Boors pointed it out to me,) and that is in the 4 page, where the outher speaks about men rising by their meiits, just as ony thing a man can doo can be profitfble to God, as a wise man can be profitible to himself, as holy Job says; and, as it is weel kend, that our best works are a' filthy rags in his sight, and we are a' carnel sold under sin. Now, Mr. Prenter, as sic legal doctrin winna gang doon wi me and my neiboors, who are guid sort o foulks, and very pies and orthodox Christians, they were a' for stoppin takin the Magazin at yince, But I teld them that wud no do, for we had putten doon our names for yea year at least, and that fourpens in the month wadna breck us; and, besides, it was but fair we should gie the outher a chance to speak for himself, or you for him, as you wanted us to owerlook ony errors in the furst Number, and maybe ye didna see this in your hurfy. Now, Mr. Prenter, we want to ken, whether it is the belief of the outher of that paper, or no, that a man's works can be profitible to God, or that ony good thing can' can come out of the despiritly wicked hert of man, from which proseeds evil thochts, murders, adultreys, and so forth, as says Sunt Matthew. hope you will let us ken this in your nixt number, and oblidg me and my neiboors. WHEN a word occurs in reading a book, professedly -de written with a good intention, that admits of two meanings, it is certainly the most Christian conduct to put the best best construction upon it; and when a passage appears of dubious import, it is but fair, in the words of our candid enquirer, to give the author, or publisher, an opportunity of coming to an explanation before proceeding to rash censure. Our worthy correspondent, whose frank and open manner of going to work deserves every attention on our part, may rest assured that the very intelligent and learned gentleman who honoured us with the Introductory Address would be among the last in 'believing " that a man can be profitable to God, as a wise man can be profitable to himself," or that any good thing can proceed from the unregenerate heart of man. Nor do we think that a person of honest JoHN RONALD SON's disposition would have put any such construction on the passage, if he had been left to himself, and his judgment remained unsophisticated by the arguments of his prejudiced associates. Taking the context into consideration, WHO are said to be sure to rise by their merits? Why, they who have acquiesced, or, in other words, consented to*, complied witht, and rested in the dispensations of an all-wise God, of which the GOSPEL, or dispensation to the Gentiles, is most assuredly one. Now, keeping this in view, and the impossibility of any person consenting to, complying with, and resting in the dispensation of the Gospel as the means of Salvation, without being convinced of the necessity of a Saviour, and of his own inability to save himself, how is it possible to put any other construction on the words objected to, than that the Christian labourers, there alluded to, were sure of rising, not on account of, or for any intrinsic value.in, but by § (i. e. the means, the manner, or according to) their merits, agreeably to the uniform language 1 Acquiesce to consent to, to comply with, BAILEY. Dispensation-in Divinity, is the giving the Levitical law to the language of Scripture: Prov. xxiv. 12.-II. Cor. xi. 15.Rev. xxii. 12.-Gala. vi. 7.and with the account of the last judgment, Math. xxv.34, &c. From the authorities we have quoted, our Correspondent must observe that no forced interpretation has been put on the words, it is what they naturally suggest, and in which light they appear to have been viewed by the more enlightened and judicious part of our readers, without an exception. We hope this will satisfy our apparently well-meaning Subscriber. With regard to his neighbours, we are sorry to observe, that with all their claims to orthodoxy and superior sanctity, they seem so destitute of the distinguishing characteristic of genuine Christianity-CHARITY. They have fully evinced that they have an aversion to merits in deeds as well as in words, or they could never have come to the resolu tion of withdrawing from a voluntary agreement on their part, merely because a single expression did not exactly tally with their imperfect ideas, (while they, at the same time, confess, they were otherwise well pleased with the work,) without giving either the author or us, an opportunity to explain yourselves. A work confessedly calculated not to flatter men's prejudices and vices, cannot be expected to please ALL, particularly those who make so light of the moral virtues; but as these are so few in number, and we have the countenance of so many of the more sensible, and, consequently, more liberal part of the community to encourage us in our humble attempt to do good, we have small cause to complain; especially as we may rather expect an increase of Readers of the latter description from a steady adherence to our plan upon rational principles. We, therefore, take leave of John's neighbours by advising them, in their zeal to avoid one extreme to beware of running into another, and in recommending to their attention the following picture of ISAAC CUMMING, A CHARACTER to be avoided. From "The Cottage Fireside." Published by Messrs Qliphant, Waugh, and Innes, Edinburgb. As we returned from church, I had just begun a very interesting conversation with my brother on the subject of the discourses we had heard, when we were interrupted. by some of our neighbours coming up and joining our party. "What an excellent sermon we have had today," said I, after the usual compliments were over. "Yes," replied a respectable looking man, "our minister always gives us good advices, and, what is better, he al-ways sets us a good example." "Good advices! good example!" cried ISAAC CUMMING, who came timping up behind, what hae they to do wi' the gospel! It's a' legal doctrine, I say! It's a' filthy rags! Our minister's -nae sound i' the faith, I say. He's aye saying Do! Do! just as if we could do ought. He forgets that we are all carnal, sold under sin; and that our heart is deceit. ful above all things, and desperately wicked; he forgets” ---"Etop, stop, my good friend!" interrupted I, "not so fast if you please: You forget what your minister said, otherwise you would not accuse him of an omission which he did not make. What you allege he forgets, he happened to take particular notice of Did he not tell us, in language much better than I can use, that the human heart is prone to evil, and from a na, tural tendency incident to our fallen state, is more inclined to follow a bad example than a good one? From this melancholy fact, indeed, he drew a very different conclusion from what you seem disposed to do. He did not say that on this account we ought to give up the task of education 4 education in despair; and folding our hands in indolence, leave our children, unwarned and unguided, to the se. ductions of an evil world. He told us, on the contrary, -and he urged it with a force of eloquence which I have seldom heard equalled, that this consideration should make parents double their diligence, as it readers their task more difficult and more precarious.”—“This is a' very fine," replied Isaac, with a sneer shrugging his shoulders, "but it's no sound doctrine I say. For it supposes we can do something; now I say that we can do naething. The apostle says-It is God that worketh in us to will and to do of his good pleasure." "6 “True, Isaac," said I, "but you forget that on this very account the apostle urges us to work out our OWN salvation. We can do nothing indeed of ourselves as we ought.; but through Christ strengthening us we can do all things. We can expect no blessing from God, except we be found in the path of duty; but in this path we cannot fail to find every blessing in the power of Omnipotence to bestow. Ask, says Jesus, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." "What do you mak' o' this text, then," returned Isaac, "I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase-so then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase. "That text," answered I," explains my opinion much better than I could do myself. The exertion of divine power is as necessary to the growth of the natural es of the spiritual seed. My brother here may plow his fields and sow his corn, but without the blessing of God not a single blade will grow. And yet 1 am sure you would think him a madman if he were to refuse to work merely because the success of the op eration |