are some of the melancholy facts which convince me | in harmony with the enjoyments or the engagements chat my soul is naturally unholy; and so is your soul." of Paradise. As a matter of taste, I had, certainly, "Well, Miriam, suppose I grant all this: see ye not what the concession involves? Nothing less than the duty of your return to Judaism; for if you are guilty by not honoring the sacrifices sufficiently, how great must your guilt become by neglecting and renouncing them entirely! You are caught you are completely entangled in your own net, Mi riam!" revelled in the visions of IMMORTALITY, when it was illuminated by the Gospel, before I believed that Gospel. I could not resist the poetical attractions of the Christian heaven. Its thrones of light, crowns of glory, harps of gold, palms of victory, and its many mansions of bliss, fixed my imagination, and elevated my soul. I wished such an inheritance of glory. I felt that a different heaven would not sa“Ah, Jared, I had hoped, from the seriousness tisfy me. I saw, too, that it was 'Abraham's bosom' with which you listened to my confessions, that you opened; the heaven of the FATHERS Unveiled. This were joining in them for yourself. I am disappoint- heightened its facinations; but, at that moment, I ed; but, notwithstanding, I will answer you. I am discovered that I was utterly unfit for it. I desired not at all involved in deeper guilt by neglecting the a crown of glory, but felt that I could not place it at sacrifices. They never were real, but a typical the foot of the LAMB-a harp of gold, but not to atonement for sin; and, now that the LAMB of God sing the 'NEW SONG;'-a palm of victory, but not to is slain for the sin of the world, to honor them would wave it in the train of Christ! My proud heart rebe to dishonor HIM. On my own principles, there- volted at the bare idea of such subjection to HIM.— fore, a return from the glorious SUBSTANCE to the I said, in my haste, Were all this honor confined to shadows of it, would render my guilt unpardonable. Jehovah, the Christian heaven would be my choice; Besides, were it safe to return, what a loss of enjoy-but to divide the honor, by worshipping the Lamb! ment I should sustain! The transition from the I spurned the thought. And yet, JARED, I did not CROSS to your altars again, would be to me as Mount feel at ease in doing so. I had misgivings of heart, Moriah would be to Abraham, now that he has as well as prejudices; and, in order to calm my spent ages in Paradise; as the cloud on Sinai would fears, I was compelled to express unto Jehovah, my be to Moses, now that he has communed with Je- supreme regard to his glory, and my sincere venerahovah 'in light full of glory;' as the wilderness to tion of his authority. These, I said, were my sole the whole church of the first-born in heaven, now reasons for rejecting the Gospel. Then I began to that they are without spot before the throne of God strengthen these reasons, by studying the DIVINE and of the Lamb. I do not affect what I do not feel; CHARACTER; for still the Christian heaven kept its those spirits of just men made perfect would lose hold upon my heart. I could not forget its scenes only a part of their bliss by exchanging worlds; but and society. I felt as if I was not right. I therewere I to exchange the CROSS for the altar, all my fore plunged, as it were, into the contemplation of happiness would change into 'a fearful looking for of the Divine character. THEN, I saw, I felt, that I judgment and fiery indignation.' For, if he that de- could not 'stand before God.' It flashed upon me spised Moses' law died without mercy, of how much with all the keenness of sensation, that I could not sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought bear to see GOD AS HE IS! His holiness and justice worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, appeared to me like the dark side of the Shechinal and counted the blood of the covenant an unholy pillar to the Egyptians, overwhelming! And yet, it was 'the beauty of his holiness,' it was the glory thing?" of his justice, that overwhelmed me. I saw not, I felt not, at the time, their terrors. One deep, calm, solemn, awful conviction penetrated and pervaded my whole soul; it was, that I could not bear an ETERNITY in the presence of JEHOVAH! I had never thought of this before, but taken for granted, that, if I only were admitted to heaven, all would be right. But when I considered that I had no delight in the character of God, and that he could not love nor approve this state of mind, I saw, at a glance, that while my heart was thus dead to his excellence, I could have no communion with Him, nor with "Your reasonings would be powerful, Miriam, and your solemn conclusions just, were your premises true. But a truce to this theological warfare —it would suit a Sanhedrim of RABBINS better than it does a young man and a maiden of Israel, under the shade of a palm-tree, on the banks of Shiloah. It