one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters and drink, and he that hath no money, come buy wine and milk without money, and without price." Neither is it confined to any portion of the earth, “for the Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God." Neither is it confined to any class of men, whether white or black, bond or free. "After this I beheld, and lo! a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palms in their hands, and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb."

Whoever would spread the gospel of Jesus Christ, and expect the blessing and presence of the King of kings, let him do it in simplicity of heart, let him take the Bible as the only guide of his footsteps, what it prescribes let him follow, however opposed to the opinions of the religious world, or their customs and ceremonies, sanctioned by the lapse of ages, or entrenched by the governments of the earth. He who ruleth over all kings will be the breaker-up of his way, and the lighting up of his path. "How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endureth from generation to generation. The dissemination of

the gospel at first was accompanied by miraculous power, as a witness to all ages of its divine authority. The same power who displayed to men the making bare of his holy arm still reigns, and in proportion to our light, he visibly displays his power in the church. The turning of the wicked from the error of his way, is it not a display of divine power? The subduing of the stubborn heart to the pliability of a child's, and the convincing the heathen that Jesus is both Lord and Christ, is it not a display of divine power? When we review the zeal of the present day, compared with the zeal of the early Christians for spreading abroad the gospel of salvation, how languid does it appear! The success that every where accompanied the preaching of the early Christians, and the little success our missionaries have had, compared to Paul or Barnabas, might make us conclude, that Christ's power was not so great in the church now as it was then; but perhaps it may be more owing to the want of zeal and faith in the ministers of the gospel, and the want of prayer in the Christian church, that the Lord of the harvest would send forth labourers into his vineyard, than the want of the presence of Christ; for he hath promised it to the end of the world, and what he hath promised is he not able to perform?

Let them who have been set apart for the ministry of the word, who have received an education

sufficient to instruct others, consider well the end of their calling. God gave them not talents to be lost in indolence, or vitiated by a commerce with the world; though their minds may suggest many excuses, that they have their present welfare, and that of their families to attend to, will that excuse be tenable with him who said, "He who loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me. He who loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me. He who will not take his cross and follow me, is not worthy of me. He who preserveth his life, shall lose it; but he who loseth his life on my account, shall preserve it ?” Let them consider well the duties they have undertaken to perform to the church and to the world, by entering the holy ministry. If they won't labour in the vineyard, the Lord will find others as of old. Fishermen, tradesmen, and men of no esteem in the eyes of the world may take away their crown! May the Lord stir up faithful men to go to all nations, publishing the glad tidings of salvation.

LETTER III.

Full many a gem of purest ray serene,
The dark unfathom'd caves of ocean bear;
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.

GRAY.

London, 17th March 1820. MANY of the metaphysical speculations of ancient philosophers, and the reveries of our modern deists, throw in the shade the sublimest feelings of our nature, and destroy that philanthropic grandeur thrown around the Christian, which is the brightest ornament of humanity; they dry the sympathetic tear, and harden those bowels of compassion that otherwise would flow to fellow-mortals. The glory of the religion of Christ is, the bringing all that is lovely, all that is great in the human character into action, and raising the tone of feeling, of pity, of love, and of adoration, to a pitch that all the energy of men's minds, or the exercise of their talents, could never have reached. It unites man to Deity, and renovates that likeness of the Eternal lost in the garden of Eden. By it the powers of man are

called into a sphere of action, glorious in its effects and heavenly in its aim. Wonder not then at the deeds of our Christian forefathers, who, for the love of Christ, endured every contumely, persecution, and even death, that they might hear the joyful sound of, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." The natural feelings of humanity, and all that is dignified in man, operate most powerfully in the practice of this holy religion, declaring, that the Godof nature and the God of the Christian is one Lord.

The ancient philosophers instructed their disciples in metaphysical reasonings; but their philanthropy reached neither the poor nor the unlettered. Plato, the most sublime amongst them, retired to a cottage in his garden, and there taught the youth of Athens his system of philosophy; but over his gate was written, "None but those who have studied mathematics can enter here." The early Christians were no sooner enlightened in the knowledge of Christ, than they considered it their highest honour and privilege to make known to others the wonders of this gospel; to the poor they made known the riches of the grace of God; to the ignorant they revealed this glorious light. Let, therefore, Christians of the present day show themselves heirs of the spirit of their forefathers in sending afar the word of life. Let them display to the world that the presence of Christ still reigns in the