attach to these important words. But remember, my Love, that what I think, or what any body thinks, is comparatively of very little consequence. If you would believe aright, the Word of God must be your guide, and you must examine it carefully and with humble prayer, before you receive as truth the words of any man.

Man, created in perfect innocence, living in close communion with his God, the law deeply engraven on his heart, and power given him to fulfil it, transgressed and fell from his allegiance. The sentence of spiritual death affixed to the crime, was immediately executed-God's countenance was withdrawn, his image effaced from the soul, and every propensity to good destroyed. The law of God was still upon the conscience, and its requirements unabrogated-but neither will nor power remained to answer them. Man learned to fear the God he had been formed to love, and hated what he feared. The Creator having at the first ordained that every creature should bring forth its like, was not unjust in condemning all for one-their nature being the same, he knew that what one did, all would have done had they been tried.Gen. i, ii, and iii.

But God's primary sentence could not be recalledthe rebellion of the creature could never change the purpose of Omnipotence: therefore the law of perfect obedience and filial love remained, with the awful sentence "Do this and live, transgress and die."-In such fearful circumstance, from that hour to this, has every child of earth been born into the world.-Rom. iii.; Isaiah lix. Corrupt in nature as the root from which he sprung, he is required to be perfectly righteous-born at enmity with God, he is required to love him with an undivided heart and misery eternal is the price of disobedience.

What we believe of mankind in general, we believe of ourselves individually. Our hearts are naturally averse to God and holiness-sin is our element, the world our God. The light of conscience is sufficient to make

known our Maker's will, and his word has more clearly revealed it, but we have preferred our own. We believe that from our earliest years we have provoked our Maker in thought, in word, and deed. Ungrateful for his benefits and heedless of his threats, we have not even wished the natal curse removed, preferring the service of another Lord. If we have regarded him at all, it was as a rigid Master, whose service was the hard alternative of punishments we never felt that we deserved. So well are we convinced this has been our state, that far from laying any claim to Heaven, or pleading any merit of our own, we know, and feel, and are assured, that God would be perfectly just, would act consistently with his own holiness, were he at any moment to plunge us into everlasting misery: (Ephes. ii.) and we believe this is the state of every one alike from Adam until now.

God could not, consistently with his own immutability, pardon and receive the sinner till the penalty of sin was paid and the law fulfilled. Christ therefore, the second person of the Trinity, and one with the Father, consented to pay the penalty of sin, and work a perfect righteousness, in the stead of those who should confess their lost estate and accept his proffered mercy.-Isaiah liii.

But all will not accept it. Man, spiritually dead, is insensible of his state, is well-pleased with it, does not desire to change it. Ignorant of his own depravity, in love with the things of earth, and as little won by the Redeemer's love as awed by the Creator's vengeance, he treats all alike with careless unconcern or open defiance, hears the tale of mercy with stupid indifference, perhaps professes to believe it, but cares little if it be true or not.

The Saviour therefore would have died in vain, and man had not been saved, but for the further interference of the Deity. With persevering mercy, the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Godhead, one with the Father and the Son, accomplished the work of love.Ezek. xxx. 26. His gracious influence softens the obdurate heart of man, makes us deeply sensible of sin,

and teaches us to hate it.---1 Cor. vi. 11. No longer doubtful of our need, no longer careless of the consequence-our Redeemer's sufferings cease to pass by us as an idle tale-they are our only refuge, our only hope. Without an attempt to excuse our guilt, we cast ourselves on his mercy, and consent to accept it on any terms. This is the assent required of us.-Isaiah lv. 1. He bore the punishment our guilt deserved-God is too just to exact it twice-He fulfilled to the utmost the holy law-God consents to take his obedience in the stead of that which we have failed to render.-Rom. v. It is for us to believe, to repent, and to obey.