was not exactly thus that JACOB and RACHEL reasoned amongst 'the green pastures,' and by the still waters' of Pandanaram." "But it is thus they reason now, Jared, where 'the LAMB himself leads them to living fountains of water' in heaven; and all the armies of heaven unite with them in admiring and adoring the Lamb of God. Besides, RACHEL had no occasion to reason with Jacob; his heart was right with God, and his soul safe for eternity." "Which mine are not! you would say, Miriam." "Which, MINE were not, Jared, until I was reconciled to God. by the Cross of Christ. Until the love of Christ won my heart, I was utterly unfit for heaven; for I had hardly one sentiment or feeling the spirits who were alive to it. THEN-then, Jared, came the inquiry-How can I be reconciled unto God? How can I become such a character, that He can look upon me, and I upon Him, with complacency, for ever and ever?" "Go on, Miriam, this view of the matter is almost new to me." "To me, Jared, it was altogether new. Until the immortality brought to light by the Gospel, drew my soul within the veil, and confronted me, in thought, with Jehovah, I had no idea that I was unfit for an eternity of his presence in heaven; for I had never before paused to consider, that, when he shall be seen AS HE IS,' then the light which reveals him, will reveal the evil of sin, in all its enormity-and 'the beauties of holiness,' in all their glory. But, to see sin thus, and feel its principles within me! to see holiness thus, and not feel all its principles within me! would render the Divine presence intolerable. Heaven could not make me happy under such circumstances. emblems of Holiness are, they are not so splendid as those which occur in the New Testament. The Apostles go far beyond the Prophets, in emblazoning Holiness. They assert its sublimily, as well as its beauty. "We all, with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." Thus Paul represents growth in grace as growth in glory; or progressive sanctification on earth as akin to progressive glory in heaven. Neither the evening stars of the Angelic "Well might the Prophet exclaim, 'Who can hierarchy, pressing upon the spheres of its morning stand before this Holy Lord God!' Jared! I could stars; nor the General Assembly of Time, rising to not stand before you, without confusion of face and the stature and strength of the elder spirits of Eterheart too, were I conscious of not loving you as I nity; nor, indeed, any ascent in the scale of heavenought. How overwhelming then would an eternity ly perfection, could so dazzle him, or so eclipse the of the Divine presence be, without the consciousness beauty of earthly holiness, as to make him ashamed of entire and intense love to God! I felt this-and to call its progress, a change "from glory to glory." felt, too, that I neither had, nor could produce such He goes even farther and higher than this; and delove to him. The necessity of it was self-evident, clares that Believers are made "partakers of a Dibut the acquisition of it seemed impossible. Thus vine nature," by the influence of the great and premy own conscience shut me out of heaven. But, cious promises. Thus it is, as the Saviour saidby this process, God was 'shutting me up unto the That which is born of the Spirit is spirit." Both faith. Accordingly, the moment I saw that, by Prophets and Apostles understood this sublime fact, believing his testimony concerning Christ, I should and therefore admired and celebrated the beauty of be justified and adopted, and thus placed under the holiness. Paul, especially saw and pointed out the sanctifying influences of his Spirit, I found it im-"loveliness" of whatsoever things are pure: Peter possible not to love God. My way was then clear; also does not hesitate to call female holiness an and now I see clearly how the perfection of the "ornament, which is, in the sight of God, of great atonement will give eternal peace to the conscience, price." and secure such purity of soul, that the open vision of God will neither overpower nor embarrass the followers of the Lamb." Miriam, Paul should have made an exception in your favor, and suffered you to speak in the Church. I will certainly suffer you to speak at home, if you are always thus eloquent. I love eloquence; and, although I dislike your Gospel, as you call it, I will not contradict you. You shall have your own way in religion. Can you wish for more from 'a Hebrew of the Hebrews?" Miriam wept ! No. III. > EMBLEMS OF HOLINESS. 