at one time when they were engaged in a petty war among themselves. Both parties attended his meeting. On one occasion, one of the parties came in early, and the other just as he had begun his sermon. They were both armed with weapons of death. They were iuftamed with rage at the sight of each other. He had not proceeded far before they began to brandish their arms and to approach each other for battle. He left the pulpit, and stepped between the parties, and addressed the leaders. They promised to make no farther disturbance during the exercise. He returned to the pulpit and proceeded in his discourse. They were so affected with his sermon and his amiable conduct, that they engaged to forbear all hostilities while he should remain in that region. ment and his faithful admonitions, excited the esteem and veneration of these barbarians. Through the negligence of his servants, his horses were stolen by one of the banditti, who knew not that they were Mr. Gilpin's. News was soon circulated, that the horses were stolen, and a general indignation was expressed against such treatment of their benefactor. The person who stole the horses, hearing that they were Mr. Gilpin's, was terrified, brought them back, and with trembling confessed his fault. He said, "he believed the devil would have seized him directly had he carried off the horses, when he knew they belonged to Mr. Gilpin." Among other methods which he adopted for doing good, Mr. Gilpin, at great expense, established a school in his own neighOne Sunday morning he came borhood for the education of to the place of worship before youth, with a view to remedy the people had assembled. He the defect of able teachers. He saw a glove hanging up, and provided suitable instructors, and was informed by the sexton that inspected the school himself. it was a challenge to any per- The resort to his school was se son who should dare to take it great that it became difficult to down. Gilpin took the glove obtain accommodations for the and carried it with him into the scholars. He then fitted up an pulpit. In his sermon he re- apartment in his own house for buked them for their inhuman the accommodation of twenty eonduct. "I hear," said he, or thirty children-many of these "that one among you, hath hang-were poor children whom he not ed up a glove even in this sacred place, threatening to fight any one who takes it down: see here, I have taken it down." Then holding out the glove to the view of the assembly, he endeavoured to convince them of the evil of such conduct, and to persuade them to mutual love. His kind and amiable deport only boarded, but clothed, at his own expense. From his school he sent a number to the universities, and supported them there. He considered himself the guardian of these scholars, and treated them with the tenderness of a father, Nor was this uncommon care unrewarded; few of his scholars miscarried; many of them became ornaments to the church, and exemplary instances of piety. The latter part of Mr. Gilpin's life was almost entirely devoted to his school, in forming regulations and procuring funds for a permanent establishment. His health was impaired, and the infirmities of age rendered him incapable of such vigorous exertions as had marked the former periods of his life. While struggling with these difficulties, an event happened which greatly increased his afflictions. As he was crossing the market in Durham, an ox ran at him and threw him down with violence. From this injury he never recovered, but continued lame as long, as he lived. His enemies took advantage of his infirm and afflicted state, and loaded him with injuries and reproachful accusations. These severe trials he bore with great fortitude and resignation. About the first of February 1683, he was sensible that the day of death was near. He stated to his friends his apprehensions, and spoke of his death with great composure of mind. A few days before his decease he ordered his friends, acquaintances, and dependents, to be called together. Being raised up in his bed, he addressed first the poor-next his scholars--then his servants. He then called and addressed some persons who had not made a good use of his past instructions, hoping that his dying words might have a good effect. His speech began to faulter before he had finished his exhortations. His remaining hours were "spent in prayer, and in broken converse with some select friends, mentioning often the consolations of the gos pel." "Nothing else," he said, would bring a man true peace at last." He died March 4th, 1583, in the sixty sixth year of his age. In his charitable distributions Mr. Gilpin had no limits but the bounds of his income. In writing to a friend, he said, "It is my design at my departure to leave no more behind me, but to bury me, and pay my debts." The little he did leave, he left wholly to the poor, except a few tokens of remembrance which he bequeathed to his friends. ON THE CONDITIONS OF SALVATION. THOUGH the following observations may not have the merit of originality, they are not the less important: It is a matter of wonder and astonishment to me that there should be persons of common sense, who perhaps have never For the Christian Disciple. entertained a doubt of the truth of christianity, yet are altogether insensible and unconcerned about it. Yet astonishing as it is, the fact cannot be doubted, that there are many perfectly indifferent as it respects their fu ture and eternal salvation; an interest and an event, so vast, so momentous, as to make all other interests, and all other events in comparison contemp tible. But though there may be many to whom the foregoing description is applicable, there are many others anxiously concerned to know the terms of salvation, and what they must do to be saved, but are involved in doubt and uncertainty by the contradictory systems of those who have attempted to instruct them. One expatiates on the beauty and amiableness of virtue, and shews the reasonableness of obedience to the divine laws, the safety and happiness of the pious and good man; but this affords little consolation to those who are conscious of having broken those laws, and to whom the burden of their sins is intelerable. Another says you must not place any confidence in your own works, but must renounce your own righteousness as filthy rags, as a refuge of lies; that there is no safety in any thing short of true evangelical faith and repentance. Now I am not able to discover any ground for this distinction. Obedience is, I think, represented in the scripture as equally necessary with faith and repentance. Our divine Master expressly says, "Not every one that saith Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven;" and again, "if ye know these things, happy are ye, if ye do them." Here the reward is annexed to doing. And the apostle repre sents glory, honor, immortality, and eternal life as the