Thus is the enmity between God and man removedthe offended Lord becomes again the tender Fatherwon by his love and renovated by his grace, we resume the duties and the feelings of a child.-2 Cor. v. His service becomes delightful to us-it is our greatest joy to do his will, our greatest grief that we do it so imperfectly. We do not cease to sin, for nature and habit resist our endeavours and the Spirit's influence-but we cease to love it; it is our heaviest burden.-Rom. vii. As we draw nearer to our God, we the more perceive our delinquency; and in proportion to our sense of guilt, is the love and gratitude we feel.-Luke vii. 42. Our services, imperfect as they are, are graciously accepted of our God; for it is love that offers them, and the Saviour who presents them. Whatever tends to separate us from our Heavenly Father, and withdraw our affections from things divine, wears the character of an enemy: therefore many things we enjoyed before, become necessarily distasteful to us. Our hopes, our views, and purposes are changed-but as we wrought it not for ourselves, we claim no merit for the change.-1 Cor. iv. 7. Depending on our Saviour's promise, not on our own desert, we have confidence, and peace, and joy.-Rom. viii; Isaiah xliii. And do not the scriptures say that such as do sincerely so believe, and so act on their belief, and they only, will be saved?—Acts iv. 12. All else, so far

from being benefited by the Father's mercy and the Saviour's death, will have to answer for the added guilt of having trampled on the Son of God, and done despite to the Spirit of Grace.

REVIEW OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS,

AND

NOTICES OF NEW PUBLICATIONS.

The English Flora, by Sir J. E. Smith, M.D. F.R.S. London, 1824.-Longman, Hurst, and Co.

WE take notice of this work, of which two volumes are just published, under the supposition that some of our readers wishing to purchase their botanical books, may be undecided between this and its predecessor, Withering, now in general use; and may therefore be glad of information respecting the works. There can be no doubt that as a catalogue, this latter work will be found superior to the former-we think it particularly so in ascertaining the Genus of plants, which in Withering never appeared to us sufficiently distinct and particular: and the making use of the first volume separately to find them, was always inconvenient. Improvements and discoveries too are continually making, and therefore in able hands, the last work is always likely to be the best. But we must observe that the English Flora cannot in all respects answer the purpose of Withering, because it supposes the student already informed of much that Withering tells him: for instance, the names and distinctions of Classes and Orders, the different parts of a plant, and the meaning of all botanical terms, Latin and English. A person who did not know all this familiarly, could make no use whatever of the English Florawhereas, by the help of dictionaries, plates, &c. Withering puts the most uninformed in a capacity to use his Catalogue. In making choice, therefore, between them, the purchasers must consider their previous knowledge,

and what other works they may have to assist them. Our readers will find a difference in the division of Classes, from those we have given according to Withering's system. But this will be very soon understood, and cease to embarrass them, as at first it may do. To explain this difference briefly. Sir J. Smith, pursuing the Linnæan arrangement, makes four Classes more than WitheringGynandria, distinguished by the Stamina growing out of the Pistil as in the Orchis-Monoecia, where the Stamens and Pistils are in separate flowers on the same plant, as in the Oak-Dioecia, where the Stamens and Pistils are on separate plants, as in the Hop-Polygamia, those plants that have the Stamens and Pistil sometimes separate, sometimes together. Withering, taking no notice of all these peculiarities, arranges all the plants according to the number of the Stamens-thus the Orchis tribe, which Smith places in Gynandria, because the Stamens grow from the Pistil, Withering places in Diandria, because the Stamens are two in number.

Tour to the Copper-mine River, &c.-By Capt. Franklin.-Second Edition, 8vo. London, 1824.-J. Murray. WE should not speak of a work already so universally known and approved, but that some who have not read it may be in doubt whether it is a work fit to be submitted to the perusal of the young, and calculated to afford them amusement. We think this admits not of a doubt; and unhesitatingly recommend it as a work of no common interest. Few portions of our globe can now be travelled, which have not been trod and retrod so many times before, that little of interest remains to be reported of them-but in this excursion all is novel and picturesque-and though the occurrences of every day are but the occurrences of the day before, it never wearies in the reading, or fails to interest the feelings and keep alive the curiosity. The images of the Rib-Indian, and his sterile soil, and rigid clime, remained so long and so forcibly impressed on our imagination, we cannot but