66 It is, therefore, neither wise nor humble to overlook "the beauties of holiness." God himself admires them, and calls them "the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints." And the Saviour (who never datters, sentimentalizes, nor compliments) pronounces, not only a special benediction upon "the pure in heart," but says also in unqualified terms, "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit." Thus the fruits of the Spirit are praised for their beauty, as well as enforced for their necessity. I am fully aware, however, that by bringing to gether these Scriptural views of personal holiness, I may startle, if not discourage for a moment, some who sincerely desire to be holy. It may seem, in this lovely and lofty form, an impossible thing in Ir was, indeed, a Poet who compared "the beau- our own case. We may even be ready to exclaim, ties of Holiness," to "the dew of the morning;" but on casting a hurried glance around the circle of the comparison is not a poetical license. It is poetry | our pious friends,-Whose holiness is thus beautiof the highest order; but it is also sober fact. The ful? Where is the sanctification to be seen which Harp of Juda breathed it in music; but an inspired resembles the dew of the morning; or the grace, hand swept the strings. David was a Prophet as well as a poet; and, therefore, we are both warranted and bound to say, when he predicts the number or the beauty of the Church, under the emblem of morning dew,-"The prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." Thus it was the Eternal Spirit who suggested and sanctioned the comparison; and as he is both the author and finisher of all true Holiness, we may be quite sure that dew is neither a false nor a fanciful emblem of its beauty. Besides, splendid as Old Testament that is glory in the bud? This is, however, a hasty question. We have applied both these pure emblems to some of our friends, who were ripe for heaven, when they were removed from the earth.— Our memory lingers upon the beauty, as well as upon the strength, of certain features of their character and spirit. We said when they died, and have often whispered to ourselves since, O that I were as "meet for the inheritance of the saints in light!" Yea, in regard to some of the living in Jerusalem, we feel that their character is truly lovely. It is not spotless; but it is very transparent in integrity and benevolence. It is not "already per- | and solemn views of Divine Holiness, it is of himfect;" but like light, it is shining more and more self, not of his holy principles themselves that a unto the perfect day. Some of our pious friends Christian is thus ashamed. He does not think lighthave such worth of character, that their censure orly of the work of the Holy Spirit upon his heart and approbation weighs with us, like the decisions of a conscience, because he thinks meanly of himself.— second conscience, in our breast; we have such en- He does not confound the Spirit with the flesh, nor tire confidence in their candor and prudence; in the law of his mind with the law in his members, their discernment and uprightness. Thus there are when judging of his own character. He sees, inboth Fathers and Mothers in Israel, whose holiness deed, far more evil than good in himself; but he no we feel to be very beautiful. Even the world can- more calls the good evil, than he calls the evil good. not withhold homage from it; it is so consistent. He is more pained by the plagues of his heart, than And in the fold of the Church, there are both sheep pleased with its best feelings or principles: but still, and lambs, which so hear the voice and follow the he is very thankful for whatever grace he has obsteps of the Good Shepherd, that we can easily be- tained. lieve in their case, how He who laid down his life for them, should lead them gently, and even "carry them in his bosom," when the way is rugged, or their strength exhausted. Thus, there is some holiness on earth worthy of admiration, as well as of imitation. The image of God upon the soul, although not general, and never perfect in this world, is yet to be seen here and there, like "a lily amongst thorns," lovely in itself and illustrious by contrast. Neither the Abrahams nor the Sarahs, the Zechariahs nor the Elizabeths, the Rachels nor the Marys of antiquity, are without parallels in our own times, or without successors in our spheres. there are times, (and these not few nor far between, These volcanic bursts of the old nature are not, however, so lasting as they are overwhelming.Even whilst they do last, they are so deplored, and hated, and loathed by the Christian himself, that it is quite obvious to others, however he may overlook the facts, that neither his will nor his taste is a consenting party to the rebellion within. The horror it creates, proves that he loves holiness. The old man does not rebel in this way, where there is no attempt nor desire to " put on the new man, which ousness and true holiness," have struck their roots deep into the heart, which thus bleeds and is ready to break, when nature overpowers grace. Indeed, it is "the root of the matter," making room for striking itself deeper and spreading itself wider, that causes this convulsion and struggling among the roots and branches of indwelling sin. Accord "But none of them," it may be said, "admire their own character, or see any beauty in their own holiness. We admire