instruction adopted in them is, therefore, this:The rule is given: the doctrine is stated: examples are brought forward-cases in point, which illustrate the rule and the doctrine: and this is found sufficient for every upright and humble mind.

THE simple and unprejudiced study of the Bible is the death of religious extravagance. Many read it under a particular bias of mind. They read books, written by others under the same views. Their preaching and conversation run in the same chanhel. If they could awaken themselves from this state, and come to read the whole Scripture for every thing which they could find there, they would start as from a dream-amazed at the humble, meek, forbearing, holy, heavenly character of the simple religion of the Scriptures, to which, in a greater or less degree, their eyes had been blinded.

THE right way of interpreting Scripture, is, to take it as we find it, without any attempt to force it into any particular system. Whatever may be fairly inferred from Scripture, we need not fear to insist on. Many passages speak the language of what is called Calvinism, and that in almost the strongest terms: I would not have a man clip and curtail these passages, to bring them down to some system: let him go with them in their free and full sense; for, otherwise, if he do not absolutely pervert them, he will attenuate their energy. But, let him look at as many more, which speak the language of Arminianism, and let him go all the way with these also. God has been pleased thus to state and to leave the thing; and all our attempts to distort it, one way or the other, are puny and contemptible.

A MAN may find much amusement in the Biblevariety of prudential instruction-abundance of sublimity and poetry: but, if he stops there, he stops short of its great end; for, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. The grand secret in the study of the Scriptures, is, to discover Jesus Christ therein, the way, the truth, and the life.

In reading the Scriptures, we are apt to think God farther removed from us, than from the persons to whom He spake therein: the knowledge of God will rectify this error; as if God COULD BE farther from us than from them. In reading the Old Testament especially, we are apt to think that the things spoken there, in the prophet Hosea for instance, have little relation to us: the knowledge taught by Christian experience will rectify this error; as if religion were not always the SAME SORT of transaction between God and the soul.

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THERE are two different ways of treating the truths of the Gospel-the sCIENTIFIC and the SIMPLE. It was seriously given me in charge, when I first entered into the ministry, by a female who attended my church, that I should study Baxter's "Catholic Theology." I did so: but the best idea that I acquired from this labor was, that the most sagacious and subtle men can make out little beyond the plain, obvious, and broad statement of truth in the Scriptures. I should think it a very proper and suitable punishment for a conceited and pragmatical dogmatist, to oblige him to digest that book. Another great truth, indeed, we may gather from it: and that is, that the intemperate men, on either side, are very little aware of the conse quences, which may be legitimately drawn from their principles. Even Dr. Owen has erred. I

Ad not compare him in this respect, with Baxfor he has handled his points with far greater om and simplicity: yet he errs ex abundanti. attempts to make out things with more accu, and clearness, and system, than the Bible warrant. The Bible scorns to be treated scienally. After all your accurate statements, it leave you aground. The Bible does not come id, and ask our opinion of its contents. It prois to us a constitution of grace, which we are to ive, though we do not wholly comprehend it. aberless questions may be started on the variparts of this constitution. Much of it I cannot erstand, even of what respects myself; but I am ed to act on it. And this is agreeable to analogy. child will ask me questions on the fitness or uness of what I enjoin: but I silence him: "You not yet able to comprehend this: your business o believe me and obey me." But the schooln will not be satisfied with this view of things: they can make nothing out satisfactorily. They ve their de re, and their de nomine; but nothing rained by these attempts at clearness and nice tinctions. These very accurate men, who think y adjust every thing with precision, cannot ree among one another, and do little else than zzle plainer minds.

HATEVER definitions men have given of religion, an find none so accurately descriptive of it as s-that it is such a belief of the Bible as mainns a living influence on the heart. Men_may eculate, criticise, admire, dispute about, doubt, believe the Bible: but the RELIGIOUS MAN is ch, because he so believes it, as to carry habitu y a practical sense of its truths on his mind.

THE fears of the general class of Christians a concerned about the superstructure of religio but those of speculative minds chiefly relate to th foundation. The less thinking man doubts whethe he is on the foundation: he whose mind is of a mo intellectual turn, doubts concerning the foundatio itself. I have met with many of these speculativ cases. Attacks of this nature are generally su den. A suspicion will, by surprise, damp th heart; and, for a time, will paint the Bible as fable. I have found it useful on such occasions, glance over the whole thread of Scripture. T whole presented in such a view, brings back th mind to its proper tone: the indelible characters simplicity and truth impress with irresistible effe that heart, which can discern them as having on felt them.

On the Old and New Dispensations.

THE Old and New Testaments contain but o scheme of religion. Neither part of this schen can be understood without the other; and, ther fore great errors have arisen from separating the They are like the rolls on which they were a ciently written, before books of the present for were invented. It is but one subject and one s tem, from beginning to end; but the view which obtain of it grows clearer and clearer, as we u wind the roll that contains it.

THERE is one grand and striking feature of d tinction between the spirit of the Old Testame dispensation and that of the New.

The Old Dispensation was a dispensation of lim waymarks, forms, and fashions: every thing w

ghed and measured: if a man did but gather cs on the Sabbath, he was to be stoned without cy; if a Jew brought an offering, it was of no il if not presented at the door of the tabernacle: manner, the time, the circumstances were all utely instituted; and no devotion or piety of it could exempt a man from the yoke of all se observances, for God had appointed these as way in which he chose that a devout Jew should ress his state of mind.

ut the New Dispensation changed the whole em. Religion was now to become more peculy a spiritual transaction between God and the 1; and independent, in a higher measure than r before, of all positive institutions. Its few ple institutions had no further object, than the eservation of the unity, order, soundness, and rity of the church-in regard to doctrine, govment, and discipline.

Nor had these appointments that character of accommodating inflexibility, which marked the titutions of the Old Dispensation. All nations, en of all habits and manners, are to drink life om the beneficent stream as it flows. It is to row down no obstructions, that are not absolutely Compatible with its progress. But it is appointed pervade every place which it visits. Some, it ters without obstruction, and passes directly rough. In some, it meets with mounds and obacles; yet rises till it finds an entrance. Others e so fenced and fortified, that it winds round em and flows forward: continuing to do so, till it, length, finds some method of insinuating itself. And thus the dispensation of grace in the church ccommodates itself to the various tempers and abits which it finds in different ages, nations, and odies of men: it leaves in existence numberless inions and prejudices, if they are not inconsistent ith its main design, and mingles and insinuates