reward of patient continuing in well doing. Besides, what is faith or repentance, but duties we are exhorted to perform? Consequently cannot merit salvation. It appears to me that neither faith, repentance, nor obedience, can entitle us to salvation, independent of the mercy of God; that eternal life is the gift of God through our Lord Jesus Christ; that if any of the human race are saved, it will be by grace through faith, and that not of themselves, it is the gift of God. The cause of salvation, is the free will, the free gift, the love and mercy of God; that alone is the source, and fountain, and cause of salvation, the origin from which it springs, from which all our hopes of attaining to it are derived. This cause is not in ourselves, nor in any thing we do, or can do; but in God, in his good will and pleasure. And the effect of that goodness was the coming of Christ. It has sometimes been apprehended otherwise, that the interposition of Christ was the cause of God's mercy and compassion to sinners, but the scriptures represent this matter the other way. He Thus our Savior himself expresses it, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son." does not say the only begotten Son prevailed with God to love the world, but the love and compassion of God towards his creatures prevailed with him to send his son into the world, "that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." In the business of human salvation there are two considerations, the cause, and the conditions. The cause is the grace and mercy of God, through the mediation and atonement of Jesus Christ-the conditions, are faith, repentance, and evangelical obedience. Now to show that an act of pure benevolence and mercy is not the less so for being conditional, I will state a case which I think will throw some light on the subject. Supposing, Mr. Editor, that you are a person in affluent circumstances, and there is a person living near you who is very poor, who has not a farthing in the world but what he earns by his labor, and is likewise very intemperate, spend ing great part of his earnings for ardent spirits, and of his time in idle company, whilst his family are suffering for want of necessary food. Now supposing you inform this person that at a certain future time, say four or five years hence, you will make him a present of a thousand dollars, on condition that till that time he shall abstain entirely from the use of ardent spirits, be industrious in his business, and apply his earnings for the comfort and support of his family. At the time stated, the person satisfies you that he has performed the conditions; you then present him the thousand dollars agreeably to your promiseNow would it not be very absurd for any one to say that this was not an act of beneficence in you, that the poor man had performed the conditions and was therefore entitled to the money as a debt. But instead of the con ditions rendering your act less a favor, it clearly appears to be a much greater one; for by performing the conditions the poor man has acquired a habit of industry and temperance, and is qualified to enjoy your bounty; whereas if you had given him the money without requiring the conditions, it would have done him very little good. This in my opinion describes our situation with respect to God. The love, goodness, and grace of God, in making us an offer of salvation, and the effects of the death of Christ do not diminish the necessity or the obligations of the conditions, nor the requiring of conditions, diminish the love, goodness, and grace of God. A. LAYMAN. THE IMPORTANCE OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION.. SECTION VII. Or all the branches of christian education, no one is more important than that of cultivating a temper of love and kind ness towards fellow beings. It is indeed important that children should be taught to fear and love God as their leavenly Father; but this is no more important than that they should be taught to love their neighbors as themselves, as brethren and children of the same Father. For the second commandment is like the first; and if they love not their breth ren whom they have seen, how shall they love God, whom they have not seen. But as true as it is that no branch of education is more important than cultivating love to fellow creatures, it is equally true that this branch of duty has been awfully neglected in all nations, and perhaps among most, if not all sects of christians. Had this point of parental duty been duly understood and performed for three centuries past, wars among christians would probably have ceased long ago. There seems to have been a strange propensity in all nations and among most sects of christians, to make religious obedience to consist principally in outward acts of worship and attention to ceremonies, while the weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy, and fidelity, are too little regarded, and of course too little cultivated in the minds of children. How many people feel safe, and think themselves saints, because they are punctual in their observance of some religious ceremonies, while they habitually indulge hatreds to their fellow men, and allow themselves in conduct which is unjust, injurious, unmerciful and cruel. In how many thousands of cases might God address christians as he did the Jews in the days of Isaiah: "Your new moons, and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And, when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear; your hands are full of blood." Isaiah i. 14, 15. There is doubtless much di versity in the natural passions and dispositions of children; but a still greater diversity is made by education. Let a contrast be formed between those children who are educated in the best manner, by religious, affectionate and kind parents, who are careful to instil into the minds of their children sentiments of justice, love and mercy; and those children who are educated like savages, and are brought up under the influence of irreligion, vice and crueltyż Into which of these classes would the christian go, expecting to find virtuous children; children in whom he could confide, and whom he would be willing to bring into his house, as ciates for his own children? Whose conscience does not admit the power and importance of virtuous education in view of such a contrast! asso We can only give at this time a mere outline of the care and the methods which parents should adopt, to cultivate love and kind affections in their children. Before children are capable of speaking, or even of understanding what others say, they are capable of receiving impressions by kind or unkind treatment and examples. And as they usually receive their first impressions at home, great care should be taken that these early impressions are favorable. Parents should be very careful that their treatment of each other should be tender and affec |