them: but even the best of them abhor themselves, and can neither bear to speak nor think of their own excellence: How is this ?" It is easily accounted for. Eminent holiness is always accompanied with profound humility. Accordingly, even in Heaven, the Seraphim veil their faces with their wings, and the crowned mar-is created after the image of God." Both " rightetyr uncrowns himself before the throne: no wonder, therefore, if the saints on earth hide their faces in the dust of self-abasement, when they think or speak about themselves. The beauty of angelic holiness -the beauty of JEHOVAH's glorious holiness, is before their eyes vividly and constantly; and in its presence, they may well say, "Behold, I am vile, and abhor myself:" for as the natural eye feels no-ingly, Paul said, "when I would do good, evil is prething but its own weakness when it gazes upon the meridian sun, so the eye of the mind can see nothing but deformity and imperfection in the heart and character, when it gazes upon the infinite and immaculate purity of the Godhead. No saint, who comprehends at all the heights or depths, the lengths or breadths, of the Divine image, can ever be satisfied with his own holiness, or cease to be ashamed of it, until he awake in heaven in all the beauty of the moral image of God. "As for me," said David, "I shall be satisfied when I awake in thy likeness." Thus he who recognised in earthly holiness the beauty of the morning dew, was not satisfied with its purity or splendor. He saw in it also, as in dew, an evanescence, and a weakness, and a sediment, which filled himself with shame, and kept him from complimenting others. Still, whilst this is, and ever ought to be, the humbling effect of clear sent with me." And again, "when the commandment came, sin revived." Thus it is only in the heart which tries to delight in the law of God, that this strong rebellion is much felt or noticed. There, however, it creates positive wretchedness whilst it lasts; and when it subsides, who can tell the joy of a Christian? It is joy unspeakable, when his gracious principles begin to lift up their heads again after the conflict: and it is "full of glory," when he finds himself looking again with some faith and hope to Christ and Holiness. Then, like Paul, he adds, "Thanks be unto God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ:" this sweet song follows the bitter cry, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Thus a Christian not only rallies after apparent defeat, but also learns the worth of his holy principles, which kept sin hateful when it was most Whenever we headstrong, and holiness beautiful whilst most op- | Lord, is very weak, if we can relax in duty, or leave posed. In ordinary circumstances, however, much the state of our hearts to accident. caution is requisite, in rightly dividing our atten- reckon it a trouble to take pains with our habits and tion between the necessity and the beauty of holiness. spirit before God, we are upon the highway to backFar better follow it, simply because without it no sliding. Both the heart and the conscience are perone shall see the Lord," than follow it ostenta- verted in no small degree, when watchfulness or tiously, to be." seen of men." The Pharisees for-effort ceases; and when either ceases, under any got this, and became equally legal and lofty. As soon as they thought themselves righteous, they despised others. "Stand aside," soon grew out of the boast, "I am holier than thou." This melan-vert Grace into an apology for idleness and inconcholy fact should teach us to be even jealous of our own hearts. They are capable of being "puffed up," by moral, as well as by intellectual superiority. Self-complacency can plume itself upon graces, as well as upon gifts. We must not, however, learn more from the warning example of the Pharisees than it was intended to teach. Now, it never was held up to convey or suggest the idea, that true holiness could betray us into pride or self-righteousness. No; the farther we follow real holiness, the farther we shall be from vanity and legality, and the lower we shall lie at the foot of the cross, and at the footstool of the mercy-seat. The holiest of the holy men and women of old, were always the humblest of their generation and for this obvious reason;-they made the law of God the standard, and the image of God the model, of their holiness: and with these infinite mirrors for ever before them, they could neither admire themselves, nor divide their confidence between faith and works. : excuse or pretence drawn from the grace of God, it is high time to take alarm at ourselves: for even our understanding if far perverted, if we can per sistency. O yes; a blight has fallen upon the eyes of our understanding, as well as upon the tenderness of our conscience, if we can tamper with express law because free Grace abounds. For, what convert did not see, at first, more in grace, than even in law, to bind him to circumspect holiness? We certainly saw nothing in the Cross or the Covenant, to release us from high moral obligation or habitual watchfulness, when we first looked to them for mercy to pardon and grace to help. We intended and desired no compromise then, between God and the world. If, therefore, we now imagine that we see in the Cross or the Covenant any thing to warrant or wink at what our own conscience condemns, our "eye is evil" for their is neither sanction nor shield in them to protect any wrong habit or temper. They reign and remain to crucify us to the world, and the world to us: and therefore our glorying in them is not good, so far as it admits a compromise between sin and duty. But neither strong nor startling assertions, however solemn and severe, will remedy this evil effectIt was ceremonial holiness that betrayed the Pha-ually. Warnings, even declamations, do not reach risees. They made righteousness to consist in re- the root of it. Many who can say as loudly as Paul, peating a certain number of prayers; in paying the that his "damnation is just, who sins because grace regular tithes, and in observing the stated feasts and abounds," do not like Paul make the abounding of festivals of the temple. In these things they were more precise or more ostentatious than others; and holiness. They do not venture, indeed, to sin or grace a universal and daily reason for abounding in thus they came to despise others, and to flatter themcompromise upon a large scale, because grace selves. Not a man of them, however, would or abounds; but they do some things, and leave other things undone, which they would not, and durst not, if grace did not abound. I mean, that were certain habits and tempers beyond the high-flood mark of the spring tides of mercy, and known to be unpardonable, there would be a speedy rush of many from the dry places they now occupy, to the spot washed by the waves of pardon. It is, therefore, by regarding some wrong things as not unsafe nor unpardonable, that many persist in them. They would give them up at once and entirely, if they deemed them fatal, or utterly irreconcileable with a state of grace. Now this, although not exactly sinning because grace abounds, is very like it. For if a man do what he would not dare, if he counted it unpardonable, it is evident that the abounding of grace, in some very way, is his secret reason, although not his assigned one. He does not, indeed, say, "Let us sin" to any extent, "because grace abounds;" but he evidently thinks, or tries to think, that he is not actually and altogether perilling or disproving his own hopes by his own indulgences. In a word, he has some way of making out to himself, that his own faults are not incompatible with being really in a state of grace ; could have done so, if he had studied holiness in the moral law, or in the revealed image of God. Either of these, if honestly contemplated, would have been a "schoolmaster" to bring them to Christ. For, who can look at the perfection required by the law, or at the purity implied in conformity to the Divine image, and not see that a justifying Saviour and a sanctifying Spirit are equally necessary in order to her salvation? The soul that is intent upon true holiness, must depend on Christ and Grace entirely, or despair entirely for all the natural reasons of duty are moral reasons for despair. Mediatorial reasons only can give either heart or hope to the soul, in the face of a law that requires absolute perfection, and of a heaven which admits nothing that defileth. L Now, we come to the point for close self-examination. We have seen that there are two extremes, to which we are equally prone, by turns; sloth and self-complacency. By which of these are we most frequently betrayed? If by sloth-we have most need to study the necessity of holiness. The conviction, that without holiness we cannot see the the dominion over" us, if we be under grace: and if we reckon this no advantage. we do not understand the Law well, nor Grace aright. ther form, and to say, "Still, as something wrong Are we half-inclined to try the question in anowill remain, do whatever we may, why not let that fault remain, which we find most difficult to con I will not call this pleading for sin. It may be merely put forward as clever casuistry, to evade close reasoning, which we have no wish to set aside. Indeed, no Christian would dare to vindicate a sin, great or small, by name. He must regard even his chief fault as an infirmity, or a weakness, or an imperfection, before he can plead or apologize for it. As sin-he has not a word to say on its behalf. You and, therefore, although he does not exactly justify them, he does not correct them, nor is he much afraid of them. "Grace," he says, "has to bear with something wrong, even in the best: and as my besetting sin is not of the very worst kind; and as there are some sins I would not commit, and some duties I would not neglect, for worlds, nor on any account whatever, I am not surely presuming very much, when I reckon myself in a state of grace, not-quer? Might there not come a worse in its place?" withstanding all my faults." Thus, it is rather some perverted notion about the securities of a state of grace, than direct and determinate presumption upon the abounding of grace, that betrays many into a lax holiness, or into allowed inconsistencies of character and temper. I do not, therefore, confound such persons with those who "turn the grace of God into licentiousness;" but I do remind you | and myself, and that with warning and weeping at least, have not one. solemnity, that this was the first step of the antinomian process by which the primitive compromisers became licentious apostates and judicial reprobates. They begun their unholy career by trying to bend grace into a shelter for some one favorite sin; and, having persuaded themselves that one was not fatal, they went on from bad to worse, until they drowned themselves in perdition. At first they threw the cloak of Christian liberty over a few faults; by and by, over many; and, at last, they made it "a cloak for licentiousness" itself. Let, therefore, the emblems of holiness which the Holy Ghost teaches by, suggest to you all that he intends. That, of course, will seem more than you can acquire; but it will enable you to do better than those do who compare themselves only with others. Scriptural figures are not fancies. "It seems to the honor of religion, that so many things can, without the art of forcing resemblances, be accommodated to its illustration. It is an evident and remarkable fact, that there is a certain principle of correspondence to religion throughout the economy of the world. He that made all things for himself, appears to have willed that they should be a great system of EMBLEMS, reflecting or shadowing forth that system of principles in which we are to apprehend Him and our relations and obligations to Him: so that religion, standing up in grand parallel to an infinity of things, receives their testimony and homage, and speaks with a voice which is echoed by creation."-FoSTER. The justness of these profound and splendid remarks is almost self-evident in the emblem of DEw. The history of dew is a figurative history of CONVERSION; and, in its leading features, so strikingly similar, that if dew had been created for no other purpose but to image forth the "new creation," it could hardly be more characteristic. Now this, we not only do not want to do, but we abhor it as much as we dread it. It would be any thing but gratifying to us, if grace could be thus perverted with safety. What we are inclined or tempted to wish for, is, such a forbearance or winking at what is wrong about us, as shall allow our faults to go on, without exactly throwing us out of a state of grace, before we find it convenient and agreeable to give them up: for we intend to crucify, eventually, the very things we now try to excuse. We even promise to ourselves and to God, that they shall not go on to the end of life, nor so near to it as to darken or embitter our death-bed. What a shame, then, to yield now to any thing we are thus pledged to conquer hereafter! Why, if our general character is rather consistent than inconsistent, should we allow, even for another day, any fault or The design of God in establishing and pointing flaw, which pains can cure, and prayer efface to reout the resemblances between natural and spiritual main? It would cost us far less trouble to correct things is obvious. He thus places us so, that, wheat once the worst fault we have, than it costs to ther we are in the house or the fields, we may have get over the misgivings of heart and the twinges of before us "lively oracles" of his great salvation: conscience, which that fault occasions in the closet at home, in the Bible; abroad, in nature. For, as and at the sacrament. Besides, we have already prophet unto prophet, and apostle unto apostle, so made greater sacrifices to conscience and duty, than" day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto any we have to make. All our great sins are given night teacheth knowledge,”—there being no voice up for ever, willingly too: and shall the little ones of nature which does not echo some voice of Revehold us in bondage? Do we feel, in the presence of these exposures and remonstrances, any inclination to say-"Why this is making grace as strict as Law could be: what then is the advantage of being under grace, instead of law, if so much circumspection and impartiality be requisite ?" lation. Thus the ORIGIN of dew is an emblem of human society in its natural state. The original elements of dew are as various in their character, as the diversified states in which water and moister exist on the earth. Now they exist in swamps and seas, in marshes and meadows, in stagnant pools and run Here is the advantage: "sin then shall not have ning streams, in fetid plants and fragrant flowers: |